No one knows what a Cairn is

[Angieh]

It was the first warm weekend of the year here and we took the dogs down to the Salmon Creek trail for a morning walk. It's Benny's favorite trail and I think it is now Kimmy's favorite too. Benny took his usual swim in the creek and my husband coaxed little Kimmy in, but she's not as big a fan of water as Benny (he acts more like a lab than a Cairn sometimes).

My dogs always gets lots of attention when we are out because they look so happy. Benny and Kimmy just love the attention. Everybody asks what they are and when I tell them they're Cairn terriers I usually get a blank stare in return. "A what terrier?" I usually end up just saying they're like Toto from Wizard of Oz. I could count on two hands the number of times people have known what breed Benny and Kimmy are. My favorite is when people say they're Westies or Yorkies. I don't care that people don't know, but I thought Cairns were a pretty recognizable breed.

[josie&holly]

I regularly get "oh, what a pretty little dog - what is it?"...........................

and there are quite a few Cairns around here too.......................

[dinib]

I actually saw 4 Cairns at the beach yesterday. It was a hot sunny day in SF. On Saturday afternoon, we took Buckley with us to a bar that allows dogs inside . One guy asked me if Buckley was a cocker spaniel. Hmmmm...what gives it away that the guy was not a dog person.

[kintra]

At a show, I once had a lady chase me down and ask if Zach was a PBGV. I couldn't believe she knew what a PBGV was, but not a Cairn. I get Westie/Scottie/and mutt pretty regularly.

[beccadiane374]

I, too, usually end up giving the "It's a dog like Toto" line. Otherwise people just stare blankly at me. The exception to the rule was our first visit to the vet. They all knew as soon as we walked in that Tanner was a cairn.

[mbennettbrown]

Funny...i started saying 'Scottish Terrier' and then a work college said, "I have a cairn." We exchanged photos and I think they are twins.

MBB

[avlsarah]

Very few people I've met seem to know what a Cairn terrier is. It seems that everybody always has to ask because Max is a cute, exuberant, energetic, happy, friendly little puppy. When I tell them a Cairn terrier, they look puzzled and say "Karen" or "Kerry." It's very typical for people to call him Toto, or say that he looks just like the dog in the Wizard of Oz. I usually reply that it is in fact the same breed, and they get all confused because they feel quiet certain that such a scruffy, scrappy little dog has to be a mut! We've probably met one or two people who have been able to distinguish the breed and a couple others who seem to realize that they might know but have the name wrong. So it goes.

[cairnsby3]

I recently had someone think mine were Brussels Griffans? When I first got my first one, a lady from my office was petting him and her comment was, "I didn't think Toto would feel like that!"

[sheila and Misty]

99% of the peopole in my area bethel park pa- has no clue either -they always tilt their head and wrinkle their face and say awhat? or huh?

[Judly]

i rarely see cairns and ppl rarely know what mine are! i don't mind, i sometimes get muddled up with breeds too.

[Vivian]

The only people that I've run into that knew that Oscar is a Cairn were the ones that own or have owned a Cairn themselves - with the exception of the vet.

I haven't run into another Cairn though! I can't wait for that day!

[TazTalk]

I think that black/dark Cairns are more quickly recognized and associated with Toto. Otherwise, it they are a lighter color, people don't necessarily see the connection. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Cairn owners gravitate towards each other when meeting in person ... we really get each other! And our little dogs too!

[Idaho Cairns]

Some times that works to our advantage. Last week the puppy got out, proceeded to take off down the hill to the golf course and spent an hour chasing golf balls and generally frustrating the early morning duffers. She was taken to the local pound (of course she didn't have her collar on!) to the local pound where I managed to retrieve her a couple of hours later. I heard rumors from a neighbor that "a little 'Yorkie looking" dog had created quite a disturbance on the course that morning! I am sure if someone had been knowledgeable about Cairns and considering how nearly perfect this puppy is, confirmation wise, they would have snatched her up in a second.

[Puddlesmama]

I usually say "Toto" too when asked what kind of dog she is.. Thank gosh for Toto or wed have a lot of puzzled people walking around.

Oh boy though... When someone comes out and says "Is that a Cairn?" I beam from ear to ear.

[jimnconnie]

When the lady delivered our newspaper this morning, the dogs were at the door barking and she said "Which one is Bailey?" (she must have heard me telling him to be quiet!) I identified the culprit, and she said that they were both great looking dogs, which made me feel good, and then she said that she had told her mother about them, and suggested that she get a Cairn because Cairns were such great dogs!! I was so shocked that she knew what a Cairn was, and so proud that she thought ours were so nice, that I didn't think to ask her how she knew about Cairns. I'm going to try to have a more intelligent conversation with her soon!!

Jim

[SparkyJonesMom]

When someone asks what breed Sparky is and I say "Cairn Terrier," I always, always, ALWAYS, have to follow up with, "like Toto" or "he's the same breed as Toto."

I'm still pining for the day that Sparky meets another Cairn in the dog park.

[kittdog]

yes I understand the "he/she is a cairn terrier, a Toto dog", otherwise without the Toto they look at you funny. At a show ours were mistaken for Glen of Imals. It is awesome when someone knows what they are right away though.

[eastofeden]

You know....we may not have the most well known breed.....but at least we can point to Toto and various other Cairns that have appeared on film (The Ghost and Mrs Muir, Anatomy of a Murder {wich was on AMC yesterday morning}) and people have a reference point. Heck we can even say Westies are white Cairns who get funny haircuts

I feel sorry for all those folks who have Australian Terriers. I am sure that they get asked if their dogs are Cairn Terriers all the time (especially if the dog is a solid color and doesn't have a saddle).

It's all a matter of perspective. Personally I enjoy my odd wee dogs.

[LJCarey]

I love that no one knows what a Cairn is! I think of "Bear" as a Cairn ambassador. After spending a moment in his presence, everyone wants one. We have a Dalmatian as well and everyone thinks he's "101 Dalmatians". He's not. He's a dog bred to guard and run with horses and carriages. Who, on top of that, was inbred generations back to get a good color. It's resulted in a very dominant, highly intelligent, extremely driven dog. And at 3 months when kids jumped out of bushes to pick him up it taught him kids were scary. Not fun.

Having a scruffy little dog who acts like a scruffy big dog is fun. I like educating people and people listen because they have no preconceived notions. Which is probably why I don't mention the "Toto" thing. Having one movie dog is enough. Plus, Bear would have been just like Toto, out of that basket in an instant. So he'd far rather people accept our description as "big dog in a little dog body" so they'll let him run and play and show how charismatic he is.

I have learned one thing. Once people have met a Cairn, they don't forget them.

[Jetti]

Quite right - once people have met a Cairn, they don't forget. Everybody in my

neighbourhood knows Paco and since I gave him a good grooming a few weeks

ago peaple say."He looks so handsome - is it a purebred dog?" Well.........he is

not registered but is i.m.o. purebred but what I really like about him is that he

is a fun dog and everything I expected from my first Cairn.

[TazTalk]

Went to the dog park this am with both dogs and a lady came up right away and asked, are those both Cairns?

Not the way it usually goes .... I wanted to give her a gold star!

[Nikki]

So yesterday I found out that there is another cairn besides my two in my apt complex! I was very surprised. Angel made friends