Made famous by the famous Adventures of Tintin comics, the wire-haired fox terrier may no longer exist soon.
Hergé’s famous comic strip, The Adventures of Tintin, was a great success upon its release in 1929. All 23 issues (the 24th having never been completed) are still literary successes in the 21st century. The comic strip was then released into a 39-episode television series starting in 1992, then into films from the 1960s, until the most recent one released in 2011. The famous characters from the series, such as Captain Haddock, the professor Tournesol or the investigators Dupont and Dupond, are essential references shared by generations.
But for fans of Hergé’s work, there is no doubt that Tintin’s best friend is none other than his dog Snowy, a white wire-haired fox terrier, with very developed instincts, who often comes to help his journalist friend. The comic strip largely contributed to the popularity and even the dissemination of this breed, which was highly sought after by those who wanted to adopt a dog in the 1950s and 1960s.
Moreover, the wire-haired fox terrier was the favorite dog breed of certain stars like Clint Eastwood. Albert Einstein also apparently had a fondness for these dogs. The Daily Mail specifies in this regard that the wire-haired fox terrier was already appreciated by the English royal family well before Tintin, for its hunting qualities, particularly at the time of King Edward VII and Queen Victoria. This breed was traditionally used for fox hunting in the United Kingdom.
However, this era of glory is over. The Kennel Club, the UK’s 150-year-old largest dog association dedicated to the health and welfare of dogs, reveals that the popularity of the fox terrier has declined significantly. The number of adoptions of these animals has dropped drastically, an estimate given by the British newspaper shows a drop of 94% in the number of these dogs in homes since 1947. Bill Lambert, spokesperson for the Kennel Club, explains thus to the Daily Mail: “Popular culture, celebrities and the influence of social networks can be decisive in the popularity of dog breeds”.
To which he adds: “While at one time the fox terrier was the favorite of royalty and was made popular by the character of Snowy present in comics or on television, today’s public Today, he no longer really has an emotional bond with this breed of dog which has somewhat disappeared from the media. Mr. Lambert also specifies that the change in lifestyle has undoubtedly contributed to the reduction in the number of adoptions.
But the real reason that could lead to the extinction of the breed may lie elsewhere. The wire-haired fox terrier is a breed that requires rigorous and regular grooming in order to maintain the impeccable appearance of its coat. It may be that this rigorous care has greatly discouraged fans of the breed over time. So it’s a shame: this breed could disappear because of our laziness, taking care of this dog requiring a lot of investment and time. The cost of financing to obtain it obviously also comes into play.
