Heard of — Breed Feist?
Question:
John, I wrote to you before I got Turbo. I have since gotten a new IP and am no longer on AOL except for emergencies. My IP has had some problems with newsgroups that are now fixed 
and I am back. Is there a newsgroup or listserv for Rat Terriers? My Rat is 8 pounds and a great dog, she was the mascot for my granddaughter’s soccer team last fall and would much rather been playing than rooting for her team. She is a good player and could have been an asset to the team, except I don’t think biting the feet of the opposing players is allowed, even lightly And yes she does sleep under the covers. Claudia – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Claudia – I also have a rat terrier and can attest that they do make >excellent family dogs especially if you like a small dog sleeping under >your covers <ggggg> >John
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Hi, >The Feist is almost the state dog of Georga. >It is a terrier bred to hunt primarily squirrels. >It is closely related to Fox terriers, Rat Terriers, and Jack Russell >Terriers. >I have never owned one, but I have met a few and they are excellent family >dogs. >I do have a Rat Terrier who is more important to me than I can begin to tell >you. >If you truly want more information I can look up some sources for you to >contact. >E-mail anytime >Claudia Pendlay
Claudia – I also have a rat terrier and can attest that they do make excellent family dogs especially if you like a small dog sleeping under your covers <ggggg> John
Response:
>We have gotten a puppy which we were told is a breed call Feist. I >was informed that it is a new breed up North. (We are in GA) I would >like to find out some information concerning this breed of dog. So >far he has been an excellent choice, well behaved (within puppy >standards) and we were told that he will not have the 3 "B". The is >he should not Bark, Bite, or get Big. >Thanks for any and all information. >Drifter
Howdy. And, to add to this post and the other responses, I have one of these animals. I rescued her from a local foster home for the humane society and she was put to me as a mountain feist terrier. I have seen LOTS of these animals, and though there are size and color variations, they are all exactly the same dogs. My husband is familiar with them, they are commonly used in the mountains to hunt squirrels. As to my own, a rather smallish speciment, mostly black with just a bit of white, she IS very quiet, only barking as a warning. She DOES tend to be a bit snappy, though, around strangers. She is very protective of my property and my children (and me) and has been know to snap at the ankles of visitors that she felt didn’t warrant her trust. I would NEVER EVER buy a dog based on someone’s recommendation that that particular breed doesn’t bite. ANY dog can bite, even the most laid-back varieties (my son’s face was laid wide open by an unprovoked lab/newfie mix). Amy Butcher p.s. – if drifter reads this post would you please email me directly and let me know? I’ve had some problems getting out of my campus loop! Thanks.
Response:
Story from the St. Peterburgs Times: Ocala, Fla: Samantha the Rottweiler is living large these days … Home Depot has built her a new dog house. Her dinner plate holds T-bone steak, grilled and sauteed shrimp, Oreo cookies. Phil Donahue and other TV hosts want to bring the cameras around. Marion county Sheriff Ken Ergle even made Samantha an honorary member of the emergency rescue squad at a ceremony Friday. Samantha started receiving all this attention last week when she helped her 3-year old master, Blake Weaver, survive 20 hours in the Ocala National Forest. "She’s gotten extremely close to Blake since this happened," sais the boy’s mother, Dawn Weaver. "Sam does not leave Blake alone." Samantha stayed by Blake’s side as he wandered away from his grandmother’s house and into the woods about 1:30pm on Jan. 24. She nudged Blake beneath a bush and lay down on him to protect the boy — clothed only in shorts and a T-Shirt — through the freezing night. And about 10:45 the next morning, she helped lead the boy to a handful of the hundreds of law officers and volunteers who had formed a search party. Blake is feeling much better these days. His cheeks no longer sting from windburn. The scratches on his legs are healing, as is the cut above his left eye. Weaver took this opportunity to defend Rottweilers, a breed that many say are too fierce to have around children. "I love them. I think they’re beautiful animals," Weaver said. "I think Sam has kind of proved that."
Response:
>The Feist is almost the state dog of Georga. >It is a terrier bred to hunt primarily squirrels.
Is the Fyce described in Faulkner’s books and stories the same dog? Dawn & Cybele
Response:
>We have gotten a puppy which we were told is a breed call Feist. I >was informed that it is a new breed up North. (We are in GA) I would >like to find out some information concerning this breed of dog. So >far he has been an excellent choice, well behaved (within puppy >standards) and we were told that he will not have the 3 "B". The is >he should not Bark, Bite, or get Big.
Hi, The Feist is almost the state dog of Georga. It is a terrier bred to hunt primarily squirrels. It is closely related to Fox terriers, Rat Terriers, and Jack Russell Terriers. I have never owned one, but I have met a few and they are excellent family dogs. I do have a Rat Terrier who is more important to me than I can begin to tell you. If you truly want more information I can look up some sources for you to contact. E-mail anytime Claudia Pendlay
Response:
: We have gotten a puppy which we were told is a breed call Feist. There are several breeds with Feist in their name(Mountain Feist is the only one I recall by name), plus at least one dog book gives Feist as an alternate name for a Rat Terrier. Full Cry magazine is mostly about Coonhounds, but it has columns on various Feist and Cur breeds too, The Feists seem to be mainly used for hunting squirrel. If you are interested in subscribing contact: Full Cry P O Box 10 Boody Ill 62514 217-865-2332 In 1991 a one year subscription was $15. If your pup is registered you can contact the registry listed on his papers for more breed information. I : was informed that it is a new breed up North. (We are in GA) Feists have been around a long time, mainly in the southern US. There’s even one in a William Faulkner story, under the spelling variation "fyce." The story is "the Bear"-I was forced to read it in school, and hated the story and the teacher, but that’s another story. I would : like to find out some information concerning this breed of dog. So : far he has been an excellent choice, well behaved (within puppy : standards) and we were told that he will not have the 3 "B". The is : he should not Bark, Bite, or get Big.
Response:
We have gotten a puppy which we were told is a breed call Feist. I was informed that it is a new breed up North. (We are in GA) I would like to find out some information concerning this breed of dog. So far he has been an excellent choice, well behaved (within puppy standards) and we were told that he will not have the 3 "B". The is he should not Bark, Bite, or get Big. Thanks for any and all information. Drifter
Response:
"Feist" is used among certain hunting dog folk to denote a functional kind of dog, rather than a breed. Or at least so I gather, having heard everything from rat terriers to mountain curs called "feist" dogs. Actually, such usage is probably quite old, and is all but certainly the source of the adjective ‘feisty’. (I can’t imagine why a feist dog would be guaranteed not to bite, by the way.) JohnR
Response:
>Actually, such usage is probably quite old, and is all but certainly the >source of the adjective ‘feisty’. (I can’t imagine why a feist dog would >be guaranteed not to bite, by the way.)
It is indeed the root of "feisty", which incidentally started out to mean something more like "nasty and snappish" than "high-spirited". The canine type predates the adjective, and the word is rooted in a much older word meaning "fart" or by extension "stink" — as you can guess, as originally applied to dogs, it was not meant to be terribly complimentary. Around here (central NC) I’ve mostly seen the term applied to medium-sized smooth-coated dogs who look like hound-terrier mixes, and who are used as general-purpose varmint dogs in rural areas. However, I’ve also seen the term "Treeing Feist" which does seem to be a specific breed. — My Dog is my co-pilot. **** http://www.duke.edu/~hendrix ****
