|
 HISTORY During the Middle Ages a specific breed of dog was formed called the Terrier. These dogs were primarily used for hunting foxes, minks, etc. They were also praised for their outstanding ability to trap mice and rats. The title of the best rat catcher belonged to the Manchester terrier, which is now a cousin to the Russian Toy (RT). The terrier’s sleek and flexible body, personality, patience and persistence in achieving its target made it a perfect dog for the uneasy and, at times, dangerously tricky task of catching rats. Rats were the number one spreader of the bubonic plague, which wiped out one third of the Medieval European population. 
Four hundred years later, in the 18th century, people all over Europe entertained themselves by organizing rat terminating contests. They used terriers as hunters, and the dog that could find and kill the largest amount of rats in the shortest period of time was the winner. When this kind of sport became illegal, terriers became more of a decorative dog and were at first mostly owned by the aristocracy. The men owned hunting dogs and any respectable aristocratic lady would own a ladies dog. The smaller the dog, the more valuable it was. “Lady dogs” were often depicted on family portraits. As years went by, terriers became more and more available to the general public and quickly spread all over Europe, and eventually to Russia as well. During the Red October revolution, Russia lost most of its terriers because most owners were capitalists. The capitalists were prosecuted and killed together with their dogs during this period. During Stalin’s regime, decorative dogs were viewed as worthless to the government and to the general public. It took about 60 years for Russia to repopulate itself with terriers. Many terriers were brought from overseas and bred within the country. Slowly, through the process of intense breeding and gene variations within the gene pool, a new breed of dog emerged, which we know today as the Russian Toy (RT). 
 There are two types of Russian Toys - short haired and long haired. The short haired kind has a longer history. Moscow became the center for breeding the long haired variety. It was in fact called the Moscow Toy Terrier, but is now generally known as the Russian Toy - long haired variety. On February 21, 2006 this breed was recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and given the official name of Russkiy Toy. Classification in Group 9 Companion and Toy dogs. The ancestor of the long haired breed is considered to be a dog nicknamed Chikki, who was born on October 12, 1958, from two short haired toy terriers, one of which had slightly longer hair and no family tree. At one year of age, Chikki had grown a beautiful feathery fringe on his ears, legs and neck. Chikki was mated with a female named Irma, whom also had slightly longer hair. They had three longhaired puppies. The Moscovite breeder/cynologist Eugenia Zharova played an important role in the creation of the Russian Longhaired Toy Terrier. She was also instrumental in strengthening their nervous system, creating frost resistance and the accumulation of other useful qualities. In 1966, the Standard of this pedigree group of dogs was written and authorized at the Ministry of Agriculture of the USSR. The breed quickly grew in popularity due to its simple care of coat, ease of transportation, small size and weight, devotion to owner, courage and boldness.
|
