Tartan terriers

THE desire to preserve the rare, historic and niche is an ingrained British trait and COUNTRY LIFE has long championed native animal breeds, the rarer the better. Here, in a feature about the five Scottish terriers, three Skyes, Alice, Hugo and Elsie, pose for intuitive photographer Sarah Farnsworth at the hotel Whatley Manor, Gloucestershire.

This ancient, doorstoppershaped breed, which dates back to the time of Mary, Queen of Scots and was bred to hunt vermin, is among the rarest of the rare, listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the Kennel Club. The dogs’ (and hotel’s) Swiss owner, Christian Landolt, explained that he was after ‘something hairy’ when he discovered them at Crufts: ‘They’re really quite trainable, but they have an opinion, they chase things and they’re very comical.’ (August 26, 2020) KG

Photograph by Sarah Farnsworth