History of the West Highland White Terrier

Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm, of Poltalloch, Argyllshire, Scotland, is generally credited with breeding these wonderful white dogs in the 1800s. As the legend goes, Colonel Malcolm, while engaged in a fox hunt, accidentally shot one of his favorite terriers. In his remorse, he vowed to breed only for the white color to avoid another such accident. Until this time, white terriers were routinely destroyed as undesirable. Originally named the Poltalloch Terrier, the dogs were first shown in the US under the name Roseneath Terrier in 1906. The AKC officially changed the name to the West Highland White Terrier in 1909.