If you are lucky, a West Highland Terrier will come into your life, steal your heart, and change everything. I know because for the last 10 years, my Westie Angus has been one of the most important parts of my life.

Angus turns 10 next month and as I sit here thinking about his birthday, I find myself remembering the first time we met. On a spring day in May 2012, I drove out to Kim’s Westies in Sundre to meet a litter of week-old Westie puppies. As I stepped out of my car, I was greeted by a giant Pyrenees Mountain Dog, who excitedly wagged a hello, and then turned to lead me to the barn. Once inside I picked one of the puppies up, and as he started to lick me under my chin, I fell in love instantly. In that moment he chose me, and I became Dad.

After another visit a couple of weeks later “bring Angus home” day arrived in mid-July and together my parents and I drove out to bring Angus to his new life. As we entered the barn, Angus was at the end of a pathway and the minute he saw me, he ran all the way down to the opposite end and jumped into my arms. And so began the adventures of Gareth and Angus!

On the way home he sat on a pink towel on my lap and fell asleep. Little did I know then just how important Angus would be in my story.

Now as anyone that’s ever had a puppy knows, the first few months are a great learning experience. In those first few months, I spent a lot of time socializing Angus, taking him to different places, walking him at different times of day and introducing him to people throughout my life. At the same time, Angus did a very efficient job of training me. One of the most important things I did was take him to doggy daycare at Back in the Pack – essentially where Angus “learned to dog.” It’s an amazing place, and Angus loves going there to this day, so much so that at a very specific turn on our drive, he begins to sing the song of the Westie (think soprano aria).

He was also the first presence in my life that taught me about navigating my mental health. At the time, my anxiety wasn’t anywhere in check, and anxious Gareth plus Angus being a puppy and picking up on my emotions wasn’t a great recipe. Because of Angus I learned how to use my walk home from work to centre myself and from that moment forward, he’s been one of the most integral parts to how I navigate my mental health.

This moment also set the wheels in motion for something incredibly special that would happen in our future. A few years later I was looking for something Angus and I could do together that would give others the chance to experience the immense amount of love he has to share. Fortunately, this brought us to Calgary’s Pet Access League Society (PALS) and onto one of the two PALS teams that visits the Alberta Children’s Hospital (ACH) twice a month.

While the pandemic unfortunately suspended these visits, PALS was able to start back regular visits to the ACH last month, and Angus and I couldn’t be more excited as we also prepare to celebrate 5 years with PALS! To work with a special team of people and their therapy dogs, and to see the giant smiles spread across the faces of the children, their families and the ACH team members as they connect with Angus and his fellow PALS dogs is one of the greatest gifts we could give.