My first bath was in the sink in the kitchen, I was only 4 months old, and too small to be bathed in the big bath.  My mom had put a towel at the bottom so I would not slide and hurt myself.  She also checked the temperature of the water and poured nice lukewarm water a bit at a time.  She said it was important that I would not be scared for the first time.

The part I loved the most was after she poured nice scented shampoo on me, and massaged me gently everywhere……. wow…… I felt like the luckiest pup in the whole neighborhood.

Dad was there, and he thought I had the funniest look when I was wet, just like a little rat he said……..to tease me….  yuk!  He wanted to mark that special event, so he went to get the video camera and filmed me…….. this was embarrassing………… awwww what we go through with our parents sometimes………

Then mom covered me with a nice towel and kept me in her arms for awhile.   I liked it but I needed to shake my body again and again…….. time for the hair blower now and the brush, and the comb…….  and taw….daw….  I started to jump and run all over the house when mom put me down, I felt so light and happy…. happy!

My mom and dad decided to go to Vancouver by car this year to visit his mom and brother, as part of our summer vacations.  They thought we all deserved to relax, driving through the peaceful prairies and the breathtaking Rocky Mountains.  It was exciting for me as I would see and meet new people, animals, and new scents from the mountains.  I could not wait.

Mom had fixed a nice cozy spot just for me at the back of the car, with my personal little bed, some blankets and pillows.  I thought “what a lucky westie I am, this looks like heaven to me”.  I had my own little suitcase filled with food, my dishes, cookies, and toys…… I also had my own bottle of water.  Let me tell you, I was jumping up and down when we were about to leave!

My dad loves to drive, and my mom, just like me, enjoys the long car drives.  We woke up very early on Saturday morning to a warm and sunny day.  We couldn’t have asked for anything better.  We  had packed our stuff the night before, so we were ready to hit the road, after a quick shower and breakfast.

We drove for many hours through the prairies before we could see the foothills of the Rocky Mountains on the horizon.  My mom could not stop being in awe, as we got closer and closer; and of course her digital camera was in her hands from the moment we left, ready to snap away at anything new and exciting.

We stopped a few times for a quick break and to eat something.  My dad had reserved our first night in a beautiful resort right in the middle of the Rockies, we reached our destination around 9:00 in the evening.

The girl at the reception of the hotel was very excited to meet with me.  She offered me a bag full of goodies when she saw me and asked my name, “Duncan” she said, “what a nice name, you are so cute” and she wanted to pet me.  I wanted to stay with her but it was time to let mom and dad to have some special time together.  After all, they deserved a nice meal and a nice bottle of wine, after taking such good care of me.

My eyes were not big enough when I walked and ran outside the next morning. I had never seen trees so tall, and I could not stop smelling everywhere around me, I even saw snow on top of the mountains.

We left early in order to be in Vancouver before supper, the weather was getting warmer and warmer as we approached the highest elevation in the Rockies. We drove through winding roads. We stopped at the famous Lake Louise in Alberta, and a nice gentleman took a picture of mom, dad and me.

Not very long after we left, all of a sudden we saw 2 mountain goats crossing the road just in front of our car.  I had never seen that kind of animal before.  I wanted to jump out the window and play with them, but my mom and dad made sure I would not make friends with them.

We arrived in Vancouver late afternoon on Sunday.   My dad had called his mom a few minutes earlier. She was waiting outside when we arrived. I was looking at mom, dad and her, they all had big smiles on their faces, so I said to myself “finally we’re here to stay, this was a longggg ride”, after my mom put my leash on, I jumped and jumped around to get some attention.  She had a big smile when she saw me.  I reminded her of her loving westie companion of many years but had passed away several years ago.

The following day, I met my little cousin “Dodger”, my “uncle’s” dog……. wow I’ll have a friend the whole time we’re  here. That will be fun.  Dodger was a big dog, but I did not let him intimidate me, we played and ran like crazy back and forth at each other for the longest time.  It reminded me of the time I was playing with Cory at home.

Then mom, dad and me went to the ocean.  My mom did not want me to get dirty……….. haha, but dad brought me far away during low tide, and yes I got dirty, but had the most hilarious time with dad, running everywhere, and getting in trouble trying to bite on the shells along the way…hahaha.

We\ve been in Vancouver for 5 days. I am a bit sad to go but at the same time happy to return home.  I was so tired after all this excitement, that I slept most of the time on our way home.

I sure hope that we will go on vacations all together again.

Before I came home for the first time, mom and dad bought me some puppy food and ….. cookiessssss….   I liked them a lot.  But my mom preferred buying my food at the veterinarian, so when we went, they made me taste vegetable cookies, I would have eaten the whole bag, they were so yummy. Of course mom bought the bag.

One day, mom thought it would be a good idea of making doggy cookies herself.  So she found some recipes and tried them, oh my……. these were even more yummy.

(If only I can have one cookie) mom…. dad…I can do any trick you want in exchange of a cookie…. (and it works).  I still like the veggie cookies from the vet though.  I suggested my mom to add the recipes here if people want to make them…….. oh she said…… “good idea Duncan”.  My mom also bought a bone cookie cutter.  She thinks of everything that is good for me.  After all, she thinks I’m the best westie of all.

LIVER COOKIES

1 lb of liver (any kind), pureed

1 cup of flour (any kind)

1 cup of corn meal

2 tbsp of garlic powder

1 tbsp of oil

• Mix the pureed liver with other ingredients.
• Oil a cookie sheet (covered with foil) and spread the mixture on it.
• Bake 25 min.at 350 degrees
• Cool
• Break in small pieces.
• Freeze into freezer bags

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 ½ cup of water

½ cup safflower oil – No Substitutes!

2 med eggs

3 tbsp peanut butter – no sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour

1 ¼ cup unbleached white flour

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup rolled oats

additional flour

• Mix water, oil, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla
• Add flours, cornmeal and oats and mix with electric mixer
• Place 1/3 of the dough on a floured surface and add a bit of flour on top of dough. Kneed gently, you will have to add some flour as you kneed to make it a pliable dough.
• Roll out to 1/2 – 3/4 inch thickness
• Use cookie cutters to shape the cookies and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake 400 F, 20-25 minutes or so.
• Turn oven off and leave in oven 20 min. to crisp cookies.
• Airtight stored.

VEGGIE COOKIES

1 ¼ flour

¼ cup dry milk powder

2 tbsp additional dry milk powder

1 vegetable cube or packet

¼ cup boiling water

2 tbsp additional boiling water

¼ cup safflower oil (no substitutes)

1 tsp brown sugar

¼ cup carrots (shredded or ground)

½ egg

additional flour for dusting

garlic powder (optional)

• Preheat oven 300 F
• Dissolve veggie cube or packet in the boiling water
• Mix dry ingredients
• Mix wet ingredients separately, EXCEPT EGG
• Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix lightly
• Make a well in the center, add the egg and mix
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle some flour on top of dough to avoid sticking
• Roll out to 1/8″ (not more)
• Do not use too much flour, otherwise the cookies will puff up
• Cut out with a cookie cutter
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 15 minutes, turn them over and bake another 10 minutes.
• Cool on wire racks.

These cookies freeze very well.

I had my first coat trimmed when I was 10 months old.  My mom said I was cute but that it was too short.  I have to say that my coat was not very long yet, I still had my baby coat.  Nevertheless,  I thought I looked so handsome that I did not stop kissing the girls at the hair salon before we left.  It was July, during the hot summer days, but I wasn’t too hot. I ran and played outside.

The only thing I was missing was my “kilt”, you know…. the little scottish skirt…… yup, the girl had cut it too short, good thing that my coat grew back again.  It would be just nice in time for Christmas.

My mom had her mind set on finding another groomer.  A girl who worked with mom at a care home  recommended a grooming salon called “Pet-I-Coat Junction”, cute name huh?  It really was at a “junction”.  So that is where we went for the next cut. The groomer did a great job and our groomer became our regular groomer. I had a nice “kilt” every time, looking like the proudest Westie of all!

My first visit to the vet has been a pretty good experience, even if at first, it was against my wishes.  But mom said it was very important that I get vaccinated against, well lots of weird names I don’t remember.  She told me  I would get a few shots…ewww!   But she cuddled me so gently, I just wanted to please her and be a good puppy.

We waited awhile in the waiting room, watching other dogs and cats come in.  I could not resist trying to go and see them, but my mom held me tight so I couldn’t move from her lap.   I hear somebody calling “Duncan”……  hey that’s ME….. phew, I’ll be able to move now.

When my doctor said “hi Duncan”, I liked her voice right away.  She was very nice. She kept repeating how good I was to sit still (little did she know I was so scared).  I had to say my mom was giving me so much affection (I think she was scared too).

The doctor checked my heart, my bones, may be my muscles too, touched me a bit everywhere. Good thing I’m not ticklish.  She gave me a cookie – yummy!   She then gave me the shots I needed. She was so gentle I did not feel a thing.

She told my mom that I was a very healthy puppy.  I heard mom and the woman at the front counter taking another appointment for me in a few months from now.  It was for a very important procedure, so I would not get into trouble by being attracted to the nice female puppies on the street or a mile away.  What a sin.

Here we are again at the vet for my “surgery”.  My mom was a bit sad to leave me for a day, but managed to give me a big smile.  What happened to me in there…… I don’t remember a thing, except I had a bid of pain, and a huge tube around my neck.  This was to prevent me from scratching that could open my wound.  The vet said I had to keep it at all times for 10 days at least, but if I did not try to scratch my wound that Mommy could take it off.

I was so good that during the day and evening I did not have to keep it, only at night.

After this last visit, I did not have to go to the vet again ever, I had such a good health, except for my current shots, which I did not mind, it was just fun to meet with my favorite doctor who always had my best treat of all — cookies!

My first ride in the car from the pet store was so nice and warm, cuddling against mom and covered with a blanket.   I was looking forward to my new home.  When they opened the door, mom put me on the floor, there were a few steps to the kitchen.  I tried to climb them, but my legs were too short and I slipped, so Mom picked me up,  “don’t worry”, she said “you’ll be able to do it soon”.

Cory was anxious to play with me, so he and I started to run all over the place.  Cory ran and jumped very fast and I think he thought of me as his new toy.   I didn’t want him to think I was a loser, so I started to run too, my mom and dad laughing like crazy just watching Cory and I chasing each other back and forth, “water please……. give us some water…… this is so much fun…..”

I loved to run but I was just a baby, so I needed a break every now and then.   I searched for a place to hide from Cory. Then …..yesssssss….I found my hiding place, under the dining room hutch, it was very low and Cory could not get me there….. hahaha…. gotcha Cory!   Cory loved to watch while I was hiding, he would wait, lying  in his favorite position, ready to catch me when I would come out from my hiding place.  I loved to play his game, I would stare at him, and …….. vroommmm,  the chase was on again.

When we both got very tired, we would fall asleep, sometimes each in our own beds, sometimes cuddling each other on the couch.

When mom and dad were home, we would sleep on their lap, while they were watching tv.

Dad taught me to play tug of war with him, then he encouraged me to play the game with Cory, we both loved it so much, it became our favorite game.

I love being at home with my Mommy Christiane. She takes me out to the park 3 times a day and I get to sniff all of the wonderful scents around the park. I also love to run and chase the Jack Rabbits. I just want to play with them but I have a hard time catching up to them.

If only I could catch one silly rabbit I would be so happy. Sometimes Mommy has to pick me up because I am always at the end of my leash chasing whatever comes along…especially rabbits!

Today Duncan got a very big present when my wife Christiane came home with the groceries and a brand-new brightly-colored red ball for Duncan. He immediately saw the ball and began jumping up on his two hind legs to let Christiane know without any uncertainty that he would like to lay claim to the new object.

Christiane took the ball and rolled it on the floor and without a moments hesitation Duncan took flight after the ball with a vengeance.

Duncan, with ball in his mouth, began wandering the house to find a  secluded place to play with the ball without being disturbed. Of course it was difficult for him to find a place to sit and play without having someone like myself to come and sneak it away from him just to tease him. I would let Duncan get a hold of the ball and then I would play a leisurely game of “tug of war” with him.

After I stopped playing with Duncan he would get up and once again try to find another hiding spot where he could play with his new found toy without disruption. He kept wandering the house to find the ideal place.

Duncan did manage to find a good place not because it was an area that we could not reach but rather Christiane and I let Duncan appreciate his new toy for awhile.

Fond memories of our first sighting of ababy Westie are still very vivid when I visited the pet store one particular day.  I was looking for booties for Cory, our 1 year old Shi-tzu Maltese crossed puppy.  There was lots of snow and  it was bitterly cold outside. It was just two weeks away to Christmas.  So we tried different booties, it was funny to see Cory trying to adjust to his new “paws”.

On our way to the cash, Cory pulled on his leash and I was led in the direction of the kennel (no coincidence huh)… he wanted to go see the other pups — so we did.  He probably knew that a new destiny was just around the corner.  Indeed, to my surprise and amazement, I thought I saw a few furry white Westie pups……. “in the corner of my eyes”.

“I can’t believe what I am seeing”, I said to myself, because Westies are a rare breed where we live.  Approaching closer, I started to  shiver all over.  “Oh no…… oh no, these can’t be Westies……….”, and then the realization that what I was seeing were indeed 3 beautiful Westie puppies. But only one got my undivided attention, I had to touch him,  feel him in the palm of my hand.

I was watching Cory at the same time and I could feel he was attracted to the little Westie.

I had to call Dan at work RIGHT AWAY and tell him that I saw a beautiful Westie pup, “we don’t have to buy him”,  I exclaimed, “please come and see him at least!”  I had used the same strategy for 2 other dogs we owned before and it had worked (smile), as they say, when there is a will, there is a way.  And I knew that Dan just loved the breed (his family owned a beautiful Westie for many years and Dan loved him dearly), and so did I.

At that time, I used to bring Cory with me to a Seniors Care Home where I worked.  It was wonderful therapy for the residents and it had been on my mind to get another dog to be a companion for Cory, however I knew that this could be costly.

Cory and the little Westie fell in love while playing together at the pet store for about an hour.  And of course, we couldn’t leave the little Westie behind.  We brought him home.  Christmas came early that year with a special gift of love for a Westie.

What should we name our little furry friend? It had to be  a Scottish name for sure. Dan’s ideas for names were quite intuitive — mine didn’t sound right. After all Dan’s knack for choosing a Scottish name could be attributed to the fact that he is half Scottish from his mom’s side of the family.

The first name that popped up in Dan’s mind was Bruce, and it stuck for a couple of days, but we had a change of heart when we got to know our little Westie’s personality. And Dan’s intuition surfaced again and he blurted “Duncan!” The name resonated with me and it was a perfect name for our Westie. It’s been Duncan ever since. The name sounded rugged yet refined at the same time.  And that personified our Westie quite well. Our dog’s persona exuded an air of boldness and ruggedness while at times seemingly refined.  So…… “Duncan”……  so be it!

A few months later, life dealt us a blow with Cory in an unfortunate and painful way!  I believe that’s the reason why Christmas had brought us Duncan –  to bring love to assuage our pain from Cory’s demise.