History

History

The nobles, landed gentry, and poor farmers of the long-ago British Isles all faced the same problem: infestations of rodents that pillaged grain stores and carried disease. The solution was the development of a vast array of terriers, 'earthdogs,' adept at finding and dispatching rats.

It is thought that the terriers of Scotland' including the Westie, Cairn, Skye, Scottish, and Dandie Dinmont terriers'¿are all branches of the same family tree. The exact beginnings of the Westie's forerunners are, in the poetic words of one historian, 'cloaked within the mists of the Scottish hills.

The breed we know today as the West Highland White Terrier comes into historical focus in 1700s, when the Malcom clan began breeding the little white exterminators on their estate, called Poltalloch. The breed was sometimes known as the Poltalloch Terrier; an alternate name was the Roseneath Terrier, named for another Scottish estate where early breedings were done.

By 1896, when the breed was first shown at Scottish dog shows, it was known as the West Highland White Terrier, referring to the northwest part of Scotland where Westies earned their fame. Westies were first shown at AKC shows in 1906. Amusing, spunky, and portable, the Westie has been a popular companion dog in America for well over a hundred years. Juicy Couture and Black & White Scotch whiskey are two of the brands that have used the Westie's delightful image to attract customers.