This is Harry and Lola's mom with Harry. Now that I'm getting the hang of this, I hope to be able to show you lots of great Scottie photos. Do send yours so that we can share them too.

Jean - www.harryandlola.org

Meet Harry and Lola's mom

John is having to pass the writing of this blog off to me. I'm Harry and Lola's rescue mom and I'm hoping to do as good a job as John did. I've had Scotties for more than 25 years and wouldn't have any other breed of dog. So I'll share some of my observations and hope they will help all of you love and appreciate the breed as much as I do. I'm also excited to hear from you. What do you want to see on this blog.
Thanks,
Jean Nave - www.harryandlola.org

HALLOWEEN IS FOR MEMORIES

THE ABERDEEN TERRIER

When I look at Angee I see the original Aberdeen Terrier. Slim, agile, very high energy and really not thinking about anything she isn't looking at. Smart as a whip with no 'off' button'. Never have I seen any dog with such a drive to dig in the earth. Walking her down a trail is a constant matter of her running to the end of the retractable leash and beginning to dig. Then she will begin a second hole on the other side of the trail. By the time I reach her, she runs ahead and begins more holes. I have seen her do this continually throughout a six mile hike. Many times she will drive her nose into earth without using her paws. It has been a task trying to keep the skin on her nose intact and her paws reasonably clean.

My wife gave me a book about Scottish Terriers that was originally published in the early 1900s. The photographs in the book show an amazing resemblance to Angee, not only in general stature and hair patterns, but in the fact that most of the photographs show dogs with dirt on their noses. The people who took those photographs must have gotten tired of trying to wash away the dirt. And just like the photographs, Angee's coat is a coarse fur that is actually a brindle with gray. It seems to do a great job in protecting her from the brambles. One of her favorite hunting technique is to just launch straight into any cluster of bushes or tall grasses. Despite all she has encountered, I have never seen her react to blackberry vines or stinging nettle, she just plows right on through.

ANGEE: FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT

Taking Angee for a walk can be both a joy and a trying experience. Though she is much better about the leash aggressive behavior, she is still a handful on walks because she is so energetic and fit. Last Tuesday we took her on a 6 mile hike in the forest, climbing just over a thousand feet of elevation. With all the rain and wind and slippery slopes, we were pretty tired when we got back, but Angee wasn't even phased. Her instincts are such that she managed to stick her nose into every mound of fresh turned soil on both sides of the trail for the entire three hours of the hike. She even managed to take some skin off the top of her snout while rooting in the soil for whatever was living in that earth. (Oh yeah, Angee is quite the digger). It rained the entire hike but nothing bothered Angee. She was ready to go for her daily neighborhood walk the moment we got home.

Any potential adoptive parents will have to be ready to walk Angee at least an hour a day. Because she is so active and energetic, Angee is a prime candidate for getting into trouble around the house if ignored or left at home alone. We have never left her at our home alone for more than four hours at a time, just because of her need for activity and interaction. (Actually, we have a family policy of never leaving any of our dogs alone for more than four hours.) And on those occasions she has been at home alone, she has always been well-exercised before we left. Fortunately, Angee is house-trained such that there has never been an 'accident' in the house. She is probably one of the smartest Scottys we have had the pleasure to foster.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

If you have been watching the nightly news you have probably seen the story about a group of volunteers who are trying to do something for the 50,000-100,000 stray dogs wandering the streets of Detroit, Michigan. The rescue group was down to its last few dollars when NBC picked up the story for national coverage. Viewers from around the nation have been so impressed with the rescue efforts in Detroit they have been sending funds and trying to make a difference from the comfort of their living rooms. Now the volunteers have a web site: http://www.detroitdogrescue.com/

It a city with so many other problems, it would have been easy for people to forget about the animals left wandering the streets. It does my heart good to know Detroit has people that will take the time to focus on the victims left behind. That's what rescue is all about. And kudos to NBC.

Angee is a BIG SUCCESS at the 20th Annual Walk for the Animals!

I could tell Angee was a little nervous when we arrived at Ester Short Park, site of the WALK FOR THE ANIMALS, presented by the Humane Society of Southwest Washington. Loud music, lots of people, hundreds and hundreds of dogs, cats, even ponies, all over the park. She yawned a bit as we got registered (I carried her through the lines), but she settled in and seemed to enjoy being the only Scottish Terrier in the crowd. Things only got more crowded in the park as the starting time for the 3 mile walk approached. Angee took the people dressed as cats or dogs in stride. Every now and then a dog would get loose and surprise Angee from behind, but she never lost her composure. Just before the start of the walk I noticed Angee's harness had broken so I attached a second leash to her collar, securing her in the event of a worst case scenario. Angee can definitely out run me, that I know.

Finally the walk began and the entire crowd moved forward. I was a little worried about setting Angee up for failure by starting her in the most crowded portion of the walk, so we began at the very back of the crowd, working our way through all the people and animals as they streamed through the city. Angee seemed to walk along the outside edge of the crowd, at least pretending to be more interested in the bushes and trees along the way. Being short-legged, her feet were just a blur as she charged through the other dogs. Things were so crowded and narrow I let Angie lead me along the waterfront at a pretty good pace. By the time we reached the turn around point at Beach's we were close to the head of the crowd.


The return walk was probably a bigger test for Angee as she had to face oncoming dogs that, in many cases, were a little leash aggressive in their own right. Angee never once lost her composure. In fact, she actually seemed to enjoy the occasion. A number of people commented on the 'little scottie'. We saw no other Scottish Terriers at the event. Total time for the three mile walk: 1 hour and 8 minutes.

I really feel Angee has reached a turning point in her behavior with other dogs. Where she was overly aggressive and unsocialized, she is now open to the idea that other dogs are not necessarily a threat to her. She knows she needs to pay attention to the human at the other end of her leash, that there are expectations of her. Maybe the most noticeable difference in Angee's behavior is in the way she looks at me rather that at the other dogs in the immediate area. It is almost as if she trusts me enough to ignore them. We still have some work ahead, but I'm proud of what we have accomplished. It was a good day.