To the best of my knowledge and research the story of the Lakeland and or Fell Terrier strain begins in the Lake Districts. The fells there are grazed by Herdwick sheep which have been bred there for many centuries, the way I understand it is that this is the only breed hardy enough to withstand the climate and the lack of grazing.

So, sometime back in the 19th century these farms generally employed 3 different breeds of dogs, all with the same job of tending to the sheep in one way or another. One was the typical sheepdog that would drive and gather the sheep, the second was the “Fell” hound that was whiter in color than its lowland counterpart and generally would make the farm its home during the hunting season. Third and of course the one we’re getting to was the terrier. They too were bred in the Lake Districts for centuries and have been bred to best suit the work they would embark on. What would that work be??

Nature is so calculated you see; when the Herdwick sheep would come down out of the fells to have their lambs, the vixen would just start to wean her cubs. Fox control was essential to save the flock, however the scree bed and slate quarry dens employed by the vixen were anything but a walk in the park even for the experienced terrier. When the Fell hound packs ran the foxes to ground many were too tired to then bolt and it was left to the terrier to finish the job in the den. Needless to say an agile, long legged and strong terrier was needed as well as one with a harsh thick coat that could withstand the cold and wet weather that usually accompanies the Lake District or lakelands. So, that was the job and the strain that arose from that need was the Lakeland/Fell terrier.

Before long, trials for shepherds started to include Foxhound and terrier events and from there never looked back. They were originally classified as “colored terriers” simply to separate them from the mostly white bodied terriers, although it is evident in the pedigrees that many of the “white” terriers and “colored” terriers were in fact from the very same litters. And so they would remain until 1921 when the Lakeland Terrier Assoc. was formed, this way all the strains of terriers used up until then would be included such as; Patterdale, Fell, Cumberland and Westmorland. Others were referred to by the pack name in which they served such as; Ullswater, Blencathra and Melbreak to name a few.

So, hopefully this helps explain how many types all came to fly under the same flag and how any of these working terriers we have here today, be it a Lakeland a Fell or a Russell, all have the same grass roots so to speak. Each was refined to play a roll in the history of man vs. beast and the service one provided for the other. So, before we try to put our noses in the air and call any of these terriers a “pure breed” we should look back at the eclectic legacy that runs in all their veins. It is in THAT legacy that we will truly be able to preserve what was derived/created many centuries ago by those who truly knew what they were doing, simply because it was a matter of livelihood, a driving force none of us can compete with today.