30 Years and Counting of Norfolk Terriers
Reminiscences of our favorite breed and three wonderful dogs
The first Norfolk Terrier that we met was at the Westminster Dog Show in the 1980s. My wife and I wanted a dog and were fascinated by the variety of breeds. We arrived at the Westminster Dog Show late because of some business commitments and most of the breeders and handlers were packing up for the day. In a corner at the back of the exhibitors’ area, were a few small dog crates with lively little dogs with rough coats in a bright wheaten color. When I approached them, they acted like I was their long last friend. They had ears that folded over and brilliant expressive faces; stocky, muscular bodies and short legs. But the most distinctive thing about these dogs was the way they conveyed personality and cheerfulness even from the confines of their crates. We spoke with the breeders and had our introduction to the world of Norfolk Terriers.
The Norfolk Terrier is the smallest of the working terriers, usually weighing 11 to 13 pounds. They were originally bred in the county of Norfolk, England to hunt rats in barns and to accompany fox hunters and flush the foxes from their burrows. They still hold these hunting instincts. Walking our Norfolk around the Upper East Side of Manhattan would frequently turn out to be a hunting event, as she would sniff out rats around the parked cars and the Covid-era dining sheds.
Norfolks may be small, but they have the drive and personality of a big dog. A prominent breeder of Norfolks, who carefully vetted all her potential owners, said that she would only sell her dogs to people who had Norfolks before or who had trained large breeds like Labs.
After our experience at Westminster, we set about finding a breeder who would sell us a Norfolk Terrier. This was a more difficult task than might be expected. Norfolks have very small litters, usually only two puppies, and rarely as many as four. They aren’t quite a rare breed, but they are hard to find and most of the puppies are spoken for before they are born.
We persevered, and on a brilliant October day in the farmland of Eastern Rhode Island we met the first Norfolk to come into our lives, Isabelle. She was a lively puppy as she gamboled around her home, and she warmed up to us from the start. When she tired of playing, I picked her up and she fell asleep in my arms. She fit perfectly into our lives from that moment.
Isabelle had a lot of adventures. When she started living with us, we had an 1810 farmhouse in a semi-rural part of Connecticut. We fenced in the land, just for her, and she had the run of it, flushing a flock of wild turkeys or chasing squirrels that had the audacity and temerity to collect the black walnuts that had fallen from her tree.
She once chased a cat through an impossibly small hole into the crawl space below our garage. Frightened by the sound of the animal gladiators having at it, I grabbed a crowbar and started dismantling the base of the garage. The cat was out first, then Isabelle, with only a small scratch on her face, but enough for a visit to the vet, just to play safe. After that, she would stop by the garage every time that she went out, in the hope that there might be another cat looking for sport.
She went sailing with us and, although a long passage through rough water along the New England coast wasn’t her favorite thing, she loved a cruise around the harbor in the inflatable dinghy, especially if the harbor had some swimming swans or geese that she could bark at.
Isabelle was a great traveler and an integral part of our trips to the South of France. She was content in her travel crate under the seat for the full transatlantic flight, although she would sit in our laps from time to time for some water and a little food. Although she had great physical stamina for travel, she was one happy dog when she found that first patch of grass just outside the Nice airport.
In France, dogs are allowed in restaurants, and we trained her in what we call French restaurant manners – she would stay on my left side on her leash and settle down while we dined. The waiters are used to dogs in the restaurants and will bring a bowl of water and are happy to receive a canine greeting. Isabelle loved these outings, and although she was with us in some pretty fancy places, her favorite restaurants were of the outdoor, town square variety where cats and pigeons would wander around the perimeter and taunt her.
As Isabelle aged, she developed a sensitivity to bright sunlight, but with her “Doggles” – a kind of sunglasses for dogs - she continued to enjoy all her outdoor activities.
Isabelle had the strongest life force of any creature that I have ever known. When she was a puppy and we she had only been with us for a couple of weeks, she had a very bad reaction to a combination of vaccinations. She had collapsed and could barely move. Her breeder told us that there was nothing to do but to stay with her in the hope that she would pull through. We sat with her through the night and our cat, Buster, paced around Isabelle realizing that something was wrong. By morning, Isabelle was moving again, and all was well within a couple more days.
Isabelle lived to almost eighteen years old. Until the very last days of her life, although her hearing and sight were failing, she took pleasure in the company of her family, the familiarity of her surroundings and the daily routine of food, trips outside, and rest. Isabelle seemed committed to keep on going, as though she realized how important she was to her family and that she had her responsibility to us. She passed peacefully on her own.
A breeder of Norfolks made a study of the life expectancy of Norfolk Terriers and knew of one other that had lived as long as Isabelle. She said that they had almost identical pedigrees and that there was likely a genetic component to their longevity.
After a little time had passed, we contacted Isabelle’s breeder, about the possibility of another Norfolk puppy but she was no longer breeding dogs. She recommended another breeder, also in Rhode Island, who was planning on a litter in a few months. We asked her to reserve a puppy for us, and that is how Iris joined us.
Iris was slightly smaller than Isabelle and was a truly beautiful little dog. She garnered attention wherever she was walked, and, like Isabelle, she was a quick and willing learner in the ways of restaurant manners and travels to France.
Iris had enormous self-confidence and had no fear of any loud noises, people, or other dogs. Most of her life was spent on the upper East Side of Manhattan. With all the attention that she received on her daily walks around her neighborhood and in Central Park, she developed the attitude that every encounter with people was like a birthday party for her. She had a canine intuition that she possessed a special charm for people, and I often felt that she used this outgoing manner to get me to open up more to other people.
With Iris’s special skills with people, I thought that she and I might make a good therapy dog team, visiting the hospitals and schools on the Upper East Side. We signed up for the training, but alas, that never came to be.
Iris started to exhibit some unusual behavior, crying for no apparent reason, and becoming sensitive to touch. She was eating and drinking but clearly something was severely wrong. After an ultrasound examination and an examination by a specialist, the horrible diagnosis was returned – she had a very aggressive and fast-moving case of pancreatic cancer. In what seemed like a flash, she was gone from our lives. Flora was only five years old. From the time that we first noticed her pain until she was gone was a period of only two weeks. This all happened so suddenly, and we found ourselves in a state of shock that such an important part of our family life could have been gone so quickly.
We grieved for weeks, and then decided that despite the heartbreak of losing Iris, we would look for another Norfolk puppy. Again, this was a difficult process because there just weren’t many Norfolk puppies around. I was on the list for a puppy with breeders in England and Norway. The Norwegian breeder insisted that if she were to place a puppy with us, I had to fly over personally and then bring back the puppy in the cabin of the plane. I wouldn’t have had it any other way and this seemed a small price to pay for bringing another Norfolk into our lives. I then heard of a breeder in Middleburg, Virginia who was planning on a litter of puppies.
Middleburg is in the middle of the rolling green hills of Virginia horse country, and it was a delight to drive down from New York and to visit the litter of puppies. With four puppies, the Middleburg litter was large by Norfolk standards. The breeders had taken a room of their house to create what they called the “puppy palace”, with lots of toys and bedding for these very happy puppies. Norfolk puppies develop more slowly than larger dogs like Labs or Goldens, and they can’t be brought home until they are about thirteen weeks old. We visited three or four times and were always graciously welcomed as the breeders realized how much we missed having a Norfolk. We chose a puppy that the breeder had named Flora, after the breeder’s grandmother. We kept the name because it seemed to reflect our dog’s personality, and it was a fitting tribute to Iris to use another name of a flower. Seven years ago, Flora came with us for the drive from Middleburg to New York and has been with us since.
Flora has her own character and, like all great dogs, has the empathetic ability to know what her family needs and to respond. Flora was with us through the Covid lockdown, and she always had a knack of sensing when we had been in the house too long and needed to be persuaded to go for a walk. It is amazing how much a dog can communicate through a stare and facial expression.
During Covid, I developed some severe back problems and Flora took an active role in my physical therapy. I was prescribed a daily round of stretching and bridge exercises, and Flora would jump on top of me to enhance the physical effort. These exercises became part of our daily routine and around four o’clock every day, Flora would jump against my legs with her tail wagging insisting that it was time for the exercises. Flora deserves credit for my recovery from the back problem.
Flora also has the endearing trait of being fascinated by water of any kind, from the flowing gutter of a street after a rainstorm to ocean surf. Nothing pleases her more than a ride on the boat or a walk to the edge of the harbor. The occasional sighting of a manatee, dolphin or school of fish adds to Flora’s thrills.
She is, however, frightened by thunder and lightning. A nighttime storm means that she needs to wake up the whole house to alert us to the danger. She then insists that we head to what she believes is the safest space, an interior bathroom. This shows great judgment on her part as it is exactly what the experts on tornadoes advise. I think that she does this, not just out of her own fear, but also to protect her family.
Flora has the best language skill of any of our Norfolks. She comprehends a rather large vocabulary. Moreover, she seems to know what language and words are about and makes a real effort to understand what is being said.
Flora has been to the South of France twice, the first time in 2019, pre-Covid. She was with us in France again this summer of 2023 and her memory of the village of Tourrettes-sur-Loup, the markets and the restaurants was astounding. She immediately remembered just where she was, which businesses were friendly to dogs, the corners of the town square where the cats hang out, and the restaurants where she was fussed over.
Isabelle, Iris, and Flora have all been great dogs; each in her own distinctive way. Dogs have an innate sense that they need to fill the needs of their human companions, and as we have changed, so has our lifestyle, activity, and emotions. What a solace and delight to have the companionship of Norfolk Terriers for these 30 years.
Thank you Drake. What a wonderful tribute this is to three brilliant and beautiful canines and to their very special breed.