306 British Dogs. 



CHAPTER XIX. THE DANDIE DINMONT 

 TERRIER. 



BY CORSINCON. 



" FIRST, touching Dandies, let us consider with some degree of scientific 

 strictness what a Dandie specially is." The consideration of this question 

 of what a Dandie Dinmont terrier specially is has been undertaken 

 by numbers of his ardent admirers, often with a zeal which has overrun 

 knowledge, and with a disregard to that scientific strictness which is 

 guided by facts and forbids the play of imagination, refusing to accept 

 evidence not clearly established, merely because it happens to chime in 

 with interests, prejudices, or preconceived notions.* 



Had Sir Walter Scott not written "Guy Mannering" there would 

 never have been a breed of dogs known as Dandie Dinmont terriers ; had 

 he not created for us that big, burly, honest Liddesdale farmer, with his 

 terriers and his grews, what an unknown quantity of temper would have 

 been directed into other channels, and what fountains of printer's ink 

 would have been saved ! There is no class of fanciers so quick to take 

 up a quarrel, or who would fight it out with such tenacity, as those who 

 affect the Dandie ; they seem to partake strongly of the pugnacious 

 character of their pets, and, being mostly Scotchmen or Border men, are 

 always ready to " argue the point." 



I know a great number of men, that I am very pleased to call my 

 friends, whose enthusiasm on Dandie Dinmont subjects is so intense that 

 were it not that they are so cool headed, reasonable, and shrewd in 

 dealing with all other topics, lunatico inquirendo would naturally occur 

 to the mind ; with many it is only necessary to whisper Harry or Sir 

 Douglas in their ear to produce a similar effect to shaking a red rag be- 

 fore a mad bull ; not being quite free from the taint myself, I can speak 

 the more freely of a weakness that has characterised in a special manner 

 a large proportion of Dandie Dinmont fanciers. Time and mutual 

 gatherings at shows and elsewhere has, however, brought the opinions 

 of all nearer together. 



