What Makes a Scottie a Scottie?

What Makes A Scottie A Scottie?

by Ginger McAfee

A question was posed to me awhile back that started me to thinking. A clerk in a pet supply store asked me why it is that Scottie owners are so loyal to the breed and what makes him unique and just what makes up his indomitable soul and spirit. I think these two ponderables are closely related, but trying to answer them proved to be a daunting task indeed.

Perhaps one answer is the fact that the Scottie is no “common” dog, one who is always obliging and blindly obedient. A Scottie is his own person.  Austere in disposition and appearance with enough courage to plot his own course even against the tide of human reason. A Scottie owner must be prepared to match wits with this shrewd diehard.

With stoic royalty, the Scottish Terrier is a true chieftain and never a crofter nor serf. He is a dignified aristocrat that is rarely given to much foolishness unless it is entirely his own idea. He resents being the center of attention and will retreat with a dignified pout if he is ever the brunt of a joke. This quaint gentleman of the Highlands is very modest and likes his privacy.

He can be reserved if he finds himself with strangers or on unfamiliar turf but more likely he will soon make himself at home wherever he is. He is very possessive and protective of his person and his territory and will defend them to the death.  A novice Scottie owner should realize that a Scottie considers ‘his’ territory to be anywhere he happens to be. Recently a friend and I were transporting two young adults for someone when we apparently made a wrong turn and found ourselves in a questionable part of town. When we stopped to ask directions, an unseemly sort of man approached my car. The young male in our charge, jumped into my lap from the back seat, and began to let this intruder know that his advances were unwelcome. I had only met this dog the day before but he took it upon himself to protect us at all costs. I guess the man decided that two snarling, snapping Scotties were more than he wanted to deal with and walked off with a very startled look on his face.

I read once that you can argue with any dog, but a Scottie is the only one who will argue back. This little trooper has amazing powers of logic and reason. When faced with a dilemma, you can almost ‘see’ him thinking. One of my Scots had a particular fondness for a racquetball. When another Scottie had ‘her’ ball, she went to get a different ball and would either bring it to me to toss so the others would chase it, or she would play with another toy and when the one who has ‘her’ ball leaves it to see what she is doing, she drops that toy and gets her favorite ball. I also know of several instances where Scotties have either saved another Scottie or a human by displaying amazing intuition and logic.

A Scottie may take you to task over most any reasonable issue and will always arrive at a definite conclusion in the matter. Even when he must give in to his human companion’s whims, he will immediately lead you to believe that it was all his idea and intention in the first place. Their absolute and certain knowledge that they are in change, certainly sets them apart from other breeds of dogs.

With his penetrating expressive eyes, a Scottie almost seems to be able to look into his human’s soul. There is something unparalleled and uncompromising in those steady, knowing eyes. When a Scottie looks at you it is not with the adoring, slavish eyes of other dogs, but you know that behind those dark, almond eyes lies determination and pluck that befits his Scottish heritage, and a loyalty that says he would give his life for you if need be.

Occasionally a Scottie will give you “the look”. That look that says you have dared to offend him in some way, or that you are asking him to do something that is totally beneath his dignity. He can almost roll his eyes much like a human teenager does when he feels that his parents are just too dumb to understand reality.

Many Scotties have the ability to arooo. A sound unlike any other. My Molly would arooo when you asked her a question, but only when it was phrased in the form of a question. Others arooo at each other, especially when they are beckoning another Scottie to come play with them or telling their person that it is time to eat, or go outside. Some arooo during  Scottie frap attacks, when all caution is flung to the wind and Scotties tear through the house at break neck speed, chasing each other or some invisible prey.

Scotties are very unique but then so are their owners. Most Scottie people are not satisfied with only one dog but have multiple Scots in their home, and many are avid collectors of any and all things pertaining to the breed. Scotties are a lot of personality in a small package, they don’t just exist but insist on being part of the family. They do everything with gusto and seem to possess a 6th sense that other dogs do not have. A Scottie knows that life is for the living and although they may not live as long as we want them to, they know how to live well. Perhaps those of us who have been bitten by the Scottie bug recognize some of our own frailties and rule and reign vicariously through these tough little Napoleons.