Rescued this baby -- told she is a Cairn mix what do you think?

[Veronica]

Hello -- I am hoping you can tell me what you think of my baby and I have a nice back story. I do not think I can post a photo yet but as soon as I am approved I will.

I have owned purebred, show-quality mini schnauzers for the past 25+ years.  One of my minis "Sasha" lived until 19 years of age. She outlived all of her companions, and was in great shape until almost the very last day. It was very quick.

I brought Sasha to the vet for that sad day, 2 months ago. and as soon it was over the vet asked me to wait a moment and came out with "Samantha".  The vet used to be in charge of the city shelter and is a wonderful person.  When Samantha was brought in to the city shelter she was brought over to the vet within days because she was petrified in the shelter. She was with my vet for 2 days when I arrived to euthanize my baby. The vet somehow just knew I would take her and I did.

Samantha is very sweet, estimated to be 2 and 1/2 years young. She is black, with down ears and has some gray portions near her chest. She has the double coat. The vet said he believes she is a Cairn terrier mix. She is very sweet, housetrained and there was some history on her.  She had been in the rescue twice. I cannot believe it. She is such a sweet baby. I read the reports and the first time she brought in she was under a year old and they had provided her with a week of anti anxiety medication. Presumably she was adopted out --no records on that.  She was also fixed because I see a faint green line on her belly. The second time at the shelter which is when I received her she was listed as a stray. She had a chip and apparently whoever rescued or claimed her did not register it in their name.

She is the sweetest baby. Very high energy, Very. Can play all day. The first photo shows what was once a cute lamb. She's affectionate, loves to have her belly rubbed, knows how to sit and stay --so far and does have some separation anxiety which we are working on. Someone is almost always home so it is not a major issue and  I have already made progress with that. She has small yet sharp teeth and has gone through a bunch of toys already. She receives three (3)  20-minute walks per day and has a lot of playtime with her adult family. She also has a yard.  She loves her family, we love her and she has adjusted very well

She is so adorable that I have received at least 20 comments about her when walking her. I think her sweet disposition makes her even more attractive to others. One even said she should be on TV. She does jump on people --working on that -- and so far no one seems to care because she is so adorable and they stop to greet her.

I had her groomed and my groomer also commented that she looked to be a Cairn mix.

When I  am approved I will post photos

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Veronica
added photos

[bradl]

A Cairn mix sounds (and looks) plausible to me.  The adorableness and energy quotients coupled with street-charm also reads about right too  

Welcome Veronica and Samantha!

[calypso]

I’d say she could very likely be part Cairn. I’m sorry for your loss, but happy for you and Samantha. It sounds like a match that was meant to be. With your experience, you will be the right person to help her work through any issues. Thanks for sharing pictures. What a cutie.

[Hillscreek]

Welcome to you both. She sure looks like she has quite a bit of cairn in her. That cairn type coat and body. What a darling she seems to be. 

I'm sure you and your family will have lots of fun and loving ahead. 

Thanks for sharing cute pics.

[sanford]

Hi Veronica and Samantha and welcome to this wonderful site. It was heartwarming to read about Samantha’s adoption. Her sweet face matches her personality. As she settles in, it will be interesting to read about the personality differences between them. It looks as if she’s already  claimed a favorite spot by the window!

[pkcrossley]

what a beautiful story and a wonderful little dog. after two months i would guess you are seeing her real personality. cairns are famous for being sweet and shy when first getting home, then trying on a variety of antics as they become more comfortable. in those cases, consistency seems to be always the answer. samantha seems seems to just be on the sweet side. she looks completely adorable. you're lucky she was there when you needed her, and she's so lucky to have you. 

[Eliz222]

Welcome! Samantha is adorable and very well could have some Cairn in her, especially how you described her coat and her energy level!

You can always have a DNA test done. I know my vet does this and I don't think it costs very much. Either way she is as cute as a button!

[Veronica]

Thanks everyone. She is a bundle of energy. Also, her front paws are larger than the rear ones. I have never seen that before.  I will read up. Hard to see in the photos she is a black gray brindle. Thanks for the idea of a DNA. I may ask my vet.

Edited June 14, 2022 by Veronica

[Tracy A.]

Big front diggers are handy. Amos has big front paws for a 4 month old puppy. What is her top coat like? Is it rough or wiry to the touch?

[pkcrossley]

front paws bigger than back is kind of a sure giveaway. seems like you have a cairn! does she win at wordle? that is also a clue. 

--jaws and teeth of a much bigger dog

--front paws bigger than back

--two coats (actually not every cairn has an overcoat and undercoat)

--too smart, too energetic, too much fun. 

the checklist

Edited June 14, 2022 by pkcrossley

[CamilleatGaelforce]

Veronica, you don't need your vet to do a DNA test, there are commercially available kits that use cheek swabs, no need for a blood draw.  I used an Embark brand test on Max, one of my shelter dogs, who turned out, as I expected him to, 100% purebred Toy Manchester Terrier.  I found that Embark had a very good database of breeds because they worked with the AKC to get samples of many, many purebreds, so I feel they stand a better chance of finding the mix that goes into any dog.  I have yet to run a DNA test on the purported Cairn I adopted from a shelter over a year ago, the owners who surrendered Charlie admitted they had purchased him from a pet store in Portland, Oregon, as a puppy.  We know that "Continental Kennel Club" papers are not worth the paper they are printed on, so I wouldn't be shocked if Charlie turned out to be 25% or less Shih Tzu or something else short and furry.  He certainly acts like an all-terrier boy, but there's only one way to know for sure.  Besides breed admixtures, you can also run screens for genetic disorders and propensities for certain diseases, which may be helpful in deciding what heartworm preventatives to use, for instance.   In looking at pictures of your girl, I would not be shocked at all if she turned out to be part Scottie and part Dachshund, that would account for the dark colored coat and the longer back.  Scotties also have huge front paws compared to their hind feet, and even bigger teeth than any other small terrier except for Skye Terriers.  Skye admixture would explain the long body, dropped ears, and dark coat, but Skyes are quite rare, so the odds that Samantha has Skye genes are pretty low.   Dachshunds also have dropped ears, but longer ear leather, so her Dachshund ancestor is probably a couple of generations back.  I look forward to hearing what Samantha's DNA results are if you decide to go ahead with testing her.  Oh, one question.  Does Samantha think she can fly?  I fostered a terrier girl many years ago who the shelter said was a Scottie, but she turned out to be a Skye.  We didn't have DNA testing back then, but more than one Skye breeder looked at her and said "Yup, that's a Skye."  She was more like a Scottie than any other terrier I have fostered or owned, except Heather thought she could fly.  She would run, jump onto the couch seat, then up to the back, and fly off of it, landing on the floor of the sunken living room, a good four foot drop, at speed, then dash out the dog door onto the patio.  No Scottie or Cairn I've ever owned or fostered ever even thought about jumping off the back side of the couch, if they got up there they went back down via the seat route they used to get up.  So if you see Samantha jumping off of things that are WAY too high for her safety, there might be some Skye in there after all.  Skyes, Cairns, Scotties, Westies, they are all wonderful dogs, so I hope you will have many happy years with Samantha by your side!  I once fostered a Miniature Schnauzer for a few months, the shelter mis-identified her as a Scottie, which I knew she wasn't the minute I saw her, but they said if I didn't take her she would be put down, so home she came.  She was ancient, had tons of mammary tumors, horrible skin, and a couple of weeks after I got her she started seizureing, but we medicated her (she'd had the tumors removed almost immediately) and kept her alive for five months, bless her.  At first she didn't trust anyone, but my youngest Scottie befriended her, and gradually she came to appreciate my DH and I, and would sit in my lap for a little while every day.  Eventually no amount of phenobarbital would stop the seizures, so we had to let her go, but I treasure those five months, I got to give Gretchen love, comfort, safety, all the food she wanted, warmth and companionship for as long as she had left on this earth, after her previous owners dumped her on the street to find for herself.  I will have a soft spot for Miniature Schnauzers for the rest of my life, too.

[pkcrossley]

21 hours ago, CamilleatGaelforce said:

Does Samantha think she can fly? 

so looking forward to the answer! and thanks so much for hospicing your girl Gretchen

Edited June 15, 2022 by pkcrossley

[Veronica]

On 6/14/2022 at 6:33 AM, pkcrossley said:

front paws bigger than back is kind of a sure giveaway. seems like you have a cairn! does she win at wordle? that is also a clue. 

--jaws and teeth of a much bigger dog

--front paws bigger than back

--two coats (actually not every cairn has an overcoat and undercoat)

--too smart, too energetic, too much fun. 

the checklist

Check to all .  The only thing she does not have though is up ears so that is why I know she is mixed.

[Veronica]

On 6/15/2022 at 11:04 AM, pkcrossley said:

so looking forward to the answer! and thanks so much for hospicing your girl Gretchen

She think she can do anything!  -- she has quite the set of teeth and has gone through a bunch of toys. Here's a cute pic I snapped with my phone

 

On 6/14/2022 at 1:51 PM, CamilleatGaelforce said:

Veronica, you don't need your vet to do a DNA test, there are commercially available kits that use cheek swabs, no need for a blood draw.  I used an Embark brand test on Max, one of my shelter dogs, who turned out, as I expected him to, 100% purebred Toy Manchester Terrier.  I found that Embark had a very good database of breeds because they worked with the AKC to get samples of many, many purebreds, so I feel they stand a better chance of finding the mix that goes into any dog.  I have yet to run a DNA test on the purported Cairn I adopted from a shelter over a year ago, the owners who surrendered Charlie admitted they had purchased him from a pet store in Portland, Oregon, as a puppy.  We know that "Continental Kennel Club" papers are not worth the paper they are printed on, so I wouldn't be shocked if Charlie turned out to be 25% or less Shih Tzu or something else short and furry.  He certainly acts like an all-terrier boy, but there's only one way to know for sure.  Besides breed admixtures, you can also run screens for genetic disorders and propensities for certain diseases, which may be helpful in deciding what heartworm preventatives to use, for instance.   In looking at pictures of your girl, I would not be shocked at all if she turned out to be part Scottie and part Dachshund, that would account for the dark colored coat and the longer back.  Scotties also have huge front paws compared to their hind feet, and even bigger teeth than any other small terrier except for Skye Terriers.  Skye admixture would explain the long body, dropped ears, and dark coat, but Skyes are quite rare, so the odds that Samantha has Skye genes are pretty low.   Dachshunds also have dropped ears, but longer ear leather, so her Dachshund ancestor is probably a couple of generations back.  I look forward to hearing what Samantha's DNA results are if you decide to go ahead with testing her.  Oh, one question.  Does Samantha think she can fly?  I fostered a terrier girl many years ago who the shelter said was a Scottie, but she turned out to be a Skye.  We didn't have DNA testing back then, but more than one Skye breeder looked at her and said "Yup, that's a Skye."  She was more like a Scottie than any other terrier I have fostered or owned, except Heather thought she could fly.  She would run, jump onto the couch seat, then up to the back, and fly off of it, landing on the floor of the sunken living room, a good four foot drop, at speed, then dash out the dog door onto the patio.  No Scottie or Cairn I've ever owned or fostered ever even thought about jumping off the back side of the couch, if they got up there they went back down via the seat route they used to get up.  So if you see Samantha jumping off of things that are WAY too high for her safety, there might be some Skye in there after all.  Skyes, Cairns, Scotties, Westies, they are all wonderful dogs, so I hope you will have many happy years with Samantha by your side!  I once fostered a Miniature Schnauzer for a few months, the shelter mis-identified her as a Scottie, which I knew she wasn't the minute I saw her, but they said if I didn't take her she would be put down, so home she came.  She was ancient, had tons of mammary tumors, horrible skin, and a couple of weeks after I got her she started seizureing, but we medicated her (she'd had the tumors removed almost immediately) and kept her alive for five months, bless her.  At first she didn't trust anyone, but my youngest Scottie befriended her, and gradually she came to appreciate my DH and I, and would sit in my lap for a little while every day.  Eventually no amount of phenobarbital would stop the seizures, so we had to let her go, but I treasure those five months, I got to give Gretchen love, comfort, safety, all the food she wanted, warmth and companionship for as long as she had left on this earth, after her previous owners dumped her on the street to find for herself.  I will have a soft spot for Miniature Schnauzers for the rest of my life, too.

Great comprehensive information thank you. I will do that and will look online how to order.  She does think she can fly. She is a little dog and she jumps over the side of the couch like it is nothing. My mini schnauzer did that occasionally She also jumped up on the kitchen table once. When I go upstairs I have one foot on the bottom step and zoom she is at the top of the landing - same thing going down. Here is a
photo I took on my phone earlier. She's sooo cute.

 

[Veronica]

On 6/14/2022 at 6:00 AM, Tracy A. said:

Big front diggers are handy. Amos has big front paws for a 4 month old puppy. What is her top coat like? Is it rough or wiry to the touch?

She has the two coats soft underneath and wiry on top. And she likes to be brushed! Amos is precious.