Tatalina—what a great pup!

We've had our little girl SCWT for a week now. She fits in with my familiy like we have always had her. My younger adult dog is thrilled to have a play buddy, and my elderly dog just wants to be left alone. My 17 month old daughter has a new best friend, and the cats have moved to the garage. This puppy is so smart, and well-socialized. I think the Irish hair is going to be absolutely the perfect hair type for Alaska adventures, and since it's still a very low shed, I'm thrilled I won't have to vacuum incessantly. We purchased this puppy when she was less than 6 weeks. We chose her based on her birth weight and look of intelligence and orneriness in her eyes. Barb sent us regular updates and pictures and was immediately responsive to all my emails (I sent a lot of emails). A week beforethe pup was to arrive in Alaska (Barb doesn't ship until the pups are 10 weeks), we discovered another family here wanted a puppy from the same litter, so Barb arranged transportation so that the puppies could fly together. Barb worked out all the details, made sure the pups were dressed warmly, and even spent her own money to urgently fly the pups to their connecting flight in Minneapolis when the plane leaving Nebraska was delayed due to a maintenance issue. I have shipped a puppy from the lower 48 before, and she is a wonderful dog, but she was very, very stressed and tired when she arrived here. She slept for two days. Tatalina, our new Heartland puppy, napped in my arms for the 1.5 hour car ride from the airport, and we arrived home around midnight. She drank some water and went to sleep that night for a few hours. She took to her kennel right away. Woke up the next day and was instantly best friends with my daughter, and is such a little, sweet, hilarious, bold girl. She's so smart and well on her way to being totally potty trained all ready. In a few years, we will be calling Barb again to buy a pair of puppies from her. A note to all prospective buyers of SCWT dogs: they are a wonderful breed--very much a terrier but much more dependant and bonded to their people. They have sensitive feelings, tons of energy, complete need to please, and an incessant drive. You have to be very engaged, gentle but dominant, loving owner in order to keep them the wonderful dogs they are meant to be. They need to be silly--crave it, but they are highly intelligent and able to follow highly obedient commands. Be sure to let them be who they are, but teach them when to pay attention and be serious. Their size is THE perfect size dog. Not too big. Not too small. They're so athletic they are just perfect. Please help them stay that way.

- Laura Newton