The Kashon is a designer dog,
an intentional crossbreed between an entertaining and affectionate companion
animal known as the Bichon Frise, and the Cairn Terrier, a small, tenacious
terrier that was originally employed as pest control on farms on the Isle of
Skye. The Cairn Terrier is the descendant of a very old line of terriers that
hunted vermin such as otters and foxes along the wild, rocky shores of Scotland.
All of Scotland’s terriers were simply lumped together under the heading of Scotch
Terrier until 1873 when the Terriers were separated out into the subcategories
of Dandie Dinmont and Skye Terriers. The Cairn Terrier fits into the subcategory
of Skye Terriers, along with the Scottish Terrier and the West Highland White
Terrier, and was first imported into the United States 1913. The Bichon Frise
is a small dog that is most often solid white. This breed is the descendant of
an ancient Italian water spaniel, the same Italian water spaniel that contributed
heavily to both the Poodle and the Maltese dog breeds. Known as the Bichon
Tenerife and prized for their cheerful and loving dispositions, Bichon Frise
dogs often traveled with sailors both to rid the ship of vermin and to be used
as items of trade. From the 1300’s to the 1800’s they were favored by one royal
family or another, but when they fell out of favor with the royals, these
spunky little dogs were able to find success working the streets with organ
grinders and performing tricks at circuses and fairs. This breed was first
introduced to the United States in 1956 and was not recognized as a breed by
the American Kennel Club until 1972.