Dogs as home companions

by A. F. Hochwalt

THE DANDY DINMONT TERRIER, CH. BLACKET, JR.

The Dandie Dinmont antedates the Sealyham by many years and is a dog which became famous in literature. It will be remembered by those who read Walter Scott that the hero for which the breed was named is Dandie Dinmont, one of the noted personages in “Guy Mannering.” The quaint character is well drawn in this novel of Sir Walter, but his dogs, Mustard and Pepper, and Old Mustard and Old Pepper, etc., are even more minutely described. No doubt at that time this type of terrier was quite common in the border country, but it remained for dog fanciers to fix the name upon this particular variety.

The size of the Dandie is eight to eleven inches at the shoulder and the length of the dog measuring from the top of the shoulder to the root of the tail should not be more than twice the dog’s height, preferably one or two inches less. Weight ranges from fourteen to twenty-four pounds, but the ideal weight is about eighteen pounds. These weights are estimated for dogs that are in good working condition. The color is mustard and pepper and it was because of these uniform and pronounced colors that the quaint farmer in Scott’s novel could not get away from the names; all of them, as previously said, were Mustards and Peppers, either young or old. The pepper in the present-day Dandie Dinmont ranges from dark bluish to a silvery grey, but the intermediate shades are preferred. The Mustards vary from reddish brown to a pale fawn, the head being a creamy white. Nearly all specimens have a patch of white on the breast.

The coat is the important point, and characterizes the Dandie Dinmont. The hair should be about two inches long; that from the skull to the root of the tail, a mixture of hard and soft hair, which gives a crisp feel to the hand, but the hard hair should not be wiry as in most broken-haired terriers; the coat is in every sense of the word what is called piley. The hair on the under part of the body is softer and lighter in color than on top. The skin on the under body should accord with the color of the dog.

The Dandie Dinmont is an odd looking creature, but game to the core and a vermin dog. He is also an excellent watch dog and does not hesitate to attack an intruder who might presume to trespass upon his master’s domain. To those who want a rather out of the ordinary looking dog the Dandie Dinmont will be the answer, for he will not only attract attention, but also fill every requirement.

The Bedlington is coated very much like the Dandie Dinmont, but stands up higher on the leg. He is described as the smartest, the largest and the gamest of the English terriers, but this was before the advent of the Airedale. His height is from fifteen to sixteen inches at shoulder, his back is slightly arched, while the dogs average in weight about twenty-four pounds, the bitches going slightly less. The origin of this dog is said to be in crosses in which the Dandie Dinmont and probably the otter hound might have figured. In this respect he approaches the Airedale in his early history. The Bedlington never became popular in this country and as a matter of fact, even in England he is not found in great numbers.

WAR CHIEF OF DAVISHILL.

The Airedale is the largest of the terrier varieties. Indeed, he is such a large dog that he does not really belong in that class, for while possessing most of all the other terrier attributes, he does not go to earth for his quarry and this, in the strictest sense is what all terriers are supposed to do. Be that as it may, the Airedale has become the most popular of allround dogs, not only here in America, but in every part of the world. Whether or not too much “refinement” in breeding this dog for bench show purposes will eventually ruin him for the allround utility dog that he is, still remains a mooted question, but one thing is quite certain; he has found a place in the hearts of sportsmen and this class will always breed types which will retain their usefulness, hence the history of this breed here in America may eventually parallel that of the English setter, in that there are two types—one for actual use, the other for show only. It seems assured, however, that the useful Airedale and the fined-down show dog are growing wider apart each year. The reader who is especially interested in the Airedale, is referred to my previous book, “The Airedale for Work and Show.”