#1
is from Harriet -
Dexter: Behind the Mask.
 |
Hi,
I
just read your story. Sounds like I have my work cut out for
me!
I have a 9 week old cairn terrier named Dexter. It maybe a
little
early for him to know his name but he never looks at me when I call.
I've
had him for just a week but he totally ignores me. He makes
me
laugh because we are a lot a like except for I'm the boss which makes
me
worse.
After one week I have already learned to put
the lead on when I take him out of the crate. |
Comment: Nice
composition ~ the very picture of innocence.
The
best of luck to you Harriet and I suspect somewhere in
your subconscious, something was trying to warn you
when you
decided to name the pup 'Dexter'.
Somewhere around the
second year I suspect will see an email from you titled,
"Dexter,
Year Two - Behind the Mask of Sanity."
We all
wish you the best when the gloves come off. ~ Dan
Coat Color
Follow up
Here we have Dexter showing just a hit of red.
And
here we have Dexter at I would guess is 6-8 months old. It
will
be fascinating to see what Dexter the adult looks like.
A Letter from Mike - Fred and
Barney (not the Celluloid ones).
Found
your website while checking for life expectancy of cairns. My
partner and I are one our second pair, the first two lived to
about 16. The current 2 are 14.
One (Barney) is
reasonably healthy, but the other (Fred) has diabetes, ocular melanosis
(now completely blind), and cushings disease. Your stories of
Rufus reminded me of a couple from Fred's past.
Once he
was boarded at a vet's over the memorial day weekend. Due to
overcrowding Fred was placed in a make shift crate made of chicken
wire. When the staff came in on Monday, Fred was
out of the
crate and the 6 guinea pigs that a staff member was hoping to rid
herself of thru adoption, were dead. No blood or
mutilation, the vet suspected that Fred just shook them until
they stopped moving and then moved on to the next one.
After
that we were asked to leave a dog park after a large dog came into the
park. As it walked by a picnic table Fred went flying off the
ground up onto the table and off onto the back of the larger dog.
They
have both been lots of fun, great personalities, but we're coming to
grips with the idea that these two won't be with us much
longer.
Would we have them again? If we decide to have dogs, probably
the
only breed we would own. Maybe we'll take a break this time.
That's what we said 14 years ago after the 2nd dog died, and 8 weeks
later we had 2 more.
Of our first two, we had a
story similar to Rufus and the deck chair. Mr. Chips like to
hide
under the recliner. Thinking he had escaped the yard we went
thru
the neighborhood looking for him. Arriving back home and
frustrated I plopped down into the recliner, opened it up and
out
popped Mr. Chips from underneath. Would he come when
called? Whine or make a sound?
NO, he wasn't
ready to come out yet. He was also stranded on the dining
room
table when I came home from work one night. He managed to get
up
on the table, lick all the breakfast dishes clean, but then
couldn't figure out a way to get down.
Take care,
hope you're enjoying your pets. Your stories of Rufus made us
laugh and nod in agreement remembering some of our dog's same traits.
Mike
Comment: I must
have had a senior moment. I knew Fred and Barney sounded
familiar but couldn't quite place it....
Boy, that's a lot of years of Cairn ownership under your belts.
I hope Fred hangs in there as long as he can.
It's a tough time going through that stage of life.
~Dan
#2
is from Jill -
And just when I thought the Grand Experiment was Over....
Hello
Dan,
My
name is Jill from Pennsburg, PA. My husband and I
came
across your site via Wikipedia a few months ago and loved it!
We brought our first (yes, first) Cairn, Maggie, home in January
2008.
She
is such a well behaved dog (really!) that we decided to bring home her
little "sister" Pepper a week ago (13 Feb 2010).
Our
girls are 2.5 years and 6 months old and no, we're not insane
:).
I'm sending along pictures of Maggie as a pup and as an adult (our
Siamese is in the background), as well as a puppy picture of
Pepper. Once she gets a little older, I'll send along another
pic, for comparison.
Keep
up the great work w/ the site and have a great day!
Jill
Maggie's Debut U-Tube Video
Comment:
Well Jill, I thought my Grand Experiment was over.
I
thought I had finally found the finite number of Cairn owners who would
actually admit they owned a Cairn and furthermore, exhibit
the bravery to write about it.
That would be 17 people or so and curiously enough, that sounds about
right.
Thanks for
the coat color photos. I get numerous emails about coats and
this helps.
I have never
seen a coat as dark as Pepper's as a pup. Please do send
along an update as this will be most interesting.
Oh,
and thanks for the geographic location of the dogs. It would
be
nice if others stated the approximate locals they live in because I get
other emails wondering just that so they can narrow it down when they
find a picture of a Cairn that particularly impresses them.
I
guess this also answers the many Cairn / Cat questions as well.
I would be interested in learning how who was introduced to who, how
that all worked out and any pointers you might have for the many with
the same question.
Thanks for
the photos and taking the time to write.
Dan
#3
is from Paul -
'Oh Look Honey! A Free Cairn Terrier!'
Dan,
Found your website
after researching the little buzz saw with teeth my wife found on the
buy & sell site here at work.
Here is a picture of Cooper one
morning before I went to work.
A quick history of Cooper:
After
my wife's beloved Sheltie died, she was not eager to replace
her.
We already had a younger Sheltie and three cats, and she determined
(logically) that we had enough critters in the house.
After
a while, she'd start looking at the classifieds and mentioning Sheltie
puppies for sale here and there, but no action was taken.
One
day, she messaged me (we both work at the same company) saying she
found a Cairn Terrier on the "buy and sell" site for free.
The
picture was of a cute little hairball replete with bangs and long
hair. I was hoping for a Sheltie, but since she seemed very
excited about the little guy (and I was blissfully unaware of your
site), I was all for checking him out.
We
took my youngest stepdaughter and Dusty (our surviving Sheltie) to meet
the owners and the dog. He was a ball of energy; loved
everyone
in sight (although Dusty was a little terrified; however, she is shy by
nature). We decided on the spot to adopt him; we told no one
else
of our doing so.
When
we brought him home, we just let him in the back door and he made
himself at home. It seemed like he found himself in 7th
heaven;
he adopted all of Dusty's toys and discovered the joys of
chasing/terrorizing cats (all but our middle cat; he stood his ground
and Cooper quickly lost interest).
Here is one of Cooper and Dusty (talk
about Lady & The Tramp...why do the good girls always fall for
the bad boys?)
He
is absolutely a wonderful addition to our family, although had I read
up on the breed I doubt I'd have been so enthusiastic about bringing
him home. He does love to chew things (my headphones have had
three foam inserts devoured), and really loves playing with the MagLite
(he'll chase that beam for hours). My father in law put it
best;
he states that Cooper is "full of P & V" (and I have to admit
he's
right).
I
suspect your Rufus and Cooper are cut from the same cloth, although
Cooper hasn't tried to escape out under the fence or totally dug up the
back yard. He loves the snow, loves to play in the sprinkler,
and
has done quite a bit to heal the loss of Shelby (our older Sheltie) and
bring Dusty out of her shell.
Love your site,
and thanks for being a sanity check for those of us fortunate enough to
have a Terrier Rex in our lives.
Paul
Comment:
Paul, you're a braver man than me in taking on a
Cairn
Terrier with the word 'Free' attached to the ad. One thing
about
Cairns, they generally get along well with other dogs in the
house, especially when they are the guest at the outset.
Our
dog never was much of a chewer but he did an still does like
his
balls. Sometimes if you experiment a bit with
different
toys, you can cut down on the disappearing foam inserts and shredded
adapter cords.
Thanks for taking the time to write and the nice photos.
Dan
#4
is from Barb -
Even Professional Dog Trainers can get Sucked
in.......
Hi.
I am so delighted to read your blog ... and here are some stories and
photos.
Some of the characters in the photos are of my clients'
dogs.
I am a professional dog trainer.
The
well mannered, polite Sheltie is from Minnesota Sheltie
Rescue,
and the contact with MN Sheltie Rescue gave my name and number to a new
adoptee..."Reddy" is the name of the Sheltie in photo... very fun and
easy to train (Compared to a terrier.)
She and I are now very good friends.
Lexi
is the ball-obsessed blond Cairn, with a tennis ball in front of
her. Lexi belongs to a family in Duluth, MN.. they love her
and
she makes a few appearances on their family blog. Lexi was
purchased by a family in Lake Minnetonka area. They had one
of
those underground wire fence gizmos... Lexi wore the electric shock
collar to keep her in the yard.. but a rabbit is too much to
resist.
After several escaped dog dramas, with the
children bawling about their dog, the family discussed it, and gave her
back to the breeder. The breeder promptly handed over the dog
to
me, and said, "Here. Train her and re-home her."
And I did. Lexi is wonderful!
Puppy in photo is my puppy
"Dezi". born Jan 11, 2008. she has your described "Gold
Plated poops".
Since
I am an obedience training junkie, I thought, "How hard is it
to
bridge the gap and conquer the whole Conformation (a.k.a. Froo-froo
pageant) thing?"
Trust
me, it is very very difficult. After
getting Dezi in
March of 2008, and entering countless dog show, we only have 1
point. We need 15 points to get 'Champion' in front of her
name. I need to write a blog describing my undercover
experience.
We will never make it to Westminster. That is a fantasy.
Dezi
is now 2 yrs old. I love obedience training and she does
too. She quickly earned her Rally Novice title (easy and
fun). this summer we will compete and finish her Rally
Advanced,
Rally Excellent and then on to the more difficult obedience called
"Novice" and she will earn a C.D. The rally is the
AKC
sport, where you walk your dog around orange cones with signs on them
telling you what to do.. very easy, and anyone can do it.
We began Agility
Training.... I found the best dog instructor in the country and she is
hiding in North East Ohio.
We will not enter any AKC Agility dog shows until Linda says we are
ready.
She can train any
dog but it is the humans that have to listen.
If
a human is willing to shut up, and toss their Ego into the trash bin
upon entering the building... anything is possible. Truly.
I
am surprised at how smooth the training has been going. the
tough
part will be the big test, and enter AKC Obedience Trials.
My first
Cairn Terrier is Oliver, Twist of Fate.
Oliver
is a good boy, but came from "mystery breeding" (a.k.a. puppy
mill variety). This was before I was enlightened.
Now I have extremely good contacts in the Cairn Terrier
underworld. hee hee.
Oliver
has 'issues.' He is skittish. Oliver was 5 months
old when I
got him and he has never, ever been abused but is so darn skittish,
people think he was rescued from a horrible situation.
Nope. Oliver was born Dec 1999.
Oliver was taken
to obedience school, where he did remarkably well. Oliver
earned
the AKC Obedience title C.D. - Companion Dog, in 2002. During
his
training, somehow we began the grass roots movement of "Cairn
Addicts Anonymous" group. I became the Doggie Rehab for all
Cairn
Terriers in Northern Minnesota and that is how I helped to populate
homes with this adorable ball of fur we all love.
During my flights between Mpls and Cleveland, I would leave Oliver with
either my parents or a good friend, John.
My friend John also owns a Cairn Terrier (Brinkley) .. and its all my
fault.
My parents own a Cairn Terrier (Ruby Red Slippers) and that too, is all
my fault.
Story
Time
Olivers Wild
Chase - April 15, 2007
One time, Oliver was staying with John and his dog Brinkley.
John was careless about exiting his fenced in backyard.
Oliver and Brinkley ran out, John raised his voice.... Brinkley
flattened himself on the ground and froze.
Oliver
Freaked Out and Ran
For 3 hours.
Oliver ran across Arrowhead Road (VERY
busy street) and John heard the sickening noise of tires
screeching to a halt (imagine a dog dodging cars, and drives locking up
their brakes). It is a miracle no injuries or fender benders
resulted.
Oliver kept running.. to the Howard Gnesen road.. and
a gas station, then across THAT busy intersection over to the UMD
campus, then off to the nearby Nursing Home.
John called out the
troops. he called his current girlfriend and her kids, and
his
EX-Girlfriend (who also has a Cairn), and he called my parents, and
then John waved $20 dollar bills at all the kids in the neighborhood on
bikes to... GET THAT DOG!
(John
later had a very heated discussion with current girlfriend, questioning
why he was in contact with Ex-Girlfriend... after that discussion,
'current girlfriend' also became an EX girlfriend, but that is another
story!! Haa Haa Haa!!)
But thats okay, cuz she owns a wimpy Yorkie... which is not a real
terrier to us Cairn Addicts)
Oliver ran loose for 3 hours, nearly causing fatal heart attacks to all
who love him.
It
was the next door neighbor waving a cookie that got him.
Oliver
kept returning to John's house, but would bolt again. The
nice
neighbor lady held out a cookie,,, Oliver is a sucker for food... no
surprise there, huh?
End of the wild chase, John and my parents went out to dinner, while
Johns two ex-girlfriends drove off into the sunset.
I should put that story on a blog... along with the warnings of Taking
your Cairn off leash. Never.
I absolutely LOVE your warning
to future Cairn owners, to walk your new puppy on leash around the
neighborhood and introduce yourself, and the pup. in case of any future
escapes.
Take Care~
Barb
Cairn Addict.
Comment:
Wow...... Barb has passed on a lot of useful information
regarding training, food and nutrition, breeders and some other items.
It's going to take a bit to put it into a context I can use.
The only thing I have reservations about are the wienie bands but if
you don't, here's a free plug.
Very
nice looking Cairn on the right side of the web page. I'm
kind of
a sucker for the dark Cairns with the reddish tones....
Email
from Becky -
'I'm on a Highway to.......'
I
have had mine for three weeks now. I watched your video about the
blankey or ball and noted a laptop with CORDS
sitting on the floor beside the chair. I believe I may need to become
Amish or else I will need to have an electrician in to move all my
outlets up high so I can actually use cords.
In
the meantime, darkness does not slow Maggie Mae the Devil Dog down at
all. I have considered changing her name to Thor, short for Thorazine,
because she needs some.
Excuse
me, I need to go see what the dog is into.......
I
got her to hopefully rid my yard of snakes, just little striped garden
snakes, nothing dangerous. So far she has killed an ant and a leaf.
Excuse
me again, it just got quiet in my house....
Well,
I am not sure I will survive this. She is six months old and will
outlive me. It is not like I am not used to challenging pets because I
have five rescued parrots, most of which are larger than Maggie and two
big cats that hate her.
She continues to
love the cats unconditionally, no matter how abusive they are to her.
I think her IQ
doesn't come close to 37.
Excuse me again, must go see what
the ruckus is.....DAMN THING.
I get irritated and toss her out the back door.
I watch her run
like crazy but
unfortunately,
she always comes back.
Wanna
Trade????????? I am too old for this.
Opps,
just heard a crash...
~Becky
Comment: How
about that! I agree with everything you said. The
only thing I can offer is some Sympathy Music
....
#5
is from Jennifer -
Litter Box Trained Cairns?.......
I found your
website and read at the bottom you want pup versus adult
photo. I don’t know how long ago this was but here are mine.
 |
 |
| Young Baxter |
3 years old - 2010 |
This is my youngest. He's only a year but still has a brindle color.
Baxter lost his within 6 months. Charlie is hard to hold still so his
hair cuts don't happen as often.
Charlie is such a beautiful color and I got lucky he hasn’t faded
yet. Baxter became an angel dog after about a year and a
half. Charlie is insane and probably will take a lot
longer. He only listens when he wants to but I have
successfully taught both of them to use a litter box especially made
for dogs. It is the best thing ever!!
Comment: Litter box
trained cairns? Now that's an interesting concept.
Quite the coat color change on Baxter. Thanks for the photos.
I would have pegged Baxter at 13 years instead of 3
years. Must be the sweater!
#6
is from Diane -
Riley got Rescued!
Hello and thanks
for the great site. It's the only one I have seen that is informative
and very humorous.
I have a terrier named Riley and he is a Cairn with big ears. At the
vet they said he looks for like a Yorkie but the temperament is all
Cairn or terrier. I love him very much and he is super adorable. He is
exactly as terriers are and it works for me.
Riley was a pound puppy and everyone wanted him but I went to the pound
everyday to get him and after 3 weeks of waiting I got him home.
Boy was I happy! He was five when I got him and he is 10 now. He hates
getting his picture taken so here is the best I have. YAY !! I love my
Cairn!!!
Thanks again for the great site.
Comment:
I'm glad you
like the site and that Riley got rescued. Our first terrier
was a pound pup too - a poodle-cairn(?) cross by the name
of Sparky. The rest is history. Ask Riley if a side
profile shot might be possible one day.....
|
Pup vs
Adult Coat Colors:
A number of
people
have asked if I have pics of coat colors as a pup and then
coat colors as an adult.
I don't have
many.
If you have a
couple
pics to spare of pup and then adult coat colors, I'd like to start
showing the comparisons.
-Dan
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