Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/325

 303 THE ^'^tS'COTTIE'' PETd Origin of the Breed — General Appearance— Cost In a charming article, Mr. Coulson Kernahan ^ once said very truly that "having an Aberdeen terrier is like having a son in the ministry," The word to which the lovers of that un- paralleled terrier will take excsption is " Aberdeen." " There ain't no sich person," as Sairey Gamp would rightly have said. To the lucky owner and the canine expert alike he is the Scottish terrier. It is Hke his sagacity and general smartness that, in a land swarming with terriers of different sorts, he has annexed the proud title of the Scottish terrier ! So, reader, beware of the dealer who attemps to sell you, perchance an ignorant Sassenach, an " Aberdeen " terrier, as distinct from a Scottie. As Mr. McCandlish drily observes, the chances are he is trying to foist upon you an extremely bad Scottish terrier. Origin of the Breed Like many another dog aristocrat, the exact origin of the Scottie is wrapped m mystery. The best authorities agree that a rough-coated, short- legged terrier has ex- isted in the Highlands for many centuries, and it is probably to this ancient strain that the modern Scottish terrier, the Skye ter- rier, and the West Highland white terrier owe their origin. Their individual pecu- liarities are not neces- sarily due to any mixed blood, but to the fact that in a wild and rugged country with _ little intercommuni- cation, such as was Scotland in former days, the strains in the course of time, owing to various local causes, came to exhibit differences which local taste approved and found useful, and therefore perpetuated. The history of the Scottie begins, for modern purposes, about 1880, and was recounted in a monograph by Mr. Thomas Gray, in 1887, so that a period of about twenty-five years or so marks his introduc- tion to the public and the show-ring. For a time the name of the breed was unsettled, for he was called indifferently the Cairn or the Highland terrier. The exact reason for the still-used name " Aberdeen " terrier is doubtful, possibly because some of the earliest dogs shown came from that district. But no other term than Scottish terrier is now recognised officially. " Die- hard," from his sturdy character, or " Scottie," as a friendly diminutive, are the only permissible variations. As a pure-bred dog costs no more in licence and keep than a mongrel, and is certainly as intelligent and affectionate — though there is a popular fallacy to the contrary — it is of interest to the prospective buyer to know what famous names of bygone founders of the breed may, and should, appear in an extended pedigree. Two dogs, Mr. Chap- man's Heather Prince and Mr, Kinnear's Seafield, account in some form or other for almost all present-day dogs of importance, Seafield Rascal, with the famous Heworth Rascal, Seaf ie Id Admiral, Bonaccord Sandy, Camowen Laddie, Bonaccord Peggy, and Seafield Beauty are also later- names that may ap- pear, as also the names of dogs, and bitches bearing nowadays the well - known prefixes of Bonaccord, Ems, L a i n d o n, Seafield , Heather, Bapton, Hinton, Heworth. In the space of a short article it is not possible to go into the respec- tive merits of different strains, nor does the order of the above- mentioned imply at all their order of respec- tive importance ; the names are merely given as they came into the mind. General Appearance To describe the general appearance of a good Scottie, In size he should be small, not over twenty pounds for a dog, and about sixteen to eighteen pounds for a bitch. But, with all small breeds, good specimens have a tendency to " come " large, as in large breeds to " come " small. So we must look to other points than size. The back should be as short as is con- sistent with activity in a short-legged terrier. Powerful thighs and quarters and well-sprung ribs, with a deep chest, are most essential details in this breed. The ears. ' Winkle ' ' {.Photo, M. I. Hunt I'loperty of G. K. Chesterton, Esq.