Tiny Cairn Terrier on course to conquer all Scotland’s 282 Munros
A TINY Cairn Terrier is on course to bag all Scotland’s 282 Munros.
CASCADE
Plucky pooch Oran has already conquered 39 of the peaks over 3,000 feet, often in sub-zero temperatures.
Oran’s owner Chris Nelson, 30, is planning to scale every Munro to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
Mr Nelson’s girlfriend, Kirsty Young, has CF and he aims to raise £10,000 by completing all Munros in three years.
He said the terrier is not afraid to tackle Scotland’s peaks, even in the worst weather.
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He fears nothing and scrambles up steep ledges that would defeat most dogs three times his size
Mr Nelson said: “If Oran gets lost in the snow, he just tunnels his way back to me and stands by my legs.
“Sometimes he pokes his nose out of the snow to be lifted.
“He fears nothing and scrambles up steep ledges that would defeat most dogs three times his size.
“He’s just turned two and, after covering 26 miles on a summit, he will sleep for an hour or two and wake ready for a walk.”
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The courageous pup was named after Òran Mór, the Glasgow pub where the couple met.
PE teacher Mr Nelson, and Ms Young, 28, a music teacher from Kilsyth, Lanarkshire, carry the cystic fibrosis gene.
Only Ms Young has the debilitating breathlessness the disease brings to sufferers and she takes lifesaving drugs daily. The couple are now undergoing medical tests for embryo selection to have an unaffected baby.
Mr Nelson said: “We are just like any other young couple and want to live our lives normally. Hopefully, fertility scientists can identify an unaffected embryo and allow us the chance to be parents.”
Feisty Oran is now in training for abseiling Scotland’s trickiest peak, The Inaccessible Pinnacle on Skye, and will be fitted with a custom-made harness for the attempt.
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Mr Nelson added: “Even humans need to abseil those peaks, so Oran will need a helping hand.
“The breed is hardy and known for tolerating cold weather. I guess that’s because of their genetic link to Skye and the Highlands.
“However, he has a soft side, too, and slows down when he is out with Kirsty. We have never known a dog to pick up so well on his surroundings.”
Ms Young, a member of the National Conservatoire of Scotland’s Les Sirènes choir, said: “My two great aims in life are to be able to climb Munros and become a mum.
“But it will take a miracle drug to make my lungs fit enough to scale those beautiful peaks and medical science to help us have a healthy baby.”
She added: “Singing has been great for my cystic fibrosis. It helps keep my lungs clear.”
