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Hamish, formerly
known as Rudy, is a dog that was returned to rescue when the couple who adopted him in July of 2004 experienced some changed
circumstances that rendered them no longer able to care for him. Because this
was not his first experience with rescue, he was very depressed when we got him. Luckily,
the same week we received him, we received an inquiry from a couple in the Memorial area of Houston who
was seeking an older dog to help to fill their empty nest. We sent an application
and received it within two days. The following week, the lady of the house met
Hamish (whose name was then Rudy) and it was love at first sight. The family
decided that he needed a name in the fine Scottish tradition, and renamed him Hamish.
The last visit we made to Hamish’s new house, he was a completely transformed dog, following his new lady of
the house from room to room and lavishing in all of his new family’s affection.
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Although only two years old, Misty has seen
her share of heartache. Because of some past altercations, she was given up more than once because she was unable to tolerate
a home with other dogs. Despite her problems with dogs, she is very much a people person, extremely playful, and loves a great
deal of attention. She will even let you know if you are not providing her with enough attention, and is one of the more conversational
Westies we have ever met. We found her a great family who had wanted a Westie for some time and only wanted one dog. She now
has a Mom to love and take care of her, a teenaged boy to play with her constantly, and a Grandmother who comes by almost
every day to keep her company while everyone is away at work and school. Her favorite activities are watching and talking
to the world from her balcony and playing tug and fetch with her toy.
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Snowy was surrendered to Rescue by his owners, who loved him very much but recognized their
lack of time and resources to care for him. Extremely smart, adaptable, and mellow,
Snowy just seems to fit right in wherever he happens to be. He loves to be around people, children, and other pets, and we
found a home for him where he gets varied exposure to all three. Because his
current owners have a lot of experience with Westies, but did not currently have any, they were missing having one around
their home. Snowy, being of good spirit, took to his new home almost immediately.
These days, Snowy likes to explore his new home and yard. He is quickly developing his supervisory skills, working with his new owners on various home improvement
projects. He really likes the affections of his new people, and he enjoys playing with the other pets who visit his home from
time to time.
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Piper is a happy little Cajun Westie girl who came to us from Louisiana. Her owner accepted
a job promotion that would not allow her to spend the time she believed was necessary to keep Piper as well cared for as she
wanted. Because Piper was only about 4 months old when she came to Rescue, we kept her until we could get her spayed and healed
properly. Endlessly playful, her cheerful little bark earned her the nickname "Pip Squeak". We learned quickly that despite
the heat, she would spend almost all of her time outdoors if she thought she could get away with it, and she seemed to really
want a Dad. Because of Piper’s high energy, we were fortunate to adopt her to a gentleman just out of college whose
roommate has a Westie just a few months older than Piper. Her new home is busy and active. She gets endless attention and loves her new Westie brother.
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Smokey is an 11 year old male who made his way to our rescue through
many miles and a coordinated team effort. His life began in Virginia, where his original owners resided. After his owners
could no longer keep him, he was given to a family friend in Mississippi who eventually dropped him off at a pound in Pearl
River County. One of our Westie club members found him on the internet, and we transported him to Houston thanks to our club
members in New Orleans. Another club member mentioned a friend who had recently lost his wife, and he and his wife had a long
history of owning Westies. He knew enough about the breed to understand that he would not be able to keep up with a younger
dog, and had become the designated pet sitter for our club member, and for his daughter. He had mentioned to them that he
would like to have a Westie of his own. Fortunately for everyone, Smokey was his perfect match. These two gentlemen are together
almost all hours of the day, going on walks and occasionally socializing with other residents of
the facility in which they live.
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Teddy was surrendered
to Rescue because he had experienced some aggression issues. His owner had tried
to work around the problem, but ultimately decided that it was best for the family to place him with our Rescue. Even though most rescue organizations will not work with dogs like Teddy, we decided that we would evaluate
him and see if we could find a situation conducive to his positive development. We
found that he was mostly a friendly and quiet little guy who just had a few triggers.
Fortunately, we believed that we would be able to help him and succeeded in finding a family who shared our goals. It seems that Teddy has taken to his large extended family and loves to go on long
walks and shares a warm spot on the couch next to his owners.
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Cowboy
was one of the smallest adult Westies we had ever seen in rescue. Coming in at
under 12 pounds, although tiny, he had a great deal of energy. Unfortunately,
his owner was unable to keep him due to a new housemate’s dog allergy, and he didn’t think it was fair for Cowboy
to have to live outside. It was obvious to us that Cowboy was used to having
a male owner, and we were fortunate to find him a young single bachelor who had grown up with Westies as a kid and was ready
to get one on his own. The excitement in Cowboy’s new bachelor pad has
been just what both guys needed. They like to play hide and seek in the
house, and Cowboy is known to try and creep up on you when he thinks you’re not looking at him.
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Maggie, now Winnie, came into rescue soon after Easter. Her former family
bought an Easter duck, and as Westies are known to hunt small animals, she frightened her family when she treated the duck
as prey. We discovered she was extremely sweet and lovable, and got along well
with children and other pets. A couple of our Westie Club members, who had recently
lost their older girl, were looking for companionship for their highly energetic Westie pup, Mattie. The family was mourning the loss of her elder “sister” and Winnie was a great fit into their
home. Winnie now has a big family to provide constant love. Her family has since added a Scottie to the mix and their home is fun every minute. The picture is of Mattie (Left) and Winnie (Right) sharing a favorite toy.
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Mulligan (adopted May 08)
Mulligan
came to us as Laddie, and was turned in at a vet’s office in Lake Charles.
The prior owner had relinquished him to the vet’s office because he couldn’t be cared for properly due
to circumstances surrounding the various storms and hurricanes that had been hitting the area.
His new owners renamed him because they were grateful for second chance to have a Westie in their home. His new “Dad” says he’s a “Mama’s
boy”. Mulligan loves to
ride in the car, and especially on his new owners’ golf cart where he gets a great deal of attention from their golfing
friends. He especially loves his squeaker toys, and has a favorite toy
mouse who joins him for naps. He is apparently quite a neatnik as well, placing
his toys in his daybed when he’s not playing with them.
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Click HERE for our 2004-2006 Rescue Stories |
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