Pudgy (West Highland White Terrier)

Pudgy was 10 years old on Valentine's Day, He is a Westie (West Highland White Terrier). My dear, late husband insisted for years that he really wanted a dog. We decided on a Westie because of their sunny attitude and good health.

When I went to pick him out at the breeder's, he was in an enclosure with his two siblings. Two of them were at the fence, looking happy and wagging tails. Pudgy, standing at the back of the enclosure, rushed forward and, like a cheerleader, jumped onto his brothers' backs making a pyramid, then stood up with his paws at the top of the fence and I was hooked.

I did NOT, however, understand this was Alpha dog behavior. He's a wonderful joy-filled handful and has kept my spirits soaring through the loss of my entire family (human) and my own serious illnesses. He makes getting up in the morning worthwhile!

Pudgy likes to climb up into my lap and nap, but he also protects the entire neighborhood by making sure I know a car or jogger has just gone by. He'll play fetch for hours if I'm up to it, and if he can get hold of a sock, he's as happy as can be! (See photo of him, his favorite ball and just-claimed sock).

Here in Michigan, we get a lot of snow, and it drifts up in front of the garage door. If we can't get out the front door because of snowdrifts, we head out through the garage. One morning after it had snowed all night, I opened the garage door and the drift was taller than he was! He just stood there looking at it for a minute, and then turned his head back over his shoulder to look at me, as if to say "Do we have a 'Plan B?" Fortunately, I keep puppy pads handy in case of such emergencies, so he was able to find peace until I got the drifts cleared away.

By Polly from Michigan