Winston

Winston

Our beginnings:

Back in 2017, Dennis and I were hit hard by the loss of our dear Flynn, an 8 year old West Highland Terrier who suffered an incurable liver disease. Oh, how we missed him and oh, how I thought there could never be another Flynn. Well, that that part is so true. But along came Winston nearly the same age as Flynn yet in every other way so perfectly different. Our first introduction to Winston was somewhat like being introduced to a slim, baby seal. He bolted out of the dog crate so fast and slippery; it made your head spin. His gorgeous face and his spunky spirit were a complete joy to my aching heart. We knew we had our work cut out for us with his skin, but Westie Rescue was and has been an incredible support to our journey with Winston. He gradually settled; got the health support he needed and found his way into our home and into our hearts

Our little goat:

The first night, our new puppy was on the top of the couch perched and watching all the goings on. This was a new antic to us as our previous dog had shorter legs and never made such a leap. We learned this was his perfect spot to keep an eye on us and be ready to pounce on any drop of food or promised treat. My goodness, this dog could find food where we didn’t think it existed and when people weren’t looking. The stories are numerous, but 2 stand out. One was finding his way onto our counter and eating a huge feed of turkey after Thanksgiving dinner when we had settling into the turkey induced chill-ax visit.

Did we worry, did we fret – oh yes. The overindulgence got more alarming when he found my sons’ large Toblerone chocolate bar before it got into the Christmas stocking. All that was left was the tin foil guaranteeing his full consumption of the extra-large treat. A visit at midnight to the emergency vet declared again we had dodged a bullet. Did we get better at watching and warning the folks at dinner events. Yes. Did it happen again – yes! His goatish behaviours aside from agility and food motivation, was his intelligence and curiosity. One of the vets watched while Winston followed the clock handles on the wall. The vet declared he had never seen a dog do this – normally, this is a cat behaviour. He also came with different vocalization for bathroom, water and walking desires. He was taught by his previous owners – 5 distinct tricks. Shake a paw (both paws), lie down, roll over, dance and one we never promoted – “play dead.” He knew many different words. We had so much fun learning who he was and his capabilities. We also discovered that he “hated” his baths (every 4-6 days) and would hide under the bed as soon has he heard the basement tap running. We had to get clever and trick (and treat) him into this bi-weekly event.

Our little hiker:

When we got Winston, I was relieved that finally I had a dog that loved to hike with other dogs and enjoy the forest like we do. This changed over time – Dennis liked to meander through our local walk and so, in time, Winston would dictate how far he would go and when he would stop to read “the newspaper” (aka – other dog markings). Still, we have many great memories of hiking in the snow and playing in the field with other dogs. Winston came from a colder province and snow was like taking a kid to a candy store. He was always game for tug of war and taking other dogs’ balls. Then there was the water – this was another love, though, unfortunately it usually ended up aggravating his skin issues. On one occasion, I decided to let him play in the water anyway – knowing later, we would be addressing the skin. He was like a duck, chasing the other ducks or finding the stick we would throw out to him.

Our Love:

It’s hard to describe what an animal, and in this case, Winston did to our hearts. He came to us with some anxiety. Who wouldn’t, given that he was so loved by his previous owners and their release was the inability to care for his skin. So, Winston bonded with us in a different way. His constant proximity meant he wanted to be with us. He loved getting massages – especially when the skin was itchy. He would sleep on our bed, but we dared not crowd him. If we smothered him in any way, he wormed himself out of our arms. It meant for some tricky times when we had grooming and health care procedures that required us to contain him. He would eventually cooperate until he wouldn’t. Sometimes there would be a win – like cleaning the eyes or cutting hair from his paws – but gradually, like an old guy, he would need the experts to take these jobs on. We did our very best to love and care for this beautiful dog and on December 30th 2025, we quietly said our goodbyes. We are so grateful to the community of Westie Rescue and Wendy Turner, North West Dermatology, previous vets from Lynn Valley Veterinary Clinic and most recently, Dr Meecher and others at Skyline Veterinary Hospital. Three people who cared for Winston at home when we couldn’t be there – our next door neighbour and friend, Kim, our son, Daniel and friend, Leslie allowed us sometime away. We and he couldn’t have had a better team around us these past months. Oh, how we miss dear Winston. He will always be a part of our hearts.

Lynda and Dennis