Articles Index/Fluffies
Posted 11/04/00
One or two people in recent months have asked me about "fluffies". I'm not sure whether that means some have been bred again, or that newcomers have heard of them and wonder what they are. A "fluffy" can often be a very typical Norfolk under the coat, but instead of a hard, close-lying coat asked for by the Standard, all over the dog is a heavy, soft coat which stands up, making the puppy look like a furry ball, such as you get with some of the soft-coated, hairy breeds in other groups. Needless to say I hope, this coat is a fault and quite a serious one too for a working terrier. It has been said that people outside the breed, when inquiring about a puppy, are sometimes told that this is another type of Norfolk and quite acceptable. This is not so.
Where does it come from? Who knows! There are many different breeds in the Norfolk's background and many more breeds not officially recorded. For instance, some 30 years ago a cross between a drop-eared Norwich and a Peke was done and the breeder concerned so liked the puppies she repeated the mating and then mated the offspring to each other to try to establish another breed. Any that are bred today could possibly be descended from that cross. Or they could come from sources way back before the breed was recognized. We bred a dog a decade or more ago who became a champion. Although his coat was excellent -- hard, wiry, dark red in color -- he sired several "fluffies" in his first litters. I expect somewhere there are descendants of his who have been bred from, although we didn't keep any. In fact, we withdrew him from stud and made sure he went where he would not be used again.
If you do come up with a "fluffy" sometime, remember it is a serious fault and you should find a the pup a good pet home and have the registration certificate stamped not to be bred from.
Marjorie Bunting, Autumn 1985 Norfolk Terrier Newsletter
ANTIC, Spring, 1986
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