About Hearth & Hound Cottage

Hello, I'm Elspeth — but please, call me Elsie

I live in a small stone cottage tucked into the folds of the Scottish Highlands. The walls are thick, the windows are deep-set, and the door is always open to the smell of wet heather and the sound of birdsong. I share this home with my husband (largely unseen, frequently out in the garden) and our two rescue terriers, Thistle and Bracken.

Thistle is a cairn terrier of indeterminate age and very determinate opinions. Bracken is a border terrier mix who approaches life with gentle enthusiasm and a deep commitment to napping. They came to us separately, both from local rescues, and they have reshaped this cottage around their needs in ways I never anticipated — and wouldn't change for the world.

Before the cottage, I worked as a librarian in Inverness. The research habits stuck. When I test a product, I test it thoroughly — across seasons, across moods, across the chaos of two terriers who disagree on everything except the fact that it's definitely dinnertime.