‘Gentlemen of the terrier breed’: Once popular, now endangered Dandie Dinmonts parade Edmonton

Owners of a Scottish Dandie Dinmont Terrier brought their dogs for a parade at William Hawrelak Park for World Dinmont Day on Saturday.

It was a dandy day for a Dandie stroll at William Hawrelak Park on Saturday.

Dandie Dinmont terriers are considered one of the first original terrier breeds. They’re also incredibly rare.

Mary Machum, who owns three and directs the Canadian Dandie Dinmont Terrier Association, brought hers for a parade along the park to celebrate their Scottish heritage and help passersby get to know the breed.

“The breed is quite endangered, with less than 300 puppies being born a year, and that’s worldwide, so we decided to have World Dandie Dinmont Terrier Day to bring attention to this wonderful, rare breed of dogs,” she said.

The terriers were named for a character in Walter Scott’s 1815 book, Guy Mannering and quickly became icons at the time.

Seventy breeders of dandies existed around Scotland in the 1800s. The then-popular pups were owned by the likes of Queen Victoria. The dogs even have their own brand of tartan named after them, which they sported in the park Saturday.

But war stopped the breed from becoming popular elsewhere, leading to their rarity.

Machum hopes their Saturday parade in the park promotes a breed she describes as “just, fun.”

“They’re called the gentlemen of the terrier breed. They are terriers, they’ve got their own mind, and they’re very certain about what they think, but they’re not anywhere near as feisty as some other terriers,” she said.

“They’re just gentle, loving dogs.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall