Prize-winning dogs visit Hartlepool to raise awareness of rare breed

Rare and prize-winning dogs barked into Hartlepool as they paw-sed alongside a historic painting by a town artist.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Sep 2017, 17:33 BST
Updated 27th Sep 2017, 10:52 BST
Alexander Garratt with his rare Dandie Dinmont Terriers alongside the John William Howey painting 'The Terrier Dog'.Alexander Garratt with his rare Dandie Dinmont Terriers alongside the John William Howey painting 'The Terrier Dog'.
Alexander Garratt with his rare Dandie Dinmont Terriers alongside the John William Howey painting 'The Terrier Dog'.

Three Dandie Dinmont Terriers visited the Museum of Hartlepool as they drew attention to their breed, which is one of Britain’s rarest.

They had their photograph taken alongside a painting of the same breed of dog which was created by Hartlepool artist John William Howey (1873-1938) called ‘The Terrier Dog’.

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The painting by Hartlepool artist John William Howey.The painting by Hartlepool artist John William Howey.
The painting by Hartlepool artist John William Howey.

Called Wish Upon a Star, Secret Ron Day View and Best Kept a Secret, the pups were brought to Hartlepool by their owner, Alexander Garratt.

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is the only breed of dog that can be traced back purely for over 200 years, without crossing to other breeds.

Their arrival in the town brought much excitement.

Anna Dodgson, cultural officer at Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “We were very excited to welcome these furry guests of honour to the Museum of Hartlepool.

The painting by Hartlepool artist John William Howey.The painting by Hartlepool artist John William Howey.
The painting by Hartlepool artist John William Howey.

“The Dandie Dinmont Terrier ranks highly on the Kennel Club’s vulnerable native breed list, and we believe it is vitally important to raise awareness to hopefully help reverse declining numbers of this wonderful breed of dog.”

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The Museum of Hartlepool holds nine paintings by the Howey, and the ‘The Terrier Dog’ painting dates back to about 1920.

The artist was born and lived in West Hartlepool all his life, exhibiting his art regularly in the Northern Counties Exhibitions.

His life work was recognised in a special one-man show in the Gray Art Gallery in 1925.

All three dogs which visited the museum are prize-winning in Belgium.

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Wish Upon a Star is a three-year-old bitch, and mother to the other dogs.

She is currently top Dandie Dinmont Terrier in Belgium and Switzerland, and has won several Best In Show and Group Placings in the UK and overseas.

Secret Ron Day View is eight months old and already a champion in Belgium.

He is the current top Dandie Dinmont Terrier Puppy in Belgium and has been shown very successfully in the UK and overseas.

Best Kept a Secret is also eight months old and has only been lightly shown, but has also been very successful in the UK and abroad.

She is the top female Dandie Dinmont Terrier puppy in Belgium.

Related topics:West HartlepoolBelgium