I was wondering, do you guys think Fonzy is pure bred?

We do not have papers for him, we bought him for 150$ from a nice owner that breeds dog's a year ago, I don't think they came with papers.

But is there any qualifications he must meet that we know he is 100% pure bred?

My grandma says he's kinda long, but I said he's just a big muscular type of a cairn.

I think he is.... but I was just wanting your opinions.

Thanks

-Nick

It doesn't really matter, does it? As long as you love Fonzy and Fonzy loves you, life is good!

Yeah I just curious, and thinking of a topic to make

BTW he sleeps under the covers with me now

i loves him

Edited February 10, 201114 yr by monkuar

Monkaur, without papers it is really hard to tell but looking at the picture and seeing the video you put up, if "The Fonz" isn't purebred, he is close enough for government work as far as I am concerned. Believe me, it is hard to find a Cairn that meets the "standard" even paying ten times what you gave for Fonz--so sit back and enjoy that boy.

First, Fonz is a dog which makes him one of God's most special creatures and then, he is a Cairn, which puts him in a really elevated category.

As always, have to agree with Idaho (he must be getting really tired of me by now!). Kirby is CKC registered, doesn't meet breed standard - too long, crooked legs, a little heavy - coloring a little funny - if I every get a decent pic from head to toe I will post it - but I wouldn't have him any other way! He is the one thing that makes me smile every day ---no matter what!

Well what is the difference between a pure bred cairn and all the cairns here? Arn't they all just cairns?

And is pure bred just a "official kind of dog sterotype" that is only covered by the government to decide what type of dog it is? Sounds fishy to me, Well I wonder what else fonzy has in him then! My grandma said a wiener dog, but he isn't that low to the ground, lol!

But he does have a huge muscles on him and his long.

And when i google cairns non really look like him

Edited February 10, 201114 yr by monkuar

You are not understanding what we are saying--many pure bred Cairns don't look exactly like or are the same size as the breed "standard" a condition which is quite common within all pure bred dogs of any breed. Monkuar no one has suggested that Fonzy isn't pure bred--we have no way of knowing, what we are saying is not to worry about it as appearance is only one of the many, many charms of Cairns and that within Cairns there is some variance of build, size, color, feature, etc. Sometimes all of us obsess too much on what our dogs look like and don't focus enough on the wonderful behavioral characteristics that this breed seems to share. Cairns are, by the way, quite muscular--my tom boyish Sammi is as solid as a rock underneath all that hair.

You are not understanding what we are saying--many pure bred Cairns don't look exactly like or are the same size as the breed "standard" a condition which is quite common within all pure bred dogs of any breed. Monkuar no one has suggested that Fonzy isn't pure bred--we have no way of knowing, what we are saying is not to worry about it as appearance is only one of the many, many charms of Cairns and that within Cairns there is some variance of build, size, color, feature, etc. Sometimes all of us obsess too much on what our dogs look like and don't focus enough on the wonderful behavioral characteristics that this breed seems to share. Cairns are, by the way, quite muscular--my tom boyish Sammi is as solid as a rock underneath all that hair.

Ditto

And unless you're going to try to get a PAL registration with the AKC so you can compete in performance events, I would seriously just move on and be happy with your little guy.

Pegi came with all the official papers, from a breeder. She has 1 ear that never went up, the other is up with the tip that curls down. She weighs 20 lbs., and the vet says she is fine, just on the larger side.

We don't care about her ears, in fact my girls think it's what makes her cute. My husband always says "what's wrong w/the dog's ear?", but when I looked into ways to help them stand up (she was about 9 months old and people on this forum had many ideas) my family veto'd it and wanted her ears to stay as is!

So "purebred" cairns, like people, are all different. We love them all!

The comments are true and I agree with what's been said here. But I can also understand the reasons for your questions. Ruffy, the cairn that I adopted some months ago, has some physical characteristics that make me wonder about his ancestry. From the front, he looks like a "typical" cairn...great face & expression and perky tail held high. But from the side, his body and tail are too long and his tail curves over his back. So Ruffy is either a purebred cairn, (no papers!) whose appearance diverges from the accepted norm or he is a mix, but behavior-wise, he is temperamentally 200% cairn terrier. If you look in books or directories that show breed examples, or silhouettes, you'll get an idea of the look, proportion and conformation that is considered to be more or less standard.

Just like you, I only started to learn about cairns after I adopted my first one and joined this forum. Again, your question is natural one and is to be expected. I hope you keep asking questions. You'll always get good answers here.

P.S. A number of folks on this site have shown pix of their cairns and cairn mixes... They are all "cairn enough" for us! Many of us, including myself and you as well, think Fonzy looks great. Fonzy would have a more typical look if the hair on his head wasn't kept so short. If the hair on the sides of his face and on top of his head and between his ears was left to grow longer, his ears would appear a lot smaller and his head would start to take on a fuller, more rounded cairn-type "chrysanthemum" look.

Edited February 11, 201114 yr by sanford

In the end I think a breed is a stereotype and a Cairn is a Cairn.

Thanks everyone! Btw, I sleep with fonzy instead of my cat now.... dunno how bad my cat hates it, but I do hang out with my cat when fonzy is out in the living room. But fonzy took over the bed and there's no way stopping it. And I love him sleeping under the covers anyway, he's alot bigger and warmer and alot cuter to be honest.

I do love my cat though but Cairn>all animals I think.

God bless

I would LOVE to get either or both of my two sleeping next to me under the covers but they get too hot! That would make these cold winter nights wonderful. You enjoy Monkaur.

a breed is a stereotype and a Cairn is a Cairn.

Very well said! You precisely summed it all up. I think you should adopt this very appropriate phrase as your motto. If you don't copyright it, I just might steal it and make it my own!!!

Your poor cat. There is a saying; Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

So here are a few tips.

You and Fonzy should sleep with one eye open.

When you and Fonzy go out always remember to bring your keys. You might not get back in.

Beware when you notice the cats forming a circle around you and Fonzy.