148 THE SKYE TERRIER 



modern Skye Terrier must be a bar to his useful- 

 ness as a working dog ; but he has still plenty of 

 pluck, and is capable of forming a great attach- 

 ment to his owners. Mr. Thomson Gray, who was 

 regarded as a foremost authority upon the different 

 varieties of Scottish Terriers, considered that the 

 show Skye would be of no use for the work to which 

 these dogs are put on the island i.e., hunting the 

 fox from the cairns. He did not think that any 

 cross was required to bring out the points of the 

 present show dog, nor in his opinion had there been 

 any admixture of foreign blood. He would not have 

 it that the show Skye is entitled to be known as 

 a working dog, but as pets and companions he 

 declared them to be everything that one could wish. 



As much emphasis is laid upon the value of the 

 coat, it follows that the maintenance of a kennel of 

 show Skyes entails much work and attention, and, 

 even kept singly as a pet, the daily grooming must 

 not be neglected, otherwise the hair will become 

 matted and in bad condition. The best kennels are 

 owned by ladies, who, when they once take up a 

 hobby, pursue it with great thoroughness, no trouble 

 being too much for them. 



Apropos of the origin of the Skye Terrier, it 

 is interesting to note that in some correspondence 

 in the specialist press in 1894, one of the writers 

 insisted that they were lowlanders, and questioned the 

 foundation for the claim to Highland descent on 

 behalf of these Lowthian dogs. To this a gentleman 

 from Haddington retorted that "I, as the original 

 possessor of the strain, have maintained the genuine 

 true old breed as they were handed down to me, 

 being descendants of those that came direct from 



