Country/Date of Origin: Scotland (developed in 17th Century but refined in 19th Century)
Bred on Scotland's lonely Isle of Skye, the Cairn Terriers were used to hunt vermin. One of the oldest of the British terriers, it was developed over the course of several centuries and recognized as a pure breed only in the twentieth century. The dog takes its name from the cairns, or heaps of stones, that are found on its home isle. Cairns were accepted for registration by the AKC in 1913.