The Lucas Terrier is a small

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

of the terrier type which originated in England in the late 1940s. The breed was created by Sir Jocelyn Lucas at his Ilmer Kennels in Watford, Hertfordshire. All living authentic examples can trace their ancestry back to a small number of his original Ilmer Sealyham dogs, and resulting Lucas Terrier progeny.

History

Sir Jocelyn Lucas, 4th Baronet Major Sir Jocelyn Morton Lucas, 4th Baronet, (27 August 1889 – 2 May 1980) was a British Conservative Party politician. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South in a by-election in 1939 and held the seat until he retire ...

, a well-known huntsman and Sealyham Terrier breeder in the first half of the 20th century, was disappointed with the direction the Sealyham was headed since its appearance in conformation shows, especially large heads and heavy shoulders. At his Ilmer kennels in Hertfordshire, he decided to cross one of his own Sealyhams, considerably smaller than the mainstream Sealyham bitches found in show rings at the time, with

Norfolk Terrier The Norfolk Terrier is a British breed of dog. Prior to gaining recognition as an independent breed in 1964, it was a variety of the Norwich Terrier, distinguished from the "prick eared" Norwich by its "drop ears" (or folded ears). Together, ...

dogs. Lucas' kennels were managed by Enid Plummer, who continued the Ilmer programs as he became less involved in the 1950s. Jocelyn died in 1980, and Plummer moved to

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

with some of the remaining dogs in the late 1970s, where she continued the breeding program until she died in 1986. Jumbo Frost took on the task of managing the breed effort from Plummer. Frost succeeded in expanding the breed with her dedication and foresight, until her own passing in 2009. During that time she oversaw a transformation in the fortunes of the breed, by setting the breed type and formalizing the breed standard, and establishing the Lucas Terrier Club (UK).

Appearance and temperament

The Lucas Terrier is a sturdy, symmetrically built, working animal, like an old-fashioned Ilmer Sealyham type, created only by breeding a Lucas Terrier from the original lines with a

or with a small

Sealyham Terrier The Sealyham Terrier ( cy, Daeargi Sealyham) is a rare Welsh breed of small to medium-sized terrier that originated in Wales as a working dog. It is principally a white-bodied, rough-coated breed, developed in the mid-to-late-19th century by ...

. A latter-day Norfolk Terrier mated with a latter-day Sealyham Terrier does not produce a Lucas Terrier because it will not trace back to Jocelyn Lucas' original Ilmer Kennels terrier lines. Lucas Terriers possess superb, even temperaments and have been bred for companionship, although there are an increasing number of working Lucases to be found around the world. The standard states that they be friendly, with no aggressive tendencies towards people or other dogs, and not fearful or nervous, while retaining the usual terrier traits.

Original club

The Lucas Terrier Club (LTC) is a private British organization developed for the purposes of preserving and promoting the Lucas Terrier, and to offer assistance to breeders in sourcing registered Lucas Terriers or dogs of parent breeds for the continuance of the breed. The Club holds and maintains a register of more than 700 past and present Lucas Terriers around the world.

Lucas Terrier in the U.S.

The Lucas Terrier Club of America (LTCA) was established in 2006. A separate, American Lucas Terrier Society, formed in 2012, later merged with the LTCA. In January 2020 the LTCA formally ceased operations. Today, stewardship for the breed is now managed by the United Lucas Terrier Association (ULTA), a nonprofit organization formed in late 2019, which works closely with the English Lucas Terrier Club to ensure the future of the breed.

Sporting Lucas Terrier

Both the traditional Lucas and Sporting Lucas Terrier share primary origin breeds: the Sealyham and Norfolk Terrier; the Sporting Lucas Terrier permits the inclusion of other breeds in matings, most commonly, the Jack Russell Terrier. In 1999 a breakaway club, known as the Sporting Lucas Terrier Club, was formed. In 2003, a separate Sporting Lucas Terrier Association was also formed in the United Kingdom.

References

External links

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Lucas Terrier Club
(established 1988)
United Lucas Terrier Association
(established 2020) Dog breeds originating in England Terriers