A true terrier, Sky is tenacious, intelligent and eager to please.  There are hints of a badger-baiting ancestor in her dim and distant past.  She is always up for a nocturnal excursion and seems to relish the sense of surreptitious adventure.  Sky was born to be a willing accomplice, roaming those Wicklow Mountains by misty moonlight.  She really is a dog with an old soul.

 

All toys are destroyed with ruthless efficiency, however indestructible they claim to be.  It is important to understand that a Glen will always view possession as ten tenths of the law.  Once your shoe is in her mouth, it is no longer your shoe.  Sky has moved a full wheelie bin across an uneven yard in the pursuit of one petrified mouse.  And her response to all smug, lanky dogs is simply to outrun them by cutting corners.  We strongly suspect that the word ‘dogged’ was coined to describe the breed.

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Gutsy and brave, Glens can seem impervious to pain.  Their propensity for rough and tumble may result in an occasional hidden injury, if you are not tuned in to your dog.  Sky once climbed a Manx stone wall and scaled an oil tank whilst attempting to befriend a cat, only to fall several feet on to the stones below.  Before we could grapple with the emotional trauma - and contemplate one horrendous vet bill - she had jumped up, wagging her tail.  She tried to climb the wall again, but not before we had thoroughly checked her over.

If you want to walk miles, Sky will go the distance.  Glens are hardy and free-moving, although Sky does run with all the grace of a pygmy hippo in a tutu.  Some dogs may walk tall, but all Glens walk happy!  We would not recommend over-exercising though, and long treks should be punctuated with plenty of rest.  We would also avoid jumping from Manx stone walls if possible! 

 

Should your mood dictate a duvet day, Sky is more than happy to doze and amuse herself in the garden.  She has always been adaptable and seems to adjust her energy levels to meet ours.  Glens are generally sensitive to your mood and tone.  Just remember that a young bored and ignored Glen will find mischief to make.  Those unwanted holes in the lawn won't dig themselves!

 

We have either completely lucked out, or most Glens are flexible, easy company.  On walks, Sky's sole mission is to meet and greet as many dogs and their humans as possible.  She is incredibly affectionate and gregarious.  And Glens do not yap.  They just give a surprisingly stentorian bark and tend to leave it at that.  A Glen will become more vocal when agitated, which should help to deter unwelcome visitors.  When I'm walking in the middle of nowhere without a mobile signal, I am reassured that Sky is by my side. 

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We took Sky on a two-week holiday to the Isle of Man TT races in 2015.  This entailed tedious hours in a car and on a ferry.  And motorbikes, 24-7.  Not a peep out of her.  We stayed in a tiny hotel room, where she had to wait to go two storeys down to get outside.  Not one accident or incident.  All the guests fell in love with her, and we encountered that classic response to seeing a Glen for the first time:

 

Guest: ‘She’s a Glen of what?’

 

Me: ‘Imaal.  I-M-A-A-L.’ 

 

Guest: ‘Wow.  I don’t normally like dogs, but I love yours…’

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SKY FELL ASLEEP FOR THE FINAL TIME ON 14th JANUARY 2023.

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