26 April – 16 May 2019
Hastie the stud Westie
This little fella very quickly stole our hearts. I am so amazed at the beautiful animals that we have had the privilege to care for on this journey. From the biggest to the smallest and the oldest to the youngest, we have sincerely loved them all.
But disaster for the owners of this little dog. No sooner had they arrived in Amsterdam and hired motorised bicycles for their first trip, than Judy had a terrible fall and was more or less immobilised for their entire European holiday. The dramas that have followed on her return to Australia would have tested anyone. Pins, plates, multiple fractures, a wheelchair, then crutches. Then repeating the process again once the pins were removed. The screws are huge! She is finally healing and Hastie has had his walks curtailed as she has been unable to even walk the block.
But back to Hastie. A West Highland Terrier, the second we had been lucky enough to live with. He had been a stud dog at a kennel and came to Judy and Dennis after they lost their two ageing Westies. You can see the photo here of the shrine to Judy’s two previous dogs. And there are Westie effigies all over the house! Two walks a day, a clockwork routine and a place on the bed every night. He did this growling thing if you pinched his space or tried to move him in the night but apart from that he was a divine creature. As you can see from the photos. And of course, he enjoyed our daily yoga and meditations by the pool. Quite liking to dip his own toes after a brisk walk.
