The dog that won Best in Show at the Mayflower Dog Show in the comedy Best in Show was a Norwich Terrier named Winky. After Winky's owner/handler injures herself, she forces her husband, who has the strange condition of having two left feet, to show the dog. Despite his complete inexperience in the ring, he leads Winky to win the title. The movie is a parody of the intense and complex emotions and interactions experienced by show dog handlers, breeders, and owners.
Simon Heffer, a very vocal right-wing British journalist, lives with a Norwich Terrier named Bert.
It was actually considered a fad among university undergraduates at Cambridge in the late 19th century to own a Norwich Terrier. It was thanks to these university students that the Norwich started to become seen as a breed; undergrads were also responsible for giving the breed its first name, the Cantab Terrier.
The "father" of the modern breed of Norwich Terriers was a dog named "Rags", who was not only excellent at ratting, but was also very prolific when it came to siring pups.
It wasn't until 1965 in England that the Norwich and Norfolk Terriers were separated into two distinct breeds. It took another 10 years for the American Kennel Club to do the same. Up until that moment, the two were simply viewed as variations of the same breed, with ear carriage being the only distinguishing characteristic.
Many Norwich Terrier owners believe that docking the Norwich tail should be required for dogs to enter the show ring. Docking is a necessity, according to these individuals, for pulling a Norwich out of the hiding places of small animals without risking injury to the dog's spine. Hunting small vermin is what the breed was created for, and therefore tail docking is part of the breed's tradition.
The Norwich Terrier and its cousin, the Norfolk Terrier, are among the smallest of the terrier group.
Because the legs of Norwich Terriers are short and stocky, they usually sit with their feet straight out. The way they lie down is also characteristic; they'll lie flat on their stomachs with their feet sticking straight out to the side or behind them.
Though most often reported for Norfolk Terriers, Norwich Terriers have also been reported to sit and intently watch television or concentrate on the computer while their owners work. Other Norwich have been reported to sit and watch aquariums with great interest for long periods of time.
The ancestors of the Norwich Terriers were simple mixed breed farm dogs, often used by gypsies to keep their camps free from rats.
The Norwich Terrier coat is almost completely weatherproof.
The Norwich Terrier was often carried along on horseback during foxhunts and put down when the hounds chased prey into a den or burrow. The Norwich would then spring into action, "bolting" the hunted animal out of its den so that the hounds could once again give chase.
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