Kristi Yamaguchi with “Piston”

The Toy Fox Terrier is a breed that straddles two inheritances. A terrier background gives the TFT a “superdog” self image, and it is true that this is a big dog in a little package. He does, after all, count as an ancestor the Smooth Fox Terrier, and as such,  has similar gameness which served him well in keeping farms free of small vermin with sharp teeth.

The other part of the ancestry are various toy breeds that include Min Pins, Italian Greyhounds, and Chihuahuas – all diminutive sized dogs. A healthy ego befitting a much larger dog isn’t always a good thing in a small sized dog that tops out at seven pounds, and sometimes, owners have to protect the dog from himself.

 The breed is one of the “American-made” breeds (can you name the others?*) and being an American creation of the early 1900’s lead to the breed’s nickname, “Amertoy,” short for American Toy Terrier. In Olympic skater, Kristi Yamaguchi’s house, “Piston” is the name by which one TFT goes. Twilight actress, Ashely Greene, also counts one as part of the family, a TFT named “Marlow.”

*Depending upon whom you ask, the other all-American breeds include the following:

Alaskan Malamute
American Eskimo Dog
American Foxhound
American Hairless Terrier
American Leopard Hound
American Staffordshire Terrier
American Water Spaniel
Australian Shepherd
Black and Tan Coonhound
Boston Terrier
Catahoula Leopard Dog
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Chinook
Cocker Spaniel
Miniature American Shepherd
Plott
Rat Terrier
Redbone Coonhound
Teddy Roosevelt Terrier
Treeing Tennessee Brindle

And, of course, the Toy Fox Terrier.

Image: “Adorable In Triplicate by Jill Ciccone Pike is available for purchase as wall art, home decor or lifestyle items here.