This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, January 2019 issue.
The history of the Kerry Blue Terrier, like the history of Ireland itself, must be viewed through the mists of legend and myth. One popular story is that the Kerry, or Irish Blue Terrier arose from black, soft-coated dogs that swam ashore from the remnants of the Spanish Armada driven onto the west coast of Ireland on their return to Spain. Another version tells of black dogs from Russian cargo ships, bound for England during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, driven off course and landing in Ireland. By either account, the story of the Kerry Blue Terrier seems to date from the mid-years of the reign of Elizabeth I in England. This was a time of great repression of the Irish People when private land holdings were stripped from the native population and given as gifts and rewards to the great families of England and as punishment to the locals for holding on to their Catholic faith. Whatever its origin, the Kerry Blue became a popular dog in rural county Kerry, known for its small farms with herds of sheep and cows.
The Kerry developed into an all-around farm dog in the days of tenant farmers—hunter of vermin, herder of livestock, and guard of the hearth and home. One of the nicknames for the Kerry is the “Gray Ghost,” a title bestowed for the Kerry’s ability as a provider of extra meat for the table from the rabbits it ran down and killed, hunting silently so the gamekeepers would not know that poachers were about. Gentle, lovable and intelligent, the Kerry in more recent times has become an all-around working and utility terrier, used in Ireland and England for hunting small game and birds, and for retrieving from land and water. This overall working and sporting terrier is a faithful companion to the family, showing great personality, drive and energy. As one would expect from a dog of lowly and utilitarian origins, there are no Stud Books or pedigree histories. The earliest mention of what might have been Kerries was a report in 1808 by Bennelson, of packs of large gray, hunting terriers maintained by a few land owners in County Kerry.
The first authenticated mention of a “silverhaired Irish Terrier” was made by Allan Lewis in a “journal newspaper” in 1887. These dogs were seen at a dog show in the southern part of County Kerry. This is also the earliest reported dog show in which Kerrys appeared. But it was not until after the formation of the Irish Republic that Kerrys began to appear in shows throughout Ireland, encouraged in part by their association with General Michael Collins, “The Big Fella,” who was an early Kerry owner and exhibitor and whose name and story is so intrinsically entwined with the creation of the Republic. In 1921, Michael Collins sponsored an Act of the Oireachtas in the Dail Eireann (Irish Parliament) to recognize the Irish Blue (or Kerry Blue) as the National Dog of Ireland. However, with the death of General Collins, the initiative died as well. 1922 was the watershed year for the Kerry Blue. In that year, the breed was formally recognized by the Irish Kennel Club, the English Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club.
This was also the year that the Dublin Kennel Club held the first Championship show for Kerries, drawing 257 entries. That year was also the first appearance of Kerrys at Crufts and at the Westminster Kennel Club Show. The English standard is with a few minor exceptions identical with the American standard in that coats must be trimmed. English fanciers, always more fastidious than their Irish neighbors, show the Kerry in a trimmed, more stylized coat, whereas the Irish still prefer a longer, less manipulated trim. Some of the first Kerrys were imported into the United States by such notables as Mrs. William Randolph Hearst and Gene Tunney. In 1938, with the amalgamation of the Kerry Blue Terrier Club of America and the United States Kerry Blue Terrier Club, both founded in the late 1920s, the United States Kerry Blue Terrier Club became the official parent club for the Kerry breed. The Kerry is of medium height, upstanding and square, well muscled and with the strong bite of a hunter, but not accompanied by the visible jaw musculature found in the Bully breeds. This size and structure makes the Kerry ideal for hunting small game and large rodents, such as badger, fox and rats. From the 1920’s one of the requirements to gain a championship in Ireland was for the Kerry to go to ground in a badger lair and bring the prey out.
One might wonder if the Kerrys did to the Irish badgers was what Saint Patrick did to the snakes in Ireland, for in the 1960s the badger population had become sufficiently endangered that this requirement was dropped. The characteristic fall and beard is still retained as a relic that once protected the eyes and nose of the Kerry from the claws and teeth of the badger and the thorns of the brambles. Above ground, the open gait and strong musculature of its rear also makes the Kerry a formidable herder of cattle and sheep. The soft, nonshedding coat of the Kerry makes it an ideal house dog, and its size, combined with its love of family and home makes it a good dog for warning off potential intruders. In temperament, the Kerry will romp with the children, chase thrown balls for hours and then curl up beside you as you read the paper, ready for pets and scratches behind the ear. The ideal height for the Kerry is between 17 and 20 inches. While born black, the coat color matures into a bluegray that allows for a wide spectrum of shade. A young Kerry needs some level of training and socialization, which its intelligence readily accepts. However, left untrained and unsocialized that intelligence may result in unruliness. Kerrys, like most dogs of their size, require some level of exercise. While the Kerry is adaptable to apartment living as well as to a ranch, Kerrys need to have some room and time to exercise.
Free access to a small yard may be enough, but where living space is restricted, owners must be willing to take their Kerrys out for walks, runs or to parks where they can be free to romp. Kerrys also require grooming. The beautiful, soft lush coat required brushing at least weekly, but preferably more frequently. The nonshedding aspect of the coat requires that it be trimmed at least every month to six weeks. Kerrys are eligible to participate in numerous AKC events and receive titles for their efforts. Confirmation showing is popular, but growing in popularity are performance events, such as Obedience, Agility, Rally and Herding, where Kerrys are enthusiastic and successful in their participation. Kerrys are found in the ranks of Therapy dogs where their soft coat and love of people make them very suitable to that task. Kerrys also have retained their retrieving instincts and are frequently seen in Dock Dog Events where their enthusiasm, love of water and impish sense of humor often provide the watching crowd with great amusement. In general, the Kerry loves to please its owner, but does so on its own terms, as witnessed by Kerry that loved Obedience, but hated frosty grass. She would finish each routine by squatting beside her handler, her bottom a few inches above the wet, cold grass. With proper treatment, training, food and exercise, the Kerry Blue Terrier is very long-lived and healthy and will retain his activeness until the end. In fact, a Kerry Blue Terrier of six and eight years of age may well be taken for a young dog.
