Penny Sanford Porcelains: A City Westie Turns Country!

You have not lived until you watch a city-slicker Westie try to impress a pack of country English Shepherds!

Annie, the Westie Rescue who from all accounts lived a pampered city life in Vicksburg, MS, until her owner died, and his wife abruptly dumped Annie and her elderly, feeble brother Rebel outside in the back yard 24/7 in the terrible heat and cold.

What followed was more than a year of neglect, no baths, no grooming, no human love, doggie depression, and being menaced by street-savvy dogs in the kill-shelter. Their sad story haunts me, so instead, I try to focus on giving all of our fur children a wholesome country life with lots of love.

Thanks to Louisiana Westie Rescue, Annie and Rebel came to live on Hamer Hills Farm with our four English Shepherds and one Rescue Siamese-mix in early October, 2006. Rebel was feeble and required a good bit of extra TLC. Annie needed time to trust that this was her Forever Home. She is very bright and has a huge heart to please her people.

You should see the changing expressions on Annie's face when she finds Rosalie the Rescue Siamese-mix in our studio living quarters and decides to NOT chase the cat and to NOT bark at the cat because she knows that is what her people want from her. Her face shows a mixture of heartache, despair and resignation. *laugh*

Westies have a HUGE prey drive, and they need to be kept on leash at all times when outside of a fenced area. You cannot see it in these photos, but there is a fence around the open meadows surrounding our three structures...old farmhouse, studio and Grandma's house that we are s-l-o-w-l-y renovating. In addition, Gordon and I were supervising the walk, continually training the dogs to return to our side when we call.

We have been taking Annie and The Girls on a walk to help all those walking to become more fit. Now that she is off-leash (within the enclosed meadows) she is trying SO hard to impress the English Shepherds!

It is so cute to see her, not run, but leap and bound over the "tall" grass after her new sisters, trying to keep up as "one of the pack". *grin* They let her boss them around because either they know she is a special little dog, or they just like to see her being bossy. Westies have ATTITUDE!

I don't think Annie has had the opportunity before to smell wild turkey, deer, rabbit, bobcat, cougar, wild dogs, coyote, armadillo, raccoon, opossum, fox, and an unknown number of other critters!

These daily walks are, for Annie, probably equivalent to locking me in a Godiva chocolate shop overnight. *Great Big Cheeky Grin* Now THAT is a fantasy!