The Dandie Dinmont Terrier: The Literary Dog

It is not often that a dog breed gets its official name from a fictional character. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier was named after a jovial farmer in Sir Walter Scott’s 1814 novel, Guy Mannering. The farmer in the book kept a pack of specialized terriers colored in “mustard” and “pepper,” which remain the two official coat colors for the breed today.

Easily recognizable by the distinctive puff of hair on their head—affectionately called a “topknot”—and their long, weasel-like bodies, these small Scottish terriers are confident, intelligent, and highly dignified. Despite their charming appearance and affectionate nature, they have quietly slipped out of public awareness. The lack of visibility is their biggest threat; people simply do not know the Dandie Dinmont exists, causing them to languish at the bottom of endangered breed lists.