The Hudaks had never heard of a Cairn Terrier, but Tom told them that it was the same breed as Toto from the Wizard of Oz. Cruiser liked to chase cars, until one day when he broke free from Tom to chase a car in a parking lot. The car ran over his back legs, and although nothing was broken, he suffered from a little arthritis late in his life as a result.

When Cruiser was four, Tom got the opportunity to live and work in Hong Kong for 6 months and Cruiser was left behind with a neighbor. When the 6 months were up and Tom didn't come home, Cruiser ended up with Ronnie's parents.

Cruiser was a complex pooch. He was gentle and polite and hardly ever barked. Yet he ruled the neighborhood, stealing bones out from under the nose of TJ the Black Lab. He was a true working terrier; over the years he killed rats, muskrats, and groundhogs, and once pulled a drainpipe from a house trying to get at a chipmunk.

At 16 years old, Cruiser was still able to put his young nephew Frisco in his place. He was the first dog that his niece Shell was known to tolerate and he let her think she was in charge when she was in his domain. Cruiser is the Cairn Terrier that inspired Ronnie, and Ronnie's sister Susan, to get Cairn Terriers of their own.

There are champions from reknowned kennels in Cruiser's family tree. Take a look at Cruiser's Pedigree.

In early December 1999, Cruiser began having trouble with his hind legs, was unable to walk, and was in pain. Ronnie's parents made the difficult decision to put him to sleep and on December 10th the Hudak Family said farewell to a beloved family member.

"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that

-James Thurber