The Smooth Foxy Rat Terrier is a hybrid mix of two true Terrier breeds. The dispositions of both parent breeds are similar, and only general appearance marks the real difference between the two parents. Currently, documentation on the Smooth Foxy Rat Terrier is limited, and this hybrid does not have a breed history. However, owners can review the respective histories of both parent breeds for additional insight into their Smooth Foxy Rat Terrier. The Smooth Fox Terrier developed in the United Kingdom when fox hunting became popular in the 18th century. Sportsmen needed a dog that could go to the ground and bolt foxes out of their hiding spots. Originally, the Fox Terrier breed had both Smooth and Wire coated varieties, but the Smooth Fox Terrier is now considered a separate breed. The Smooth Fox Terrier is the most decorated breed at the Westminster Kennel Club, having won 13 Best-in-Show awards over its breed history and was, at one point, the most recognizable breed. The Smooth Fox Terrier went to America in 1879, and by 1885, the American Kennel Club registered its first Smooth Fox Terrier, a dog named Cricket. While today, the breed is not as popular as it once was, the Smooth Fox Terrier continues to be a star in the show ring. The American Rat Terrier is an American breed of Terrier that developed in the 19th and 20th centuries as the result of breeding several Terrier breeds, including the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Manchester Terrier, and the Old English White Terrier. Toy Fox Terriers that were too large for their breed class were used in the American Rat Terrier breeding program to reduce the size of the Rat Terrier. Additionally, the Whippet breed was used to increase the fleet abilities of the Rat Terrier while the Beagle was used for its pack mentality qualities. The resulting Rat Terrier breed is a large mix of several bloodlines. The Rat Terrier may have been named by President Theodore Roosevelt, who kept one at the White House for the rat problem. Rat Terriers developed to assist farmers with rat problems in their barns, and the breed's size allowed them to fit in tight spaces to get to vermin. The breed was highly popular between the 1910s and the 1940s, but the increased use of poisons on farms reduced the popularity of the Rat Terrier in the 1950s. Thankfully, the breed was maintained by some breeders and re-emerged in the 1970s. The Rat Terrier went unrecognized by the American Kennel Club until 2013 and has moderate popularity today.
