Raleigh Pop the Smooth Fox TerrierI’ve noted how, at its best, the Internet can bring together people across hundreds of miles to be virtual next door neighbors. Did I tell you it also has the power to set up a giant virtual dog park? In the course of writing this blog, the terriers, who are much more glamorous than I am, have picked up fans from all over the world. Soon they had Doggie Internet Pen Pals, most of them Smoothies but some of other breeds.

One of their favorites was Raleigh Pop (pronounced like lollypop) who took it further than Oscar and Lucy have yet dreamed of and had her own eponymous Dog Blog. While Oscar and Lucy had plenty of farm stories to post about, Raleigh Pop was an adventurous traveler. She didn’t need no steenkin’ crates, but rode shotgun even on long hauls from Brooklyn to Virginia. I seem to remember hearing about one trip where she and the woman she referred to as Owner took a long-haul bus trip. I told Oscar, at the time, that the bar had just been raised, but so far he hasn’t stepped up to the challenge.

Over the years, there was a lot of key Terrier Information flow between these blogs. It was through Raleigh Pop that I learned about the excellent movie, A Single Man, featuring director Tom Ford’s own Smooth Fox Terriers. That spawned a flurry of posts between this blog and Raleigh Pop’s. (Find them here, here and here.) Finally the word came from a breeder that Tom Ford and his partner had actually been on our blogs and enjoyed the terrier-centric deconstruction of the film. There was an immediate challenge for Ford to cast Oscar, Lucy and Raleigh Pop in his next movie.

Did I mention that such casting would have been a canine second coming of the Barrymores? Because Raleigh Pop and Oscar are direct cousins, coming from the Kenterra Kennels, while Lucy is a more distant cousin sharing the Morgansonne line. See talent does run in families.

All this background is leading up to some bad news. Yesterday, shortly before Raleigh Pop’s fourth birthday, she bolted out of a fenced dog park and into four lanes of traffic where she was hit by a car. She died quietly in Owner’s arms on the way to the vet.

But let’s not say died. Smooth Fox Terriers simply move from this world into the Realm of Dog Legend and Raleigh Pop has her place there. In fact, she sent her last Facebook post from Heaven encouraging everyone to hug their dogs and give them meat. And she assures us, she will now finally catch a fox. I know she’s up there with our Founding Terrier and Terrier Emeritus, Bonnie Prince Charlie, for whom our Lake Charles is named.

So let’s take a moment to remember a truly excellent terrier, Raleigh Pop.

Raleigh Pop rides shotgun

She not only rode shotgun on long road trips. She knew how to deploy the air conditioning against summer heat.

Raleigh and Big Mean Kitty

She could savage a Big Mean Kitty with the best of them!

Raleigh in Flea Bath

She was just learning to discover the fun of playing in the water. But not flea baths.

Smooth Fox Terrier

And showing a true diplomat's savvy, she could work both sides of the Ear Camp.

So from Two Terrier Vineyards, a hearty “Vale, Cane” to Raleigh Pop. We’ll rendezvous in that big off-leash Dog Park in the sky.

smooth fox terriers

Raleigh Pop, we, who are Smooth Fox Terriers, salute you!