A long time ago, in a past life I was a girl scout leader. I remember one of my kids telling me about her little terrier dog, 'Feisty Britches'. I never met 'Feisty Britches' and have no idea what actual breed she was, just that she was a terrier full of spit and vinegar. So why am I writing about a dog I never met. Well it's all because of my doctor.
The other day he was telling me about his 88 year old mother's dog who is a
'Feist'. At first I thought he was referring to the dog's personality, as in
'Feisty Britches'. Not at all, Doc was telling me about a dog breed, a 'Feist'. I had never heard of a Feist and thought maybe it was a made up word; But No! A Feist (aka Mountain Feist, Treeing Feist), is a small hunting dog, developed in the rural southern United States (Doc. says North Carolina). So I went home and researched 'Feist'. TheFeist' is small dog, at least compared to what lives in my house. They are generally under 18" tall, and 20 Lbs or less. Even though they are a hunting dog by nature, they make excellent house dogs, watch dogs, and can be good with kids. They need some exercise, but not really more that any other breed, about 30 minutes a day. Doc says he grew up with feists on a farm in N.C. and they were great dogs. However, they do have that little dog bark.
The other day he was telling me about his 88 year old mother's dog who is a
'Feist'. At first I thought he was referring to the dog's personality, as in
'Feisty Britches'. Not at all, Doc was telling me about a dog breed, a 'Feist'. I had never heard of a Feist and thought maybe it was a made up word; But No! A Feist (aka Mountain Feist, Treeing Feist), is a small hunting dog, developed in the rural southern United States (Doc. says North Carolina). So I went home and researched 'Feist'. TheFeist' is small dog, at least compared to what lives in my house. They are generally under 18" tall, and 20 Lbs or less. Even though they are a hunting dog by nature, they make excellent house dogs, watch dogs, and can be good with kids. They need some exercise, but not really more that any other breed, about 30 minutes a day. Doc says he grew up with feists on a farm in N.C. and they were great dogs. However, they do have that little dog bark.
So I ask mys
elf, since I have never heard of this breed, it must be a new breed, maybe one of those designer breeds? But NO! This dog goes back centuries. Reference to them is included in George Washington's diary in 1770. OK, so they must hunt small vermin like the 'Rat Terrier' who was, incidentally, developed from the 'Feist'. But NO! These little guys were used in bear hunts. And they can be found in literature, in William Faulkner's "Go Down Moses" and his short story "The Bear", and in Marjorie Kinan Rawling's "The Yearling". Abraham Lincoln wrote a poem fraturing Feist dogs called "The Bear Hunt".
elf, since I have never heard of this breed, it must be a new breed, maybe one of those designer breeds? But NO! This dog goes back centuries. Reference to them is included in George Washington's diary in 1770. OK, so they must hunt small vermin like the 'Rat Terrier' who was, incidentally, developed from the 'Feist'. But NO! These little guys were used in bear hunts. And they can be found in literature, in William Faulkner's "Go Down Moses" and his short story "The Bear", and in Marjorie Kinan Rawling's "The Yearling". Abraham Lincoln wrote a poem fraturing Feist dogs called "The Bear Hunt". It is thought that the Feist descended from Native American dogs crossed with small terriers from Britain and were kept as far back as the 1600s. So wouldn't that make them one of Americas oldest breeds, if not the oldest breed. So then why isn't this breed recognized by the A.K.C.? It is recognized by the U.K.C. (United Kennel Club), the N.K.C. (National Kennel Club).
HMMMM!
