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Sure enough, after a four-day romp through the sewers of Kronenwetter,
Reggie was discovered two miles away by children who heard
his bark emanating from underneath a manhole cover. After
a tearful reunion, Rondeau reported Reggie was in very good
shape but "was really dirty." She covered the drainage culvert
that Reggie mistook for a badger hole, but noted that "he
keeps going back there to take a look."
Grit
and Grime
That Reggie
and other West Highland white terriers are often in the mood
for a down-and-dirty adventure is not surprising given the
history of the breed. From an early age, the terriers of Scotland
were tested for gameness by their keepers. This test frequently
consisted of dropping a terrier into a barrel with a badger.
If the dog killed or wounded his adversary, it was added to
the pack. If the dog did not survive the altercation, no tears
were shed. There was no room on the farm for any creature,
man or beast, who could not perform its role.
Today's
Westie frequently shows the influences of this pugnacious
heritage. One of the friendliest of the terrier breeds, the
busy Westie is always in the thick of things - a rough-and-tumble
rogue with a gleam in its eyes and bark in its heart.
This head-first
attitude is evidenced by the usually grimy condition of the
Westie's otherwise beautiful white coat. In fact, we might
as well deal with the Westie's coat up front, because if you
own a West Highland white terrier, or plan to get one, you
will soon be on intimate terms with this wooly mass of white
fur.
The Westie
should be double-coated, with an outer coat of straight, hard
hair that is slightly shorter on the neck and shoulders. The
undercoat consists of cotton-like short hair, which forms
a thick, close foundation for the outercoat. In earlier days,
the double coat, especially the hard, straight outer coat,
provided protection from a fox's teeth, as well as from the
elements. Today it serves as an uncanny magnet for dirt. These
conditions make the grooming demands of a Westie labor intensive.
Westies
should be thoroughly brushed and combed twice weekly, working
out knots and tangles with fingers or by combing gently. Brushing
should include legs, chest, under areas and tails. The dog
requires shaping every two or three months, either by clipping
or handstripping. To add to the challenge, the dog should
be bathed as little as possible, as bathing softens the hair
texture and can encourage a tendency to curl. Although the
typical owner may undertake this effort at home, it is easier
to take the dog to a professional groomer. For all their hair,
Westies shed relatively little - providing a slight reprieve
from these otherwise intensive grooming responsibilities.
Underneath
all that hair is a vigorous little dog. The American Kennel
Club (AKC) breed standard describes the dog as a "small, game,
well-balanced, hardy looking terrier, exhibiting good showmanship,
possessed with no small amount of self-esteem, strongly built,
deep in chest and back ribs, with a straight back and powerful
hindquarters on muscular legs, and exhibiting in marked degree
a great combination of strength and activity." From this description
the dog's hunting background is easily recognizable. The terrier
had to be small enough to fit in the passageways of the typical
fox den. These passages were often so narrow the dog could
not turn around. Short, powerful legs aided maneuverability
in these cramped conditions. Formidable teeth and jaws were
required to face a fox in closed quarters, while the tail
needed to be sufficiently long to provide a handhold by which
the dog could be pulled from shallow holes.
From
Fox Dens to House Dens
Today's
owner is more likely to pull the dog off the couch than out
of a fox hole, but the same qualities that made the West Highland
white terrier a popular companion to the farmers of Scotland
make it a popular occupant of American homes and apartments.
Eager, active and fun-loving, the Westie is a nice companion.
The dogs like people and will usually glad-hand anyone they
meet. City dwellers find the Westie's small size and good
manners make it an excellent breed for an apartment, although
the dog does need at least one walk of several blocks daily.
As a suburban or country dog, the Westie's natural instinct
for hunting can become evident. It may not be friendly toward
small animals and can be aggressive with other pets. Generally,
however, Westies, as long as they do not feel threatened,
get along well with other canines.
The Westies'
natural vitality and alertness make them excellent guard dogs.
Despite their small size, their bark can be threatening. Around
children, they are unlikely to become overly rough and generally
remain patient provided they are not handled harshly. They
love human company and are happy to take a walk, ride in the
car or simply watch TV as long as they are in their owner's
company. However, they can also function well without an abundance
of fuss.
Obviously,
those who should steer clear of the breed are people who want
minimal grooming responsibilities. Potential owners should
also realize the Westie is often an independent dog, with
a wide stubborn streak. It barks and digs and misbehaves in
other typical terrier ways.
Vision
in White
Although
modern-day Westie enthusiasts may have a love-hate relationship
with the dog's distinctive white coat, they should remember
that the breed would not have emerged if it weren't for the
grime-attracting hue.
Back in
the badger-in-a-barrel days, the terrier existed as a general,
nonspecific breed. The cairn terrier is often cited as the
forebear of many of Scotland's other terrier breeds. Early
cairn terrier breeders habitually destroyed any white, creamy
or lighter colored pups at birth, thinking them to be less
hardy. However, in the late 18th and early 19th century, several
different types of white terriers began to emerge, thanks
to the efforts of dedicated breeders and enthusiasts. One
such enthusiast was Colonel E.D. Malcolm of Argyllshire, Scotland.
Colonel Malcolm kept several hunting terriers, and favored
the whites because of a hunting accident. Sometime around
1860, the colonel was hunting hare with one of his reddish
brown terriers. While running through the brush, the terrier
was mistaken for the rabbit and shot. The incident prompted
Colonel Malcolm to declare that he would propagate only white
terriers in his kennel so that they would be easily distinguishable
from game, thus avoiding similar unhappy experiences.
Colonel
Malcolm's white terriers were soon known by the name Poltalloch,
after his family seat in Argyllshire. While the Poltalloch
is, by far, the most documented of the white terrier breeds,
there were several other white terriers bred under different
names. A white strain of terrier named Roseneath, named for
the seat of the Duke of Argyll in Dumbartonshire, Scotland,
was bred in a similar fashion by a man named George Clarke,
who was a head keeper at numerous Scottish estates.
The names
Roseneath and Poltalloch were used interchangeably until about
1900 to describe white terriers. We can assume that they looked
alike. As early as 1903 Colonel Malcolm was sponsoring the
adoption of the current name in an effort to bring about a
more collegial feeling among the various breeders of the dog.
The name is indicative of the native habitat of the breed
- the rugged West Highlands of Scotland.
The White
West Highland Terrier Club, with Colonel Malcolm as chairman,
was formed in Scotland, in 1905. Soon afterward a group of
English enthusiasts formed the West Highland White Terrier
Club. After considering both applications at its meeting on
November 20, 1906, the Kennel Club committee decided that
the breed was to be called the West Highland White Terrier
and that "The Scottish Club, if they wish, can be registered
as The West Highland White Terrier Club, and the South of
England might be registered as the West Highland White Terrier
Club of England." Registrations started in 1907, with three
dogs and four bitches. By the end of the first year, 63 dogs
and 79 bitches had been registered as West Highland white
terriers. Three Westies gained their championship classes
in 1907.
The United
States was not far behind Scotland in recognizing the virtues
of the Westie. The American Kennel Club first accepted the
breed for registration in 1908. Interestingly, for the first
year the dog was listed as the Roseneath terrier, the name
given to the dogs owned by the Duke of Argyll in the very
early years of the breed. In 1909, however, the name was changed
in accordance with the now-accepted British name. That same
year the West Highland White Terrier Club of America was formed.
Ready
to Rumble
The Westie's
natural good looks and spunky attitude quickly made it a favorite
in the American show ring and as a household companion. Today
the breed is one of the more popular terriers, ranking 25th
out of 146 breeds in AKC total registrations in 1998 with
5,341 new registrations. In 1997 it ranked 28th with 4,983
registrations. Among terriers, only the Yorkshire terrier
and the Boston terrier saw more registrations in 1998. Thankfully
the West Highland white terrier no longer has to enter into
mortal battle with a badger to earn its place in American
homes, but that doesn't mean the Westie has lost the instincts
honed on the rough terrain of Scotland's West Highlands. As
owners and enthusiasts of the breed will tell you, this gutsy,
agreeable flash of white fur is always ready for a good rumble.
Healthy
Westies
The Westie
is usually a healthy dog but is not immune from a smattering
of diseases. Like other white dogs, the Westie often has problems
with skin allergies, usually caused by fleas. Other major
concerns include: Globoid cell leukodystrophy, a gradual deterioration
of white matter in the brain that is eventually fatal; Legg-Perthes
disease, destruction of the head of the femur bone because
of a decrease in blood supply; cranio mandibular osteopathy
(lion jaw), a painful though temporary inflammation of the
jawbones in juveniles. Minor concerns include hernias and
cataracts. Also occurring in Westies is patellar luxation,
an abnormally shallow groove in the knee so that the kneecap
slips in and out of position, causing lameness. This is painful
for the dog and costs about $600 to fix. A typical West Highland
white terrier has a lifespan of 12-14 years.
The
Cairn Connection
The close
relationship between all of the terrier breeds can be witnessed
through only a brief look at the pedigrees of early West Highland
white terriers. In a 1907 pedigree of a Westie, the names
of Callum Dhu and Seafield Rascal appear. Both were widely
known Scottish terriers, found frequently in the extended
pedigrees of present-day Scottish terriers. This same pedigree
is also known to have been the exact lineage of a cairn terrier,
Inverness Sporran. The confusion in the extended pedigrees
of early dogs of several terrier breeds only proves more strongly
that the early Scottish terrier breeds came from common blood
and frequently were found in the same litter.
Interbreeding
of the cairn and Westie continued unabated until about 1917
when the American Kennel Club decreed that no cairn could
gain registration if its pedigree carried a West Highland
white ancestor within the first three generations. This action
led to a similar edict by the Kennel Club (England). Thus
interbreeding was stopped, although its effects were noted
years later.
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