The Cairn terrier: Dorothy had the right idea
When Debbie Bradshaw met a friend's Cairn terrier more than three decades ago, she just had to have one of the little dogs for herself.
Like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," whose canine pal Toto was a Cairn, Bradshaw admits she was smitten by the breed and now can't imagine life without one of these determined little dogs, originally bred as vermin hunters.
The Dighton resident began showing her dogs 22 years ago, and today her Honeytree Kennels is a respected name in the sport of purebred dogs.
"My daughter liked 'Winnie-the-Pooh,' " Bradshaw recalls, explaining that she named her kennel after the place where A.A. Milne's character liked to forage for a meal.
"Cairns have a wonderful outlook on life," she says. "They're upbeat and happy and greet everyone with a wagging tale. Once you've had one, you'll never want to be without a Cairn. When you're having a bad day, they're always having a good day."
Bradshaw estimates she's owned about 10 Cairns, and has bred a few litters. She's completed one homebred's championship — Ch. Honeytree's Midnight Starchaser, affectionately known as Fiona — and exhibits at dog shows throughout the region.
The Cairn terrier originated in the 1800s in the Western Isles of Scotland, where the breed was once known as the "short-haired Skye terrier." These dogs are known for their loyalty and determination and were used by farmers to rid fields of pests and predators.
The name "Cairn" refers to the rock dens that foxes and badgers occupied throughout the countryside. These dogs — whose ideal size should be 10 inches tall at the shoulders and 14 pounds — would squirm down into these "cairns" and bark loudly to hold the predator at bay until the farmers arrived.
"Many of my dogs have caught a rat, mole, snake or mouse," Bradshaw reports. "They shake it, break its neck and drop it on the ground. If there are other dogs around, they want to protect the killed creature and keep it." She adds that while Cairns are small, the size of their teeth is comparable to a much larger breed.
She emphasizes that Cairns, like all dogs, need obedience training.
"Based on my own experience, I think that females are just a touch more independent. They are interested in everything around them and they can figure things out."
"They need discipline," Bradshaw says. "They will very easily take over if no one wants to be the alpha dog." She recommends that new owners enroll in a basic obedience class. Cairns excel in performance activities such as obedience, agility and earth-dog trials.
While she admits that these dogs are "strong-willed," the experienced owner says that Cairns are loyal and, when properly trained, make ideal family companions.
"They love children and other pets," Bradshaw notes. "All of my dogs grew up with cats."
Like many other terrier breeds, the Cairn has a soft, dense undercoat and a wiry outercoat that feels harsh to the touch. Bradshaw explains that when early specimens "went to ground" in Scotland, the hard outercoat protected the dogs from brambles, which also pulled out dead hair and helped to groom the canines since most farmers were too consumed by daily chores to worry about such concerns.
Bradshaw reports that these intelligent terriers do require regular grooming. Dogs kept as pets should be brought to a professional groomer once a month and owners should brush or thoroughly comb their Cairn two or three times per week to remove dead hair and debris and to prevent painful mats from developing close to the skin.
Cairns love to dig and thrive in a fenced-in yard. Owners should be prepared to walk their dog at least twice a day.
"They don't require a lot of baths," Bradshaw says, adding that she brushes the dogs' teeth weekly to prevent tartar buildup and gum disease. She feeds the healthy Cairns small dog biscuits to help clean teeth, and uses canine toothpaste or water with a toothbrush to keep mouths clean.
"Cairns enjoy generally good health," she says, noting that the average lifespan for one of these game terriers is 12 to 15 years, although Bradshaw owned one dog that lived to the age of 19.
"They are very good eaters," Bradshaw adds, laughing. "I don't find them to be the least bit picky. In fact, they are little pigs."
Swansea resident Brian J. Lowney has been writing about pets for more than a decade. All of Brian's columns are available online in our new pet section. Visit http://pets.SouthCoastToday.com