Scottish Terrier Breed Magazine - Showsight

KNOWING THE NAME OF SOMETHING IS NOT THE SAME AS KNOWING SOMETHING

purpose as a go-to-ground badger hunter. Consider this quote when assessing the head: “His head, accentuated by eyebrows and whiskers, should appear long for the size of body… clean rather than ‘lean.’” (Penn-Bull 75, 77)) There is a difference. Over many years, “varminty” is a term that we have heard people struggle to define in books and seminars. In our studies of the breed, we’ve come to see it as the result of the correct struc- ture of the head, combined with correct eye shape and placement. Varminty is not just a term defining the eyes. It’s a term that defines the entire expression. In fact, the entire head structure and all of its parts contribute to being “varminty.” Some of these parts include the color, shape, fill under the eye, correct stop, and the planes of the head. When the head planes are parallel, the proportion of muzzle- to-skull is equal. The muzzle is well-filled below the eye, with good strength to the end. The skull is clean and of medium width. The top plane of the skull will run parallel and slightly above the plane of the muzzle. The stop is slight but definite. Either too much or a lack of stop distorts the expression. Any deviation in the planes weakens the leverage and changes the expression. If the head planes are not parallel, if the dog is down-faced with the muzzle dropping away from the skull, the eye orbit is opened up. The eye is no longer under the brow and the eye will appear larger and rounder, and will give a softer, less desirable expression. The correct definition of the stop enables the eyes to be placed nearly at right angles to the general line of the skull. Then the brows project over the eye, more especially at the outer edges. The small, dark, and almond-shaped eye, set deeply under the brow, facing forward, gives the impression that the Scottish Terrier is

left: Varminty; right: Not Varminty; Illustrations by Darle Heck

looking down his nose at the world with a hint of the devil in him. When that dog alerts to a varmint, all of these factors come together to create the perfect structure of the head. This piercing, intense expression can be accentuated by becom- ing almost triangular in shape, with the upper line of the eye lifting and forming an angle, and the lower lid being curved. This is what we define as a varminty expression. It is a breed characteristic that should be highly sought after as a critical component of breed type. It is the look of a Scottish Terrier that is instantaneously identifiable as he peers over the aforementioned fence with his Terrier relations. Above are two illustrations of the Scottish Terrier head. Which one is “varminty?” Can you identify at least four differences that contribute to this expression!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS We first met one another when appointed to the Scottish Terrier Club of America’s committee charged to develop the Illustrated Guide to the Scottish Terrier. True to the temperament of our breed, the five breeder-judges appointed engaged not only in discussions but occasional and intense debate relative to all aspects of the breed. (We guess that those from other Groups might actually refer to this as sparring.) Prior to appointment to the committee, Kathi and Darle had no actual personal contact, as might be expected from a New England breeder outside of Boston and one from the far west Canadian province of Alberta. Repeatedly, we found that we shared many opinions on the Scottish Terrier; structure, functionality, and history. Since that time, we’ve continued to “talk dogs” by phone, email, and in person. Watching each other judge the breed is a pleasure. While we may not always agree, we understand the reasons for the other’s decisions. Our friendship has both deepened our understanding of the breed and changed some previous conceptions. Over the years, we rarely write anything on the breed without sharing it with one another. We have since collaborated on many articles on the Scottish Terrier.

KATHI BROWN Kathi Brown is a breeder, exhibi- tor, and AKC judge of three-plus Groups. She serves as Judges’ Edu- cation Coordinator for the Scottish Terrier Club of America. She has served as a member of the Stan- dard Review Committee as well as the committee that produced the Illustrated Guide to the Scottish

DARLE HECK Darle started showing and grooming her parents’ Scotties as a child, winning her first Group at age 12. She has shown and bred Scotties since then. She worked for a professional handler during her teens, and at that time, she fell in love with Bouviers and brought three into Canada. These were some of the earliest Bouviers brought into Canada and many top-winners have come down from these lines. Since 1995, she has also been breeding and showing Wire

Fox Terriers, all under the Beinnein prefix. Beinnein Kennels has consistently produced dogs that have been Specialty winners as well as dogs that have been nationally ranked at the top of their Breed and Group in Canada and around the world. Darle has been judging since 2000 and has had the honor of judging in Canada, the US, Australia, Chile, China, Columbia, Ecuador, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Slovenia, Uruquay, and New Zealand. She has judged several National Specialties, including the US National at Montgomery for Scottish Terriers. Darle is also well-known for her canine artwork. She has done illustrated guides for several breed clubs and limited edition prints in a number of breeds. Darle is currently on the Breed Standards Committee for the Scottish Terrier Club of America and is a Past President of the Canadian Scottish Terrier Club. She is licensed as an all-breed judge by the Canadian Kennel Club.

Terrier. Kathi has written numerous articles on the Scottish Terrier. She has judged many Specialties and Terrier Group shows, including the Scottish Terrier National Specialty in Canada and in the US. Her limited “Blueberry Hill” breeding program has yielded top-quality Scottish Terriers for forty- five years. Her dogs include many Best in Show and National Specialty winners as well as three years as Number One in the breed. She is Past President of Ladies’ Dog Club, the Scottish Terrier Club of America, New England Terrier Club, and the Scottish Terrier Club of New England. Professionally, Kathi is an education consultant working with states, districts, and colleges, providing professional development on learner- and outcome-based instruction in science and mathematics.

260 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2022

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