Breed History
The Cairn Terrier earned their name through hard work in Scotland, where they protected big, important piles of rocks....
A stone cairn is a pile of stones used to mark lots of different stuff, from borders to trails and even graves. Back in 16th century Scotland, those stone cairns were important for different reasons, and unfortunately, they were often infested with pests. Especially rats.
Enter the Cairn Terrier, whose job was to hunt those little pests and clear them out of the stone cairns. Some of the pests fought back, but Cairn Terriers are scrappy, industrious, and never back down from a tough job. Other breeds of dogs with similar roles at the time received official names and job titles, but oddly enough, the Cairn Terrier was overlooked all the way up until the 20th century. (Maybe it was because the dogs were so busy, they never slowed down long enough to receive a proper title.)
Recognized by the AKC in 1913, this smart, personable dog starred in several movies. In fact, one of the most famous movie dogs ever was a Cairn Terrier: Toto, the faithful companion to Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. This breed has also starred in Bright Eyes in 1934 and as recently as Lost and Found in 1999. Wow! Thats quite the acting career!