A compliment I received that you deserve too!

[toomanypaws]

As I was sitting in the hair salon waiting for my hairdresser to finish w/ my dd, I struck up a conversation w/ another hairdresser about dogs. He shows Afghans, and also has a couple Chinese Crested and a Lhasa Apso as pets. He asked me what I had and I told him. When I mentioned I have 3 Cairns, he smirked and said that that's one breed he wouldn't do, how rude! He then said that it takes a special person to own a terrier. I just told him maybe so, but I consider my 3 Cairns special the way they wormed their way into my heart to own me.

So guess what? I'm special, you're special, we're ALL special! I thought that was such a nice compliment, that I had to pass it on to all of my special Cairn friends.

[mrskti]

can you believe how rude some people can be.....tisk tisk....good for you for standing up for us!!!!

[kayharley]

What a nice thing to share...thanks!

Just from what I read on this forum, there are many Cairn owners who definately had their work cut out for them but were rewarded big time in the long run. They now have a best friend, lifetime companion & tons of entertainment. Yes, it took patience, commitment, love, diligence and a sense of humor but they did it.

Congratulations to all our forum members who suffered through housetraining, chewing, defiance, stubborness, illness and all the other woes that came with your Cairn. It was so worth it!!

[tena]

It's funny how fate works. I wanted a docile dog, who was obedient and low key.....I HAVE a Sophie.

I can't imagine my life if I had actually gotten the fantasy dog I wanted as opposed to the one fate delivered.

I will gladly tell anyone, a Cairn is not for everyone, but Sophie is absolutely perfect for my personality, lifestyle and disposition. Who knew?

[OzGirl]

These guys make all the hard work worth it. Yes I agree not everyone would want to live with a cairn but I can't imagine my life without them - I just love my girls

[AngusMacDoggal]

Terrier Folks ARE special. I've had 3 different breeds of terriers (four is you count my scottie mix) Kerry Blue, Soft Coated Wheaten and now Cairn, and it does take someone special to understand terriers. These dogs were bred to go out and do a job without having to look to "master" for instruction. SO, doesn't that mean now that we want to train our terriers to look to us for instruction it would be an extra challenging task? We should be proud of having the patience to deal with their tenacity and understand and love them, and know that Cairns are wonderful, intelligent, special dogs, just like their people. Everybody pat yourself on the back for being able to train a terrier to the best of your ability.

[Eliz222]

I grew up with Cairns, but my DH has always had labs. He "agreed" to adopting a Cairn when we found Scout. It's funny to watch him now with our two. He treats them like they are his babies and even baby talks with them! DH's family are big hunters and have always had hunting dogs. DH's parents make fun of our dogs, when they come over, and I love to watch DH defend our two terriers!

[savannahsmom35]

No, Cairns aren't for everyone but they are sure the breed for me!!! Yes, puppy hood was a hard time but Savannah is now the greatest little dog ever! I think the type of people that frequent this site prove that not only are terrier people special, they are caring, compassionate, intelligent (we have to be with these critters!!!), etc, etc! I have never met a group of more caring people as I have here. You guys are awesome!!! Congrats to those who make it through Cairn puppyhood, and best of luck to those going through it now. You can't imagine how worth it all your hard work will be very soon!

[Kathryn]

I guess whever I hear someone talk about how they wouldn't own a terrier, I think, "Boring people have boring dogs!" I have a dog with exuberance, passion about life, a sense of fun. Actually, I hope that owners grow to look like their dogs, because I sure want to have the same characteristics my Allie has.

[mollysmom1]

Kathryn, you're absolutely right in your comparison. As much of a handful as Molly is, she does so many cute things that keep us on our toes trying to stay one step ahead of her. And I believe with my heart and soul that because terriers are so intellectually superior to other breeds that they can be a handful for their owners.They need owners that are ready for the challenge with a sense of humor! My min schnauzer was the smartest dog we've ever known, and the longer we have Molly we're convinced she's right behind in intelligence, spunk, and freshness-in a cute way of course.

[CathyAnn]

Those "non-Cairn" people really don't get it......

[Scully'sMom]

What a nice way to start my morning by finding out I'm special! Sometimes I look at the other dogs in my neighborhood and think why can't Scully not bark at everybody that goes by but then I look at how happy she is all the time and how vibrant she is and I change my mind. Thanks for sharing that story with us.

[Lisad]

I am kind of "teary" now after reading this post. I had a rough morning today but this e-mail straightened it out for me right away. I have never worked so hard, so diligently with any other dog in my life as I do now with my cairn. The results of my hard work don't always show up as quickly as I hope - but there always seems to be a little ray of sunshine in each of my days (my pup).

I went to the vet yesterday regarding an itch my pup was having throughout the week. I didn't go to my usual vet as he was booked for an entire week so I went to another one. The "new" vet checked out my dog and was very helpful and upon our departure the vet looked at me and said, "Gee, what a great little dog you have there. Whatever you are doing, keep up the good work." I was so proud of my little dog but a part of me was ashamed of myself for always expecting too much, too soon. We have a great breed of dog. Anybody who knows terriers know that we truly are "special people".

Thanks for your post!

[Anna_525]

I'm just catching up with old posts....

I remember our next door neighbor who likes German pointers -- after he saw Alfie, he said, "oh, you got yourself a terror!"

I DO love Alfie. It's one the best decisions we have made, picking a terrier over other breeds!