106 _ DOMESTICATED DOGS. 
Dandie shall be regarded as the true breed of Dandie. Further, I (would 
say that certain gentlemen, in order to establish a breed peculiar to their 
own fanciful imaginations, have invented from time to time pedigrees worked 
out, as it would appear, from certain celebrated kennels ; indeed, so far has 
this gone, that many now come to regard these prize hybrids as belonging 
to the true and original breed of Dandies as mentioned by Sir Walter Scott 
in his “Guy Mannering.” Never was there a greater error, and I take it thas 
the time has come when we should try once more to raise up amongst us the 
true breed of the Dandie Dinmont, and repudiate as unquestionable mongrels 
the bandy-legged, out-elbowed dogs which too often, alas ! take off the prizes 
which should properly go to the genuine breed. Who does not remember the 
description given by Sir Walter Scott of old Davidson’s dogs, which he prided 
himself so much on, especially the terriers Peppers and Mustards ; and then, 
further on in the story, how it is stated that “ the Deuke himself has sent as far as 
Charlie’s Hope to get ane o’ Dandy Dinmont’s Pepper and Mustard terriers” ? 
Now, it would seem to me that those dogs were not what the hybrid Dandies 
of the present day are ; for, as he says, “I had them a’ regularly entered, first wi’ 
rottens (rats), then wi’ stots (weasels), and then wi’ the tods (foxes) and brocks 
(badgers) ; and now they fear nothing that ever cam’ wi’ a hairy skin on’t.” 
When in Scotland a few weeks since, I made a point of going to Abbotsford, 
where, as your readers are aware, is the portrait of a Dandie Dinmont painted’ 
by the late Sir Edwin Landseer, which dog, when alive, belonged to the late’ 
Sir Walter Scott. I affirm that this dog was never the same dog as the 
mongrel Dandie prize-dog of to-day. Some of your readers may also be aware 
that Mr. H. Bradshaw Smith, of Blackwood House, Ecclefechan, “the best 
authority, perhaps, in the world,” had a pure Dandie Dinmont terrier from 
old Davidson, and, when this dog died, had it stuffed. I have seen this dog,’ 
and I say of it, as in the case of Sir Walter’s dog painted by Sir E. Landseer, 
that it is totally different from the so-called Dandie of to-day. 
It is further stated that this gentleman has in. his kennels a great many dogs 
descended in a direct line from the Charlie’s Hope kennels of Peppers and 
Mustards. These dogs I have seen and carefully examined, and my opinion 
respecting them is similar to that above expressed concerning Landseer’s 
painting of Scott’s Dandie and Mr. Bradshaw Smith’s “stuffed” one, Further 
in support of my argument, I may say that I have seen a Dandie stuffed called 
“Old Pepper,” which belonged to Mr. Pat. Lang, banker, at Selkirk. Dogs 
owned by Mr. Locke, of Selkirk ; by Mr. Scott, of Jedburgh ; by Mr. Miller, 
“a prize taker,” of Moffat ; numbers owned, of different strains, by small and 
limited fanciers—all, without one exception, differ entirely from the portrait at 
Abbotsford and the “stuffed” one at Blackwood House. Further in support 
of my argument, some of the oldest breeders of the so-called Dandies admit 
they are mongrels, and not “pure,” because it is quite a chance if in a litter 
of their pups one will find two alike, 
Marruias Smita. 
125 HYDE Park Roap, LEEDS. 
