> 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/ ***************************************************************************
Jackie Myers wrote: > 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. I used to describe him as cute and cuddly enough to be a lap dog and bloody minded enough to be a dog's dog. Rarely took him out on the water, and then he always insisted on jumping in. Immediately followed by scrambling to get hauled out. He could swim if he just waded in, but the leap from a boat got his fur waterlogged and he didn't like that. You'd think that he would have learned.... GaryJ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> From: "Gary J. MacDonald" <garyj_at_rogers.com> > Rarely took him out on the water, and then he always insisted on jumping > in. Immediately followed by scrambling to get hauled out. He could > swim if he just waded in, but the leap from a boat got his fur > waterlogged and he didn't like that. Mollie liked jumping off the sit-on-top. Once I attached a bucket to my stern of the sit-on-top or the Sea Lion, she was much better about remaining onboard. Mollie is a water lover. If you want practice in learning to control your boat in rough conditions.... paddle with TWO westies in a bucket mounted on top of your stern hatch 8-) Works especially well when there are lots of big birds gliding around, back and forth overhead. > You'd think that he would have learned.... That's what makes them so like many of us... we keep going in and calling it fun no matter how beaten up we get :-) cheers, jackie *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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