5769, TERRIER (CARIN) SKYE 20''L are anatomically scaled to create the best reproduction of the life size stuffed animal and the most realistic stuffed animal in the industry.

Fun Facts About Cairn Terriers

A famous movie star dog

Cairn terrier fans know that Toto, from the iconic movie The Wizard of Oz, was pretty much the quintessential Cairn: feisty and bold, smart and determined (as only a terrier can be!). Who can forget Toto trotting jauntily along with Dorothy and her three companions along the yellow brick road, or pulling back the curtain for the big reveal of the sham “Wizard”?

Toto was a girl!

In real life Toto was a ‘she’ and her name was Terry.  The best known Cairn terrier of all time was essentially a rescue dog whose original owners were unable to housebreak. They brought their stubborn puppy, to a trainer, Carl Spitz basically abandoning her.

Mr. Spitz trained Terry and this secondhand dog, who went down in history, complete with her own memorial at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.  Her name was eventually changed to Toto, in honor of her famous role.

Cairns bark with a burr (like other Scottish breeds)

Cairn terriers, like several of the well-known terrier breeds, originated in Scotland. Once part of the collective known as “Scotch terriers.”   It wasn’t until the 1800s that fanciers began to refine the various types into distinctive breeds bringing us such notable breeds as the West Highland White terrier, the Skye terrier (Cairns are sometimes referred to as short-haired Skye terriers in historical accounts), and of course Scottish terriers.

Named for the rock piles where they hunted

An old Scottish word, a cairn is a mound of stones piled up either as a memorial, to mark property lines, or as a trail/path marker.  Rodents were known to live beneath these rock cairns. Small and plucky, Cairn terriers were fearless in their digging around the cairns to get at the rodents under them.

Cairn terriers were  found in the western Highlands of Scotland as early as the 1600s, but the name Cairn terrier wasn’t official until the late 1800s.

Wee but mighty

Tenacious is a word that seems like it could have been coined specifically for the terrier temperament.   Though one of the smaller of the 30-plus AKC-recognized terrier breeds, Cairns are no exception to that description of unwavering determination.

They’re small enough to fit comfortably on your lap, though they won’t spend much time there, yet fiesty and sturdy enough to continue their traditional work of hunting rodent pests—including squirrels in your yard!

Small but not little

Cairns are about 11-12 inches tall and weigh from 14-16 pounds. Their  front paws that are larger than their rear paws, an advantage when digging in the pursuit of rodents. They’re also known to have large teeth for a dog of their size. Mostly, though, they have a big personality and the terrier confidence that endears them to their people.  Or, as one British breed club puts describes the Cairn terrier: they’re “the best little pal in the world.”