The first time I heard about the little Guthrie Terrier of Texas, USA, was in the early 2000’s. I saw a small advert on one of the old American hunting forums about them. At the time, I remember thinking to myself that they looked just like every other fell terrier we see in the UK.

I then didn’t hear or see anything more about the breed until 2014 when I was contacted by a gentleman from Texas who owned and worked Guthrie Terriers. He provided me with a lot of photos and information about the breed and it’s creator. At the time, I wrote a small article in an attempt to attract some more attention to the breed which had been dwindling in numbers since Mr Guthrie passed away in 2010.

I once again did not have any further involvement with the breed or hear anything more about them until this year, when a friend of mine messaged me asking about them as one of his friends was interested in the breed. I have to be honest and admit that I had actually completely forgotten about them as they had gone off the radar in the dog world, but as I am always keen to support and promote new and unregistered “breeds” which are specifically created with work in mind. I decided to once again cover the little known Guthrie Terrier and bring it back into the limelight…

Mr Richard ‘Red’ Guthrie from Poverty Valley Kennels in Early, Central Texas, America began creating his Guthrie Terrier aka Texas Terrier or Red Guthrie Terrier in the late 1960’s. The breed began from an accidental cross between a small Treeing Walker CoonHound bitch owned by Mr Guthrie and a Male Schnauzer owned by one of his neighbours. The resulting puppies proved to be very good multi functional hunters and excelled on a variety of game. Mr Guthrie later added some Fox Terrier and Patterdale Terrier Blood to his dogs, he also crossed a Staffordshire Bull Terrier Male with two Welsh Terrier females and used the resulting pups in his breeding program as he wanted to add new blood, increase the size and strength of his terriers.

The breed has an average height of 15 inches tts and weighs between 20 and 30lbs. They have a short or long wire haired coat that comes in Black and Tan or all red and are described by hunters that have seen them in action as mini working Airedale Terriers with plenty of brains and brawn. The Guthrie Terrier was created to be a small multi functional hunter, with a good coat that didn’t cost local hunters an arm and a leg like many of the European Terrier breeds did at the time.

Mr Guthrie May have passed away almost 10 years ago but his little Terrier still lives on today, working away quietly in the hands of a few devoted Texas hunters who value their working abilities as farm dogs, coon dogs, blood trail dogs and catch dogs.

Long live the little Texas Ranger and R.I.P Mr Guthrie!