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History of the Cairn
Terrier |
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The Cairn Terrier Club of Canada
(CTCC) was first formed in the spring of 1952 by a small group of
Cairn fanciers, with it's first meeting held in Agincourt, Ontario. The
members organized their first Specialty to be held in conjunction with the
Canadian National Sportsman's Show in Toronto on March 18, 1953. The judge was
Mr. John T. Marvin, USA and the Best of Breed winner was Betty Hyslop's 'Kilties
Foxglove of Cairndania'. The first newsletter the "Cairn Quarterly" was
published in 1955. The club was active for approximately six years and then lay
dormant for sixteen years.
On Feb 17th 1973 a group of nine
enthusiastic people met and became the founding members
of the reactivated club.
This group of
people worked to develop a new constitution, code of ethics and guide the club
through its formative years.
The new President, Jim
McFarlane led the club for many years until his death in 1983. Jim a native
Scotsman was born in Kingussie near Badenoch Invernesshire. He was a nephew of the late Col
Hector Whitehead, an early pioneer of the breed. Jim was well known in his
homeland and was elected honorary president of the Cairn Terrier Club there in
1981.
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The first
specialty show of the resurrected CTCC was held in 1976in conjunction with
the Terrier Breeders Association of Canada. Judge was Mr. Alex Hogg of Edinburgh Scotland, then also secretary of the CTC. Best of Breed
was awarded to Can Am Ch Foxgrove Susanella (left), owned by Mrs Betty Hyslop of
Brockville Ontario (Cairndania).
The
one & only stand alone specialty show was held in Niagara Falls, Ontario in 1986. The judge was Mr. Willie McCulloch, West Kilbride, Scotland. Best Of Breed was Ch Cairngorlyn Ruffies’ Rufus
(right), 95 cairns were entered, a record that still stands. |
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In
August 1982 the first Western Specialty was held in Winnipeg, the judge was Mr.
Nicholas Funelle, Florida, USA. Best Of Breed was awarded to Ch Kinncayre’s Grey Gilligan
owned by Ms G.D. Cantwell.
The
newsletter was reactivated in 1975 and is published quarterly. The yearbook was
first introduced in 1980 is continuing to be published every two years. It
is invaluable in helping to keep contact between members and is a showcase for
pedigrees, bloodlines, show pictures & all our cairn families.
The
1st fun day was held at Meadowvale Conservation Park on Aug. 7th, 1983, being a
picnic for members only. The fun day now is an active gathering where breeders
and pet owners gather with their Cairns to socialize, watch grooming
demonstrations, dog races, agility, and dress up dogs. Fun days are held in
several of the regions each year.
C.A.R.E (Cairn Anomaly Registrations and Education) was started in 1992 as a
confidential registry of all genetic diseases in Canadian Cairns. This registry
was disbanded in 2003 as the Canine Disease Control Registry data base in
California was felt to be more widely used, recognized and accessible via the
internet.
In
1987 the Alberta CTCC members formed the Alberta Clan. Members felt a need for
local organizations to fulfill their needs involving holding boosters,
specialties and social functions. Meetings were held informally at show sites
and Edna Perks (Cairnorth) was their first president. The first Alberta Clan
Specialty was held in Edmonton in 1988. The BC members formed their own clan
shortly afterwards and held their first specialty in 1990 in Abbotsford, BC.
Both regions continue to be active.
At a general meeting held June 5th, 1990 at the National Specialty, it was
agreed that some form of local autonomy was necessary and the National Specialty
was to become a ‘roving’ specialty.
Up
to the present time our club appears to be thriving and all clans are doing
well. We now have a membership of approximately 200 members who own and love a
Cairn Terrier, the Best Little Pal in the World.
Cairns in Canadian
History
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Text & Graphics copyright© CTCC - photos -owners |