Being on Scotties number 5 and 6, probably qualifies me quite well to write this review! The 2 Scotties I have now (Jock and Mollie) were rescued when they were 6 months old (now 20 months!) Scottie number 4 Pippa came from a broken home, I think she broke it! Number 3 Gracie came from a breeder, we had just lost number 1 Huggy to Leukaemia (only 6 years old) and wanted another one to keep Abi company. When we went to look at Gracie, she had just had 2 pups, and just walked away and left them (not the maternal type) we eventually found her, she was sleeping in the ash under the fire!!, number 2 Abigail, she was rescued, a big fat Scottie, that hardly walked anywhere, and would kill for an orange! and number 1 Huggy he was a real boy grrrr.

I also have an old cross breed called Zoë, she was “inherited” from an Aunt

** What are they? **

Scotties, Scottish Terriers, or Aberdeen Terriers are a wonderful dog, they are loyal, and great fun to have around.
They are generally black in colour, but can be brindle (sort of grey) and wheaten (creamy coloured) A lot of people do confuse Scotties with their cousins the Westie (who are white). They are quite a stocky dog, not too small and not too big, and have a wonderful trusting loving character to them.

The Scottie was originally bred in Scotland to hunt foxes and badgers, although if mine saw a fox or badger, they would probably hide behind my legs going “ggrrrrr, whoooaaa, phrrrr” which translates to “Go on then dad, you sort it out”

** They're snappy, aren't they? **

If I could have a pound for everyone that has said that to me, I would be very rich. As I mentioned earlier, I'm on Scotties number 5 and 6, and I have never had a snappy one yet. Every Scotty I’ve had has had a really gentle temperament (unless you are a cat!) I would trust my dogs to be alone with anyone, they would be more than likely to either lick you to death, or just sit on your lap and watch TV!!

** Personality **

Oh yes!! Each of the 6 Scotties that have owned my have all had their own personality. My current 2 Jock and Mollie certainly have some “interesting” quirks!!
Mollie loves TV, she lays on the arm of the sofa, so she can see the TV out of one eye, and the window out of the other. Any dogs on TV get a “grrrrrrrr”( as do any passing the window). Jock just wedges himself alongside me, so he can see out of the window.
If any wildlife programs are on, Jock, Mollie and the Old girl Zoe, form a semi circle in front of the TV and watch with great interest!

Jock loves to talk to you, he comes up and stands square on, lifts his head and goes “phhrrrraaaa, wooahh, wooohhha” he also does a bit of a tap dance!!
If Jock is asleep, Mollie sometimes creeps up and grabs his leg, which leads to pandemonium as they chase each other round the house or the garden.

In the garden, they love to sit on the coffee table and watch the world go by!!!

One thing Scotties do love, and that is a brush, they lay on their back, and let you brush them, they are not too keen if there is a tangle, and if you catch one, you do get the eye!! But boy do they look smart. I have my Scotties clipped 3 times a year, just to keep their coats in good condition.

** What is the nose for? **

With all the Scotties I've owed, the main purpose of the nose seems to be routling through any shopping bags that you have bought in and put on the floor. They are really nosey, and certainly do not want to be left out.
When out on walks all you can generally see is a Scotties head down, the tail high in the air, and a sort of a phff phff phff sound coming from the nose as they check out who has been around!
The nose is quite hard, and I’ve been caught a few times in the eye by it when playing!! I you go “Aaarrr” they seem to sense you are hurt, and come to your aid, you generally get a nice wash! Which is really not nice just after they have eaten!!!

** WALKIES! **

The great thing that I have found about Scotties, is that they will go on all day, they will run and run on the hills, but equally they are happy with a gentle trot round the block. They love to meet other people and dogs, and generally have great fun chasing around.
One of their favourite walkies is when I take them to Westward Ho! In Devon, they love the beach, and the sea, they charge everywhere, and generally sleep for two whole days afterwards!! But then it takes me about two days to get the beach out of the car!

They are very strong, and if they see something they want to chase when they are on the lead, it can be quite a job not to be dragged along after them!

All of my Scotties without exception has loved running on the hills (we maybe Abigail!) but open the back door to put them in the garden, and if it is raining, on go the brakes!

As a dog owner, I always have a supply of bags in my pocket, to clear up after they have been!

** They are a tie though aren't they? **

If anybody owns a dog, then yes they are a tie. I you want overseas holidays every year, then a dog is really not for you. If you want a great companion, that is loyal, funny and friendly, then a Scotty is definitely for you, but remember it is reciprocal, you need to love them too.
My holidays are spent in the UK, the dogs go with me, they need a holiday too. Anywhere new is a great treat for Scotties, there are new things to sniff, new hole to shove their noses down. They also love the attention that comes with being brother and sister, mainly from Japanese and American tourists!! There must be so many people that have photographs of two Scotties, and my legs from the knees down!!

If I have to go out I can happily leave them for 3-4 hours, they sleep in the kitchen, but they always seem to have one eye open, and they seem to know when you are about to come home.

** Bath time **

Clean water - I don’t think so!! Scotties love being out and charging through muddy puddles, in fact the muddier the better it would seem, they charge, they splash, they really enjoy it – come home and run the bath for them, they suddenly change into a quivering wreck hiding somewhere under the furniture!! What really surprises me is the fact that they won’t go out in the rain, but they go in the mud!! That was except Gracie, she used to tip toe around anything!

** Proud – I should say so! **

Scotties hate being laughed at, without fail all the Scotties that have owned me get a real huff when you laugh at them, they look through the big busy eyebows with a glare that says “don’t push it mate”
When people look at them and go “aaaaa” the Scotty seems to grow, they sick out their chest and kind of say “yep, that’s me I’m beautiful, and don’t forget it!”

The first Scotty “Huggy” got really annoyed with me when I laughed at him – well he had just tripped over and landed in a cow pat!!! He glared at me all day.

** Ah! dinner is served **

Scotties seem to eat most things, sticks and my garden being a particular speciality!

Number 2 Abigail particularly liked celery, but she wouldn't eat the leafy bit on top! Made a hell of a mess on the kitchen floor!
I generally feed mine James Wellbeloved dog food, it is good quality, and they like it. At Christmas though, they always have a Christmas dinner (but not the sprouts).

Jock seems to have this thing about eating everything!! I throw out bread for the birds, off he goes, and sits there chomping on crusts, if he doesn’t eat, he pushes the crusts along with his nose to the flower bed, and buries it for a later date!!! (it is not a good idea to get licked by him after this!)

They quite like their treats, and every now and then, they get a rawhide chew, which is really good for their teeth. They have mixed dog biscuits, which are always down, but they don’t bother with that too much. A must is to leave a bowl a fresh water down.

** Off to the Vet then? **

Well actually no… Yes I would take them to the vet if there was something seriously wrong, but as for annual injections I think it is wrong. I am a homeopath, and as such personally don’t believe in vaccinations, so if I go away somewhere, I use homeopathic treatment. The same is for my dogs, I treat them homeopathically, that includes using a homeopathic prophylactic instead of the annual boosters, the dogs are no worse for it, and I am certainly not poisoning them with the cocktail of rubbish that is vaccinations. If anyone wants any information on this, then please contact me through the guestbook (I also have done the same for cats) Ok I can’t put the dogs in kennels, but I wouldn’t really want to.
I also have an “inherited dog” Zoe, she is an 11year old cross, and when she came, she had trouble walking, with arthritis and rheumatism in her back legs. I treated her homeopathically, she now charges around with the puppies – like a puppy!

** What are they like with children? **

They are really gentle, that said you should never leave a child unsupervised with a dog, but mine have had ears and tails pulled, if it gets a bit rough they might bark, more of a warning really.

** Smell? **

The best smell in the world (to me) is a nice damp dog, Scotties seem to have a really nice odour about them. Probably the most bizarre thing is the smell of their feet, a really musty lived in smell, I guess you need to smell it to understand – or maybe I’m just weird!!

** Where can you get them **

This is the emotive subject of breeders to contend with!! Scottie pups can be really expensive I have seen them advertised for over £800 !! The Last 4 Scotties I've owned (or is it owned me!) have all been rescues.

So where do you rescue a Scottie from?, well believe it or not, there is a rescue society (there is for most breeds) The Scottie rescue is called STECS - Scottish Terrier Emergency Care Scheme, where the members co-ordinate rescuing Scotties either from owners who can no longer look after their dogs, right through to rescuing dogs from unscrupulous puppy farms, where puppy farmers only care about money. Every year STECS hold a garden party, which celebrates all Scotties, the garden party usually has about 100 Scotties in attendance, from young pups through to some very old wizened dogs (who can still put the pups in their place!)
STECS can be found at http://www.stecs.net

Well thanks for reading this, I hope it inspires you to want to own a Scotty – If you do want to get a dog, please try to get a rescue – they really do need a home, and you will be rewarded with love and affection and a living waste disposal unit!!!

Larry