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Cairn Terrier History
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The Cairn Terrier is one of Scotland’s original Terriers, and has been known since the 16th century. In the Scottish Highlands and on the Isle of Skye, the Cairn's forebears worked for centuries driving pests from the piles of small stones, called cairns, that commonly marked Scottish farm borders and graves. In this line of work, the dog's scrappy attitude and deadly jaws were of utmost importance, and ensured that the dog always had a place on Scottish farms for hundreds of years. Other terriers from the region, including the Skye and West Highland White Terrier, were gradually recognized by breeding organizations and named. The Cairn Terrier, on the other hand, continued in its role as an unnamed and untitled working dog into the 20th century, when it was finally given the name Cairn Terrier in 1912 and recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1913.
The most famous Cairn Terrier was Toto, from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The identification of the state of Kansas with the original story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz recently led a resident of Wichita, Kansas to start a movement to make the Cairn Terrier the official dog of the State of Kansas. Cairns have also appeared regularly in other movies beginning with Bright Eyes in 1934 and as recently as Lost and Found in 1999.
