suitable pets

[PeppersMom]

Mine and my breeder's experience with placing Brodie brings a good point to this discussion...namely that we all love our Cairns to death, but they do not make suitable pets for every home...or all homes are not suitable for Cairns! Not everyone can appreciate the terrier temperment...one was placed in my area and the woman can't understand why the dog does not recall immediately when it is turned loose on her rural property. She thinks he is being "disloyal"! Many Cairns do not have nice personalities that can tolerate children..mine do so thats not an issue. I find a lot of ignorance in general concerning dog ownership out there...just last week I witnessed in my vet's office a female border collie try to start a fight with a young lab...the owner proceeded to pet and try to comfort her! I cringed and proceeded to put "my 2 cents in! and try to educate her on dog aggression. I don't know how many people I talk to assume because they are small, Cairns are "yippy"...thats one negative they do not have! Lets do our part to be honest ambassadors to our breed!

[Marge]

I believe that it is critical to do as much research as possible to find a breed of dog that is right for you and your situation. We have had Golden Retrievers for years. I decided that this time I wanted a different breed. Don't get me wrong, I love goldens, but I just wanted a smaller dog that did not shed as much. The internet is a wonderful place to read about and explore different dog breeds. There is a tremendous amount of information. Yet, when it came down to making I final decision, I wanted to actually see and interact with the breed. I found that in contacting breeders, they were more than happy to let me visit their dogs. A responsible breeder also wants a possible owner to make sure the breed is appropriate for them.

Last week, the Badger Kennel Club in Madison, WI, put on a dog fair. Apparently, it is an annual event that is an educational opportunity. It was the first time I have attended. I was amazed at the many breeds on display with knowledgeable people to talk to about the breeds. It was wonderful. I have never been around so many beautiful dogs in my life. They had demonstrations of each breed class. Various training opportunities available were showcased from puppy classes and beginning obedience to competition training in obedience and agility as well as hunting, etc. They had small breeds to huge and everything in between. I don't know if other areas have something similar, but it was a terrific opportunity to see many dog breeds, talk with dog owners and breeders, and to just become educated. I am already looking forward to attending next years dog fair, and I'm not even in the market for another breed. It was just plain fun. BTW, this show confirmed for me that I made the correct choice in choosing a Cairn. I was able to see the other breeds I had thought about. They would have not worked out as well as my little Cairn, Bear.

I know I will encourage any people I come in contact with who are interested in getting a puppy to attend an event such as the dog fair or to learn as much as they are able about the breed of dog they are contemplating before bringing a puppy into their home and lives. Pets should not be treated as disposable if they don't work out. They are living creatures who deserve as good, caring home.

MAKE it a GREAT day!!!

Marge

[Anna_525]

I agree. I wonder if any of you have experienced this - when we got Alfie, we have already researched the terrier temperament - barky, likes to escape, etc. so we knew what to expect so we can react accordingly. Then there are those pet owners who attempt to educate US and tell me if we know what we are doing, Alfie will be more loyal (rather than escape), keep quiet (rather than bark), not dig, not run after anything that moves, etc. Some of our neighbors think we are the uneducated ones. We even got laughed at when I brought up grass allergy and the less frequent bathings. Very frustrating.

[maggie]

I agree. No one can understand why we don't let Kai-lee off leash! I know a lot of people think we [and Kai-lee] are total idiots! I always hear "let that dog have some freedom" ... right... she would be chasing any leave that blows, any little piece of paper blowing around, rabbits, squirrels, birds, bike, bus, truck....basically she would probably be killed in action.

[Lisad]

Oh Boy!!! I hear you all!! My husband had my pup one day at a family member's house (I wasn't able to attend). Later, after my dh and pup returned, my husband told me that his relative's wife actually had the nerve to put a choke collar on MY dog and she actually begain to (what she called) "obedience train" MY dog. No one asked her, she certainly didn't ask, I was FURIOUS and I felt betrayed. My pup was only fourteen weeks old at the time. She then proceeded to tell me (via e-mail) that my dog would be a "good, little dog" if I "worked" with him. This person isn't even a trained professional. They own a Shih Tzu - totally different dog.

[Catfish1]

We all know it takes people of extraordinary character to understand and enjoy owning a Cairn!!

Fergus and Alf

[savannahsmom35]

I hear "You haven't bathed her in HOW long????" or "She doesn't know what 'come' means?". I want to say, I know what I am doing thank you... People who don't own terriers or know anything about them don't understand that Cairns are VERY smart but VERY independant (i.e. stubborn). Savannah knows what come means, she just choses not to do it everytime (we are working on that by the way).

I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. Who wants a dog that lays around all the time and never does anything??? Not me. She can be a lap dog sometimes but she is ALWAYS ready for an adventure. I can honestly say that she is PERFECT for me. It sounds crazy but now that I have her, I don't feel as afraid when my DH is not home at night. I know that she will let me know if something isn't as it should be and that makes me feel safe. Everyone that meets Savannah talks about how much character she has. That is the reason I love her. She entertains me and makes me laugh EVERYDAY!

[JerryLv]

This is a subject near and dear to my heart. Last night I tried to post a lengthy heartfelt distertation on this subject. Just as I hit the post button something happened and it didn't take. I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS! Anyway a condensed version is: More needs to be said about the hypernest (?) of the Cairn

and their need to be VERY active at least 2 - 3 hours a day. A Cairn should not be sold to a person who cannot give them the proper excersise, attention, and interaction playtime that they require. As an older person (74) I can understand

why people abandom this animal. I am very forunate that I have a wife in her 50's and she can handel things that I cannot. Between us he is a VERY lucky dog.

I just can't imagine how a Cairn would react to being put in a cage awaiting a foster parent. I tear up just thinking about it.

[Darcy's Folks]

Unfortunately, some people do NOT do the appropriate research before investing in a dog. Similar to what I see now a days with people who have kids. C'mon... we have all at one time said to ourselves "those people should NOT have kids". Similar scenario with terriers. We too have found ourselves in situations where people have simply not understood why Darcy can't be off leash. Screw 'em! I'm a better pet parent than at least half of them. Of course a lot of my customers at work who have met Darcy have said "when they die they want to come back as my dog." So I must be doing something right!

I agree with you Somer. Darcy is the greatest thing to come into my life (next to my husband that is). I would actually have to say we are more active because of Darcy. She is ALWAYS ready to go at a moment's notice. She LOVES car rides and always wants to be around us (sometimes at a comfortable distance... gotta love that they are independant). With Darcy life is more flavorful, more meaningful and just plain fun. She makes me stop to smell the roses (literally) and makes me realize that all the studip crap I used to stress out about (before having her) is not worth my time anymore. Just being with her and getting to enjoy the small stuff is all that matters now.

Thanks Darcy! You're my girl!

[sanford]

Ditto Savanah's Mom & all the others. Sometimes, even Cairn owners are clueless!

An owner I met at the dog run was admiring my dogs appearance. She said her Cairn's coat was too thin and that she never has her dog stripped. "Prefers to keep the coat clipped very short to keep it clean"! I tried to tactfully suggest that her dog would look more like a Cairn if she had it stripped, not clipped, but it fell on deaf ears.

Then she asked me how often I bathe mine. I told her, "not very often" assuming that as a Cairn owner, she'd understand. Boy, was I wrong! She almost fell of the bench when I said that! She actually bathes her Cairn once a week! She sort of drew back & stared at me in a very disapproving way.

Oh well. I guess she thinks I'm a bad person! The bottom line is, her dog is really sweet & she loves her a lot. Gotta laugh! What else can one do?

[Eliz222]

I, thankfully, can say that most people think my dogs are cute and smart...although my teenage son thinks Finch needs to know how to shake hands and is dumber than a doorknob.....now what does HE know?? LOL!

I grew up with Cairns my entire life and I urge anyone considering buying ANY dog, to do their research before adopting!!!!! Cairns don't do what they do (bark, run after birds) because they are bad.....it's because they are CAIRNS!!!