Thinking about getting a Cairn..

[Guest]

So, Hello all. An elderly lady I met has a 2 1/2 year old purebred Cairn, her husband passed away, and she wants to sell him, because she thinks she cannot care for him and take him on walks anymore. I do not know anyone with a Cairn, I do know someone with a westie, but I am sort of a newbie to the Cairn world. In the past I have had other breeds, a poodle, an english setter, and a beagle. I have a decent sized yard that I could fence in for him, however I am in the office 9-5 every day (live alone). I live like 200 yards from work, so I can walk home for an hour on lunch and such.. I realize it depends on the personality of the individual dog (I am going to 'meet' him tomorrow), but in general would this be alright for the dog? Should he be over his puppy-ness? Any suggestions or tips?

Thanks,

Alex

[Senator Cody Wilson]

Alex,

While most of the people I have found on the forum have pups, I think we can at least give you an idea about their behavior.

To begin with, my wife and I are trying to have a child and wanted to get a dog first in order to acclimate them before the baby comes. We got Cody when he was 3 months old and have had him nor for 4 months.

Cairns are definitely active dogs who love attention and need to excercise. I usually play with my pup for about 1/2 hour every night outside and throughout the evening in the house.

I am not sure how all of this might differ with a dog 2 years old since I understand that dogs are no longer considered pups after 1 year. If it does work out and you get him, I would make sure he finds a place in your house/apartment where he feels comfortable. We put Cody's crate at the back of the kitchen where he gets some sun and some shade during the day. Now when we leave for work, he has the entire kitchen to himself (about 14x16) and we leave him dry food, water, plenty of toys and the radio playing softly. Most times when I come home he is sleeping in his crate even though the door is open, I guess it just feels like home to him. Coming home for lunch proved to be invaluable for us as I have heard horror stories about dogs with separation anxiety.

Hope it all goes well.