Most of us know that Mary, Queen of Scots, and Queen Victoria owned Skye Terriers. In fact, in 1840, Queen Victoria began breeding both the drop-eared as well as prick-eared varieties in her royal kennels which made the breed very popular among the nobility.
Did you know that Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island had one whose name was “Woggs?” That changed to Walter, then Watty, then Woggy, then finally Bogue, but a Skye Terrier by any other name is still a Skye. That aside, it was Stevenson who said, “You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.” Stevenson had also had a Skye Terrier as a boy. “Cuillen”was Stevenson’s constant companion as together they would explore Edinburgh and its surrounds. A statue depicting the pair currently stands in the village of Colinton, a reminder of the author’s childhood visits:
Artist, Alex Katz owned a Skye Terrier, as did Alexander Graham Bell who famously tried massaging the mouth of his Skye Terrier, “Trouve,” so that the dog’s growls were heard as words. Other owners included Princess Alexandra, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, Queen Soraya of Iran, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Consuelo Vanderbilt Earl of Ridgefield, CT, and actress, Ava Gardner.
Image found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information