At most shows the Fox Terrier classes are better filled than those devoted to any other variety.
There is very little reliable information as to how and when the Fox Terrier sprang into existence, as it is hundreds of years since Terriers were written about, though very little can be gleaned, as the word at that time had a very ambiguous meaning, consequently most of such records become speculative when discussing the probable origin of any given type of Terrier.
Rawdon B. Lee, in his book on the Fox Terrier, gives numerous extracts from various ancient writers with reference to the early history of the Fox Terrier, but the information leaves one very little wiser, upon the earlier history of these game little Terriers. It is a problem that bears every possibility of remaining unsolved.
For the present purpose it is sufficient to know that the breed is with us in a very high state of perfection, and that this has been attained by selection within the last fifty years, or thereabout.
Whether these Terriers, as we find them on the show bench, are equal to the tasks usually imposed upon their predecessors, is another matter, and one that Fox Terrier men, in general, are not always inclined to discuss.
That there are any amount of game Fox Terriers on the show bench there is abundant evidence to prove, but we have no knowledge as to whether these constitute the majority.
Mr Scott's Smooth Fox Terrier Millgate Jof.