Russkiy Toy

Compared to many other toy breeds, the Russkiy Toy has a significantly turbulent past with two distinct sets of origins. Surprisingly enough, these origins don't come from two different dogs, but two different periods of development. The earliest Russkiy Toys were unintentionally developed from English Toy Terriers. Although written accounts show English Toys existing in Russia as early as the 17th century, their eventual development and first rise in popularity didn't occur until nearly the 19th century, and whether it occurred before or after the turn is still up for debate. Their true ascent to popularity didn't occur until the early 20th century, when importing them became a trend for aristocracy. But because these terriers stayed isolated for so long, many of the traits inherent to those that existed in Russia became reinforced to the point where they had taken on their own distinct look. Unfortunately, after the October Revolution, their popularity took a massive hit, as they were almost exclusively linked to the high upper class. By the time breeders began taking their work back up in the 1950s, many of the dogs that were left looked much different than they had started and many lacked any type of pedigree at all. For the first time, this era produced the breed's first of its long-haired variety. While the Russkiy Toy's numbers continued to increase over the next few decades, they hit the low of the cycle again when the fall of the Iron Curtain increased the popularity of imported breeds, but Russkiy Toys rebounded nicely in the 1990s thanks to the reinvigoration of new breeders and new worldwide accessibility, when the breed was first starting to be noticed on a larger scale. While breed standards had first been written as early as 1966, the breed did not receive recognition until 2006, when first accepted by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. In 2008, Russkiy Toys reached a benchmark of stability, being recorded in the Foundation Stock Service and joining the ranks of the United Kennel Club  and the American Kennel Club. They still remain somewhat rare in the grand scheme, especially outside of Eastern Europe and parts of Scandinavia, but the age of the Internet has increased overall interest, popularity and in turn, vitality.