Description:
Pumpkin is a lovely purebred Cairne Terrier. We named him Pumpkin because he is as sweet as one. Oh, he is also as round as one ~ this little fellow needs to lose a little weight!
He came to us in a very disturbing way. His original owner was an elderly gentleman who passed away. Somehow or another he ended up with a family with two children who terrorized him. What favor does a parent do a child by not teaching them to treat animals well? Anyway, eventually, and not suprisingly, Pumpkin bit one of the children. The father beat the poor dog with a rod and then brought it to a vet with directions to kill it. The vet begged him to reconsider, saying that this dog was too young, too gentle to be so treated. The man said, fine, you keep it, and stormed out. Pumpkin lived at the vet's office for a month recovering from his ordeal. And in the way that God has of bringing all things together, one of our volunteers was hired to help at the office. When she learned about the dog, she called Judy, who called the vet, who happily surrendered Pumpkin over to us.
So now we are looking for a happy ending to Pumpkin's story. Because of his ordeal, we want to place him in a home without young children. We do not know if he has an issue with them, and we don't want to find out. We just want him to go to a loving home that will treat him the way he deserves to be treated, with love, not a rod!
According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, this dog, known since 1500, was first publicly presented in 1909 and became popular after 1930. The Cairn is one of Scotland's original Terriers, probably a contributor to today's Scottish, West Highland White and Skye Terrier breeds. Named for the piles of small stones used to mark Scottish farm borders and graves, the Cairn Terrier's job was to rout small animals from their lairs in these stone piles. Though used for such purposes for centuries, the Cairn Terrier is now primarily a companion dog. He also excels at Terrier (Go-To-Ground) trials. Everyone remembers a Cairn called "Toto" in the film "The Wizard of Oz." Some of the Cairn's talents are hunting, tracking, watchdogging, agility, competitive obedience, and performing tricks.
The Cairn Terrier is a spirited, hardy, restless little busybody - a big dog in a small dog's body. Alert, loyal, merry, lovable and mischievous. They are somewhat independent, but friendly. Females tend to be more independent than males and some breeders feel that males are more affectionate. They are very curious, fearless and bold. They are easily trained and like to do tricks. Naturally patient with children and very playful. Cairns adapt well to their new homes. They are sensitive, and need firm, but not harsh, training and discipline. Without attention and training, the Cairn can become destructive and/or bark excessively. Cairns like to dig searching for vermin, so it is not wise to leave them unsupervised in a landscaped yard! This breed can be a chaser and should not be left off its lead in an unsecured area. Never leave a Cairn tied out, as he may fight larger dogs to protect his turf, sometimes with tragic consequences.