Old Ginger Sculpture

Old Ginger is a remarkable little hound in bronze. Well trained, he lives on a plinth in the stables at The Haining in Selkirk, which was his home for many years during the 1840s and 50s and is the original breeding place of all Dandie Dinmont Terriers...in the world!

Dandie Dinmont are a rare and unusual breed of dog which many of us will not have seen or been familiar with. Their rough-coated, broad little bodies and short legs, coupled with the nature of a terrier, made them ideal for hunting badgers and otters, which seems incongruous as they're pretty much the same size!

This beautiful photo of four Dandie Dinmont under The Eildon Hills is by Rob Gray.

Records point to the dogs initially being of Northumbrian origin, owned by Willie 'Piper' Allan of Bellingham, who was employed by Lord Ravensworth to hunt the otters from his pond at Eslington Park near Whittingham. They were known as Pepper and Mustard Terriers, referencing the two tones of the dog's coat. So taken by the dogs was Lord Ravensworth that he requested to buy one from Allen, who refused.

Upon his death, his dogs were inherited by his son James, who sold a dog by the name of Old Pepper to a Gypsy Mugger from Kirk Yetholm. Yetholm means Gate Town, and at this time, this would have been the only route by road into Scotland. Muggers were potters who earned their living by making mugs, and this breed of dog grew in popularity with the community.

In the 1800s, Sir Walter Scott spent a good deal of time in Kirk Yetholm. He'd travel to the village to spend time amongst the Gypsy Kings and Queens, gaining cultural inspiration for his fictional characters, which influenced his writing.

His novel Guy Mannering involved a character known as Dandie Dinmont, who was based on a real-life farmer from Hyndlee near Hawick. James Davidson kept a pack of these pepper and mustard coloured terriers and charted the heritage of his dogs. He gifted two to Walter Scott, who invented the breed name of Dandie Dinmont. They are the only dog to be named after a fictional character and were made aesthetic by the likes of Queen Victoria, who was given a puppy as a birthday token by Prince Albert in 1842, the French King, Louis Philippe, as well as Scott himself and artist Edwin Landseer. More recent lovers of the breed have been Agatha Christie, Alec Guinness and Boris Johnson.

This engraving is titled Dandie Dinmont and his terriers by the Scottish artist Gourlay Steell, originally created in 1865

Scott's two Dandie Dinmonts were the subject of a painting by artist Edwin Landseer, who captured the portraits of Ginger and Spice.

Through Sir Walter Scott's writing, these dogs, which by the 1800s had become known as Dandie Dinmont Terriers, had become fashionable and popular canine companions.

They became highly prized commodities and were often dognapped from the Borders and sold on the streets of London. Today, they are on the endangered list and are classed as a rare dog breed, with fewer than 100 being born in the UK each year!

This sculpture sits in the sunny stable yard at The Haning in Selkirk and shows the character of Guy Mannering on the pedestal of the sculpture, with his Dandie Dinmont Terriers in tow.

In the 1830s, the Pringle brothers, who owned the Haining Estate, began breeding Dandie Dinmont Terriers in the kennels, which are still extant and can be seen next to the building where Old Ginger was born.

The metal kennel runs here were made by Selkirk Blacksmith John Stoddart, who also bred Dandies. The kennels have remained entirely intact and are as they were almost 200 years ago. What workmanship. We loved the green curled metal struts which enclosed the space.

Adjacent to the outdoor kennels, the indoor space now houses surely one of the tiniest museums in the land, the Dandie Dinmont Discover Centre. Small in stature but massive on information, the walls are lined with comments and quotes, information and images about the history and heritage of this rare little breed.

Old Ginger was born at the Haining on 4th June 1842 and subsequently, all modern day Dandies can be traced back to the lineage of Old Ginger.

On his 175th birthday in June 2017, this likeness was unveiled. Designed and made by The Sculptor Royal for Scotland, Professor Alexander Stoddart and it was only fitting that it should be placed here, the home of the modern day Dandie Dinmont.

The sculpture was funded entirely by enthusiasts who crowd funded for the piece to be made. Old Ginger is a life size replica. We loved his characterful little face, taking everything in. He looked proud and alert and for a small dog, seemed to exude a lot of charisma, even in bronze.

On the first Saturday in June annually, The Dandie Derby takes place and is a celebration for all Dandie owners and breeders to meet up and share their love of the breed. So popular is the history and heritage of this little hound that a heritage trail has been established over 200 miles across the Borders of North Northumberland and Southern Scotland, which tells the tale or tail of the breed and its backstory.

Today, they are the only breed of dog that has permission to wear the black and white Sir Walter Scott tartan! Now that is fine and dandy!