Historic Scottish Terriers are back from the brink of disappearing altogether

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The Scotty dog is back: Historic Scottish Terriers are back from the brink of disappearing altogether as Kennel Club says puppy registrations have boomed by 92%

  • Last year numbers for the historic Scottish Terrier dog fell dangerously low  
  • But puppy registrations for the breed have increased by 92 per cent in 2020
  • It now leads the organisation’s top five registration ‘risers’ for the year

By Jessica Green For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Scottish Terriers are back from the brink of disappearing altogether, with the Kennel Club revealing puppy registrations for the breed have boomed by 92 per cent. 

Last year numbers for the historic Scottie dog fell dangerously low and experts feared they would be wiped out in favour of designer breeds.

However, the Kennel Club have announced that puppy registrations for the breed have increased by 92 per cent in the first months of 2020.

It now leads the organisation’s top five registration ‘risers’ for the year.

Scottish Terriers (pictured) are back from the brink of disappearing altogether, with the Kennel Club revealing puppy registrations for the breed have boomed by 92 per cent

It now leads the organisation's top five registration 'risers' for the year. In second place was the Japanese hunting dog Shiba Inu (pictured) which saw a 77 per cent rise in registrations

It now leads the organisation’s top five registration ‘risers’ for the year. In second place was the Japanese hunting dog Shiba Inu (pictured) which saw a 77 per cent rise in registrations

The Kennel Club’s data reveals its top five ‘fastest risers’ in new puppy registrations for the first three months of this year, compared to the same period in 2019.

In second place was the Japanese hunting dog Shiba Inu which saw a 77 per cent rise in registrations.

THE FASTEST PUPPY REGISTRATION RISERS AND BIGGEST FALLERS IN 2020

Registration risers:

  1. Scottish Terrier – 92 per cent
  2. Japanese Shiba Inu – 77 per cent
  3. Jack Russell Terrier – 75 per cent
  4. Weimaraner – 71 per cent
  5. Parson Russell Terrier – 64 per cent

Registration fallers

  1. Bearded Collie – 61 per cent
  2. Havanese – 60 per cent
  3. Shar Pei – 52 per cent
  4. Old English Sheepdog – 46 per cent
  5. Basset Hound – 44 per cent

The Jack Russell Terrier – the breed favoured by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds – claimed the third place with a 75 per cent increase.

Other terrier breeds making the list included the Weimaraner with a 71 per cent rise, and the Parson Russell Terrier with 64 per cent.

Til Tovey, chairman of the Scottish Terrier Club of England, told the Daily Express: ‘Scottish Terriers are affectionate, loyal and intelligent, so we are delighted this heritage breed seems to be bouncing back from historically low numbers.

‘Scottish Terriers may be small but they certainly have big personalities and are simply iconic in this country – so they would be sorely missed if they were do dwindle as a breed. We hope this revival means the future is bright for Scotties.’

The Kennel Club’s Health & Breeder Services Manager, Bill Lambert said he was pleased to see the revival of the Scottish Terrier.

The Parson Russell Terrier saw a registration increase of 64 per cent (stock photo, pictured)

 The Parson Russell Terrier saw a registration increase of 64 per cent (stock photo, pictured)

The Jack Russell Terrier (pictured) - the breed favoured by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds - claimed the third place with a 75 per cent increase

Other terrier breeds making the list included the Weimaraner with a 71 per cent rise

The Jack Russell Terrier (pictured left) – the breed favoured by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds – claimed the third place with a 75 per cent increase.  Other terrier breeds making the list included the Weimaraner (right) with a 71 per cent rise

However, it was bad news for the Bearded Collie as it’s fell out of favour so far this year, suffering a 61 per cent drop in registrations.

Also falling behind was the Havanese with a 60 per cent decrease, as well as the Shar-Pei which is 52 per cent down. 

THE HISTORY OF THE SCOTTISH TERRIER 

Scottish Terriers were developed to hunt rats, foxes and badgers for farmers on the Scottish Highlands.

Small dogs with terrier-like characteristics are depicted in art work and literature from the Scottish region as early as the 16th century. 

But the first dog show to include the Scottish terrier class took place in 1860 in Birmingham. 

Despite the breeds humble farm-dog origins, the Scottie had friends in high places.  In the 17th century, England’s King James I, a Scot by birth, was well acquainted with the breed and gave them as gifts.