Morris’ staycation

Morris’ staycation

Morris the westie features in Minnie The Westie's cartoon books.

Morris the westie features in Minnie The Westie’s cartoon books.

Morris is another Westie dog… he lives next door to me and he’s my boyfriend.

You may have met Morris in my cartoon book

In the cartoons, Morris is sweet, funny, charming, thoughtful and sophisticated (in a doggy way).

Morris and I also have a lot of adventures together!

Oh, the holes we’ve dug together, and the great sniffs we’ve sniffed. *dreamy look*

What can I say, Morris is pawsome! 🙂

 

My boyfriend, Morris the westie, in my cartoon books is based on a real life Morris The Westie!

My boyfriend, Morris the westie, in my cartoon books is based on a real life Morris The Westie!

 

Well, the cartoon Morris is based on a real life Morris the Westie!

Morris’ family recently went overseas for 3 weeks… and Morris came to stay with me!

Morris and I both enjoyed his “staycation” very much… as you’ll see from our photos!

 

The mornings always start the same... with cuddles! That's me, Minnie, on the right (cuddled up to mum), and Morris is on the left, kissing mum's hand.

The mornings always start the same… with cuddles! That’s me, Minnie, on the right (cuddled up to mum), and Morris is on the left, kissing mum’s hand.

 

westies-in-the-garden

In the mornings, we like to check out what’s been happening in the garden. Here we are both practicing our “innocent” faces. (That’s me, Minnie, on the left, and Morris on the right.)

 

westies-keeping-guard

On cold mornings, I stay inside (where it’s nice and warm!) and keep an eye on Morris as he patrols the outside. If he discovers anything interesting, I dash out through the doggy door to join him! This way I get the best of both worlds. 🙂

 

westies-twos-company

Some days, we just sit and relax in the sunshine. 🙂

 

westies-sunbathing-indoors

Once we are content that there are no cats to chase in the garden, the sunbathing continues inside, where it’s warmer. (It’s winter here in Auckland at the moment!) That is Morris on the left, and me, Minnie, on the right.

 

westies-sleeping-separately

We need a nap after such a busy morning. That is me, Minnie, on the top, and I have stolen Morris’ bed…

 

westies-sharing-a-bed

Morris is not impressed that I’ve stolen his bed, so he comes and joins me! That’s Morris on the left, and me, Minnie, on the right – looking decidedly unimpressed with Morris’ tactics!

 

westie-toy-rampage

Help! Morris is killing my Christmas-chicken-in-gold-hotpants toy! (OK, so I never liked that toy, but still! Help?!)

 

westie-destroys-chicken-toy

Morris says, “It’s OK, Minnie, I’ve killed that Christmas-chicken-in-gold-hotpants, it was freaking me out! You’re safe now!”

 

westies-cheltenham-beach-auckland

At the weekend, we got a trip to Cheltenham Beach (Auckland, NZ)! That is Morris on the left, and me, Minnie, checking out the good sniffs on the right.

 

westie-before-shower

Morris says: “What do you mean I got grubby on the beach? Surely a fellow as handsome as I am doesn’t need a shower?!”

 

westie-after-wash

Morris says: “Mummmeeeee! That mean lady washed me! Not fair!”

 

westies-in-a-car

Getting takeaways for (the humans’) dinner turns into an exciting Westie outing! That’s me, Minnie, on the left, and Morris on the right.

 

westies-sleeping-on-pillow

Night night! As you can see, Morris made himself right at home, using mummy’s pillow for his head rest, and my head as his butt rest!

 

And there’s more!

Morris learned a few tricks while he was staying with me:

  1. He sits and waits till he hears the word “OK” before eating.
  2. He gives kisses on demand! (Well, in return for some bribes!)
  3. He chews bones! He’s not been much of a chewer before, whereas me, I really love my bones. I show him how it’s done.

Enjoy the video of Morris’ new tricks!

 

Here’s the link to my YouTube Channel: please visit it and click “Subscribe”, so you’ll see my new westie videos and updates!

Love ‘n’ nose licks,

Minnie x

To link to this post, use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/morris-staycation

 


 

Do you enjoy Minnie the Westie cartoons?

Treat yourself (or a loved one) to a book full of smiles!

Go on, buy someone a smile today! 🙂

Date night with Morris!

Date night with Morris!

In my cartoons, you’ll meet a handsome Westie called Morris, who lives next door to me.
(Paws off, people – he’s my boyfriend!)

Cartoon Morris is based on a real-life Morris, and last week he stopped by for a date at my house!

We had so much fun… we tried out all the couches, and all the arm chairs…

westie date night

Above: That’s Morris on the left, and me, Minnie on the right.

Playing musical chairs (or, rather, musical couches) proved to be rather tiring, so eventually we settled down for a nice nap together…

Westie-date-night

Awwww, puppy love! *dreamy smile*

Love ‘n’ licks,

Minnie x

To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/date-night-with-morris

 


 

Do you enjoy Minnie the Westie cartoons?

Treat yourself (or a loved one) to a book full of smiles!

Go on, buy someone a smile today! 🙂

Meet the compawtition winners!

Meet the compawtition winners!

Thank you to efurryone who entered my compawtition!

I loved reading all your doggies’ names… you can see the list of Westie names here.

(And the list with the non-Westie names will be on my blog soon, so watch this space!)

The most popular Westie names were Max (for boy Westies) and Maggie-Mae (for girl Westies). The westie dog name that made me laugh the most (and drool the most) was “Bacon”! BOL!

Here are the winners…

Both of the compawtition winners live in the USA! (It is so pawsome to have furiends all over the world!)

Another thing that both winning doggies have in common is that they are very stylish!

Meet Sebastian…

Sebastian is one very stylish Westie in his hat!

Sebastian is one very stylish Westie in his hat!

Meet Jadis…

Jadis is wearing "doggles" dog sunglasses... too cute!

Jadis is wearing "doggles" dog sunglasses... too cute!

 

The pawrize…

Jadis and Sebastian each won a pawtographed copy of my cartoon “Minnie The Westie” book.

Here I am, checking the pawcel before mum took it to the Pawst Office:

Minnie The Westie gives the pawcel her stamp of approval!

Minnie The Westie gives the pawcel her stamp of approval!

 

I hope that Sebastian and Jadis have a pawsome time reading about my adventures!

And thank you to efurryone who entered, it was wuffly to get your entry peemails and read your doggies’ names.

You are pawsome!

Wags and nose licks,

 

PS. Didn’t win a pawrize, but would still like a copy of my cartoon westie book?

Minnie The Westie’s cartoon book makes a great gift or stocking filler, and is suitable for dog lovers of all ages. Minnie’s fans range from 6 years old to 66 years old (or older – it’s rude to ask!)

Here are the links to some of the most popular online bookstores:

My cartoon book has had pawsome reviews on Amazon.com!

Minnie The Westie book - reviews on Amazon.com

 

If you go to Amazon.com you can choose “look inside” to see a sample of the book and westie cartoons. 🙂

 

To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/meet-the-compawtition-winners

 

West highland terrier temperament: What are Westies really like?

West highland terrier temperament: What are Westies really like?

This is something mum is often asked when she’s walking me. People give me a pat (or sometimes even a belly rub!) and then ask what the west highland terrier temperament is like, as they are thinking of getting a dog. Here is my view of the west highland terrier temperament, based on the Westies I have known and sniffed. 🙂

When you’re a Westie, everyone is a friend you haven’t met before

The most well-known aspect of the west highland terrier temperament is a Westie’s friendly nature. I’ve met many Westies, and they all love humans.

Why do we love humans? Because they give such pawsome belly rubs! Collecting belly rubs is my favourite hobby!

West highland terrier temperament: we love belly rubs!

What are Westies like with other dogs?

To be honest, that depends on the Westie: the west highland terrier temperament varies here, and also depends on our formative years.

Me, I was the runt of the litter, so I’ve always been non-assertive with other dogs. And I got attacked by some big dogs a couple of times. I am now very selective who I hang out with. My favourite furiend is my boyfriend Morris. He lives next door, and we spend time together regularly. I love Morris, he is pawsome!

My boyfriend, Morris, also a westie, is my bestie!

My boyfriend, Morris, also a westie, is my bestie!

 

West highland terriers love human companionship

Us Westies do like company. We like to be part of the (human) family, so we’ll happily go for rides in the car, plane, or boat with you. Being with our human pack is very impawtant.

My humans take me sailing, and I love it! Though the best thing about it is being with my humans. 🙂

Because west highland white terriers do like human company so much, don’t get a Westie if you’re going to leave him home alone every day while you’re at work. Your poor doggy will be miserable without you, and barking may become a problem.

Does that mean that Westies yap a lot?

No, Westies aren’t generally yappy dogs. They will bark if they are unhappy, for example if you leave them all day.

If persistent barking is a problem, that’s a training issue. You need to show the dog what’s acceptable behaviour and what isn’t.

Me, I only bark when people come to the front door. And then I bark with a very deep ‘woof’. People are often a little scared and expecting a big dog based on my big, deep woof! BOL!

Alert and good watch dogs… but terrible guard dogs

Most Westies will woof when someone approaches the front door. We are very alert, and it only takes the tiniest sound to rouse us from the deepest of sleeps.

However, as soon as the door is open, we wag our tails and hope to score a belly rub from the visitor. So if you want a dog that’ll put the bitey on intruders, the west highland terrier will disappoint you!

We chase things… like cats

Now there’s one kind of intruder that I’m very good at dealing with: cats! If a kitty cat ventures into my garden, I will give it a good chase. My motto is, “if it runs, chase it”… and all my Westie furiends are the same. My English furiends even get to chase things like squirrels and rabbits, lucky dogs!

Why do Westies chase other animals? Well, we were bread to hunt and kill rodents, so that is an ingrained part of the west highland terrier temperament. You will need to work hard with your Westie to train it not to chase furry critters.

Westies have terrible road sense

Because of our inclination to chase furry things at a moment’s notice, west highland white terriers have terrible road sense. Our reactions are generally a lot quicker than humans, so please, never let a Westie off the lead anywhere near a road.

If Westies chase animals, can they live with cats?

Despite our fondness of chasing furry critters, yes, we can live happily with cats. We quickly learn that cats have sharp, pointy claws – so please, protect your young pup’s eyes and nose in the early days.

The cat quickly becomes top dog in the household. Believe me, I’ve experienced it. I respect the claw!

Got a cat already? Westies will learn to 'respect the claw' very quickly!

Got a cat already? Westies will learn to ‘respect the claw’ very quickly!

 

Are Westies good with children?

This is a trickier question to answer, as it depends on the Westie, the parents, and the children. Generally, the Westies I know are very good with children, but (and this is a big but) the kids need to be trained how to handle and act around the dog.

Many dogs hate the sudden, jerky movements children make – they feel threatened, and may snap. This is just their self-preservation. Likewise, any dog might get a bit grumpy if its ears are pulled, fur is yanked, or things waved in front of its eyes. In particular, make sure children are careful around a dog’s food. Dogs may snap or bite if they think their food is being threatened, especially if a stranger (e.g. visiting child) goes near it.

For any dog to be part of a happy home, it means training both the dog and all the humans.

Training your Westie

The west highland terrier temperament is known as being a little, um, stubborn. So I shall write more about training your Westie another time. For now, all I’ll say is that you must plan on spending time training your Westie puppy each day, and puppy obedience classes are a very good idea.

Food

Me, I looooove food *drools at the thought*. My boyfriend, Morris, has a healthy appetite too. We will do anything we can to score some noms from you, and I have pawfected the art of using my ‘hypnotise-eyes’!

Westietude: Look deep into my eyes... feed me... feed me...

But other Westies I know are picky eaters. I think we’re all a bit different in this regard. However, I am doing my best to teach everyone my hypnotise-eyes tricks, there is a Minnie Merchandise range to help them with that!

Do Westies need much exercise?

Even though west highland white terriers are small dogs, we are not lap dogs. We like daily exercise, thank you very much! I sometimes see overweight Westies, and that makes me sad. Our daily walks and sniffs are impawtant to us. If you are not willing to walk a dog each day, the west highland terrier is not the dog for you.

Westies love discovering new sniffs!

Westies love discovering new sniffs!

 

Napping

Most Westies will enjoy some naps throughout the day. Being this cute is tiring, y’know!

Oh, and our favourite napping position? Your bed. 😉 You can always rely on a Westie to find the comfiest spot in the house, even if you don’t approve of it!

West highland terriers like a comfy bed (ideally yours!)

Skin issues and allergies in Westies

Yes, it is true that many Westies are prone to skin issues: I have had skin problems myself. There seem to be as many remedies as there are Westie owners; there is no hard-and-fast solution! Be prepared for some vets bills; and also the time to treat your Westie if a skin condition develops. Believe me, your Westie will repay you with love if you can make his skin comfy for him. 🙂

Here is my own experience of Westie allergies.

Grooming your Westie

Westies have hair, rather than fur, and it grows at about the same rate as human hair. Therefore your Westie will need to be groomed regularly. Me, I get groomed every 4-6 weeks in summer, and every 6-10 weeks in winter. As well as getting a bath and hair cut, my groomer also clips my nails and cleans out my anal gland. Not all groomers provide the same, comprehensive so don’t assume that all groomers will do this – ask!

If you don’t want to pay for someone to groom your Westie, you could learn to do it yourself.

In between grooms, your Westie will also need its hair brushed and maybe the occasional bath. (Me, I get a shower every week or two… I actually quite like it, and it soothes my skin!)

Wow, I hope you enjoyed this information on the west highland terrier temperament. Talking about Westies is one of my favourite subjects!

For a light-hearted look at the Westie’s attitude, check out my series on Westietude!

Love ‘n’ licks,

Minnie x

To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/west-highland-terrier-temperament-what-are-westies-really-like

Minnie The Westie - book coverAbout Minnie The Westie:

Minnie The Westie is the star of the dog cartoon book, Minnie The Westie: The Adventures Of A Cartoon West Highland Terrier Cartoon Dog. It’s available as a Paperback book from online bookstores, and Kindle eBook from Amazon. It contains 85 black-and-white Minnie The Westie cartoons.

Shop for Minnie The Westie’s book at Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk and The Book Depository (with free shipping worldwide).


Next step:

Get a Minnie The Westie cartoon emailed to you each month with Minnie Mail – it’s free and fun! You can sign up here (or click here for more details):

 

Westie Walk with the Westie Club NZ

Westie Walk with the Westie Club NZ

Being a member of the Westie Club NZ is fun! One of the events they organise each year is a Westie Walk in Cornwall Park, Auckland, New Zealand.

Cornwall Park is beautifully landscaped and incorporates the famous One Tree Hill. The park covers an area of about 120 hectares (296.5 acres), some of which is run as a farm. Yep, there are sheep and moo moos right in the middle of the Auckland urban sprawl!

The 2011 Westie Walk

This year’s Westie Walk was on Sunday 13 November, which is Spring time in New Zealand. A nice time of year for a walk!

Here are my photos from the day. And yes, you might spot the occasional Scottie too; they are part of the clan after all!

Westie Walk 2011

Who says it's just dogs that are food obsessed? The humans huddle around the BBQ... and that's before the walk has even started!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westie Walk 2011

The walk gets underway! There are Westies in front of me...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westie Club Walk 2011

... and there are even more Westies behind me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westie Walk

Me, I have to stop and sniff every tree. This is hard work; there are a lot of trees in this park!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westie Walk 2011

The Westie Walk is a great way to meet new friends. Here I am, playing with a new furiend. Sadly I didn't catch her name, we were too busy running running running!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westie Walk 2011

Of course, it's good to see old friends on the walk too. That's me, Minnie on the right. In the middle of the photo is my boyfriend, Morris. And on the left is Magnum, another Westie furiend that I see most weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westie Walk 2011

We stop for some water... it is a hot day! The stairs also make a good photo opawtunity. I am in there somewhere with mum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sheep in Cornwall Park

Amazing! There are white, fluffy things in the park that aren't Westies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westie Club Walk 2011

After the walk, the dogs and humans alike relax in the shade and enjoy some noms. There's a sausage sizzle for the humans (though I did get a small bit of sausage too!). And there were some free dried chicken necks for the doggies. Nom nom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tired westie

I was soooo tired after the walk, I fell asleep as soon as I got in the car!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tired Westie after Westie Walk

When I got home, I had a snooze as soon as I got through the front door! I didn't even make it onto the couch or bed! Or into the kitchen (where the humans were doing food things)... now THAT'S a tired Westie!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m looking forward to the Westie Club’s next event already!

Love ‘n’ licks,

Minnie x

 

 

 

To link to this post, use:  https://www.minniethewestie.com/westie-walk-with-the-westie-club-nz

 

Willo and Holly the reading dogs!

Willo and Holly the reading dogs!

Willo and Holly are two of my Westie furiends who regularly hijack their mum’s Twitter account… they are wuffly!

On one of the occassions when the dogs allowed their mum to Tweet, she added some pawsome photos of Willo and Holly reading my book. Too cute!

Willo checks out the 'Minnie The Westie' book

Willo checks out the 'Minnie The Westie' book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up on the couch… typical Westies, getting nice and comfy! (Quite right, too!)

 

Holly gets stuck in for a good read!

Holly gets stuck in for a good read!

 

Notice how the colours of Holly’s collar almost match the colours of the book cover?! A happy coincidence, methinks!

A big thank you to Willo and Holly’s mum for letting me use your photos. 🙂 Extra big nose licks for you! *mwah*

Love ‘n’ licks,

Minnie x

 

 

PS. If you’d like to give your Westies (or humans, or yourself) a copy of my cartoon book, you can find out on my Store page where it’s available.

And feel free to email, Tweet or Facebook me with photos of your dogs enjoying Minnie books and merchandise! It’s always lovely to hear from you! 🙂

 

To link to this post, use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/willo-and-holly

 

Bonnie and Jack: it’s true wuff!

Bonnie and Jack: it’s true wuff!

I love socialising, both in the real world and online… that’s why I love Facebook and Twitter so much.

One of my bestie Westies on Twitter is the lovely Bonnie (@Bonniethewestie) who lives in Bedfordshire, England… she is such a cutie! Here’s a photo of Bonnie:

Bonnie The Westie

My beautiful furiend, Bonnie 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the past few months a romance has been unfolding between Bonnie and the handsome Jack (@JackMcWestie)… he is a very fine-looking fellow from North Wales:

Jack McWestie

The handsome Jack McWestie

 

 

 

 

 

One day, Jack decided he wanted to give Bonnie a beautiful blingy bowdana as a sign of his true wuff. The bowdana was made by another Twitter furiend, Cosmo (@Cosmolitious) – he is a Yorkie. Here is Cosmo, as you can see he is very very stylish and fashionable:

Cosmo Couture

Cosmo - he is one stylish dude!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem was, Bonnie’s mum had already ordered a bowdana from Cosmo, and all sorts of chaos followed! Bonnie even had to show her doggy ID at the Post Office!

You can read the full wuff story on Cosmo’s pawsome blog: http://cosmolitious.blogspot.com/2011/09/bonnies-bowdana.html

It is a wuffly story… enjoy!

I’ll finish off with some photos of Bonnie looking beautiful in her blingy bowdana… on the front you can see the blingy “B” for “Bonnie”…

Bonnie's bowdana

Bonnie's Blingy Bowdana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… and on the reverse side there is a pretty paw:

Bonnie's bowdana - the denim reverse

... this is the denim reverse of the bowdana.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very stylish… and it’s such a beautiful wuff story!

 

 

 

 

Love ‘n’ licks,

Minnie x

 

 

PS. Thank you to my furiends Bonnie, Jack and Cosmo for letting me use their photos 🙂

 

To link to this post, use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/bonnie-and-jack-true-wuff

 

Morris, the cute Westie boy next door…

Morris, the cute Westie boy next door…

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about my buddy Morris, who appears in my cartoons.

I thought you might like to see some photos of the real Morris, as he is a very cute Westie!

Minnie and Morris

Morris (top) was just a wee pup when this photo was taken. Aaaah!

Morris and I get to spend quite a lot of time together. And when we’re tired from playing, we snoozzzzze!

Sleeping Westies

Sleeping Westies 🙂

(That’s Morris on the left, and me on the right… I’m the one with the pink diamante collar!)

Do you have a Bestie Westie?

Woofs ‘n’ nose licks,

Minnie x

 

 

 

To link to this post, use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/morris-cute-westie

 

Meet my friends: mum and dad

Meet my friends: mum and dad

Yes, a dog is a human’s best friend… but mum and dad are v friendly to me too.

Mum and Dad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mum and dad share my catering duties – and they do so excellently. I love my brekkie and my dinner, and most days there are in-between noms too, to keep me going. 😉

Mum and dad do have some unique talents…

Mum:

Mum’s unique talent is her ability to give lots of fab cuddles. In winter, I do sometimes wonder if she’s using me as a heating device though… hmmmm!

Mum is also the one that draws my cartoons; helps me with the computer and iBone; and together we visit old folks in a care home. We volunteer for Outreach Therapy Pets – it is a lot of fun!

Dad:

Oh, dad, he is an excellent cook. And best of all, he has a habit of dropping food. I am only too happy to help him out by cleaning up any nommy food spills. Especially chicken. 😉

I love going to work with dad too, as it means I am able to go to the marina (read: opportunity to get belly rubs from strangers) and hang out on boats (read: pose and receive admiring glances).

Now that you’ve met my friends, be sure to check out my cartoon adventures in the Cartoon Of The Month section!

Woofings,

Minnie x

 

 

 

To link to this post, use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/meet-my-friends-mum-and-dad

 

Meet my friends: Lady, my Westie cousin in England

Meet my friends: Lady, my Westie cousin in England

Last time I you met my cartoon buddies Morris and Flo. Now I’d like you to meet Lady, my cousin in England, who is also a West Highland White Terrier.

Lady and I have never met, but we’ve woofed at each other over the computer quite often!

Lady

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet the real-life Lady

Lady in my cartoons is based on a real life Westie called Lady. The real Lady lives in Kent, England, with my grandad.

Here’s a photo of the real-life Lady the Westie:

Lady the Westie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why are there so many Westies?

You may be wondering why there are so many Westies in my life (real life and cartoon life).

Why so many Westies, rather than any other kind of dog?

It’s like this. My grandad was the first person to get a Westie (Lady). My mum loved Lady so much that a few years later she also got a West Highland White Terrier (me, Minnie). Then our neighbours loved me so much that they wanted a Westie too, so they got Morris (my boyfriend).

(Incidentally, friends of those neighbours loved Morris so much that they also got a Westie, called Magnum. He’s not in any of my cartoons yet: I don’t know him that well, we’ve only sniffed bums a few times.)

I guess Westie-ism is contagious. 🙂

I love other dogs too, as does my mum. Her first dog was a Scottie called Bonnie, and I often hear heart-warming tales about her.

Woofs ‘n’ nose licks,

Minnie x

 

 

 

To link to this post, use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/meet-my-friends-lady-westie