Jack
"Find the Squeak- on the Inside." | 
 | | Barked: Tue Apr 21, '09 9:33am PST |  | |  | | Hi, Boo Boo! My name is Jack. I'm am 2 and a half. I am a Westie. My mommy got me from a Mennonite couple in Penn Yan, New York. I am an American Canine Association Westie. I'm a little different than some Westie boys. My groomer calls me "petite" (I'm not quite 17 lbs) and my vet calls me "athletic". I'm a very slender build, and don't have the lovely thick luxurious hair that Morgan has.
I'm very energetic. This time of year, as the weather gets nicer, I'm playing soccer with my daddy outside. I jump from side to side of the ball biting at it to get it to go where I want it to, because it won't fit in my mouth. I love to go for walks, but it took Daddy a long time to get me to be willing to go for walks. Once I found out they were fun, I was eager to go! I learn really well from other well-behaved dogs. I was not good at riding in a car when I was a little puppy, so my grandpop took me in the car with his three boys. The boys taught me how to ride really well. I love all other dogs and people. They are ALL my friends, even if Mommy won't let me play with all of them (she's such a meanie!). I'm not afraid of bigger dogs. I am a chewer, and when I was a puppy, I chewed things up. Mommy had her work cut out for her to find things that I could chew on, and train me away from things I shouldn't chew on. I am a giant bitey-end. I used to bite very hard, but I got trained out of it. Now, I bite people that I love, but it's different--I really just like holding their hands in my mouth. My mouth is like my opposable thumb.
I like small animals. They should be in my mouth. "It's okay, mousie. I know you're scared. Get into my mouth. You'll be safe there." I will even go after animals that are very large for me. I pulled a possum out of the garage by the tail. Mommy won't let me out on the dog run at night, because she's afraid I might make friends with a skunk or a raccoon. Or another possum. Is it my fault that Santa Paws is trying to make up for years of not giving me the real squirrel or bunny I asked for?
I would jump out of a second story window if there were the possibility that a squirrel could be in my mouth. Mommy opens the windows from the top so I can't do anything like that.
The Westie book said that my parents shouldn't even try to put up an invisible fence, because of something called a "prey drive". I have a lot of it, and I will weigh my options: "Get a shock, but bag a squirrel." I'm pretty sure the shock is temporary, but squirrel is forever! Mommy and Daddy are careful to always keep me on a leash or dog run, because they don't want me to get hurt. I still sometimes get out, and lead them on a merry chase. That's when they ask our neighbors to borrow my girlfriend (a Golden Retriever) and use her to retrieve me.
I love to go for rides in the car.
Mommy has been carrying me tucked under her arm from time to time since she got me as a young pup to make sure that I would be okay with it. She has also been very careful to introduce me to lots of people and other dogs so I would be friendly. I love babies, though I hear that most Westies are better with older children than babies. Don't get me wrong--I love the older kids, too. We all play together in the neighborhood.
I am part weasel, as my mommy says (weasels would be tasty, I think), and I can squeeze into small spaces and holes. Daddy is Westie-proofing the fence so I can't dig under it. Oh, yeah--I dig, too. Digging=delightful. My public works projects demonstrate my skill! I'm digging up the basement.
Mommy calls me a wolf-baby. I love to be outside as much as possible. I like to bark at animals and people. I like digging things up, or making trenches. I yell at the squirrels. They really ought to play fair and come down from those trees and get into my mouth!
Mommy and Daddy took me to obedience school when I was about three months old, since I couldn't pay attention a whole lot before then. I did really well, except I wanted to really play with the others in my class! Still, the obedience school really helped me pay attention to the needs of my human parents. They want what's best for me. I want to be a brown or a green dog when I grow up. The squirrels can see me too easily now. (Just so you know, a white dog will get grass stained). I am a boy dog, so I want to be dirty most of the time.
When I'm relaxing with my parents, I like to scootch my butt up against them, or lay against them. I'm not super kissy. I like to have affection on my terms! My daddy should face the fact that I will ALWAYS walk over his chest, look him in the eye, and put my cold wet nose all over his face every morning, and possibly give him a wet-willie. I mostly do the gentle biting, not so much the kissing. I love to see my parents come home, and will go nuts on them. I don't like it when they leave, but I know they will always come back for me.
I am very smart. It took about 3 seconds for me to figure out I fit through the bars of the baby gate my parents got for me when I was 8 weeks old. When they blocked it off, it took me about 10 seconds to figure out how to get through it by crawling under the pie safe.
I would love to answer any questions you have, or I'll ask my mom. She read a book on Westies before she got me, to make sure that she knew I was the right dog. She met my litter, and my bio parents. The West Highland White Terrier by Jill Arnel is the book she read. It is a good book--very realistic and humorous.
Thanks for letting me talk your ear off!
One more thing: try using oatmeal dog shampoo. It helps with dry skin. I get dry skin in the winter. Mommy bathes me only when necessary, and rinse me off when I don't quite need a full bath.Edited by author Tue Apr 21, '09 9:43am PST
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The reason I wanted to join was to learn everything I could about westies before getting one. Problem is Westies Unite seems to be the ONLY active westie group there is so I am left out in the cold.....until someone told me about this breed specific forum so here I am!
