“God Loves a Terrier” with Vandra Huber

[caption id="attachment_14655" align="alignleft" width="523"] Dr. Vandra Huber, McVan Scottish Terriers.[/caption]

Host Laura Reeves is joined by Terrier expert Vandra Huber for an overview of this plucky, feisty, fun group of dogs.

Huber gave herself a Scottish Terrier as a college graduation present. Forty five years later her many claims to fame include co-ownership of Peggy Sue, Ch. Gaelforce Post Script, piloted by Maripi Wooldridge to Best in Show at Westminster Kennel Club in 1995.

Ch. McVan's To Russia With Love, Knopa, won Best in Show at Crufts in 2015 handled by Rebecca Cross, who had been campaigning her in the United States.

“Terrier comes from the word terra,” Huber noted. “So these are dogs that do have jobs, just like other groups of dogs, have specific jobs. And the work that terriers perform relates to earth functions. So we have everything from the short -legged terriers who have to be a bit tenacious, okay, maybe a lot tenacious, to go into burrows … think about if you went into a burrow or even saw a badger. If you drag that badger out with your teeth and get out of a burrow and bring it back.

“Or then we have the smooth fox terrier whose job is to accompany individuals on the hunt and to be clever enough to round up that fox and alert the hunter as to where that fox is hiding. And yes, they are a little bit sly too.

“And then we go to the larger terriers, coated terriers, I'll add, and their work is usually more above ground. So the shorter the legs the more into the earth they go.

“You've got to think that most terriers come from the British Isles so you've got rocky terrain, you've got grass, you've got burrows to dig in and oh yes Scotties and these short -legged tears are extremely good as mousers and in digging up any tulips you might plant…

“They are awesome squirrel hunters. So a terrier, when it is playing into its natural instincts, you also have to be a little tough because, like a cat, they're going to bring that dead prey to you very proudly. It could be a bunny. It could be a squirrel. So many of those types of creatures are fair game because most of the terriers believe they are bigger and stronger than almost anything else.”