Ideal House Pet

Hardy, healthy, long-lived, non-shedding, portable, calm, serene and utterly devoted – these qualities make the rare and unique Dandie Dinmont – the first named Terrier – the ideal house pet.

The shape of the Dandie Dinmont is unlike the average terrier – he is all curves. From the rounded dome of the head to the gentle curve of the body – there are no straight lines. His distinctive top-knot of white hair and large round expressive eyes gives him the appearance of a kindly grandmother.

But his distinguishing point is his temperament. Mrs. William Kirby wrote: “Besides his quaint appearance, his wisdom and his pluck, his courage and his watchfulness, what endears him most to all who know him is his responsiveness. If you are tired of the indifference of certain breeds you will be charmed with the warmth of the Dandie’s nature and his constant awareness of you. Only his loyalty to you will exceed your loyalty to him.”

Although courageous, (and his loud, surprisingly deep bark makes him a useful watchdog), he is patient and gentle with children. In 1938 Mrs. T. M. Simpson-Show wrote “…consider his character and his amazing brain, his wisdom and his devotion to his owner. These points alone stamp him as something more than a ‘mere dog’. In my long experience of the breed, I have only known of one owner who gave up Dandies to take up another breed. Does not that help to prove what the Dandie is and how he can win and keep lifelong attachments?”

The final word goes to the prominent veterinarian Frank Manolson, who in his book “D is for Dog” describes the Dandie as one “who looks and acts like a grizzled backwoodsman shopping in Tiffany’s. If you want a real individualist, you simply must consider the Dandie Dinmont.”