Mary Allen
The Westie is originally from Scotland. He was bred as a dog for hunting. Especially for hunting games or rats. The founder of the breed was the hunter, Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm. For example, Scottish, Cairn, and Dandie Dinmont Terriers served him for breeding.
Colonel Malcolm intended to breed a nimble dog for hunting. Due to the color of its coat, it should be clearly visible in the dark and on rough terrain. In the past, it often happened that hunters accidentally shot their own dogs in the dark because they were mistaken for the small game because of the dark color of their fur. That’s what happened to the Colonel too. Therefore, only white specimens were used for breeding.
However, good visibility due to the coat color was only one of his goals. He wanted to breed a brave, persistent and obedient breed. It was also important that the Westie was small in size. So he could easily penetrate animal dens and burrows and drive out the game.
The West Highland White Terrier was recognized as a separate breed in 1904. Shortly thereafter, a West Highland White Terrier Club was formed and standards of the breed were established.
The first entry in a studbook in Germany for a Westie was in 1910. However, the little rascal did not become popular until the 1970s. At that time he was integrated as a family dog.
In the 1990s, registrations of the West Highland White Terrier skyrocketed. This is probably due to a fad.
Below you will find the 10 best West Highland White Terrier tattoos:
