All Dog Breeds >>History of Sealyham Terrier
The Sealyham Terrier derives its name from Sealyham, Haverfordwest, Wales, the estate of Captain John Edwardes, who developed a strain of dogs noted for their prowess in quarrying small game. He crossed the Dandie Dinmont, the now-extinct White English Terrier, the Fox Terrier, the West Highland White Terrier, and the Corgie, and tested the offspring for hunting ability, culling those who did not prove game. Within the Hollywood Movie Industry, the Sealyham became a fashionable dog to own by the Hollywood elite.
It was owned by Director Alfred Hitchcock, Actors, Jean Harlow, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Margaret. The dog was widely owned in England, but interest in the dog waned in conjunction with the banning of badger digs. Today it is primarily a companion dog, and when hunting has been banned in countries, its use for hunting purposes has been eliminated. The first Sealyham Terrier club was created in 1908 and the breed was officially recognised in 1910. The Sealyham Terrier now is recognised by all of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world.
The Sealyham was once one of the more popular terriers and one of the best known Welsh breeds. Today, however, The Kennel Club (UK) lists the Sealyham as amongst the most endangered native breeds. A Sealyham Terrier, Champion Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice, won Best In Show at Crufts in 2009.