West Highland White Terriers
by Roger Wright

It is not for me to comment on my own work, I never have and prefer to let individuals decide for themselves. What I can do is tell you why I wrote it, what it entailed and what has been said about it since it was published. Other than that all I can suggest is that you beg, borrow or buy a copy and form an opinion of your own.

In 1990 I was approached by Crowood Press who asked if I thought I could write a book about West Highland White Terriers. They had been given several names and I had been randomly selected for their approach. In fact I was the second person to be contacted, the first had turned down the opportunity. At the initial meeting I was given a synopsis of the requirement:

A comprehensive work on the breed that will appeal to everyone from the pet owner through to the seasoned exhibitor/breeder. A book of between 85-90,000 words, 70-75 photographs, 25 line drawings, an index, front and back cover plates, breed standards, pedigrees etc., etc. To be completed by the end of September 1991. Phew!

I went away and did much soul-searching before making a decision. I asked myself a great number of questions; Was it necessary and if so why? What would be my reasons for writing it? Could I do justice to it?

When I became involved in the breed the main sources of information had always been the book by Mrs Mary Dennis with further import from others such as Mrs May Pacey's handbook and the early work on the breed by Holland Buckley Esq. All excellent works, the latter two being fairly short, whose interest lay mainly from an historical standpoint. Mary Dennis' book was more lengthy and comprehensive, I regarded it, as did most everyone, as the "bible".

So what, if anything, could be achieved by another book? I delved back into my memory to recall what I wanted from a book in my early years and also what I would want now. Other books had raised questions and told of problems but without giving answers. They had perhaps become dated, in part at least (the Mary Dennis book had been published in 1967 , May Pacey's in 1963 and Holland Buckley's in 1911). Advances in animal husbandry, veterinary science and new rules and regulations had laid waste to much of what had been written previously.

So why would I want to take this on? If nothing else a book would be a monument to my existence after I was long gone, but it had to be more than that. If I was going to do it I wanted it to be a good piece of work, it had to make a contribution to the benefit of the breed. And so, with trepidation but full of excitement, I decided to accept and duly signed on the dotted line in the autumn of 1990.

Having never written anything of this magnitude before I really didn't know how or where to start. It is one thing dreaming of writing a book and quite another actually doing it and within the confines of my time limit. I tried writing in longhand, typing, using a tape recorder all to no avail, all the ideas and information seemed stuck inside me and wouldn't flow out. Then my saviour came along. I had a chat to my friend Robert Killick the well known canine journalist, who explained how he would tackle this sort of project. Low and behold it worked like a dream. Using Robert's method and a word processor the words, ideas and information just flowed. It was hard work and long hours. Not being familiar with a computer I lost text a few times and had to re-write, but it came along.

I wrote a chapter and a half in early 1991 then had a break while I moved to the farm. The rest of the book was put together starting again in the third week in June and finally sending everything to the publishers in October. It had taken three months, working long hours, in the last few weeks I had been working 20 and 22 hour days to finish on time. It took it's toll physically and it was some time before I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed again. I thought that was it but no, come January 1992 and the process of production started, with all that entails - but that's another story.

I was both proud and pleased with what I'd done but how would it be received? The book was published in November 1992 and sold out of the estimated five year sales figure in eighteen months. It has been well received by all. I am told that it is referred to as the "bible", and whether accurate or not, I can think of no higher accolade than to be mentioned in the same terms as Mrs. Mary Dennis and other esteemed authors of the past. It is also the only 'english' breed book on the American Kennel Club recommended reading list, making all the hours and hours of painstaking work worthwhile.

This original book has been sold out for a few years, copies are both valuable and rare - so if you have one, hold on to it!