The future of Scottish Terriers is uncertain as the dog breed’s popularity decreases.

You might recognise the dogs as the emblems on Walker’s shortbread and Radley handbags, or perhaps you opt for the Scottie counter when playing Monopoly.

The breed has been put on the “at watch” list by The Kennel Club following a total of 406 puppy births being recorded by breeders in 2023, Sky News reports.

This is a dramatic decrease from the breed’s last-century peak which saw more than 5800 registrations in one year, the news outlet adds.

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Since 2004, The Kennel Club has been monitoring breeds which are of British and Irish origin with less than 450 annual puppy registrations.

It’s not the first time that Scotties have been on the watch list as it first appeared in 2018, making this year’s appearance its second time.

More breeds feature on the list and are considered to be vulnerable than ever before but it’s important to note that the list only logs club registrations rather than actual puppy births.

Bill Lambert, a spokesman for the Kennel Club, which recognises 222 breeds, said: "The Scottish terrier has been such an iconic and recognisable breed in the UK for decades, and means so much to so many different people, so these latest figures are really worrying.

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"We are lucky to have an amazing 222 breeds of dog in this country, each with unique personalities and characteristics, but the vast majority of dogs that you will meet come from within the top ten breeds alone.

"People often opt for the well-known choices and simply forget to dig a little deeper, with the worrying knock-on effect that not only are some of our most iconic breeds in decline but also that people might not be getting the perfect match for them."

He added: "People simply forget there are so many different dog breeds, with different personalities and characteristics, and it's not just the well-known ones that could be a great match for our lifestyles.

"While we're pleased that some of our native breeds saw their numbers increase last year, such as the English setter, others continue to fall rapidly in popularity and are in danger of disappearing forever.

"We are so lucky to have such diversity among our four-legged-friends, and we urge the British public to look beyond the most popular choices, and find out more about the many different breeds there are."