Ah, this was a fun trip.  There I was in the mountains.  Rootin’ in the pine tags for something.  I don’t know exactly what I was rootin’ for, but my nose is pointed to the ground nonetheless.  Buried almost up to my eyebrows.  (See why we have long beards and long eyebrows?  We’ve got to protect ourselves from all that rootin’!)

Now, I’ve never been to Scotland but They’ve told me that it’s a beautiful place.  Full of mountains high and low.  A long time ago, my ancestors came from there.  So did my cousins, the West Highland White Terriers.  So many people get us confused.  How, I don’t know because we don’t look a thing alike.  One of my girlfriends is a Westie who lives down the street.  Dixie is a hoot!  She makes me laugh because she loves the water.  That’s pretty unusual for a terrier.  (Think about it:  terrier = earth, not water.  Remember your Latin!) I haven’t seen her in a while.  I miss her cute little black toes.  Here’s a big Scottie “Roo Roo” shout out to my friend Dixiebelle!  Note to self: meet up with Dixie sometime soon and blog about it.

Back to what we’re for.  We Scotties were bred to help our poor human companions keep farm vermin in check.  Face it, it’s hard to imagine a big ‘ole burly Scotsman wedging himself in a rathole just to purge his kingdom of the beastie now isn’t it?  It’s much easier to imagine a Scottie handling that task for him.  We’re closer to the ground, fierce, and have a nice wiry coat that’s water and weather resistant.  And our tails make nice handles to pull us out of the holes with!  (But don’t do this when we’re puppies.) And, most importantly, we don’t give up until we get it.  A rat, a chipmunk, a squirrel, a badger… you name it. Never.

If you’re looking for a word to describe me and my ancestors, other than “fabulous”, “handsome”, or “wonderful”, it would be “tenacious.”

“Stubborn” is also used, but I don’t think it sounds as nice.

What You Learned Today:

• Scotties, like most terriers, are hunters of small vermin.  And we’ll dig just about anywhere for just about anything.  (Me?  I’m more concerned about keeping the garden looking nice for Them, so I dig only in special places.)
• Our coats help protect us.
• We’re nearly waterproof.
• We’re absolutely fabulous.  Especially when our faces are buried in something up to our eyebrows.