Often, Wire Fox Terriers are abandoned or surrendered for reasons that may include: running away instead of coming on a command; chasing cars, bicycles, other dogs, etc.

But these are actually normal behaviors for a breed designed to hunt not only foxes, but also badgers and boars, with no more fear of cows or buses than they have of small prey.

Keeping one as a pet requires firm control to redirect these prey instincts and provide the dog with enough exercise and diversion.

Clipping dulls the colours and makes the coat soft, curly and more difficult to keep clean, but it is preferred by many owners due to being a simpler (and cheaper) procedure than stripping.

The breed was also thought to have been bred to chase foxes into their burrows; the dogs' short, strong, usually docked tails were used as handles by the hunter to pull them back out.

Asta, the canine member of the Charles family, was a Wire Fox Terrier, and the popularity of the breed soared.