February 2003:
I had just picked up my little Westie (Molly) from the breeder and headed over to Mom’s to introduce them! As you can imagine, Mom fell in love with her, I mean who wouldn’t, she was eight wks old, weighed two and half pounds and was just a little white cotton ball! Seriously though, I had not seen my Mother that excited over anything in several years! They say God works in mysterious ways and he did for us! Here’s what He did! The very next night, a friend of mine called (he knew I had been looking for a breeder) and he asked me if I had gotten my pup yet. I said yes I had. He told me he had called his vet to see if she knew of a breeder and she told him no, but that she had had a little Westie in her hospital that had been abandoned. She had kept him for three weeks, the owners never returned for him, so she had sent him to another Vetinary hospital to see if they could find him a home! The next morning I called the Vet, she gave me the info. as to where he was, I called them and yes, they still had him! It was in another town about thirty-five miles away! I drove there immediately to check him out! He was precious and the sweetest face I have ever seen on a dog! He just walked up to me, sat down and looked up with these beautiful brown eyes that said, please take me home with you! I knew right then and there, if mom didn’t want him, I was taking him home for me, I just could not even think of him spending one more night locked up! I called mom to see if she really wanted a pup like Molly and she said, oh yes! I told the vet I would take him and asked if he had any health problems. She said he was perfect, that someone had dropped him off for a flea bath, grooming and shots and that they had never heard from them again! They had tried calling, writing, but no response! They finally found out they had been given a false name, address and phone number! Anyway, I told them to look no further that I wanted him! The vet suggested I leave him overnight so they could neuter him and I said great but that I would be there first thing the next morning to take him to his forever home! I picked mom up early the next morning and she, Molly and I headed to get our boy! It was love at first sight! They were calling him Snowball, Mom and I looked at each other and said, no, that just won’t do! I came up with Rowdy and she liked it, he liked it and I’m pretty sure Molly did, so that name stuck! We took him home that very day and life has not been the same! He is moms best friend and protector , Molly’s best bud, and my little man! When he hurt his leg, Mom was just devastated! She is seventy-eight, lives on SS and just couldn’t imagine how she was going to pay for the surgery! I told her not to worry, I would pray about it and we would find a way! There was no question he would have the surgery, just how were we going to pay for it! Well sure enough, I mentioned it to a Westie group that I belong to, GWG (Great westie gathering) and one of the girls mentioned Westie Med since Rowdy was a rescue! I contacted them, corresponded with Bette and sent all the information they required! Everyone was so nice and helpful, it was definitely an answer to pray! The BOD voted to pay half of Rowdy’s vet bill. He has had the surgery is doing fine today! Thank You Westie Med, we couldn’t have done this without you! Rowdy says ” Ahrooooo rooo rooo, which in English is “I love you”.