SOME OF THE NICE EMAILS WE HAVE RECEIVED

ALL WESTIE PUPPIES/DOGS MENTIONED WITHIN THE BELOW EMAILS HAVE COME FROM LA TERRA DIOS WESTIE RANCH, OVER THE YEARS. PLEASE, ENJOY THESE AS MUCH AS WE DO.

Good Evening Joyce;

My name is Connie and I live in Colorado Springs, CO. We currently have a 5 month old Westie, she is the 1st Westie we have every had, and what a joy.

I was searching for grooming pictures when I came across your website. I have read part of your information and will continue to read until I have covered it all. I am very impressed with your ideas on training, the breeder we adopted Baby Girl from tell the new parents to do things just backward from your ideas. Being new to the Westies, we started out following their lead, and quickly figured out that was not a good way to train her. We then went back to how we trained our dogs in the past, which is like you teach and things are going really well. We also are in our 60's and teaching respect to humans or animals is very important to us.

I had no idea when we adopted Baby Girl, how much fun, and how funny she would be. Our daughters have their own home's and the grandkids are busy, so most the time, it is just the three of us. There is no doubt she will keep us going for a long. Our breeder stated that they would be available to answer questions, provide information, tips, etc. Once Baby Girl was in our home, they didn't seem to want to help. When I had questions, she just said re-read the book we gave you. That didn't always answer the question.

If I understand correctly from your site, you are available to assist people with the Westie's even if we didn't adopt from you. If this is incorrect please so advise. I would not drive you crazy with questions, but it would be nice to know I had someone to turn to if needed.

I wish you and yours a wonderful Holiday
Thank you for the information on your website
Connie

This is your boy, Tobi Chorny (formerly Mr. Blue). I am so very happy to write to you at this time, as I am now fully adapted to my new home, and LOVE my parents. Aviva and Ammos are very sweet people who are crazy about me. The fact is that I feel the luckiest pup in the world! When I arrived in Detroit two months ago, they greeted me with a bunch of toys and treats, and set up their home so that I would not get harmed or in trouble. Unfortunately, within the first few days after my arrival, I wandered alone into the backyard and ate something that did not sit well with me. Aviva had to rush me to the veterinary hospital because there was blood in my stool. The Doctor was very nice, he checked me out and determined I had swallowed some pine needles that needed to pass through. Non the less, he prescribed special antibiotics to prevent an infection, and gave me special medicated food for a few days. I have recovered well. I was back to my normal self within a coupe of days. Since then, I went to meet my new veterinarian, who is a nice elderly gentleman (indeed very gentle), who immediately fell in love with me (I wonder why...!). At the time of my first well visit, I already weighted 8 lbs. and received all my shots. The Chornys also scheduled me for surgery, which took place back in November, and as of this writing, I am not only fully recovered, but even a pound bigger.

In the interim, our family travelled to New York after the Thanksgiving weekend, for a performance, in which my big sister, Michal demonstrated her talent as an aspiring Broadway singer/actor. The trip was a bit long, I sat in my cage the entire 9 hour trip, but the folks made sure to stop every couple of hours to stretch our paws and do our business. I must confess I was too excited every time they stopped, and instead of relieving my tiny bladder, I was too busy reading "pee-mail" from other fellow dog travellers. We stayed at special motels where I was welcomed, and as I now am allowed to sleep in the bed with the the grown-ups, we kept each other warm. In New York, we walked a lot in the city, and I stole the hearts of all who saw me. Ammos says I am a "chick magnet," what ever that means. All I know is that all the ladies wanted to pick me up and pet me. In general I do allow people to get close to me, they can touch me etc. as long as I have Ammos in sight. I really do not like to be away from him, and whenever I feel he needs to leave me, I grab his pant legs and try to keep him close to me. Yes, there have been a couple of times when I grabbed a bit more than the cloth of his pants, but he forgave me quickly.

Back to NYC... I also met the other members of the family, Joel, the oldest son, who is married and lives in Washington with his wife. He is a big guy, but very loving and nice. I am sending pictures so you can see us together. Daniel, the middle son lives in NYC, where he is studying to become a Rabbi. He too is very nice, he allowed me to stay in his apartment a couple of times. We walked as a family to visit Ammos' university, and saw many wonderful lights decorating the city streets. We came home after a few days, and I was thrilled to be back in my familiar surroundings. The last few weeks have been a bit hectic with the end of the academic semester at the university, so Ammos has taken me with him to school a few times, there too, all his students get excited to see me, and often offer to 'baby-sit' me, whatever that means, as I am not a baby... I already lost my first 6 baby teeth and am well on my way to being a big boy!

You'll be happy to know I have a new special friend, her name is Sylvie, she is a dog groomer who comes to visit me at home and takes care of my looks. She is so sweet! She constantly reassures me that all is well, lets me smell all her tools and gadgets before she uses them, and even lets me take short breaks as I get anxious and tired. She gave me a special haircut designed to ensure my real coat comes out. She used a special comb with small blades that removed the thin fluffy hair and opened the way for my permanent coat to begin to come through. She brought us copies of a special book with specific instructions on how a Westy is to be groomed, and began to prepare me so that in a few weeks I begin to look as I am supposed to. She even brought me a very special 'holiday' gift: She gave me a deer antler to chew on. It is very hard, does not chip or break, and tastes delicious. I can chew on the thing for hours at a time. I recommend it for others to try, it is a lot of fun, and keeps me from wanting to chew on things I shouldn't.

As I dictate this note to Ammos, we are watching the snow fall, and begin to accumulate. I am not sure if I like the stuff or not. There are days I just want to go out and jump all over, but others I just don't feel like getting cold and yacky! As the winter goes on, I will let you know how I make out. Meantime, I want you to be reassured that I am well, that my home is full of love and great energy. I know my parents love me, and I take every opportunity to let them know I love them back (specially when they come home where I have been alone for a bit).

Before I forget, Ammos wanted me to ask for your advise on a specific matter. He says he is a bit concerned that at times I do not listen to him and is worried that I may get hurt. He says, he is not interested in having me too trained, but needs for me to obey one command, and one only! He wants to know how to teach me to "COME" to him whenever he calls me. Whether we are at the park, or at home, he wants to know that he can call me and I will immediately come to him. Honestly, I am having a bit of a problem with this, as I love to play and be chased. Sometimes, when I sneak out to the front yard, it takes them a while to catch me. I hide behind the trees and bushes, and love for Ammos to run after me until he grabs me by the tail. But I am beginning to see he gets annoyed and I need to learn to be more obedient. Do you think that will come with time? Is there anything Ammos can do to reinforce my good behavior, and discourage me from having him chase me around. I realize one day I may run in the street, and as I am the same color as the snow, drivers wont see me and I could get hurt. Let us know a good way to prevent accidents.

On the subject of training, I am proud to report I have learned to do my business on special blue training pads. In the morning, Ammos puts me on the pad, and after a while I go, he often lifts me from the tail to prevent me from getting wet... At times I miss the mark, and wet the floor around the area, but as always the Chornys are patient with me. Now, when I do things right, I get a special treat, either they give me some of my kibble form their hand, or a special biscuit that I love as well. I am still eating the Nutro Natural Choice for puppies, but if you think we need to move to the next level, let us know.

Hello Rodger and Joyce, I finally found the time to sit down and watch your teeth cleaning video. Congratulations on your video which is extremely well done. The explanations and demonstrations are outstanding!! You completely covered everything pertaining to cleaning the teeth as well as maintenance and use of the great equipment you included. Your explanations are easy to understand and your demeanor is so soothing and calm! The visual clarity and close up shots are exceptional. In the past, I had purchased 3 poodle grooming videos and none of them had the visual clarity and all of them missed covering the “hard to get at” areas and the easiest methods to clip these areas. You left nothing out! You are very encouraging and instilled confidence. I have been using the Braun electric tooth brush on my poodles daily which does not stop the tartar build up. I also have been using Denta-Sure (propolis and grapefruit seed extract spray) which has reduced the plaque by at least 50% but I will still have the scale their teeth. One of my poodles has tartar build up on 3 of his 4 front teeth. Not sure why one of them is totally clean while the other ones have the build up. I look forward to using the knowledge and experience from you to keep my poodles teeth clean and their mouths healthy! It’s easy to see that you both care deeply about our beloved companions. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!! With deep appreciation and gratitude! Mary Dama

From: gorewj@verizon.net
To: Debbiecpa@hotmail.com
Subject: La Terra Dios Ranch Westies
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:32:01 -0800

We are writing in reference to your experience with La Terra Dios Ranch in regards to your Westie. After sharing our lifes with two Westies for the past 18 years, we are now looking for another Westie companion. We are looking for a responsible breeder that is conscientious of genetics and that breeds healthy pups with good temperaments. Our interest is purely to have a pet/companion that holds all the typical Westie traits. After a nice telephone conversation with Rodger and Joyce, we feel that they are very nice people that really love their dogs and the breed. We are interested in the overall experience you have had with them and with your Westie. We obtained your contact information from the La Terra Dios Ranch website reference list. Thank you for any information you can give us and we appreciate your time.
Sincerely,
Wayne and Janine Gore

From: debbiecpa@hotmail.com
To: gorewj@verizon.net
Subject: RE: La Terra Dios Ranch Westies
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:08:24 -0500

Hi,

Sorry to hear of your loss of your two Westies. I am dreading those days, but they are worth having many wonderful years with the pets. I have purchased 2 westies from Roger, 2 years apart. The breed was new to me as I have always had Golden Retrievers. What a great breed, these dogs are great, as you know. I research everything I do, and I was really impressed with La Terra Dios Ranch. I had no intentions of having to fly an animal across the States, but felt it was worth it compared to the dogs available locally. I was right and went back a second time. I made my own chart of the lineage of his dogs within his breeding. I know which dad and which mom had different pups together. There isn't any cross-breeding and both of mine have great temperaments. Medically/genetically they are without any issues that I am aware of: great looking westies according to my vet and groomer. They are very conscientious and love what they do and their dogs. I completely
recomend them based on my own experiences. Enjoy.

Debbie Campbell

Dear Wayne and Janine,

This was our first time having a Westie in our lives, so you are already way ahead of the knowledge curve regarding this breed. With that said, I cannot tell you the joy our little boy has brought to our lives. We chose the smallest puppy from the litter of seven; father: Rio and mother: Skye. Eli is his name and he is, on average, half the size of the other puppies.

At five and 1/2 months he weighs 12.6 lbs.; Rodger and Joyce's prediction is that he will grow to 15 lbs. He is alert, frisky and feisty, friendly to dogs of all size and temperment, and very friendly with both adults and children. He is very healthy.

We found Rodger and Joyce's to be thorough about making the best human-canine match; also, passionate about and experienced in breeding Westie's. This has proven to be very rewarding as owners of one of their puppies.

I highly recommend Rodger and Joyce as wonderful people and excellent Westie breeders.
I feel you couldn't go wrong with a Westie borne from their breeding pairs.

Sincerely,
Jane Hendrick & Gordon Grall

Christine Standlee
<westies2cs1@msn.com> Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 4:29 PM
To: laterradios@gmail.com
Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original

Hi Rodger and Joyce, Just a line to let you know I've contact several parents of your wonderful Westies and have received some very nice comments and wonderful recommendations...thought you might like to read them.
Thanks again,
Prospective Parent...Christine Standlee

Hi, My name is Christine, I live out on Long Island and I'm in communication with Rodger and Joyce Morales of La Terra Dios. Rodger was kind enough to invite me to get some feed back from the parents of puppies already adopted from them. Just from reading their extensive website its clear that Rodger and Joyce have tremendous love and caring for their beautiful Westies. I've been searching the internet only for about 3 months but from all the sites I've visited La Terra Dios is clearly the most professional not to mention the vast expansion of information on everything you could possible want and need to know about raising and taking care of a Westie. I've had Westies for 21 years and have resently lost the two loves of my life 14 year old Andy and Sophie, due to illnesses that took their little souls from me this last July and Aug. Could you be kind enough to tell me about your experience with the Morales' and tell me a little about you baby boy Rio. I saw a picture of him on their webpage and he's so very handsome. How does he like living in Manhattan?

Thank you so much,
Christine

To: westies2cs1@msn.com
Subject: Re: La Terra Dios Westies
Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 18:06:32 -0500
From: sasa53@aol.com

Hello Christine,

I'll be very honest it was the best day for me to have found La Terra Dios site.

So as soon as I came upon the site, And had a chance to speak with Rodger and Joyce,

I knew my hunt was over. They were very warm and attentive with me, but never deviated from the fact that their babies were priority .

My experience has been excellent !!!!!!. They have answered every and any questions and fears I could of had as a new pet owner.

My Rio's birth from start to finish was like having a real child of my own. What a exhilarating experienced it was to be able to see and

witness my puppies life from the start. He was shipped when he was almost 2 1/2 month old. After I was reassured that the flight would

be very safe. I must of drove Rodger nuts with all my questions, but he was great with me. I have to say my Rio arrived perfect and he has

been the joy of our lives. He is a cocky little smart as a whip, boy ! Loving and inquisitive and healthy as a bull.

He is the talk of our building from the moment he arrived people wanted to know all about him, they say he is quit the perfect little westie.

McKenzie is 2 years old now and keeps my husband, 15-year-old daugher and me fully entertained. She has a fun personality and enjoys chasing toys, chewing anything with a squeaker inside, and swimming and wading at the beach or in the dog park's small river. She also likes to watch TV -- especially The Dog Whisperer or any show with animals. She loves to go for rides in the car as well. She does not like small children and will pull her tail between her legs and run the other way when she sees them. She is our family's only pet and our first westie, so we are learning a lot about the breed. I grew up with Schnauzers, and my husband grew up with Old English sheep dogs. We brought McKenzie home when she was 12 weeks old and never looked back.

McKenzie is a very healthly dog and good about not going potty in the house (anymore). She has an incredibly white coat (we think it glows!) and the trademark carrot-like tail. Her ears have never flopped, and she's never had an ear infection. We believe she has summer allergies though, as she started chewing her paws this summer. The paw chewing is not serious though. When we take her to the Marymoor dog park, she is intimidated by the larger dogs, but loves to play with the smaller dogs. Other westie owners at the park have we commented on her beautiful white coat and straight tail, noting their westies yellow- or beige-tinged coat or crooked tail, so we know that her features closely adhere to the breed standards. One of our neighbors loved McKenzie so much that the following summer, they purchased one of LTD's westies. Angus, our neighboring westie, has the same parents as McKenzie but was born a year later. They love to play with one another, so much so that McKenzie will often sit on the corner of our front lawn staring longingly at Angus' house, waiting for him to come outside and play! Overall, she is very social with other westies.

About a month ago, we noticed she was limping and favoring her back left leg. The vet says that she may need surgery to repair her kneecap, which "slips" from time-to-time, making it painful to bend her leg. The vet says this is a common problem among small dogs, including Terriers, Bichons, Maltese, Shih Tzus and Havanese. He says it may or may not be inherited, it's just too common of a condition to know for certain. To help address any potential food allergies (we have not had her allergies tested, we are just being proactive due to the summer allergies), we are feeding her Duck and Potato wet food by Royal Canine twice a day. At dinner, we're now adding a glucosamine (sp?) pill to help with the knee problem. If the pills do not alleviate her kneecap problem after about 6-8 weeks, she will need surgery. :-(

From: Christine Standlee [mailto:westies2cs1@msn.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 4:05 PM
To: Carolyn McKernan
Subject: RE: La Terra Dios Westies

Thank you for quick response. I'm very familiar with Sammamish, WA, I'm originally from Mukilteo, WA, north of Lynnwood/Edmonds. I moved from that area about 26 years ago and have been here in NY since. My mother and brother are still in Mukilteo and I visit them about 4 times a year, I'm scheduled to me back there in April again. I'm glad to hear you actually made a physical visit to LTD, as you said, I encountered so many dreadful web sites of people passing as so called "Outstanding Breeders" of Westies...I got to the point I just couldn't look at the pictures of these poor little things being passed of as Westies...It would be great if you could email me, my husband just had hip surgery and taking time for myself right now is hard to find the time, I leave my computer on all day and check messages several time. Do you have pictures of your baby you could email?
Thank you again.
Christine

From: CaMcKer@rei.com
To: westies2cs1@msn.com
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:26:33 -0800
Subject: Re: La Terra Dios Westies

Hi Christine,
I would be happy to share my experiences with you about La Terra Dios! Would you prefer email or a phone call? I live in Sammamish, WA just outside of Seattle and am in the Pacific Time zone.

It sounds as if you're going through the same steps I did. We looked elsewhere, but nothing compared to LTD. Although the internet is how we found LTD and our westie, it also makes the search process challenging -- it's hard to tell if the pictures are real or just a front for a puppy mill. We actually spent an afternoon at LTD, and I can truly confirm they are not a puppy mill. They carefully control their breeding and are 100% devoted to their westies. Plus, they are just nice, down-to-earth people!

Let me know whether you'd prefer a call or email!

Thanks,
Carolyn McKernan

Jane and Gordon Hendrick and Grall
<janeandgordon@q.com> Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 9:47 PM
To: laterradios@gmail.com
Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original

Dear Rodger & Joyce,
Happy New Year!!! It's a blue moon New Year's Eve full moon - Yippee!

Attached is a picture of Eli on his four month old birthday!!
My sister-in-law gave Eli and I a baby shower and he has more toys than he knows what to do with. Eli takes them all out of his daybed and surrounds himself with them, at a complete loss as to which one to pick as his favorite. Eli is happy and well adjusted to his living conditions; he is 11 pounds in weight. Gordon and I are smitten and compete on who can spoil Eli more. As you've said before, your Westie's are the smartest animals in the world. Eli out foxes us numerous times a day and he is much loved. Thank you so much for your efforts in facilitating the production of this bundle of joy!

With best wishes for 2010 and the fondest regard,
Jane and Gordon

From: Roy Alzua <roy_alzua@yahoo.com>
To: Michael Lewitzke <lewi@execpc.com>
Cc: Rodger Morales <Laterradios@amerion.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 4:16:27 PM
Subject: Re: Zoey and Roxy

Hi Michael,

My experience has been a very positive one with Rodger and Joyce Morales and their La Terra Dios Ranch. Zoey and Roxy have been excellent pets and healthy members of our family. My wife and I searched for nearly a year before purchasing our Westies from Rodger and Joyce. They were highly recommended to us by two breeders of Westies, one of which purchases her breeding stock from La Terra Dios Ranch.

Zoey and Roxy are our fourth and fifth Westies and so far the healthiest. All of our Westies have been females and were purchased as family pets not for breeding. Both are spayed and have excellent dispositions. Although we do not show our dogs, Zoey and Roxy have the excellent appearance and characteristics of the traditional (standard) West Highland Scottish White Terrier. They have a thick double-coat, large head, well-formed and proportional stature, straight carrot-tail, happy and fearless. Although Zoey and Roxy are from the same litter, Zoey is somewhat bigger (not fat) at 22 lbs. while Roxy is the typical 17 lbs. for an adult female Westie. Zoey and Roxy are a little over two years old and continue to be very healthy dogs.

It is my understanding and observation that Westies from La Terra Dios Ranch are noted for being larger, healthier and their females have larger litters, i.e., 6-8 puppies vs. typical 4-5 puppies. I believe this is a direct result of Rodger and Joyce's careful breeding practices and philosophy of resting their stock while providing a loving, happy and healthy living environment in beautiful Idaho.

Rodger and Joyce are very knowledgeable breeders of Westies and understand this breed better than most breeders. I have had long discussions with Rodger and Joyce about maintaining a high standard of the Westie breed and agree whole heartedly with their views. In addition to breeding Westies, Joyce is an exceptional groomer and has won awards showing her champion Westies.

Our two-year association with Rodger and Joyce has been a very enjoyable one and we continue to be treated like a member of the La Terra Dios family. On a personal basis they are both a joy and wonderful couple to know and ask questions about your Westie.

I would not hesitate to purchase another Westie from them.

Regards, Roy Alzua

So we made it home safe and sound! Angus is a good little traveler, we stopped a couple times for potty breaks, which he took advantage of, and the rest of the time he either slept or played quietly. I felt really bad that we couldn't stay and have lunch, but we got home at 10:30 and if we'd have had a sit down lunch it would have been even later. We instead just ate on the road!

Here are some pictures of Angus meeting our cat, Smudge, last night, then again this morning. They don't quite know what to make of each other, but they've already wrestled a little bit! :) We had a good night, he only cried a little bit when we put him in his crate, but quieted down after a bit. During the night the cat kept lying down in front of his door! I'm not sure if that helped him to sleep, or just made him want out even more!

Thanks for taking the time to show us the ropes yesterday. I'm glad we got the time to get to know you both and I'm glad I can write or call with any questions!

I'll send more pictures of Angus meeting Kipper (our lab) when we pick him up from the dog spa (the boarding kennel).

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Roy Alzua <roy_alzua@yahoo.com>
To: Michael Lewitzke <lewi@execpc.com>
Cc: Rodger Morales <Laterradios@amerion.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 4:16:27 PM
Subject: Re: Zoey and Roxy

Hi Michael,

I would not hesitate to purchase another Westie from them.

Regards, Roy Alzua

Ph. 714.964.3870

A word of praise

A friend recently sent me a link to your website as I was looking for
advice/suggestions on how to get my little Westie's grooming done so he
would look like a Weste, and not like a rat with a Westie head!! I have
just spent ages paging through your site, reading all you have on it
about these lovely little dogs. I acquired my boy Jock just a year ago
- he was 8 months old and had been bought by a family with 4 kids - ages
7 to 15 or so. The kids loved him but no one, including the parents,
had the time or the inclination to train him so he spent most of his
time crated, or running madly around, peeing all over the place.... To
cut a long story short, my daughter knew them and when mom said she felt
the pup should be given to someone who could take good care of him,
suggested me as a possible recipient! A year later, Jock is a lovely,
loving, and reasonably obedient little boy and I sure would not change
him for any other though this is the first time I have ever gone for a
small dog.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that if I was ever looking for another
Westie, or knew anyone who was, I would without hesitation suggest they
contact you as your love of, and knowledge of Westies is very apparent
on the web site.... I think they are the most wonderful breed, and hope
to have many years with my little Jock.

Bye
Mary

Nov. 2008