The Rat Terrier is an American dog breed with a rich and varied background as an all-around farm dog and hunting companion. Traditionally more of a type than a breed, they share much ancestry with the tough little mixed-breed dogs known as feists. The breed achieved AKC recognition as a distinct breed in 2009. Common throughout family farms in the 1920s and 1930s, they are generally considered a rare breed. Today's Rat Terrier is an intelligent, active little dog that is cherished both for pest control and as a family pet. The Rat Terrier comes in a variety of coat colors and sizes. The classic coloring is black tanpoint with piebald spotting (known as black tricolor), but chocolate, tan (varying in shade from pale gold to dark mahogany), blue, isabella (pearl), lemon and apricot are all fairly common. They may be tricolor or bicolor, always with some amount of white present. Sable may overlay any of these colors. Creeping tan (often "Calico"), is also acceptable.