Do you want the Dandie to survive? Then read on...

The Dandie Dinmont Trust was started some three or more years ago, being the idea of Celia Danks in Scotland, Margreth Wall in Sweden, and Ineke ter Heersche in the Netherlands, shortly thereafter being joined by Bronwell Bond from America. These then were the founders of the Trust. There are many others who care enough about the breed to represent the Trust in their respective countries.

That the breed is in trouble is a fact!  Registrations are down, with few puppies born each year and declining. Fertility seems to be a problem for many, genetic/inherited defects are increasing and the gene pool is not diverse given that present day Dandies are from only two common founders and thus all Dandies wherever they may be, go back to a common source.

The breed is so beautiful and is one of the oldest of the British Terriers, it is named after a fictional character called Dandie Dinmont written about by Sir Walter Scott in his book ‘Guy Mannering.’ One look at the Dandie and many are smitten, and although not a popular breed in the sense of some of the other terriers, demand for puppies is there, but this is a demand that cannot be filled because of the scarcity and low numbers. It is due to the dedication of a few breeders that the Dandie continues to fill some of our lives.

So you want a Dandie, so you wish to see the Dandie survive, so, what are you going to do about it? Whilst you play with or show your precious Dandie friend do you ever give thought to their future or that their future is in your hands? Complacency has no part to play here.

The Trust is playing its part in no small way. We have funded research into DNA testing, paid for blood samples from both affected and unaffected dandies regarding glaucoma to be sent to America for research purposes, bought ophthalmic equipment, paid for rescue dandies with glaucoma to have treatment, paid for specialists to hold seminars in Europe, the list goes on. Can I tell you also that not one penny of the money we make goes to anyone but the Dandies, we give our time and work freely - would you?

To raise funds we have made a Dandie Cartoon Book which went in to three editions and is sold out. We have made cards, brooches, hats, embroidered items, and much more. Bronwell Bond in America has just published her book ‘Kloshe’s Letters’ the revelation of a rescued Dandie Dinmont Terrier . This book was truly a labour of love, as all of our work has been. We now seek further research projects to keep the Dandie alive in our lives and in our hearts.

The University of Liverpool have been in contact with us, they are willing to include the Dandie in thyroid research, an affliction which affects many pedigree breeds. The cost in the grand scheme of things is not expensive, it may not make any findings, who knows, but we must keep trying. The Trust has contacted all three Dandie clubs in the UK to see if they would help financially with this research, as once in, we hopefully keep the Dandie alive in people’s minds for future projects. The Trust is willing to help with finances but we need help, the funds do not just happen, we work to make them happen, will you work to make things happen?

In all of the work that we have done and continue to do we have had some donations but only one donor who freely provides us with funds on a regular basis , to them we are eternally grateful, but ‘one’ donor, is that the way it is meant to be? That only one will consider the future and help with the needs of this breed. To our minds that is a sad reflection of the apathy that can help a breed on its way towards extinction.

However, there are those who support our work in other ways, and these are the people who buy our products, we ask you not to buy them because you are a collector and must have everything connected to the breed, we ask you to buy them because you care and want to help. We ask you to help us make any available research happen for the Dandie, can you do that?