History of the Scottish Terrier

Despite the differences in colour, both the Scottish Terrier and the West Highland White Terrier share the same ancestor: the Highland Terrier.

While this dog was bred as a working terrier to hunt and kill vermin on farms in the highlands of Scotland, he is mostly now seen as a show dog. This has resulted in breeding dogs who have very exaggerated facial hair, big bushy eyebrows, and beards!

In the 1930s, the Scottish Terrier was at the height of his popularity and the breed was owned by national leaders; in fact, during the Second World War, both sides did at least agree on one thing — the breed of dog they favoured! US president Franklin D. Roosevelt had a Scottie called Fala (who is the only dog ever to be featured in a presidential memorial statue), while Adolf Hitler gave two Scotties to his mistress, Eva Braun. President George W. Bush continued the tradition and two Scotties, Barney and Miss Beazley, shared the White House with him.

Scottish Terrier character