The phrase, “where you stand has a lot to do with where you sit,” is a metaphorical expression that suggests that our perspective on an issue influences how we interpret the world around us.

Take the word: “poll.”

For the person involved in politics, a ‘poll’ helps gauge public sentiment or election results. To a rancher, a ‘poll’ refers to an animal that was either born without horns or has had its horns removed. Carpenters, blacksmiths and masons know a ‘poll’ as the flat end of a hammer used to shape and forge metal. And if you’ve been “in” the dog fancy long enough, you know it as the top of a dog’s head, particularly the back part of the skull.

To our knowledge, no current AKC dog breed standard uses the word “poll,”  the term being somewhat archaic and so uncommon in contemporary canine use as to be non-existent. Historically speaking, however, it was an important term in at least one specific breed, the Wire Fox Terrier. Breed fanciers and afficionados digging through old books will be aided in knowing what the word means if they come across it in historical grooming and breed descriptions of the Wire Fox Terrier.

Here is one passage found in a Wire Fox Terrier Association’s tutorial book:

“This Variety of the breed should resemble the Smooth sort in every respect except the coat, which should be broken. The harder and more wiry the texture of the coat is, the better. On no account should the dog look or feel woolly; and there should be no silky hair about the poll or elsewhere. The coat should not be too long, so as to give the dog a shaggy appearance, but at the same time, it should show a marked and distinct difference all over from the Smooth species.”

Harold R. Spira’s “Canine Terminology” defines “poll” as: “Used in AKC’s breed standard of the Wire Fox Terrier, referring to the top of the head.”

In Edward M. Gilbert Jr and Patricia H. Gilbert’s Encyclopedia of K-9 Terms, ‘poll’ is defined as, “…The CKC Wire Fox Terrier should not have silky hair about the poll or elsewhere.”

We understand the logic behind standardizing and shortening breed standards, but we lament the loss of terminology often viewed as expendable. Frequently colorful and more descriptive, certain words also connect us to the past and, sadly, dim the vibrant heritage of breeds like the Wire Fox Terrier. Perusing old breed documents reveals how nuanced language once so vividly described these beloved breeds.

As an aside, did you know that the AKC parent club for the Fox Terrier, the American Fox Terrier Club, was the first specialty club to become a member of the American Kennel Club in 1888?