Cairn terrier

my jack russell is supposed to be half cairn.. i know her dad was pure bred pet shop jack russell... but her mom looked like a cairn...  

*raises hand* I have one.  And YES he is dark coloured.  And YES everyone thinks he is a Scottie.  ANd YES I get blank looks when I say "cairn".  And YES I have to say "Like Toto" and then they go, "ooohhh yeeeahhh...."

The "skip" sounds like a luxating patella - the knee cap not sitting snugly in its groove.  Common in sall breeds, like terriers.  Mine does not do it, but I know a fair few JRTs that do.

No, he does not have a luxating patella.  He has done this his entire life.  He is so active he tore an ACL at age two and eight months later tore the other one.  He did fine with the surgeries and though he does not quite have that burst of speed he had before it is not evident he had two ACL surgeries in the way he runs around.  This past week he has killed two rats (that I know of) in our back yard.  He is so determined when he "hunts" that I have to pick him up and carry him inside at night.  He has killed possums and if one is in our yard I must catch him quickly as I do not encourage that.  He has been sprayed twice by skunks.  He "stalks" birds like a lion, low to the ground, moving one paw at a time very slowly.  It's hilarious.  He has only caught sick or injured birds.  When there is a squirrel fest in our yard he constantly tries to "keep them in line" as they taunt him.  He has never caught a squirrel either. When I dig in my garden he comes and "helps" me by digging as well, especially when he smells a tasty grub, mmmmm.  After hunting rats, his next favorite thing is to "go for a walk".  Anytime is a perfect time to go on an exciting walk.  Night or day, good weather or bad, tail up, panting happily, eyes bright, he's ready to go on the adventure. When it's "food time" he goes, "Rooooooooo, roo, roo".  It is so funny.  He also greets me the same way when I come home from work, except it's, "Roo roo". I love him so much.  He is a perfect dog for me.

Indy05

When it's "food time" he goes, "Rooooooooo, roo, roo".  It is so funny.  He also greets me the same way when I come home from work, except it's, "Roo roo"

Mine does this too!  Its so funny.  He does it all the time.  We encourage it.  We like it cos its cute.

iggypop

I don't know how anyone would think that a Cairn is a Scottie. They hardly look anything alike.

I don't get it either.  Well, one day we went out to watch a football game (erm, real football) and left the dogs with the inlaws, only to get a call when we were on our way home that the cairn had escaped.  We made a few calls and it turned out he had been handed in to the police station... except we nearly missed him because when DH spoke to the guy there he said he had a SCOTTIE in the kennels and DH said "nah, thats not him..."  !!  I found out what the phone conversation had been and called them back, knowing it probably WAS him and he was just another person who inexplicably didn't know cairns from scotties...

I'd have another cairn.  I think they are great dogs!  I am more of a big dog person than a small dog person I think.... but cairns are the exception for me.  What they lack in size they make up for in sheer spunk!