The new Yorkshire Terrier pattern on the Stitching Cards web site was produced at the request of a customer. Whilst I was doing some research for the pattern I found out some interesting facts about this breed of dog.
This small terrier was known as the Broken-Haired Scotch Terrier when it appeared in a dog show in 1861.
By 1870 the breed had been given the official name “Yorkshire” as a way to credit the history of Yorkshire terriers and their origin. This was soon shortened to “Yorkie” by affectionate owners.
Historically Yorkies were known for their ability to chase down and kill off rodents. Even today they are kept on farms as “ratters”. They enthusiastically deal with unpleasant vermin that may move into the hay barn.
Yorkies were also employed by poachers to hunt down and kill rabbits. It is said that hunters took advantage of the Yorkie’s natural ability to chase after things, and of course the Yorkie’s size. The Yorkie’s naturally long hair made it easy to pull both the dog and its catch out of rabbit holes.
In the USA the popularity of the breed rose sharply in the 1940s thanks to “Smoky,” a famous war Yorkie. A special monument honouring Smoky, World War II’s littlest soldier and most famous war dog, stands at the Eastlake Doggie Park, in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The granite monument features a small photograph of Smoky.
The smallest dog in history is said to be a tiny Yorkshire Terrier from Blackburn, England. When the dog died in 1945 at two years old, she was 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) tall at the shoulder and measured 3.75 inches (9.5cm) from nose tip to tail. She weighed only 4 ounces (113grams). This is approximately the size of a matchbox.
From 1995 through to 2002 the Guinness World Records listed a Yorkshire Terrier from Thailand named Big Boss, as the smallest living dog in the world. Big Boss was listed at 4.7 inches (11.94cm) tall.
The illustration is from the Stitching Cards Yorkshire Terrier pattern.
Do you have a Yorkshire Terrier?