: Carol Onstad on Lopez Island.

“Nature was kind, and we had puppies,” said Carol Onstad about her venture into dog breeding and showmanship at age eleven. Her father gave her a Cairn terrier when she was five-years-old along with a Cairn Club year book for 1944 and ‘45. From those items, a young Carol learned about her dog’s ancestors and how she might develop a line of show dogs.

At her Lopez Island home, sun-loving daisies and fun-loving Cairns, seven at a recent count, intertwine through the yard and greet visitors to Scotch Broom Kennels as a cheerful and petite Carol appears. As an only child, Carol grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. The family lived in the country but her father drove twenty-five miles into the city where he worked for the power company. Both parents obtained college degrees, her mother in 1925 and her father in 1938 by attending night school. One of 13 women in her teaching program, Carol’s mother taught in what was then called “a crippled children’s school.” Carol’s father was “on furlough from his job after WWII and worked half days. There must have been a recession then,” Carol reflects. “My dad was one of those men who had to be busy at the end of a shovel or underneath a car.

“When I graduated from the University of Cincinnati, I decided to go where there was salt water.” Carol’s first job was in Bremerton, Washington, where she had a view of the Port Washington Narrows from her kindergarten classroom. She met her husband, Rudy, when he was principal of a school where she worked. The couple settled in Kent where they raised their two sons who now live in Ballard. Carol began selling real estate and Rudy eventually moved on to managing a multi-purpose center in Maple Valley. In 1991, they moved to Florida to oversee Carol’s parents who were still living independently. Carol remained in the real estate business but at the urging of her parents’ caregiver, the Onstads began considering their next move. The family had always been intrigued with the idea of living on an island and in 1997 bought their Lopez property. They moved into their new home with Carol’s parents, both in their mid-90s, and the parents’ caregiver. The older couple lived another 18 months. “I love living here. We can easily walk to the beach; it comes with new merchandise every morning. I have a nice collection of beach glass,” Onstad said.

Her early dog breeding endeavor was guided by a mentor who saw promise in Carol’s knowledge and understanding. When she was 19, two of her dogs from a litter of five became “AKC champions in the confirmation ring, an amazing feat.” After her move to Florida, she again became involved in breeding and showing dogs with a friend. The two women co-owned a dog that won an Award of Merit at Westminster Dog Show. That is the “beauty pageant for dogs, your breeding stock, the best of the best.”

Carol shows her dogs at least once a month, locally and nationally. She is a member of the Columbia River and Cascade Cairn Terrier Clubs and the Cairn Terrier Club of America where she has served as a board member. “I always go to the National and the Florida Specialty shows. They are just for your breed and a win at one of them, with a judge who is one of your peers, is to be treasured.” She also runs her terriers in an AKC event called “earth dog, where they must go through a tunnel and reach safely caged rats in a certain amount of time.” The Cairn terrier is originally from Scotland where they were farm companions to keep rats and rabbits from grain stores and gardens. ‘Go to ground’ is a command for going into holes to roust mink, weasels, anything that digs a hole. They are quick creative thinkers. Some of her Cairns have been certified to do hospice therapy work. “If they find a pill on the floor, they must learn to ‘leave it’ and drop it immediately.

“People ask if it’s hard to give up my dogs. My extended family is so wonderful—the people I know because of my dogs enrich our lives totally so, no. It’s not hard to give them up. Seeing what their companionship means to new owners is a joy,” Onstad said.

Lopez has been a satisfying place for Carol to raise her dogs, enjoy her garden and absorb music. She took piano lessons from age three through college and admits “I’ll sing whenever asked,” though she doesn’t solo. Confessing to missing a piano in her home, she states, “Maybe that will be the next thing.”