Tiny the Wonder was an English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan) famous in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

in the mid-19th century for being able to kill 200 rats in an hour in the city's

rat-baiting Rat-baiting is a blood sport that involves releasing captured rats in an enclosed space with spectators Gambling, betting on how long a dog, usually a terrier, takes to kill the rats. Often, two dogs competed, with the winner receiving a cash pr ...

pits. At the time, the world record for killing 100 rats was 5 minutes, 30 seconds, held by a

bull and terrier Bull and terrier was a common name for bulldog and terrier crossbreeds of the early 1800s. Other names included half-and-halfs and half-breds. It was a time in history when, for thousands of years, dogs were classified by use or function, un ...

named

Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a yo ...

.Fleig, D. (1996). History of Fighting Dogs. pp. 105–112 T.F.H. Publications.

Career

Tiny's pedigree was by Old Dick out of Old Nell,"The travesties competing in the Terrier category at Crufts" by Jeremy Clarke, ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'', 14 March 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019. and in 1848 or 1849 he weighed five and a half pounds and was owned by

Jemmy Shaw Jemmy Elton Shaw, also known as Jimmy Shaw and James Shaw, was a 19th-century pioneer fancier of the early dog show days, a promoter of dog fighting and rat-baiting contests, a breeder of Old English bulldogs, bull terriers and toy terriers and a ...

, the innkeeper of the Blue Anchor Tavern (now the Artillery Arms) in

Bunhill Row Bunhill Row is a street located in St Luke's, London Borough of Islington, London. The street runs north–south from Old Street to Chiswell Street. On the east side are the cemetery of Bunhill Fields and the open space of the Honourable Art ...

in the City of London. Shaw brought in rats from Essex for the rat pits under the pub, as they were healthier than London sewer rats, and kept as many as 2,000 rats there.Rat-Catching at the Blue Anchor Tavern, Bunhill Row, Finsbury: 19th century.
Museum of London. Retrieved 2 April 2019. Tiny was so small that he wore a woman's bracelet instead of a collar. He once held the rat killing record, with 300 dead in just under 55 minutes. Tiny appears in a c. 1850–1852 oil painting, ''Rat-Catching at the Blue Anchor Tavern, Bunhill Row, Finsbury'', where he is depicted trying to kill 200 rats in an hour. Tiny succeeded twice, on 28 March 1848 and 27 March 1849, "having on both occasions time to spare".

Contests

During the 1840s rat-baiting reached its climax in popularity in London. Jemmy Shaw invented the no-touch rule, meaning neither the rat nor the dog could be removed from the pit before completion of the match.

Breed

Tiny has been described as being an example of a dog close to today's English Toy Terrier. The breed was developed to produce a more evenly matched contest between the dog and the rats. The breed's narrow head and lack of pronounced zygomatic arches allowed it to kill a rat with one bite and not waste any time chewing. The dog's spotting pattern, especially the tan spots on its face brighter than its black eyes, could confuse the rats and also protect the dog's eyes from being bitten.

Legacy

Tiny's life is one of those being celebrated from 5 April 2019 in an exhibition titled, "Beasts of London" at the

Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiny the Wonder Individual dogs Working dogs Dogs in the United Kingdom Rat-baiting Terriers 19th century in London