In 1934, Dr. William Bruette wrote a “job description” for the Scottish Terrier:

“There the cairns in which the despoilers of the flocks take refuge are mountains of tumbled rock sometimes a quarter of a mile in circumference. The terrier that enters these labyrinths of granite leaves hope of human aid behind. He must wind his way through miles of clefts and crevices, the walls of which will not yield to tooth or claw. The battle is his alone.

“He must, unaided, drive his prey into the open or fight the battle underground without hope of help from human hands. It is well that his hide be tough and clothed with a cushion of bristling hair; his muscles strong and his frame elastic; for, as he follows his prey among the crevices, there is always the danger of the narrow cleft through which he crushes with shoulders and ribs only to feel the deadly grip of relentless rock.

“He can no longer go forward; he cannot pull back. His voice is lost in the winding caverns that is destined for his tomb. His only hope is that hunger and thirst will reduce his sturdy frame and set him free before he is too weak to win his way to the open. It can be truly said that there is not a cairn in all the hills of Scotland that has not its tale to tell of these canine tragedies.”

It reads like poetry, but over time, subsequent fanciers wrote standards that more fully fleshed out a description of the dog that could do what Bruette described. Still, while “the Diehard” has a silhouette unlike any other breed, describing it was not the easiest of tasks.

As a terrier bred to go to ground, eye brow fringe, beard and feathers keeps dirt out of their eyes and mouths while digging or tunneling, and also offers a measure of protection from whatever critter they’re digging out. As it happens, those face furnishings also give the breed its distinctive profile.  Its  stout “carrot” tail, thicker at the base than the tip, is used as a handle to remove the dog from a burrow (and sometimes save it in the nick of time). Those sturdy legs and big paws are designed to move dirt from the front of the dog, underneath, and out, typically between the back legs. Some Scotties dig with all fours, moving dirt from the front and using the back feet to kick it away. Think of the dog as a canine back hoe.  A coarse double coat protects against the elements. 

Scottish Terrier by Mary Sparrow –  HangingtheMoonShelby
www.marysparrowsmith.net
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