Indubitably, as far as Hollywood popularity is concerned, Liza Minelli has to be one of the most famous Cairn Terrier owners. Aside from the fact that she is the daughter of screen legend Judy Garland, Minelli has also achieved Hollywood prominence in her own right. She is a well-known actress, singer and true blue modern pop icon. Minelli is also known as a long time animal lover, and has taken care of many pets, mostly dogs.
She admitted that she once had a lovely little Cairn Terrier named Lily when she was growing up. Lily was a gift from a family friend, and had stayed with the actress for a long time. Minelli's Cairn Terrier was a she-dog with a red coat. With great probability, the actress' love for the feisty little dog came from her mother.
Judy Garland and Terry the Cairn Terrier a.k.a. "Toto" both appeared in the 1936 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. Their close working interaction became a legend in Hollywood lore. From there, Garland's fame skyrocketed and Terry got to act in more than 12 films afterwards. Terry is also known as the most famous Cairn Terrier in the world.
Carl Spitz was the owner and handler of Terry (Toto) and may also be considered as one of the more known Cairn Terrier owners. His reputation is due mostly to his pet's acting work on the silver screen.
Two other noteworthy Cairn Terrier owners beyond the domain of Hollywood were the Duke and Duchess of Windsor: Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson. The Windsors caused such a stir during their time when the then proclaimed King-Emperor Edward abdicated his throne in favor of marrying Mrs. Wallis Simpson.
The Windsors were dog lovers, and they kept a number of them in their royal abode. Before they started favoring pugs as house pets, the couple kept a succession of Cairn Terriers. Their very first Cairn Terrier was a male brindled gray called Slipper who apparently was a bit difficult to housebreak. Because of the dog's frequent "accidents," it was subsequently renamed as Mr. Loo. Mr. Loo was soon followed by Pookie (female cream,) Detto (male brindled gray) and Prisie (female brindle cream.)
The Windsors' Cairn Terrier pets enjoyed a rather opulent life. Their meals were specially prepared by the specially trained cooks, to be served on platters and delivered to the couple's private apartments in the castle. The Windsors spooned the food themselves into their pets' silver eating bowls.
In the world of competitive dog shows, the names Ron and Brenda Birch often crops up. The Birches have been breeding Cairn Terriers for more than 30 years, and have made a thriving business by selling a champion line of dogs classified as Kinkim. Many of their Cairn Terriers have become champions in many dog shows in Britain. Not only do they breed winning dogs, the couple also "handles" them during competition. The Birches are known especially for their Kinkim dogs' perfect breed standards or conformation. Lately, one of their pets was officially named Champion Kinkim Ludvic because it garnered 27 Challenge Certificates in a series of competitions.
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