Dog Day

Today is tasteful Thursday. It has been a few weeks since I've educated you on the finer things in life, but I'm still not satisfied with the complete lack of well roundedness I'm finding with today's youth. And I live in a college town! Today I want to talk about the soft coated Wheaten Terrier.

When I was in Kiawah my Mom and I met a guy who had two of them. They were almost as fantastic as basset hounds. Almost. These two dogs were terrific. Both were girls, the oldest one being the other's Aunt. Like stupid cats, terriers, which were bred for doing nasty things, are not known for having great temperments. However the soft haired Wheaten terrier is the exception. I think it's because being so soft puts them in a good mood. The two I met wanted nothing more than to petted. They didn't bark, or snarl. They just walked up and waited for you to say 'Hello'. But then they got excited and decided they wanted to lick us. It was a testament to just how fantastic these dogs really were because Mom had no problem with getting on her knees and giving them huge hugs. Wheatens also do not shed. They do lose hair, but its similar to how humans lose it. Just a little here and there throughout the day. And they are hypoallergenic so you really have no excuse not to get one.

Wheatens get to be a good size but not overbearingly so. A toddler could probably ride one like a horse, but that's about it. The ones I met came somewhere between my knee and waist. Unfortunately the google images do not do these dogs justice. The picture above is pretty good, but the ones I met had hair with a slightly more golden tinge to it. That one looks like a blond. I didn't think about it then, but even though the two were girls, the owner had them cut with that goatee looking Irish cut. At first I thought I was looking at a Schnauzer. Speaking of which these are the best looking of the terrier group. The other terriers either look to primpy (for pre-teen girls and old ladies) or mangy (for hunters). But even though they look the best they aren't all pompous like the poodles.