“It sometimes takes days, even weeks, before a dog’s nerves tire. In the case of terriers it can run into months.” – E. B. White

The author of Charlotte’s Web knew his terriers. His lifetime, White owned more than a dozen dogs of all types, “Daisy,” a Scottish Terrier, among them.  The infamous Scottie had been kicked out of Schrafft’s, arrested, and later run down by a Yellow Cab while smelling the flowers in front of a florist. Her passing prompted The New Yorker to run her obituary on March 12, 1932:

“Daisy (“Black Watch Debatable”) died December 22, 1931 when she was hit by a Yellow cab in University Place. At the moment of her death, she was smelling the front of a florist’s shop. It was a wet day, and the cab skidded up over the curb–just the sort of excitement that would have amused her, had she been at a safe distance…”

Terriers had been written of before, of course, and the earliest literary account of the “terrar” was by Dr. Caius in his 16th century book, Of Englishe Dogges. The first engraving of a terrier came even earlier; a 14th century engraving appeared in an illustrated manuscript that was later reproduced in Sports and Pastimes in 1801.

In the immortal words of Gerry Fleck from the movie, “Best in Show,” “God loves a terrier.”

Enjoy the nearly 12 minute video below filmed in the 1930s, and don’t miss the ending. It has an important message.