Breed History
Around the turn of the 20th century, Frank Roughrider Jones developed the Norfolk and Norwich Terrier from other working terriers in the stables of Cambridge, Market Harborough, and Norfolk, England....
The ability of these dogs to dig and maneuver in small burrows made them useful for bolting foxes and killings rats. The English Kennel Club recognized the Norwich Terrier as a breed in 1932. Brought to the United States by traveling sportsmen, who often called it the Jones Terrier, the Norwich was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1936. The Norfolk Terrier was originally considered a variety of the Norwich Terrier: whether ears should be pricked or dropped was heavily debated. After World War II, there was little interbreeding between the two varieties, allowing each to develop differently. Eventually the dropped ear became a hallmark of a different breed, the Norfolk Terrier, while the pricked ear identified the Norwich. The distinction was made in 1964 by the English Kennel Club and in 1979 by the American Kennel Club. Since separation each breed has developed further, creating a distinct difference, though the ears are still the most readily identifiable difference between the two. The Norfolk Terriers congenial personality makes it an excellent family pet.