The Early History of the Australian Terrier, Also Known as Aussies

This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, July 2017 issue.

The Early History of the Australian Terrier, Also Known as Aussies

The early dogs were called ‘Rough-coated Terriers’, dogs and bitches bred from British Terriers or their descendants, which were brought from England, Ireland and Scotland. But there was no master plan with the clear view of hindsight at work. Instead, a brave new breed resulted almost in spite of human intervention. Roy Burnell’s account of breeding Australian Terriers in the early days (An unpublished essay, 1962, The Australian Terrier) is revealing that according to his grandfather’s practices starting from about the 1890s, Burnell alludes to an “open season” as to what they did to develop a breed that would be recognizable! There were no kennel names or prefix found in most pedigrees. There was no complete record kept of pedigrees to indicate the various admixtures used to secure the type of dog they desired or required. From the 1860-70s, the Rough Coated Terrier spread throughout Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, to New South Wales and Queensland.

Use of the term “Australian Terrier” is found quite early. In 1880, there is a record of Australian Rough Coated Terriers shown in South Australia. In 1886, “Australian Terriers” were shown in Queensland. In 1899, a class of “Australian Terriers-Rough Coated” was seen in Sydney, New South Wales. Finally, in 1909, according to Pamela McDougall-Douglas, the Victorian Poultry and Kennel Club granted the first championship title specifically to an “Australian Terrier”, previously the Rough Coated Terrier. In 1909, 83 Australian Terriers were registered in Victoria; of these, 64 were blue and tan and 19 were sandy. Acceptance of the term “Australian Terrier” named after the nation, hence a national Terrier, came gradually, but not without the now-infamous railing against the national breed with vitriol and controversy in the kennel news of the Australian press. “Unmitigated mongrel” and other intensely derogatory descriptors and passionate opinions are cited in the many histories of the Australian Terrier. Bear in mind that until the 1940s, and perhaps even later, cross-breeding could still be found. The same litter might produce specimens of two and even three different “breeds” (e.g., Silky Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier and Australian Terrier), depending on the phenotype.

New registration requirements initiated in Victoria about 1940 were the first to call a halt to crossbreeding in show stock; in New South Wales, the new rules came in 1947 and in South Australia, the practice was finally ended as late as 1952! Mrs. Milton (Nell) Fox, Pleasant Pastures, New Jersey, is perhaps the single most influential player in the introduction of the Australian Terrier to the American Kennel Club Stud Book. Nell Fox owned Australian Terriers as a child living in New Zealand. Nell married Milton Fox and together they settled in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA, where they eventually established their Pleasant Pastures Kennels. It is unclear when and what dogs Mr. and Mrs.

Fox may have imported or otherwise acquired prior to the 1950s, but we know that in 1955 she requested a dog from two sisters, the Misses Elsie and Elizabeth Williams, whose Willelva Kennel was located in a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. They provided Mrs. Fox with her first Aussie of note, Willelva Wanderer, whelped in 1956 and sent to his new home in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Ch. Cooees Straleon Aussie, whelped July 1, 1957, was sired by Willelva Wanderer with the dam being Elvyne Blue Taffetta, an Aussie bred and owned by Mr. and Mrs. Milton Fox, and became the first AKC Australian Terrier champion. The Foxes trained their Aussies in Obedience at first, and Willelva Wanderer was the first to earn the Companion Dog title. Soon, the Foxes became discouraged with the fact that they could not register their Australian Terriers with the American Kennel Club, as the breed was not recognized.

Early inquiries at the American Kennel Club revealed that the AKC felt the Australian Terrier had a stain on its pedigree, having received unsavory reports from fanciers about its lack of breeding true as required for a purebred dog breed. It takes time for rumors to quell, and one must remember that in New South Wales, registering dogs in more than one breed from the same litter was stopped only in 1947 and not until 1952 in South Australia. In any case, Nell and Milton Fox set about organizing their efforts and those of colleagues with Aussies toward recognition of the breed by the AKC. They not only commenced many importations of Aussies from Australia and England around this time, but they also joined with John F. Harjes in entering their import, Willelva Wanderer, along with the several Aussies entered by Mr. Harjes in the Miscellaneous Class of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on February 11 and 12, 1957, in New York—there were three dogs and three bitches. In April 1957, the first meeting of a few local fanciers was held to form a parent breed club. The rest, it could be said, is history.

How the ATCA as We Know It Came to Be

One of the requirements of the American Kennel Club for recognition of new breeds is that they must be represented by a stable parent breed club that will organize, among other things, a standard for the proposed breed and a Foundation Pedigree Book to document that the breed does breed true. The minutes of this meeting on April 3, 1957, are the earliest recorded minutes that we have of the new Australian Terrier Club. The Club began plans for the First Specialty to be held February 11, 1962, in conjunction with the Associated Terrier Clubs at their show site in New York City. Mrs. Augustus Riggs, IV, was approved to judge. The ATCA Emblem was used for the first time in conjunction with the publicity for the first Specialty Show.

It was designed by Dr. Roszko, who worked into the design of the Wattle, the national flower of Australia, and the Southern Cross constellation on the shield. This design has continued to the present day as the official emblem of the ATCA, with some alterations of the artwork for the Aussie. Also in 1962, Nell and Milton Fox were awarded the golden “FIDO” Breeder of the Year Award by the Gaines Canine Research Foundation in recognition of their work in establishing the Australian Terrier breed, for their breeding of winning dogs and their help to other breeders. On July 9, 1961, a Second Plan “A” AKC Sanctioned Specialty Match Show was held by ATCA at Ocean County Park in New Jersey. Mr. Frank B.

Brumby judged the Regular Classes, and Mrs. Anthony Walters judged the Puppy Classes. Later in 1961, the AKC approved the offering of Specialty Shows by the Australian Terrier Club of America as a licensed Club of the AKC. Today, the Australian Terrier Club of America continues to be active in performance, conformation, and health issues for the breed. ATCA has formed a Rescue Organization that meets the needs of the Australian Terrier of the US. Also, ATCA has formed an AusTTrust for the continuing education and health of the breed. ATCA has instituted a Junior Membership Scholarship for continuing education. ATCA continues to have National Specialties throughout the country with progressively increasing entries.