West Highland Terrier Experience?

Long story short, I drove my neighbor and her dog to our vet's office yesterday. I was looking on the board where different flyers are for animals needing homes and saw one with the most adorable west highland terrier on it. He was picked up as a stray by a family and they have been taking care of him since. He is currently living with their 2 dogs and 2 cats. I fell in love with him right away and something told me that he would be perfect for me. I have 3 cats, 1 1/2 yrs old, 4 yrs old and 9 and was wondering if anyone on here had experience with a WHT and cats? I also live in a condo so he would be going out on a leash to use bathroom and exercise until I buy a house with a yard. If anyone out there has experience with this breed and could let me know if they think he would be ok in this type of living environment I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for reading!

My experiences with Westies are - if you can't stand barking, don't get a Westie - they are very vocal dogs. Very energetic, they can be tough to train, but this guy may already have the training he'd need. It varies dog to dog how good they are with cats. They can be charming little guys, or devilish terrorists in white depending on how much training and how much exercise they are given. My Dad turned down a 7-year-old Westie a neighbor tried to give him, as the dog had never really been housebroken, nor learned any manners, despite his current owner having had him for over a year.

If he has already lived with 2 cats, I don't think you have anything to worry about. It the hounds that have the high prey drive that I would not reccomend with cats. A condo is perfect for a Westie, if dogs are allowed, which it seems they are since cats are. :) I think you should go for it! GOOD luck and keep us updated. We love pics :D

I have never owned a westie, but I've groomed and boarding hundreds of them over the years. I've never met a mean one, never been bitten by one. In general, I'd say they are easy-going, happy, friendly little dogs. Of course, as a terrier, they have a stubborn streak, but not so much as some of the terriers. I like their personality.

They are, however, prone to allergies. Sometimes it can be very severe - I actually had two of my customers who had to euthanize their westies due to horrible allergies that could not be controlled.

We had a Westie, with 3 cats, and no problems whatsoever. Two of the cats were with us when Jenny arrived, and we got one after. They all got along famously.

My best friend's mom has a Westie girl. She has heaps of energy and she does have problems with allergies. In winter they run a humidifier because she is also prone to dry skin, which (between that and the allergies) makes her itchy. As far as personality goes, she thinks she is a b-i-g dog and she definitely has everyone in the family wrapped around her paws! Even I am one of her legion of admirers :) She is slowing down a little now because of age, but still full of fun.

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Originally Posted by Twisterdog

I have never owned a westie, but I've groomed and boarding hundreds of them over the years. I've never met a mean one, never been bitten by one. In general, I'd say they are easy-going, happy, friendly little dogs. Of course, as a terrier, they have a stubborn streak, but not so much as some of the terriers. I like their personality.

They are, however, prone to allergies. Sometimes it can be very severe - I actually had two of my customers who had to euthanize their westies due to horrible allergies that could not be controlled.

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Funny you say that, lol. I'm also a groomer (well, going through the mentorship to become a groomer, but I've been a grooming assistant for 2 years) and out of the 10ish Westies we have that come in, almost all of them are naughty for grooming.

But, aside from the grooming process, they are the sweetest dogs. =] I say go for it!

Introducing Elliott. I met him this afternoon and it was love at first sight. He is housebroken and he has only barked 3 times since being with me. He is so affectionate and loves everyone, including dogs. My cats are doing pretty well with him being around, Elliott is whining for them to come up on the bed with us. So far so good, his foster mom said if it didn't work out that they were going to keep him. I felt bad taking him from them today, because they seemed to have already decided they wanted him. He is not neutered and has not had any shots yet, so off to the vet this week for a snip snip job and vaccinations. :eek: I will post more pics once he has settled in. Thanks again for everyone's input, I really appreciate it!
Without further ado, here he is:

He is a beauty! Congratulations on getting him in your family.

I have only known one westie; he belonged to the captain of my Girl Guide company in England and went everywhere with us, camping, hiking, etc. He was a great personality and very friendly!

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Originally Posted by ILoveMyAbbyGirl

Funny you say that, lol. I'm also a groomer (well, going through the mentorship to become a groomer, but I've been a grooming assistant for 2 years) and out of the 10ish Westies we have that come in, almost all of them are naughty for grooming.

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I think it depends A LOT on the area one is in, and the breeders in that area. For example, we also never have problems with chows here. I hear horror stories all the time from groomers all over that have major problems with chows, but every single one we groom is an absolute sweetie.

The breeds we consistently have problems with are labs and german shepherds ... normally dogs you don't hear too much about causing problems at the groomers. I think it directly related to the large number of back yard breeders around here churning out poor quality, ill tempered labs and shepherds by the hundreds.

What a cutie! :DI hope he settles in well.

Neighbours to either side of us always had westies when I was growing up. They were generally sweet little things. One had the rather peculiar quirk that he didn't like planes passing over his garden. He used to run up the back and bark until the plane was some distance away. He also didn't like people walking past the front of his house, but he was absolutely fine if you were inside. :D

Congratulations, he is adorable. I hope everying goes well for you. Sounds like you are all off to a good start. :D