2020 is a special year for all Dandie Dinmont enthusiasts. James Davidson or as Sir Walter Scott christened him Mr Dandie Dinmont was born 1764 and died in 1820. We are going to celebrate his life on Sunday 7th of June at Oxnam Kirk in the Scottish Borders where he is buried.
**STOP PRESS** UPDATE **STOP PRESS*
Following the success of the fifth annual Dandie Dinmont Derby we are now focussing on organising our 2020 event.
IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION
Please note, ours is a totally separate event to Paul Keevil and Mike Macbeth’s DD 250 (which takes place 16th- 19th July 2020). We wish them every success and know many UK owners are planning to attend both events.
Our event is the 6th annual Dandie Derby weekend, Friday 5th, Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June 2020 during which we’ll also be taking the opportunity to celebrate the lives of James Davidson and Francis Somner (see below).
As ever, our focus is entirely on a relaxed, enjoyable get together for Dandie owners and their dogs. Come and join in some or all of the fun!
Outline timetable:
Friday 5th June
For the early birds arriving for the weekend.
Meet up in the afternoon for an informal Dandie walk in the local area.
Evening tbc.
Saturday 6th June
Morning market stall at Selkirk Farmers Market in the square.
Dandie rally at The Haining.
Teas and refreshments.
Walk around Haining Loch.
Dandie Derby at The Haining.
(light hearted dandie races – have your dog’s favourite tasty lures at the ready!)
Meet the Maker’ Dandie wares and other merchandise in the Marquee.
Raffle.
Rides with Archie the dandie on his Steam Engine tbc.
Evening meal in the marquee at The Haining (optional)
Sunday 7th
Morning
Meet at historic Oxnam Kirk near Jedburgh to visit the grave of James Davidson .
(Farmer and dandie owner James Davidson is popularly credited with being the inspiration for Walter Scott’s character Dandie Dinmont. 2020 marks the 200th anniversary of James Davidson’s death.)
The Minister will lead a short service.
We will sing the The Lay of The Dandie Dinmont.
Doug Davidson, dandie owner and direct descendent of James Davidson will speak.
Refreshments inside the Kirk.
Afternoon
Lunch at the dog friendly Ednam House Hotel on the banks of the beautiful River Tweed in Kelso, with views to magnificent Floors Castle.
We will walk some of the Heritage Trail in the scenic market town of Kelso following in Sir Walter Scott’s footsteps and also highlight the town’s connection with 19th century Dandie breeder Francis Somner.
Final farewells and optional visit to Rutherfords dog friendly micropub before heading home.
PLEASE REGISTER WITH US NOW at dandiederby@hotmail.com
Please register your interest with us if you are planning on joining us in 2020.
There is no obligation to register but it greatly helps us with our planning.
Your details will not be shared with any third parties.
This event is free.
Please take a moment to message us on dandiederby@hotmail.com to confirm your attendance and also let us know how many Dandies you are bringing with you.
Of course, you don’t need to bring a Dandie with you to enjoy the weekend, but the more the merrier, especially for our ever popular Derby
NB Hotel accommodation in Selkirk and surrounding area is limited, please book well in advanced.w
Below is an extract from Wikipedia.
” The breed remained relatively unknown outside of the Borders until 1815 when Sir Walter Scott‘s novel Guy Mannering was published. Scott had spent time in the area whilst the Sheriff of Selkirkshire and had learned of the prowess of these types of specialist terriers for working both fox and otter. When he wrote Guy Mannering, he included a character by the name of Dandie Dinmont who owned a number of terriers named Pepper and Mustard after the colours of their coats. The Dinmont character was partly based on the real life farmer and terrier owner, James Davidson,[7] who too used the generic terms of Pepper and Mustard for his dogs depending on their coats.[8] Davidson’s dogs came from a variety of sources including the dogs of the Allan, Anderson and Faas families.[9][10] Davidson documented his breeding, and he has been accepted as the originator of the modern breed.[11]” quote from Wikipedia..
Accomdation does sell out quickly, if you do need a hotel or cottage please book as soon as possible, there is a list of accomdtion on the website.
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Shem 
James Davidson 
Guess who?
We are lucky to have this documentation as in the late 1700s and early 1800s there where hardly any written records, this has been verified by John Henry Walsh in the book “The dog, in health and disease, published by Stonehenge
We have almost finished our plans and below are some places we have visited and some we may in 2020.
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A dreic Big Ed 