versatile breed of working terrier (dog) that is used as a hunter, land and water retriever, and sheep and cattle herder. The Kerry blue originated in County Kerry (Kerry), Ireland, where it has been bred since the 1820s. It is 17.5 to 19.5 inches (44.5 to 49.5 cm) tall, weighs 29 to 40 pounds (13 to 18 kg), and has a distinctively coloured, soft, wavy coat, black at birth and becoming slate blue to blue-gray with maturity. Boxy in appearance, somewhat like the Airedale (Airedale terrier), the breed is characterized as lively, demonstrative, hardy, and long-lived. See also dog.