Kirby is a Welsh Terrier we adopted from K9 Rescue in the fall of 1997.  He was a stray they told us they saved from the pound and so they knew nothing about his past.  Kirby is in good health and we think he's about 7 or 8 years old.  I believe Kirby may have been abused before he came to live with us.  Whenever I would reach down to pet him, we would flinch and pull away from my hand.  He was also very aloof and didn't like to be cuddled or petted.  That was then!  Now, Kirby is a very sweet and loving dog who believes the world revolves around him...and he's right!  He loves to play with his toys and splash around in his pool during the summer!  Like your typical Welsh Terrier, he will protect his territory (our yard) by barking like crazy but once your inside the fence with him, he will try to give you big, sloppy wet kisses!  Kirby loves to spend as much time as he can outside no matter what the weather sniffing things and barking at falling leaves.  But he also is content being cuddled on the sofa or sleeping on the afghan on the loveseat.  He used to love to sleep and cuddle with his buddy Max.