West Highland
BY ANNE SANDERS and LISA PACHECO
White Terrier
F or those of you who have ever been owned by a Westie, you understand the curious, happy with an attitude, and sometimes stubborn nature of these marvelous creatures that let us inhabit their world. For those who have not had the pleasure, we hope to shed some light on some pertinent points of the breed. How the Westie came to be is an interesting legend. The short- legged Terriers of Scotland are now recognized as the Scottish, Skye, Cairn, Dandie Dinmont, and West Highland White Terriers. They all, undoubtedly, descend from the same roots. All of these dogs were valued as intrepid hunters of small game. Originally, their coat colors ranged from black to red to cream or white. Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm, of Poltalloch, Argyllshire, Scotland is generally credited with breeding the white dogs true, although he took none of the credit onto himself. As the legend goes, a reddish dog of his, emerging from cover, was mistakenly shot as a fox. Malcolm is said to have decided on the spot to breed only for white dogs that could
Balance—Measuring slightly shorter from withers to base of tail than from withers to ground. (From our judges education presentation)
be readily identified in the field. The breed was listed officially as the West Highland White Terrier in 1907 at the Crufts dog show in England. The name was chosen for the rugged character of the dogs and the area of their development. The West Highland White Terrier Club of America was founded in 1909 and is a member club of the American Kennel Club. The Westie is described as hardy, game, and possessed of no small amount of self-esteem because of the work they do. They are small, well-balanced, and strongly built, deep in chest and back ribs. The ideal size for a bitch is 10 inches at the withers and 11 inches for a male, although a slight deviation is acceptable. The body between the withers and the root of the tail is slightly short- er than the height at the withers. The distance from the point of shoulder to the elbow should measure approximately the same as the distance from the elbow to the foot, all coming together to por- tray the balance as required in the standard. Their neck is moder- ate in length, muscular, and well-set on sloping shoulders, which blend into a level topline both standing and moving. Their body is
“THE WESTIE IS DESCRIBED AS HARDY, GAME, AND POSSESSED OF NO SMALL AMOUNT OF SELF-ESTEEM because of the work they do. THEY ARE SMALL, WELL-BALANCED, AND STRONGLY BUILT, DEEP IN CHEST AND BACK RIBS.”
pictured above, left: Colonel Malcolm—Generally credited with breeding the white Poltalloch Terriers.
200 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2020
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