Loving Wheaten Terriers

Best Wheaten photo ever.

I have to say that I absolutely love the breed standard cut on Wheaten Terriers. It accentuates their features perfectly and is just so god damned adorable that I want to squeal.

I cut Maggie's hair myself because at the moment I can't afford to take her to a groomer, but at least this way she's mat free and comfortable. Dogs really don't care how they look, anyways. But one day I'd love to see her with the full show cut. Her grandparents were show dogs in Ireland after all, so I know she'd look awesome.

And now I'm going to ramble on about her, because I've been working hard with her lately and it's really made me think.

As much as I bitch about her sometimes, she really is a sweetheart and I can't see myself without a Wheaten anymore. I grew up with a Maltese, and I'll always love my Dudley man, but Wheatens are a different dog entirely.

Maltese were bred to be a companion dog, plain and simple. Wheatens were created in Ireland as the poor man's farm dog. They did everything from herding livestock to killing mice and rats, to protecting the property to being a great family dog.

I have never met a smarter breed of dog, save poodles and shepherds. I feel safe with Maggie, as she has let me know in the past several times, when something was wrong.

In Florida for example, she would bark at something outside my bedroom window at night, and it turns out there was a man out there playing peeping tom and I was, and I quote, "his favorite." Fucking creepy.

And in California one of my in-law's dogs snapped in my direction and just like that, Maggie had her by the throat. I have no doubt that if I was ever in any serious danger, Maggie would do someone some serious damage.

Going with that, she's a wonderful judge of character and I trust her instincts completely. I think my problem with her when we first got her was simply that I was missing Dudley and she wasn't him.

I wanted a dog like Dudley, but would feel bad if I got another Maltese, like I would be betraying him or some nonsense that I look back on now and realize was just stupid human thinking.

So we got Maggie and she was nothing like him. She was hyper and crazy, and so smart she would find ways I wouldn't have even thought of to get out of her gated area, and when she heard me coming into the room she would scramble back to her area and sit in there like nothing had happened.

She's just a totally different type of dog, and looking back I realize that she's exactly what I needed.

Maggie taught me how to be assertive without losing my temper and coming off as a bitch. Unless you're calm, she won't listen to you. Dogs see anger and frustration as unstable, and instinct tells them that an unstable person can't lead. So they put themselves in the role of pack leader, and don't listen to a word you say.

You have to remain calm and consistent at all times, and I never had to do those things with Dudley. I loved Dudley in the way only a child could, and he was just there 24/7 in a way I assumed Maggie would be too.

She's teaching me how to enjoy myself despite my stress. I walk her every day and because of that, I see things I'd normally over look. Small things like new flowers growing on the side of the road, or crabs crawling on the beach under our feet. Dogs truly do live in the moment and I think that's a wonderful way to be.

Yeah, shitty things happen to everyone and I'm trying to learn to just let those things go and live in the now, because now is all I have, and she reminds me of that all the time.

Also, she picks up on my moods before I even realize what mood I'm in. Watching her, I know if I'm about to have a panic attack or am about to spiral down a bit and it's nice to have the warning ahead of time.

And when I am feeling shitty she'll stay with me and cuddle, which is amazing in itself because Maggie is usually on the go and doesn't have the cuddle type of personality.

I'd love to get another Wheaten down the road when we're financially able, probably from a rescue. These dogs are definitely not for everyone, especially if you've never owned a dog before, but are perfect for me and I'm very lucky to have her.

~*K*~