Fall 2010

Inside this issue:

Toby’s Story Continues 2

Halloween Safety Tips 3

A Rescue Story 3

Thank You Volunteers 5

Event Calendar 5

Westie Rescue Alumni 5

Luxating Patella 6

Daisy Dishes 7

Alumni News 8

Alumni News continued 9

No Christmas Puppies 10

West Highland Herald Westie Rescue, Inc. Celebrates 10 Years!

FALL 2010

The West Highland Herald is published several times a year by Westie Rescue, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization run solely by volunteers for the welfare of homeless West Highland White Terriers (Westies). All donations to Westie Rescue, Inc., are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. Comments, inquiries, and

suggestions welcome!

Send to [email protected]

Westie Rescue, Inc.

www.HelpWesties.org

On October 24, we celebrated our 10th Anniversary at Barrel Oak Winery in Virginia. A huge thanks to fellow board members who worked hard as we planned, sched-uled and prepared with last minute errands. Special thanks to Lynda Zoller and her daugh-ter Margaret for spending the day with us staffing our booth. How wonderful to see all those Westie’s with their families and doing so well. Much excite-ment was in the air when a large black dog came charging into a group of Westie’s. There was much barking, snarling and tugging at leashes as the Westie’s let him know that he was NOT welcome at their party! Since July several Westie’s have arrived in our program. Cupid, required ACL surgery to repair a injury 6 months or older left untreated by his owners...then they aban-doned him in a shelter. On page 3 you will find the story of Chloe left in field on June 12. Your donations help us to continue to help them. Thank you for your generosity. Making a difference, one Westie at a time.

Presidents Message

Whine N’ Westies Westies, Westies, everywhere! What could be better than spending the day surrounded by these great little dogs and good friends, sampling some excellent wines, and enjoying a picnic lunch in perfect weather while taking in the beautiful fall colors. Westie Rescue, Inc. celebrated it’s 10th anniversary at our second Whine ‘N Westies gathering on October 24 at Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane, Virginia.

The Westie’s were decked out in colorful bandanas provided by rescue supporter Katie Wyatt. Belle, Riley, Chanel, Charlie, Mish Mish, Andy, Molly, Daisy, Shorty, Bennie, Mystic, Sophie, Annie, Maggie Mae, Zoe and Cosmo, to name a few, strutted their stuff as only a Westie can. Each family received a “designer” rescue lunch bag filled with goodies to take home. We were so happy to see the rescue Westie’s again and listen to folks exchange “tales” about their dogs. Early in the afternoon, excitement began to mount as the raffle drawings began. All who participated eagerly awaited the drawings, hoping to hear their name called for the gift basket of their desire.

As the day came to an end, it was clear to see just what a great time was shared by all. To those who were able to join us, thank you for coming and bringing your little Westie’s to help us celebrate this very special anniversary event.

Submitted by: Mary Ann Kalwarski, Event Coordinator

Westie Rescue, Inc.

Post Office Box 187

Bluemont, VA 20135

540-554-2963

www.HelpWesties.org

Email:[email protected]

Board of Directors

Karen Spalding

President Vacant

Vice President Mary Ann Kalwarski

Treasurer Donna Magruder

Corresponding Secretary Vacant

Recording Secretary

Board Members Glenda Pearsall

Carolyn Lumb

Roger West

WEST HIGHLAND HERALD FALL 2010 PAGE 2

Toby’s Summer Vacation Submitted by Mary Ann Kalwarski

Summertime…and the livin’ is easy, lazy, and HOT. Toby spent a lot of time enjoying the outdoors with early morning walks. We spent a long weekend with friends at their vacation home on a lake. It’s beautiful, and Toby found plenty of interesting spots to sniff out and lots of “critters” to discover. Our friends’ Westies were always game for an adventure and proved to be excellent hostesses. They pointed out the best locations for surveillance and the hiding spots for the squirrels. With 6 terriers scurrying after them, the little squirrels did a lot of running up the trees when we were there! In June, I fostered a male Westie. He’d had a rough life, but we got him on the right track quickly. Toby was thrilled to have another “guy” in the house to hang around with and they had lots of fun together playing with toys. In July, we found a permanent home for the little boy. He is now settled into his new home and loves it and, particularly, his new family. We hosted another Westie friend, Fred, for several days while his owner took some vacation time. Fred has stayed with us before and is good friends with Toby, Annie and Kayla. They loved hanging out on the back deck during the early morning hours. I made sure there was plenty of cool water to drink and some delicious snacks available, and I provided them with nice cushions to lounge on as they “sunbathed”. Later, they were served Frosty Paws for an evening treat.

Toby, Annie, Kayla and I had a great time this summer. I wanted us to have a relaxing, easy summer and so we just kicked back and took each day as it came. We enjoyed our vacation time and now that Fall is here, we are looking forward to our next exciting adventures.

Welcome Home Never again to wonder

If ever the hand is kind

For mine is but so gentle

A promise that will bind.

Your time is now, Petit,

In such beauty will you roam,

For you are forever loved

In this, your Forever Home.

- D. K. Cassidy

Top Halloween Safety Tips for Dogs Courtesy of Michelle at DogSafe.com

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, and xylitol (found in unsweetened candies and gum) can be fatal if ingested while candy wrappers may cause choking and intestinal blockages. Pumpkin is considered non-toxic but may still cause diarrhea and vomiting if eaten and large pieces may cause intestinal blockages. Keep all Halloween goodies out of your dog’s reach. Fireworks contain oxidizing agents (nitrates and chlorates) and metals (mercury, copper phosphorus) which may cause havoc in your dog’s gastrointestinal tract if ingested. Contact your vet if you suspect ingestion as treatment will vary de-pending on what, how much and when the item was eaten. Lit fireworks may cause mouth and throat burns if ingested or paw pad burns if stepped on. Keep all fireworks out of your dog’s reach and keep dog’s away from firework activities. Jack-o-lantern and Halloween candles can severely burn a dog’s happily wagging tail and curious nose. Keep the carved pumpkins and displays above your dog’s level. Matches, both the match heads and striking surfaces, contain iron phosphorus or potassium chlorate and although considered low in toxicity, may still cause gastrointestinal problems if ingested. Human and dog costumes, decorations, synthetic spider webs, ornaments and other Halloween items that aren’t usually around the house will definitely have your dog exploring. If you will be dressing up your dog in a costume, make sure that it is not restricting breathing, sight or hearing and that little accessories can’t be chewed off and swallowed. Also, remember to have an ID tag on your dog in the event he gets spooked and takes off.

A Rescue Story—Maggie Faith nka Chloe

A student arriving for classes at Peaceable Paws, near Hagerstown Maryland, discovered a twelve week old Westie puppy in a flimsy crate with a dish of water and a letter attached to the crate. The anonymous letter contained her age, vaccine history and why they could not keep this puppy (that they loved) with “serious behavior problems”. They couldn't bear that she might end up in a shelter. It indicated that Maggie Faith was aggressive and could not be housetrained.

After the pup was held for the standard holding period at the local humane society, we were contacted by the

rescue coordinator at the shelter for our assistance. It was the 4th of July weekend when I made the trip to pick her up. On the return trip I called my daughter pleading with her to help with short-term fostering. She agreed to a week. They almost made it. My daughter was raised with Westies, helped with rescue since she was twelve years old, but no matter how many times she and her husband walked Maggie, she came in and peed. Maggie had them stumped. She also had a habit of grabbing at you to get your attention. This they were able to control.

She was transferred to another foster home. Her name was changed to Chloe. Chloe enjoys the companionship of two other Westies, has learned to use the doggie door, likes playing outside and in the wading pool on the deck. At fourteen weeks old, Chloe knew sit, down, come and was learning stay. These commands are being reinforced by her foster family.

Adoption is currently pending for Chloe as this newsletter goes to print.

See photo on page 9 courtesy of Pat Miller, Peaceable Paws

Submitted by Karen Spalding, President


Volunteers Pat Little Koss Family Roger & Jane West Mary Ann Kalwarski Karen Spalding Bob Spalding Glenda & Rick Pearsall Donna Magruder Betty Wingate Carolyn Lumb Myrick Zorbist Kitty Johnson Heidi Nickol Lynda Zoller Margaret Zoller Doruss Stephens

In Memory of… Parker, made by Jess & Jane Lockaby

Parker, made by Katherine Evans Fred, made by Catherine Zellner Duffy, made by Mary Ann Kalwarski Misty, made by Mary Ann Kalwarski Fred, made by Flo Tull Duffy, made by Betty Wingate

In Kind Donations Medication—Betty Wingate Dog Food —Karen Spalding Stamps-Patricia Featherston Dog Food & Supplies- Donna Magruder ID tags & Stamps—Donna Magruder Bandana’s—Katie Wyatt


Thank you for Showing Your Support for Westie Rescue July 2010—September 2010

Westies Proudly owned by Location

Chester Greg Grenier & John Heizer Maryland Carrie Dara Jones Virginia

Westie Rescue Alumni Association

The Westies listed below have been rehomed between July 2010—September 2010

Donated Services Caring Hands Veterinary, Centreville, VA Caring Hands Veterinary, Bristow, VA Loudoun Veterinary Services Purcellville, Virginia Bob Spalding—Trailer for storing our Property Gings Kennel, Leesburg, VA

Rainbow Bridge Just this side of heaven is a place called the Rainbow Bridge.

If tears could build a stairway and memories were a lane, we would walk right up to heaven, and bring you back again.

Fred, loved by Flo Tull Duffy, loved by Betty Wingate Winnie, loved by Ringley Family

Highland Finds…

Available at our on-line gift store…..$30.00

Embroidered Sweatshirt available in Red and Navy.

Visit our Website www.helpwesties.org for a variety of Westie items such as: T-shirts, sweatshirts, car magnets, garden flags and totes.

Coming Soon...more items to celebrate our ten year anniver-sary. Be sure to check our website in the next few weeks for special purchases.

Must haves for any Westie fan.


If you are interested in volunteering for one of the following events contact: [email protected]

2010

Whine N Westies Sunday, October 24 , 2010

11:00—3pm Barrel Oak Winery Delaplane, Virginia

Home 4 the Holidays

Saturday, November 6, 2010 Reston Town Center Reston, Virginia

Christmas in Middleburg

Saturday, December 4, 2010 Middleburg, Virginia

It’s Christmas Parade Time!

Christmas In Middleburg. Join us on Saturday, December 4, 2010, in the beautiful Hunt Country of Loudoun County, Virginia. We will ride on an antique fire truck through the historic town of Middleburg or you can choose to walk with your favorite Westie. To sign up contact Glenda at [email protected]. For directions visit www.middleburg.com

For Safety Reasons: No flexi-leads will be permitted.

JOIN US TO BRING IN CHRISTMAS WESTIE STYLE

"Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail." - Henry Wheeler Shaw

Luxating Patella

What is a luxating patella? The patella, or knee cap, should be located in the center of the knee joint. The term “luxating” means out of place or dislocated. Therefore, a luxating patella is a knee cap that moves out of its normal location. During my experience and research of this condition I came across several books and stud-ies that indicated this condition is twelve times more likely to occur in small breed dogs weighing around 20 pounds and that there is evidence to support a hereditary predisposition for it. What causes this to occur? The knee of the dog is not much like that of a human. The muscle of the thigh attach directly or indirectly to the top of the knee cap. There is a ligament, called the patellar ligament, which runs from the bottom of the knee cap to a point on the tibia (shin bone) just below the knee joint. When the thigh muscles contract, the force is transmitted through the patella and through the patellar ligament and re-sults in extension (straightening) of the knee joint. The patella stays in the center of the leg because the point of attachment of the patellar ligament is on the midline and because the patella slides in a groove on the lower end of the femur (the thigh bone). The patella luxates when the point of attachment of the patellar ligament is not on the midline of the tibia. After several months or years of this abnormal movement, the inner side of the groove wears down and the patella is free to move out of the groove or dislocate. When this occurs, the dog has difficulty bearing weight on the leg. It may learn how to kick the leg and snap the patella back into its normal location. However, because the side of the groove is gone, it dislocates again easily. Does a luxating patella cause any long term problems for my dog? Some dogs tolerate this problem for many years, some for all of their lives. Since the joint surfaces are very slick and bathed in a slippery joint fluid, there is usually little or no discomfort early in the process. However, this abnormality predisposes the knee to other injuries, especially torn tendons and ligaments. Also, advancing age, the joint may become ar-thritic and painful. The bones may actually curve in response to the abnormal location of the kneecap. Can a luxating patella be corrected? Surgery should be performed if your dog has a persistent lameness or if other knee injuries occur secondary to the luxation. The methods used for surgical repair depend on how far the process has gone before intervention. Surgical repair may include any or all of the following: 1) The point of attachment of the patellar ligament is cut from the tibia and transplanted to its proper location to correct alignment. 2) The groove in the femur is deepened so the patella will stay in place. 3) The capsule around the joint is tightened. This last step is important because the joint capsule will have stretched during the period of luxation. If surgery is performed before arthritis occurs, the prognosis is excellent. Your dog should regain full use of its leg. However, if arthritis has already occurred, the joint will still be somewhat painful, especially in cold weather. Reprinted from Winter 2006 issue



Daisy Dishes Submitted by Durie White

In my Summer 2010 column for The West Highland Herald, I described the road trip my people planned for this past July. As promised, I kept a diary so I could tell my readers about the highlights of our sojourn.

There isn’t much to recount about our stay in Mystic, Connecticut since we Westies

didn’t accompany our people on their outings. The Marriott Residence Inn was comfy and accommodating to my sibs and me, but we would rather have been touring. Bar Harbor,

Maine was more interesting to us. We stayed in the economy section of the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel. The rooms were not as plush as the non-pet section, but were comfortable. The building that allows pets overlooked the ocean and hotel guests traveling with their pets would sit on their patios chatting together in the evenings. Two other families with

Westies came and went during our stay. Even the Harley bikers visiting from the West Coast thought we were cute and stopped to speak and pet us. I was disappointed to note that none of their visible body art included a tattoo of a Westie. (The Sorry Mom Tattoo Parlor in Old Town Fredericksburg could probably correct this oversight).

One day we walked along the path running adjacent to the ocean in Acadia National Park, near Thunder Hole. It was so beautiful we didn’t want to leave. (Some of you may recall from reading the poem Evangeline that the British expelled the Acadian people from the region now known as the Canadian Maritime Provinces during the years between 1755-1763. Thousands died during the expulsion. Many who survived migrated to Louisiana where they became known as Cajuns. Leg-end has it that the Acadians took some Maine lobsters with them, but by journey’s end, the lobsters had shrunk into craw-fish).

En route home, we stopped in Hartford so my people could tour Mark Twain’s house. We stayed at a nearby Sheraton. My sister Mystic wasn’t fond of the elevator ride to the sixth floor. Nor were my people thrilled when Chanel had to go out-side for a nature call in the middle of the night. But the hotel room was quite nice and we weren’t charged a pet fee. My people learned that when Mark Twain dictated his memoirs, he stipulated that the full text couldn’t be released until he had been dead 100 years. This being the 100th year of his death, the uncensored Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1 is being released in 2010. It should make for lively reading.

Your dishing diva,

Daisy

Airbag Awareness Christine Wilford, DVM

This article first appeared in the August 2001 “AKC Gazette”

Your dog may love bouncing around the car, hanging out in the front seat with you, and even surfing the air waves out the window. Airbag deployment, however, can end that fun in an instant.

Airbag warnings make it clear that children under a particular age, usually 12, should not ride in a front seat with an

airbag. Furthermore, if a passenger is not properly seat-belted, the airbag can do more harm than good if it inflates. When it comes to the airbag in your car, your dog is basically a small child without a seat belt.

Most dogs are simply too small to qualify for front-seat residency. Even a dog that is large enough to be compared to a 12 year old human cannot be seat-belted in such a way as to receive maximum protection from airbag inflation. So the next time you drive to the bank and take the pooch along to munch the teller’s doggie biscuits, load your canine co-pilot into the back seat. An ounce of prevention may be the only cure.

Alumni News…

Ivan, previously known as Chester, is the most precocious dog I have ever met. In only one week, he has proved great obedience training, perfect sanitation habits and excels at emoting happiness.

His feats include:

1) Tug of War

2) Ball fetching

3) Greeting people, dogs, kids

4) Face licking

5) Retrieving leash from cupboard

6) Opens ajar doors

7) Sleeps through the night

8) Has not terrorized the Cat

Thanks -

Greg & John

Maryland

Karen and Company,

Bella and Sparky send their love and thanks for all your good works. Matt and I thank our lucky stars every day for the joy and light that Bella and Sparky have brought into our home.

Jim Johnson

Virginia

Just finished reading the Hearld and love it. We plan on attending the picnic (10/24) in Delaplane. Molly is doing great and I keep a diary for the book I’m going to write with the proceeds going to Westie Rescue.

Liz Myers

Virginia

The enclosed is in Memory of Parker Lockaby. Lovingly cared for by Jane & Jess.

Katherine Evans of North Carolina


Karen,

I am inclosing a check for WRI, and it is in memory of our precious little Parker. He crossed over the bridge on August 5, just 17 days short of ten years since we received him from you.

Parker had an enlarged heart but was under medication and seemed to be doing all right in that respect. He just became grad-ually weaker until he could barely stand, and then he lost his appetite. When we adopted him, you thought he was between 3-6 years old, so he lived a full life.

We will always remember him for his affection and for his sense of humor and love to play with his toys and the other dogs. When we got him, he made not a sound. Later, after he took over the house, we couldn’t shut him up. He would throw his head back and go Woo! Woo! Pick up a toy and run hoping to be chased around the house.

We think he had a good home here and a good life, but he never was real comfortable being picked up or being placed in the car. Must have been something from his early life when he had so many homes. His most endearing feature was his crumpled left ear which was probably the result of some injury when he was young. We thought it was very distinguishing and handsome.

Parker was a very special little Westie who brought love and joy to our hearts every day. He gave us his all and asked for noth-ing in return.

We miss him greatly.

Thank you for bringing Parker into our lives.

Jess and Jane

Virginia

Chloe


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WESTIE RESCUE, INC. P.O. BOX 187

BLUEMONT, VA 20135

No Christmas Puppies!

The fantasy of surprising your loved one with an adorable puppy under the tree on Christmas morning may seem like the perfect gift...but is it really? Humane societies, shelter workers, veteri-narians, the American Kennel Club, reputable breeders and res-cue groups resoundingly say NO!

Animals should never be given as gifts at any time of the year and the holidays are, in fact, the worst time to bring a dog of any age into your home and your life.

New Puppies and dogs require extra attention and a stable environment which the holiday sea-son does not permit. Caring for the puppy’s round-the-clock feeding and housetraining needs as well as finding time to comfort and reassure an insecure pup amidst the holiday chaos is an impossible task.

No matter how much you think your loved one would enjoy this “surprise”, you should never presume to make this decision for another per-son. Getting a pet is a lifelong commitment. Giv-en that most breeds, including Westies, can live well into their teen years, this is a major deci-sion requiring emotional stability and financial responsibility— it cannot be taken lightly.

For more information on why you should not pur-chase pets at Christmas, please visit:

www.NoChristmasPuppies.com

Fall 2010

Documents

rescue westies

westie rescue alumni

rescue story

little westies

group of westies

designer rescue lunch

rescue supporter katie

special anniversary