Top Notch Toys - September 2016

Manchester Terrier. These two breeds remain separate in England today. In the United States, the first Man- chester Terrier was registered with the AKC in 1887. In 1923, the Man- chester Terrier Club of America was officially recognized. In 1934, breeders of the English Toy (Black & Tan) Terriers changed the breed name to Toy Manchester Terrier and in 1938 the American Toy Manches- ter Terrier Club was organized. Through the 1940s, the Toy Man- chester Terrier gained steadily in popularity while the Manchester Ter- rier numbers dwindled and by 1952 the Manchester Terrier Club of America was without organized breed repre- sentation. In 1958, to the credit of the American Toy Manchester Terrier Club, the two breeds were combined as one with two varieties (Standard and Toy) with the formation of the American Manchester Terrier Club. With the infusion of the larger (standard) dogs into the breeding pro- grams, the Toys in the United States have evolved into smaller versions of the Standards, sporting the same sub- stance and elegance. Today the AKC standard states that the only differences between the Toy and Standard variety are size (Toys are 12 pounds and under; Standards are over 12 pounds up to 22 pounds) and ears (Toy ears are only nat- urally erect; Standard ears are naturally erect, cropped or button). About the Author

Ch. Renreh diamond Jim; Finished winning groups. Handled by Mari-Beth O’Neill. Pictured winning Toy Group at Westchester KC under Judge Ramona Van Court.

Rodney (Rod) Hern- er bred his first Toy Manchester Terrier in 1958. Since then he finished over 60 champions under the kennel name Renreh. These included many

Ch. Renreh Loreli of Charmaron; delaware County KC, 6.2.68. Judge William Kendrick; Handled by J. Monroe Stebbins.

Toy Group, Best in Show and National Specialty Winners. Ch. Renreh Lore- lei of Charmaron, bred by Rod and owned by Charles A. T. O’Neill and Mari-Beth O’Neill, remains the only Toy Manchester to have won the Toy Group at Westminster, two years after she placed fourth in group there as a nine month old class entry. She was also a multi Best in Show winner and National Specialty winner. Rod is cur- rently an AKC approved judge of the Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting Groups as well as nine Hound breeds.

that excelled both in the rat pit and along the hedge row. Others followed his lead and a new type was developed, which sported a sleeker, more elegant body with more tuck up and a topline with a slight rise over the loin followed by slightly sloping croup to the tailset. The breed was named the Manches- ter Terrier, after the district where it was developed. The breed spread from Manchester all over England. Smaller specimens that

appeared in litters became very popu- lar and the demand for them resulted in unethical practices that included breeding to other small breeds. This concentrated effort to reduce size, at any cost, resulted in fine-boned, apple- domed dogs that were often very frail and sickly. In time, two distinct breeds developed with completely different types. The smaller specimens became the English Toy (Black & Tan) Terrier while the larger ones remained the

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