An Overview of the West Highland White Terrier

Bianca Catherine Knight graduated cum laude with her juris doctor from Belmont University in 2014. Beyond working in the legal profession, Bianca Catherine Knight enjoys spending time with and her raising her two dogs, a West Highland White Terrier and a Golden Doodle.

The West Highland White Terrier, often known simply as the Westie, is a breed with more than 300 years of history. Intelligent and affectionate, the Westie makes an ideal companion animal, particularly for families who cannot house a large animal but are still interested in raising a durable, playful dog. That said, there are a few things to consider before bringing a Westie home.

For starters, despite its diminutive stature, the Westie is far from a lapdog. Like all terriers, Westies require daily exercise and are particularly fond of playing with squeaky toys. Westies are, by and large, a friendly breed, but can demonstrate same-sex aggression, particularly in females, and have been bred to hunt and kill small rodents, making them a poor fit for a home with rabbits or similar pets. 

Westies are generally healthy, but owners must be prepared to prevent or treat certain conditions common to the breed, such as craniomandibular osteopathy and pulmonary fibrosis. Individuals or families who believe the Westie is the right dog for them should reach out to a respected breeder, which may be listed at akc.org.

Cheers to You, Water!

As someone who likes to exercise and who does not drink alcohol, you could say I love me some water. I stay hydrated all day long and even more so when I’m going to be outdoors or on the treadmill. I really enjoy flavored water the most, but as long as it’s bottled, I’m a fan. Did you know there are many different kinds of water? Water is categorized by its origin, composition, consistency, and treatment.

The water that comes directly from your faucet is of course tap water. It may or may not be suited for drinking, though, as we learned from the Flint water crisis.

Spring water is underground water that has soaked through the earth’s surface. It pools and forms a spring. Spring water is generally considered safe to drink even though it hasn’t been subjected to treatment in a plant. Spring water is often confused with mineral water, but spring water is water from the earth’s surface whereas mineral water is tapped straight from underground.

Then there’s mineral water, which is tapped from underground, making it rich in minerals like manganese and calcium. I think it’s interesting that the minerals in the water have to be naturally occurring for it to have that name, but I find random stuff interesting. Mineral water cannot be treated water, either, but carbonated mineral water is fine. Who knew?

We’re all familiar with well water, right? Well- it’s water from a well. Like spring water, it’s absorbed into the earth when it rains and then it trickles down all the crevices big and small in the soil and forms lakes under the ground. It’s then brought up from these lakes using the bucket on a pulley system. The deeper the well has been dug, the more water it may be able to access and tap. In rural areas, well water is sometimes the primary source of the community’s water. This was the case for small communities right around the neighborhood I grew up in.

Purified water has been tapped into and brought up from below, but that has undergone purification treatment after that point in a plant. This is done in order to remove contaminants like bacteria and any remaining solids so that it becomes suitable for drinking..

Distilled water is a type of water that has been subjected to treatment called distillation to remove all minerals. The result is a completely pure form of water, though it is not usually suitable for drinking because we humans need the minerals and salt usually found in water. I did not know this for a very long time, and I remember buying distilled water in the past thinking it was just, well, drinking water.

Lastly, did you know that sparkling water is just water that has been carbonated? It can consist of any old type of water- spring, mineral, or purified, plus carbonation. So it may not be as fancy as I first thought, but some of my favorite water is flavored sparkling water. Try it!