VOLUME 45, NUMBER 1 MARCH 2016

VOLUME 45, NUMBER 1
MARCH 2016
COMING SOON
20th ANNUAL SPRING FLING
PARADE OF RESCUES
Date: May 7, 2016 Time: 9AM-4PM
Place: Vasona Lake Park
333 Blossom Hill Rd. Los Gatos, CA
A very brief General Membership meeting will be held at 12:45 PM after the lunch. See below for
the Pot Luck Lunch dish assignments.
All dogs must be on a non-retractable leash no longer than 6 feet or in an exercise pen when not
participating in an event. NO Flexi-leads or retractable leads will be allowed. Owners must clean up
after their own dogs.
Bring your Westies, an exercise pen, blanket, folding chairs and a dish to share at the Pot Luck
Lunch. Plan to spend a relaxing day sharing small talk and making friends...all for the Love of
Westies.
The Spring Fling will be held rain or shine!
*****
POT LUCK LUNCH
A-K Main Course L-Z Salads
Parade of Rescues 1:00
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PRES IDEN T’S ME SSAGE
2016 has barely started and we are already seeing many
important and positive changes for this year and for the Club
going forward.
First of all, I would like to give a warm welcome to the 2016
elected officers and Chairpersons. Without their dedication
the Club couldn’t exist and certainly wouldn’t be as much fun.
There are a number of fun club events are scheduled for this
year so mark your calendars. For more information on these
check out our website.
• Spring Fling, which will be held this year at Vasona Park in
Los Gatos on May 7th. This annual event is always an
exciting outing that includes the “Parade of Rescues”, and the
ever popular lure course. Remember to bring a dish to share
for the potluck lunch.
•
The Club’s 39th Annual Specialty Show and Sweepstakes on April 15th & 16th. As it was last
year this specialty will be held at the Cal Expo Center in Sacramento. We will also have a
Fall Specialty Show and Sweepstake on October 22nd at the Alameda County Fairground in
Pleasanton. The Fall Specialty show will be followed with a dinner at the Brass Door
Restaurant.
I hope everyone will attend these shows. Even if you’re not showing dogs these are a
wonderful opportunity to see our breed all impeccably groomed; as well as an opportunity to
get in a bit of shopping for dog stuff.
•
A Fall date for this year’s Tartan Games will be announced soon. This year Susan Acevedo
will chair the event. Stay tuned for details.
•
The year wraps up with our fabulous Holiday Luncheon, Awards and Annual Raffle on
December 3th. This is a great time to get together in a relaxed atmosphere with fellow
Westie lovers.
You may also be interested in knowing a new Club event has been proposed by Susan Acevedo,
“The Westie Patriot Games and Walkabout” and Fundraiser. The Board is currently studying this
proposal. If this event is approved, it will be held this summer in Dublin, CA. If you a have any
information or comments regarding this, contact Susan. We’ll keep you apprised of this status.
FYI. At the Board of Directors Meeting on March 5th, the Board formed two ad hoc committees. If
any member has ideas or input for either of these committees, they are welcomed to contact the
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MARCH 2016
chairperson.
The first ad hoc committee is chaired by Susan Acevedo. Its mission is to evaluate the
consolidation of the Club’s multiple social activities under a single “Events Committee” as opposed
to having each activity headed by a volunteer chairperson. The goal of this change would be to
allow better coordination and consistency between the events as well as spreading the workload for
each event rather than placing all of the responsibility on a single person.
The second ad hoc committee is chaired by myself. Its mission is to evaluate, plan and facilitate
dog/Westie related educational activities for our members, which are both informative for our
members and will help us meet our AKC education obligations.
We still need your help.
•
•
The Club is looking for a webmaster to manage our website. It requires only simple word
processing skills. If you can write an email you have all of the skills needed to keep our
website up to date. Please contact either myself or Sandy Gilmer.
Volunteers to help with the setup, registration and run the lure course at the Spring Fling.
Contact either myself or Mary Young to help out.
Thank you,
David Snook
President, SFBWHWTC
*************
New Member Applicants
Anthony “Tony” Carter Devol of San Francisco has applied for membership. Tony is being
sponsored by Mary Young and Barbara Mordy. Application date 2/17/16.
*******************
WESTIE ANGELS
Do you have a Westie Angel? We would love to honor them. Westie Angels are Westies that are
therapy dogs, visit Seniors, Children or Nursing homes and provide comfort to those in need. Let me
know if you have such a Westie so we can honor them.
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*****
WESTIE RESCUE REPORT
By Mary Young
We have started off 2016 in fine shape financially and in terms of Westies Rescued. On
January 22nd we rescued a family of three Westies—a male age 8 and a male and female ages 4.
They came to us from abroad so it was a very exciting way to start the year. They are all
healthy and happy and pleased with their new home. How are these photos for cute? 5th
Birthday for little guy with the bow tie below.
Our next Rescue is the most recent of our seven for the year. He is little Rascal a four year
old who was given to us mid December and adopted this week. He was in very poor
condition. In order to believe it, you really must see it as he progresses from half naked red
Rascal to Rascal with a great start on a new white coat. Here is his journey with his fosters;
whom are now Mom and Dad to this sweet dog. I wish I could post a video because this
Westie plays fast and furious and is a delight to watch. You can find one on our Facebook
Page at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/WestieRescueNorthernCalifornia/videos/vb.639179742772368/11
36979832992354/?type=2&theater
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RASCAL’S PROGRESS
Rascal December 16, 2015 at Vet
Rascal February 1, 2016
Rascal January 13, 2016
Rascal March 14, 2016
The rest of our Rescue story is a big save the date request for the May 7 Spring Fling where we will
have our Annual Parade of Rescues. We hope to see all seven of our new Rescues and each and
every Rescue from years past. You may email me your 50 word (that is all we can print to save our
money for future rescues) story about your precious Rescues and for those of you with two, you can
send one story.
In addition to having our big PARADE, Barbara Mordy and I are also chairing the Spring Fling this
year (see page one for particulars). We need help for those picnic tasks especially some younger
folks who can go with us to our storage unit in Campbell and pick up the Lure Course and deliver it
to Vasona and set it up under guidance of a supervisor to be named later. Those folks may also
need to help return it. We also need the usual suspects to set up our picnic on the tables and cleanup of same. We need a registration table supervisor to collect fees and hand out Parade Programs.
Coffee, Ice and donut pick-up. To volunteer email Mary at [email protected] .
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*****
IN MEMORIAM
We wish to take this opportunity to honor our wonderful
four-footed friends who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
For future issues, we ask that you send your memorials to us
at: [email protected].
Please send a photo, birth (an estimate is fine if you don't
have the exact date) and passing date along with a short note
to include in the memorial.
Ben (5/1/2002-2/29/2016).
Ben was a wonderful gentle boy who loved people
and other dogs. He loved his big yard, his toy
penguin and his doggy nanny. Rest in Peace
Ben
*************
Trix (2006-February 2016)
My little boy Trix took his journey to the Rainbow
Bridge last month. He was dearly loved and will
remain in my heart forever. There never was a
sweeter doggie than him.
Trix
***************
Ceci 9/28/99 – 3/14/16
We knew we were in love the moment we met Ceci. Ramona found Ceci amidst a group of Westies
when she was 10 months old. Ceci stood out because she insisted on giving lots of kisses. That was
that. Gail Krieger did us the kindness of allowing us to adopt her. That love was something I knew
made her “our special little girl”. Full of love, getting “kisses” from Ceci was something we looked
forward to each day of the sixteen years she spent with us.
Ceci was the happiest, healthies dog we have known. She did not need to be the “alpha dog”, getting
along instantly with other dogs in our house. Instead, she was the one that they wanted to play with; during her playing,
she would make us laugh, as she would act “silly”. So, somehow, we rejoiced in nicknaming her “silly Ceci”. She was
the family “Court Jester”. As I write these words, I can imagine her rubbing her face on one of our carpets, amusing
herself and acting “goofy”, bringing joy to our lives routinely.
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Ceci was always happy. She smiled so much we called “toothers”. She would show her upper teeth in this captivating
grin that was too cute to describe in words.
Ceci loved to play with little balls we bought her that squeaked. I labeled the sounds coming from those balls as “happy
sounds”. At first, it was not clear that my husband was “going with me” on this one, but Ceci’s love was too strong, and
soon he was excited to hear “happy sounds” as well!
We share tennis as an activity in our house. So, Ceci decided to “get in the act” and would chase tennis balls routinely.
She always tried to put two tennis balls in her mouth at one time. She never accomplished that, but kept on trying!
Again, made us laugh.
Some of you met Ceci earlier in her life, at the Tartan games. She loved the lure course! While at home, she loved to
run along the fence in our front yard, and secure our property from anyone who walked or biked down our street. She
was quite fast, running alongside our property line. She terrorized many a bunny (but never caught one).
I could go on. But, as I write this, I hope all of you have a “Ceci” in your lives. She asked virtually nothing, gave every
day the love many times the size of her small frame, and made even the sad days brighter. She loved us so much that,
when we would hug as a couple, she would bark, as she wanted some of the love too. Tears come over each of our faces
as we recall how this brave, little girl would bark, and bark when she wanted each of us to get on the floor to hug her and
hold her.
We miss our dear Ceci, and will always love her! We know we will be united with her again.
Silly Ceci
Spring Sweepstakes and Specialty Show
Please Come and Join Us
For our annual Spring Sweepstakes and Specialty Show
April 15, 2016
Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA
Puppy Sweepstakes and Veteran Sweepstakes – Ms. Lori Tuttle
Regular Classes – Ms. Roz Kramer
This is a great event to learn about Westies and watch them in the show ring. The sweepstakes
(puppy) has three classes 6-9 months, 9-12 months and 12-18 months (divided by gender)
Veteran Sweepstakes is 7-9 and over 9 years of age (divided by gender)
The Specialty Show includes Best of Breed where all of our show Westies compete.
Come and cheer on the puppies and then applaud the old folks who can still show us what it is like
to be a show dog and how much fun they have!
Free admission, parking fee is charged by Cal Expo
Times will be on our website as soon as they are available.
Questions? Lisa Blutman, Specialty Chair [email protected]
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Welcoming New Club (4 Legged) Additions
🐾🐾HAPPINESS IS🐾🐾
Life goes on and joy has returned to our home. For Christmas my daughter Marianne and I went to
the Santa Cruz shelter and rescued
MURPHY BISCUIT
Then in January along came
MILTON BISCUIT
Thank you to Westie Rescue and the caring help from Mary Young and Barbara Mordy. Milton has
the souls of Rhett and Harry along with his own sweet personality. We are thrilled and our inner
spirits are renewed with the love these two wonderful pups bring into our lives!
Marie & Marianne
Addendum: Milton Biscuit recently responded to a request to Westie Rescue to visit a women in
hospice care who always wanted a Westie. Yay Milton and Yay Marie and Marianne!
********************
Acknowledgement
Westie Rescue of Northern California, a non-profit service of the San Francisco Bay West Highland
White Terrier Club graciously thanks your local pet boutiques, Bow Wow Meows located in San
Carlos, San Francisco and Menlo Park, for donating treats and toys to the Goodie Bags provided to
our Rescues in the 2016 Parade of Rescues. Please shop there with your spoiled rotten Westies!!
********************
WEB PAGE MANAGER NEEDED!!
PLEASE CONTACT DAVID SNOOK IF YOU CAN HELP!
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PET EXPO 2016
Gail talking with public.
Westies Duffy & Moyna
On Saturday January 9th and Sunday January 10th SFBWHWTC had a booth at the Pet Expo
held at the Santa Clara Fair Grounds in San Jose. Club members staffed the booth in shifts.
Items were offered from the boutique for donations. Club member talked to the public about
the club and related educational material was given out on the breed, AKC and related topics.
Thousands of people and pets attended the event.
**************************
Acknowledgement
Westie Rescue of Northern California, a non-profit service of the San Francisco Bay West Highland
White Terrier Club graciously thanks your local pet boutiques, Bow Wow Meows located in San
Carlos, San Francisco and Menlo Park, for donating treats and toys to the Goodie Bags provided to
our Rescues in the 2016 Parade of Rescues. Please shop there with your spoiled rotten Westies!!
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Scottie Biscotti Recipe
(from Pam Evans)
Ingredients
 2 cups & 2 tablespoons plain flour
 ½ cup & 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter cubed at slightly cooler than room temperature
 3 egg yolks
 ½ cup & 2 tablespoons sugar
 Grated zest of one lemon (add for making Westies)

3 tablespoons of Cocoa powder (do not add if making Westies)
 ½ cup Icing sugarto( sift over the top after)
Method
 Preheat oven to 375F or 190C
 Mix all ingredients except icing sugar in bowl with hands until doughy
 Lay out on dough mat or counter top and roll until ¼ inch or ½ cm thick
 Get your Scottie/
Westie cookie cutter and cut out shapes then place on baking paper on baking tray
 Re
work left over dough and repeat
 Bake for approximately 15 minutes
 Remove cookies from baking sheet immediately and cool on rack
*************************
WEB PAGE MANAGER NEEDED!!
PLEASE CONTACT DAVID SNOOK IF YOU CAN HELP!
*******************************
Living with Addison’s Disease by Teresa Houseworth
Far left ChaCha, middle Mac, far right Emma
You adopt your dog, fall in love with all the wonderful, crazy things they do, and get to know all the little behaviors they
go through. Then, one day, you start to notice something just isn’t quite right. You can’t put a name to it, it could be the
slightest little change from their “normal” behavior, but you know in your heart something’s up. You can consult your vet,
but armed with only a “something’s not right” explanation, most times the vets what it could be. The signs are that subtle.
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Unfortunately, by the time the dog’s body really has some symptoms to treat, it may already be too late. The lethargy,
depression, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, shaking or trembling or even anorexia can all be signs that adrenal glands
have started to, or have already completely failed. The little things you noticed now have become life threatening.
Addison’s disease is the common name for hypoadrenocorticism, or adrenal insufficiency. The adrenal glands, small
little glands located on top of the kidneys, are made of two layers, inner and outer, that are responsible for production of
hormones that regulate blood pressure, and cortisol, which helps the body metabolize glucose and help the body with
physical and mental stress. Addison’s disease occurs in humans as well as animals.
If the vet can identify Addison’s disease, he will tell you that it is a chronic health problem that will require a lifetime of
management, including expensive medication and blood tests. The vet will perform a specific blood test for Addison’s to be
diagnosed, an ACTH stimulation response. First, blood is drawn to determine baseline levels for cortisol, and then ACTH
is injected. After an hour, another blood sample is drawn to measure cortisol levels. If the beginning measurement is low
and there is little to no response after the ACTH injection, then Addison’s is diagnosed. Your vet can also suspect
Addison’s if your pet’s blood shows elevated levels of potassium, and low levels of sodium. There are 3 types of Addison’s
disease, and which type will dictate what medication or combination of medications will need to be administered. The
biggest challenge in treatment is finding a vet that will guide you, the caregiver, to identify the lowest possible amount of
medication to stabilize your dog’s needs. You certainly don’t want to over medicate your pet, and because the medication
is costly, it’s obvious you don’t want to waste it.
Addison’s disease can affect any breed of dog; unfortunately there are about 12 to 15 breeds that are more likely to
develop it than others. West Highland White Terriers are prone to developing this disease, that the drug manufacturer,
Novartis, puts a Westie photo on its treatment medication. For some reason, females are affected more, usually between
the ages of 4 to 6 yr. There are clinical investigations currently trying to determine genetic connections.
Our first little Westie girl, Emma, was diagnosed at the age of 6 with Addison’s. I had noticed some behaviors that were
out of place. She would have “rhythmic tremors” or body shaking as she was falling asleep. They would stop after she fell
asleep. She would seek out a place to “hide” and lay during the day, behind something, and she would not participate in
playing with her brother-litter mate, Mac. By the time we performed the ACTH test, she already exhibited low sodium and
high potassium levels. We were told that if the blood pressure was not regulated, she could have seizures and die. After
the diagnosis is determined, and medication administered, these dogs can miraculously rebound as though nothing has
ever been wrong!
Emma has been managed well for over 6 yrs. I administer an injection of Percorten-V, (a medication that replaces one
of the hormones her body no longer makes) every 30-35 days. She gets a small dose of Prednisone daily to replace
another hormone. When she was first diagnosed, she did not require the Prednisone, but as she has aged, the disease
has also aged and changed. Her treatment has gone so well, my vet and I feel she is the “poster dog” for Addison’s. I keep
extensive records of her treatment, copies of all her blood tests, even a timeline that can be printed out at any time for her
vet’s evaluation. We are doing blood testing for vaccine residual rather than over vaccinating her due to her compromised
immune system. As long as her vaccination levels are within the required levels, she is protected, as well as other dogs
she may be around.
Well then, imagine my surprise when, at the ripe old age of 12 yrs., my second Westie girl, ChaCha, also developed
Addison’s. (How did I get so lucky?) We have taken her in for lack of appetite. (Most unusual in our Westies!) She had
blood work drawn in anticipation of dental treatment. The blood work indicated the electrolyte imbalance of high
potassium/low sodium. Perhaps my vet was just overly suspicious about Addison’s because of our shared experience with
Emma, but he caught the diagnosis before the dog went into crisis. We have had quite a challenge in treating ChaCha. At
first we had her on the same injection medication as Emma. But after 8 months, she reacted as though her body would not
absorb it, and went into a health crisis that required hospitalization. (Better known in our house as “big bucks about to be
spent”…) She has since been switched to daily pills of another medication. We are thankful we had the option of another
type of treatment, as I have learned that other options are not as available in other parts of the world.
I joined an online Addison’s Dog support group, and have come to know that dog owners around the word have an
infinite knowledge base for this disease, much more than most vets. The disease occurs so rarely that some vets see only
a few cases in the entire life of their practice. That, coupled with the symptoms that could be any number of other things,
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make it easy to understand how Addison’s can be overlooked or misdiagnosed. With the proper course of treatment, these
dogs can and do thrive. They can live out their lives normally, adjustments can be made to their medications to help them
deal with times if stress. You can laugh along with me when I say that every day I look into the eyes of my 3rd rescue
Westie, Mac, and tell him, “Don’t even think about it!”
*****************************
AMAZON LINK
The link for Amazon is located at the top of our Web Page. If you use that link to enter the Amazon site it is coded to our
group and a percent of your purchase price is donated back to us. Please consider using the link next time you want to
make an Amazon purchase. It cost you nothing and helps us.
***************************
2016 SAN FRANCISCO BAY WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER CLUB
2016 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Board of Directors
David Snook
Sherry Byrd
Mary Young
Susan Acevedo
Nancy Berger, Barbara Mordy
Kim Smith, Gail Krieger, Lisa Blutman
2016 COMMITTEES
Awards
Boutique/Craft Table
By-laws
Fundraising
.
Highland Tartan Newsletter Editor
Holiday Luncheon
Education
Membership
Obedience & Rally
Westie Rescue
Specialty Shows
Events
Spring Fling
Tartan Games
Standing Match & Show
Sunshine
Webmaster
Westie Foundation of America Liaison
WestieMed Liaison
WHWTCA Liaison
David Snook
Linda Snook
Neal Williams, Gail Krieger, Lisa Blutman,
Linda Snook, Susan Acevedo, Lisa Blutman, Kim Smith, Teresa
Houseworth
Barbara Mordy
Marie Thompson
David Snook, Lisa Blutman, Nancy Berger
Gail Krieger
Nancy Berger
Mary Young, Gail Krieger, Barbara Mordy,
Lisa Blutman, Gail Krieger
Susan Acevedo, Linda Snook, Barbara Mordy, Mary Young.
Gail Krieger
Mary Young, Barbara Mordy
Susan Acevedo
Gail Krieger, Lisa Blutman, Kim Smith, Sherry Byrd
Nancy Berger
Open
Gail Krieger
Sandy Gilmer
Lisa Blutman
Please consider volunteering your time by serving on one of the Club’s committees. Volunteering is a great way to meet new
people and to help shape the future of our organization. If you are interested, please contact any of the above Chairs, Officers
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or Board Members
2016 CLUB ACTIVITY SCHEDULE
Date
January 16, 2016
April 15, 2016
May 7, 2016
October 18, 2016
tbd
December 3, 2016
Event
Club Annual Meeting
Spring Specialty & Lure Course
Spring Fling & Rescue Parade
Fall Specialty
Tartan Games & Dog Costume Contest
Holiday Luncheon and Auction
Location
Orinda Community Center
Alameda Co. Fairgrounds
Vasona Park, Los Gatos, CA
Vasona Park, Los Gatos, CA
Brass Door in San Ramon,
Visit us online at http://www.sfbaywestieclub.com for the latest news and updates!
*****
The HIGHLAND TARTAN s published at least four times per year in March, June, September and December. We
encourage Club members and subscribers to submit ads, articles, photos brags, and other Westie or Club related
information that they feel would be of interests to our readers. Please send the material to the Editor by the first of the
month in which the Highland Tartan issue is scheduled to allow for enough time for the Editor to publish. All material
submitted are published at the discretion of the Editor and may be edited to fit the available space. Opinions are
always those of the author/submitter and do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, Board of Directors or the Club
policies.
When submitting items for publication, please have all photos camera ready (.jpeg formats are preferred). All copy
should be submitted in a widely accepted electronic format such as MS Word. If you are unable to provide in the
preferred formats, contact the Editor.
The Highland Tartan is provide as part of the benefits of membership in the San Francisco Bay West Highland White
Terrier Club. Paid subscriptions are also available to others for $15.00 per year.
Advertising in the Highland Tartan is $20.00 for a full page and $10.00 for a half page. Also, a business card size ad is
available for $15.00 for four issues (no single issue option is available for this size). Please contact the Editor for ad
submission requirements.
Payment for subscriptions and ads are to be made by a check payable to “SFBWHWTC” and mailed to Susan Acevedo
32 Oak Knoll Court Walnut Creek, CA 94596
*****
The Highland Tartan is the official newsletter of the San Francisco Bay West Highland Terrier Club
Barbara Mordy, Editor
1891 Main Street
Santa Clara CA 95050
[email protected]
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