> From: "ralph diaz" <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com> >> From: "Gary J. MacDonald" <garyj_at_rogers.com> >> >> Used to live in the country with a Westie that barked at anything that >> moved -- except porcupines. He preferred to lay quietly in the deep >> grass until they got close enough to pounce on. >> >> Not pretty. > Westies was also the name of a gang of Irish thugs who once menaced the > Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan...basically west of the theatre > district. I used to cringe when I would heard the word Westie and was happy > when the gang was largely rounded up. Now, I see that one has to worry > about their hairy smaller 4-legged name bearer. :-) The porcupine hunt sounds so familiar. I swear westies enjoy the capture of prey even more when there is pain associated. Someone with experience with the 4-legged variety gave the 2-legged variety their nickname, I'm sure :-) . Back in the days when dogs had to earn their keep and when breeders sought the toughest westie hunters, they culled the litter by dropping the young westie into a barrel with a badger. The westie that "dispensed" with the badger and survived, was then placed with the hunting pack. The tough hunter instinct is still there as well as the happy and playful clown (a lot of people mistake this cute, white, fuzzy, friendly, critter for a lap dog... BIG mistake). This, along with the fact that they were bred to work in teams, makes them tough, affable companions for outdoor folks and *great* little adventurers. You can read about their history here (also contains a good photo of a westie): http://www.dogandkennel.com/breeds/westie.shtml cheers, jackie http://www.muddypuppies.com/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Mar 13 2003 - 19:25:53 PST
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