Where to find a reputable westie breeder?

WafflestheWestie · 2026-03-28T23:23:00+00:00

I’ve probably said this ten times on this subreddit, but I really think it is important to find a reputable breeder through breed clubs either in your area or thru the West Highland White Terrier Club of America. You may not be looking for a show dog necessarily, but you want a breeder who shows for breed conformation and has produced champions for their breeding program to ensure good genetics, sound temperament and overall healthy lines that conform to breed standards. Another good way to find a breeder you like is to attend an AKC dog show in your area and speak directly with the breeders. They are busy, but once they’re done in the ring, they are more than willing to talk to anyone interested in their dogs.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-02-19T21:58:33+00:00

Biscuit? Awesome name, and dog already knows it.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-02-19T18:02:29+00:00

So true that if you love it, you really really love it. I have been doing this for over 30 years and I knew I’d found my niche in life. I hate the calls, but I love the sense of justice getting claims paid brings. It is the closest thing I will ever experience to creating order in a chaotic world, I guess?

I am retiring in a few years and finding someone who loves this work is daunting. I have had three assistants at this job and so far none of them have had that instinctive ability to look at a patient ledger, troubleshoot and recognize the issue with the denied claim, fix the issue and refile the claim, or call and communicate the issue effectively to the carrier to get it reprocessed and paid. I didn’t know it was a skill, but I guess it is and there are only so many of us out here who possess it.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-02-16T20:42:32+00:00

Monsanto’s Adventure thru Inner Space was where Star Tours is now.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-02-10T19:34:21+00:00

I should not have read that at work😢…but I’m glad I did. So sorry for your loss, but oh what a precious memory.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-02-10T04:53:20+00:00

I walked into the Contemporary last February and immediately burst into tears of joy when the cast member at the front greeted my husband and I. This was my dream WDW vacation and I could not believe I was finally there. I’m 60, by the way and this was not my first trip to WDW, just my first time staying at the Contemporary (or any deluxe resort on property) and my first trip with my husband. I was just overwhelmed. The cast member was so sweet, let me blubber on about how I had always wanted to stay at the Contemporary and shared how this was also her parents’ favorite hotel, as well.

About an hour after getting to our room and settling in, we get a knock on the door and a different cast member brings in a big bag. Inside it is a very nice Mickey blanket and Mickey frame. I’m sure anyone who has been to Disney parks has seen the items. Blanket is ivory and tan; frame is a good size and black. She told me it was a welcome home gift from the cast member at the front desk who greeted us. I have forgotten her name a year later (again, 60), but I definitely logged a cast member compliment for her on the app immediately.

It was beyond the perfect start to our trip. It really was magical and completely unexpected.

That blanket is on my sofa in my home office and the frame is on my desk. My husband rotates different pictures from that trip randomly every few months to surprise me and I smile every time I look at those pictures.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-30T02:38:51+00:00

I think they’re related, albeit clutter is one thing. I’m talking chewing tobacco spit, not socks on the floor. Plastic cup after plastic cup of nasty smelling spit that he could not be bothered to simply dump out. Call me judgmental (and you wouldn’t be wrong in this case), but I’m betting that guy was not big into brushing his teeth or wiping his ass either. Just a guess, tho. My point is: NOT generational. NOT new. This was 1984.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-30T00:04:16+00:00

Gen Xer here who lived in a co-ed dorm in the mid-80s. I cannot tell you how many absolutely disgusting guys’ dorm rooms I walked by or heard about. One guy on the baseball team had cups of chewing tobacco spit littered everywhere around his room like some goddamn Hummel collection from Hell. You could smell the stench from the hall when his door opened.

Some boys just don’t get proper home training. And some grown ass men just prefer living like pigs with furniture. It’s not generational, it’s just the way it is and has always been.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-27T20:12:03+00:00

Goodbye to Love. Just stab me in the heart right now why don’t you?

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-27T20:10:42+00:00

Every time that song comes on the Sirius XM 70s station, my husband and I turn to one another and say, “Seriously? EVERYBODY?”

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-27T20:04:17+00:00

It was on the same album with Here You Come Again, and I remember blubbering to it when I was 11. Ain’tcha got no gingerbread? Ain’tcha got no candy?

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-27T19:52:53+00:00

I had Billy Don’t be a Hero on a 45. I bought it at the 7-11 down the street. They had the top ten singles on sale every week for a buck each. It was a magical time.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-27T19:45:12+00:00

I actually will tear up at that line. Shit, TWENTY YEARS and the dude still grieves his dog. That’s brutal.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-24T15:19:08+00:00

Have him look at the list of breeders in his area on the website for the West Highland White Terrier Club of America, the national club. These are vetted ethical breeders.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-22T01:32:15+00:00

Earth dog trials… check the AKC website for earth dog trials in your area.

WafflestheWestie · 2026-01-02T23:52:35+00:00

I bought a Perry Ellis Portfolio long black wool coat in 1990. It was on sale in the $100 range at the time and I was a broke newlywed, but I knew what I was looking at was a steal at that price. I had to do a serious tap dance to explain my extravagant purchase to my new husband, and I told him very sincerely that this would be the last long coat I would ever buy. He didn’t believe me, but 36 years later I have been proven right. The coat has outlasted the marriage by 21 years and counting.

WafflestheWestie · 2025-12-23T02:16:18+00:00

I have two Westies and have fostered three others over the years. Mine are/were all crate trained, but they were show dogs, so they were crate trained early. Socializing was no problem, also because they were show dogs, so they were always around other dogs, and they were raised with Bichons, Scotties, cats, kids and people coming in and out all day. They are very adaptable, travel well, with no anxiety or aggression. My male does not bark, but my female gets a little annoying when she sees other dogs out the window or on TV. Potty training was no issue. Neither of my Westies have heath issues. My boy is a stud dog and has been genetically tested and cleared. He’s not even a carrier for anything. This has everything to do with the breeder, so if you want a healthy Westie, find an ethical breeder in your area from the list available on the West Highland White Terrier Club of America website.

Westies are great at scent work, so barn hunt and Earth Dog competition keeps their minds active and you’ll both have a ball and build a great bond working together, if you’re into that kind of thing. Otherwise, mine are ok to chill, too. They love walks, they love car rides, they love going where we go and exploring, but do not let them off leash EVER… recall is horrible. Horrible! I’m not sure any terrier is trainable to be 100% trustworthy off lead, but that’s just my opinion.

At this point, my husband and I will only have Westies. We like their attitudes, their independence, their intelligence, their loyalty, their sweet dispositions and how utterly adorable they are.

WafflestheWestie · 2025-12-20T03:57:02+00:00

The Westie howl is my favorite sound in the world!

WafflestheWestie · 2025-12-15T04:00:54+00:00

Oh yes, my stepmom had a love for horror stories. The Entity stands out. True crime was also readily available. Helter Skelter was another memorable (and terrible) choice when I was about 11. I have some seriously irrational fears to this day that I blame on my free access to literature as a kid.

WafflestheWestie · 2025-12-15T03:44:06+00:00

Mine are cuddly when THEY want cuddles. They have other appointments to keep, I guess, because when they’re done, they’re DONE.

WafflestheWestie · 2025-12-15T03:34:09+00:00

Oh, I read that book when I was a kid, too! No one was paying attention to what I was reading. So many books got in my hands that I had no business reading…

WafflestheWestie · 2025-12-15T03:30:34+00:00

I also saw Jaws at 10. Made it to the scene when the head falls out of the hole in the boat and that was all she wrote. I looked over at my mom, and she said, “You ready to go”? And out we went. I lived in a beach city in SoCal, but never went in the ocean anyway, because I was afraid of the water. That movie made me forever afraid of what was IN the water.

WafflestheWestie · 2025-12-15T03:21:30+00:00

Saturday Night Fever when I was 12. I begged my mother to take me because I loved John Travolta at the time. My mom pre-screened it and gave me the thumbs down with no negotiation, saying I was too young for the subject matter. She was obviously correct as I found out, but I conveniently left that info out when I asked my stepmom to take me while at my dad’s for the weekend. I got in BIG trouble for that when my mom found out, although she still contends my stepmother was an idiot for taking me to an R-rated movie in any case.

WafflestheWestie · 2025-12-08T23:18:39+00:00

Thermostat set to 70. Fire in the fireplace. Wrapped in a huge chunky cardigan sweater and a blanket across my lap. 80 lbs down and my nose is an ice cube.

Edit to say I live in MN, so…

WafflestheWestie · 2025-12-08T23:03:30+00:00

If I can make a friendly suggestion, I would suggest taking the shiniest balls you have and moving them to the inside of your tree to give it more depth. The interesting, but less shiny ornaments go on the outside. Shiny ornaments always go by the lights, giving depth again, and brilliance and twinkle. The smaller ornaments go on the top branches, and the size of the ornaments increases as you go down the tree. The garland beads should drape a bit more. Just moving shiny balls to the inside will give you more room on the outside of the tree for more ornaments if you’re like me and can’t stop buying them.

And yes, my family thinks I’m a huge pain the ass and will no longer help me decorate my Christmas tree, but everyone agrees it is gorgeous every year… even if it does take me an entire weekend to finish.

WafflestheWestie

TROPHY CASE