"Are Westies good first dogs?"

I get this question A LOT. And it's the exact same question I asked myself 7 years ago, before Sami.

Back then I spent weeks overthinking it. OK, months if I’m being honest. Looking at photos online (and saving way too many of them), reading everything I could find, falling in love with that fluffy white face. And then panicking that maybe I was making a big mistake.

I don’t know if that sounds familiar to you too.

But I know that many people are wondering if a Westie would be a first dog for them. So I finally made a video with the honest answer that hopefully will help them make up their mind ❤️

Here's the thing nobody really tells you before you bring one home. Westies are not generic small dogs. They're terriers. They were bred to hunt, to go into the ground after prey and not come out until the job was done. And that history is still very much alive in the Westie you see today, in the stubbornness, how intense they are, how they refuse to back down from anything.

And if you don’t believe me, watch THIS video, where I talk about the Westie history and how their personality was shaped by the purpose they were bred for.

But what does all this mean in real life? …A Westie will test you. Constantly. Not out of spite, it's genuinely how their brain is wired. They want to understand the rules, so they can learn how to break them.

Sami is very well trained. And he STILL makes his own decisions about 80% of the time. I just learned to live with it.

In the video I go through all of it. The barking (and the mumbling, and the grumbling, and the sounds that are not quite a bark and not quite a growl). 😂 The grooming. The low shedding. The allergies. The training, which isn't really difficult, it's just a long game. And the big question at the end: after 7 years, do I think Westies are good for first-time owners?

Yes. But not because they're easy. Because they make you a better dog owner, and a better human.

👉 Watch: Are Westies Good for First-Time Dog Owners?

Oh, and if you want to see what an actual day with Sami looks like (spoiler: a big breakfast, a lot of zoomies, and a walk in the park to make new friends), I posted a Day in the Life reel on Instagram. Go see the little monkey in action 🐾

I would love to hear from you! If you have a Westie, reply to this email and tell me: can you relate? And do you think Westies are good first dogs?

Take care,

Miruna & Sami ❤️ 🐾

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Thanks for sharing 💛