When we get requests for Rescues, a large number of requests are looking for “Toto”,or a cute puppy, a specific color, house broken, no health issues, possibly with papers, doesn’t bark, dig, and is a well behaved dog.  Many are just looking for a dog and are clueless about terriers.

Lets start with the source of Rescues.  Most come from pet stores or puppy mill backgrounds.  The typical age is around 7.  Most (90%) are male because the puppy breeders who are in it for the money keep the females so they can have more puppies to sell.  What do they look like?  Some may look like they can walk into a show ring but most don’t.  They are generally not bred for Cairn characteristics but rather  for cute puppies to sell.

Many come when a family member has died and there is no one able or willing to take this new project on.

Many come from people who have no idea how a typical terrier behaves.  They complain – “He barks at birds and squirrels, he digs, he won’t come when I call him, he isn’t a lap dog.”  Hmm, terrier, terrier, terrier.

We do get the rare perfect Cairn but not often because responsible breeders take their dogs back when there are issues and we don’t see them.

Most actually are housebroken but not all of them.  Even those that spend most of their lives outside realize that a tile floor is not where they normally relieve themselves.  For those dogs, a little supplemental training works wonders.

Many come because of changes in family situations, work changes, and changes in living situations.

These dogs, as a breed, are healthy dogs but the care given to a specific Cairn can be an issue.  We occasionally get dogs which the owner can’t afford to treat or won’t bother to take the dog to a vet.  We will.

They are very smart dogs which require a strong willed owner to let them know who is in charge.  We sometimes get dogs who have been allowed to rule their home/pack and the owner is clueless how to deal with the dog who is now in charge.

Information? We get owner surrenders at times with a long history about the dog, only to realize once we have the dog that someone didn’t exactly tell us everything, they just wanted to resolve a problem and we were available.  Many come from shelters which have no real information about the dog, other than it is probably a Cairn.

Don’t get me wrong, while I have issues with the sources of Cairns, all of these dogs deserve homes and most will make great pets.  Just don’t come looking for “Toto”.  Donkey ears, gay tails, large sizes can describe many of the dogs we get.  Oh, yes, Cairns can change color, don’t expect to place an order for a specific color, we aren’t  in that business, the puppy mill is.

Rescue dogs can come with a lot of baggage.  We try to sort it out and we will always be honest about what we know and don’t know.  We do prefer to not have the dog come back into rescue, we want the adoption to succeed.   Still, our success rate is very high, due in large part to the dogs, and that engaging Cairn personality which comes out when these guys get a loving home.

Lastly, if we don’t get the right dog for you, just remember, from our viewpoint, it is always about the dog, and not the potential owner.  We are looking for a homes for the dogs, not trying to get a dog for you.   It is always about making the right match.  But, if you are interested, keep asking.    ctcnc.net/rescue

And once more, all of these guys, with whatever baggage, deserve a good home.