Add TXWAG/2010 to your calendar

Hi there Waggers. Put this on your calendars!

Tx WAG 2010 will be Saturday, April 10. Becky Eterno has graciously offered her home in Boerne, Texas once again. We will be having the usual preWAG party Friday night for those of you who come Friday.

More to be revealed.

AKC Earthdog Tests

For those of you interested in Earthdog Trials, check out Tejas Earthdog Club’s upcoming tests on October 31 and November 1 being held in Santa Fe, TX

TEDSET Fall2009 Premium

Ride the Rails

The Story of Duncan and Walter (9th in a series of articles about how our club members became Welshie Slaves)

By Walter Davis

Back in the mid 1990′s, my wife came home from the Astroworld Series of Dog Shows with this marvelous tale about a dog sport called Flyball where teams of dogs ran and jumped and grabbed tennis balls — all things that our Jack Russell terrier did on a daily basis. We thought hey, this is the perfect sport for us. So we found a local trainer and took the little fella to classes and he was soon a superstar, at least in our eyes. My wife was the handler and I was merely the cheerleader on the sidelines. But I had the fever, and in early 1998 I decided to expand the furrier portion of our family by adding another pup that I could race. I wanted something with size and speed in the middle between the Speed Racer Border Collies and the determined Jack Russells. I did some research at the library and decided that a Welsh Terrier was the perfect fit for me. The problem then became how and where to get one.

Internet research told me that Welsh Terrier owners didn’t advertise their litters very much and kept prices relatively high, wanting to avoid the mass production problems that plagued the Jack Russells, who were suddenly in demand after movies like My Dog Skip, but then quickly forgotten or abandoned when new owners realized their high energy requirements. But sure enough, one Sunday in the pet section of the local Houston newspaper, there it was… a nearby litter for sale. I called and made an appointment to immediately go see the little rascals for myself, and we set out on what was to be an eleven-year adventure.

I rang the doorbell and a very sweet and very lovely lady named Annabella answered. As she sat and petted her boy Chester, she told us all about Welshies, their likes and dislikes, their personality quirks and the things that made them special to her. At some point during the conversation I believe it was Chester who calmly walked over and jumped into their pool for a quick swim. I thought, “WOW, this is the dog for me!!” I can only assume that Annabella eventually deemed us to be good prospective parents because then she introduced us to the two pups that were up for adoption. The female was already spoken for, but the little male pup was available to the right family. This little guy was CUTE!! He looked just like a little baby buffalo to me, all black with a bit of tan mixed in. He’d run and stumble, then pick himself up and roll over his sister with glee.

I picked him up.

He licked my face.

He settled into my arms and went to sleep.

I was a goner.

It was love.

I’ll never forget a Flyball demo we helped put on at Delta Downs one weekend where Duncan ran down, grabbed the ball, ran back JUST out of my reach, jumped over the hay bales separating us from the crowd, and proceeded to run laps around the field while his fans cheered him on. The announcer simply laughed and said, “that’s why our mantra is train, train, train”.

Duncan never did race professionally, but he cheered from the sidelines for years until our other pups grew too old to race any longer and we retired from the sport. He is turning 11 years old very soon, and these days he can be found in our huge backyard being chased by our Border Collies and chasing our Jack Russell in return. It’s hilarious to watch them all play for so long, then have him suddenly lay down huffing and puffing and look over at me with joy in his eyes.
Someone asked me recently what I loved most about the little guy. My comment was this: Even on days when I’m frustrated as hell with him over something he’s chewed on that he shouldn’t or when he’s gotten too aggressive with the other dogs over toys or food, I’ll yell at him and tell him that he’s in trouble. And the little cuss will put his ears down, come crawl into my lap, lick my face, and curl up in my arms and close his eyes.. just like on the very first day I ever laid eyes on him.

What can I say?

I’m a slave.

Get down & Get dirty with Tejas Earthdog Club

AKC Earthdog Test October 31 & November 1, 2009 Open to all AKC approved Terriers and Dachshunds (Dogs must be registered with AKC to participate)

Join Tejas Earthdog Club at “For Dogs Only”
714 Algoa Friendswood Rd.
Santa Fe, TX

Directions: From I-45 heading south, exit FM 517 (#19) and turn right onto FM517. After you go about 5 miles you will see a wild animal park on the left. Turn left onto Algoa Friendswood road. After about 1 mile you’ll come to a stop sign. The facility is on the left, after about ½ mile. From I-45 heading north, ext FM 517 and turn left onto FM 517. Follow the directions from there.

Judging for Saturday:

Master – Morris Fraley
Senior – Doreen Workman
Junior – Doreen Workman
Intro – Morris Fraley

Judging for Sunday:

Master – Doreen Workman
Senior – Kellye Slatton
Junior – Kellye Slatton
Intro – Doreen Workman

Entry fees:

Master $22 day of test and $20 pre-entry
Junior $20 day of test and $18 pre-entry
Senior $20 day of test and $18 pre-entry
Intro $12 day of test and $10 pre-entry

The dig in and practice will be on Saturday, October 24th.
Dig in at 9:00 AM with practice starting after dig in is completed.

For more information, contact Cindy Camp at campwtz@att.net
Join us after the test on Saturday for a costume contest for the dogs!
Potluck Lunch both days – Bring a dish

Hill Country Spring Fling

Mark your calendars! Tx Wag 2009 will be held Saturday, April 4 at Becky Eterno’s new home in Boerne, Texas. Boerne is located northwest of San Antonio(about 33 miles from the San Antonio International Airport) and southwest of Austin(about 105 miles southwest of Bergstrom International Airport). It is a beautiful area with antique stores, good German food, and much more.

For those of you who may be new to the WAG, many of us meet at a dog friendly motel the night before, have dinner and visit. The WAG is usually a 10 am to 5 pm, or there abouts as we say in Texas, with lunch, an auction, and usually a session on some aspect of WT care. The Club provides a meat and everyone brings a dish. Lots of good company, food, and WT fun.

We will be posting information about exact times, motels, food, and auction in the near future. We are, of course, looking for volunteers to assist with food, coordinate the auction, and deal with all the other administrative, clean-up tasks. More information to follow.

YEE HAW to generous donors

The Texas Wag Welsh Terrier Club will hold a Texas-size raffle during the WTCA 2008 Floating Specialty in San Antonio.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the Canine Health Foundation for Glaucoma Research.

Barbara Arnold

Mary Beacon

http://tumbleweedstudio.com

Dick Briggs

http://www.briggsdale.net/

Dorothy Cameron

Drs. Foster and Smith

http://www.drsfostersmith.com

Doggone Good!

http://www.doggonegood.com

Dog ID Collar

http://dogidcollar.com

Dogwise

http://www.dogwise.com

J&J Dog Supplies

http://www.jjdog.com

Johnna Y. Klukas

http://www.jykboxes.com/

KV Vet Supply

http://www.kvvet.com

Lupine Collars & Leads

http://www.lupinepet.com

Donna Masters

www.dograllyo.com

Natural Balance Pet Foods

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com

Oster Professional Products

http://www.osterpro.com

Pearson Stripping Knives

http://www.strippingknives.com

Terrier Toys

http://www.terriertoys.com

Up Country Inc.

http://www.upcountryinc.com

Zuke’s

http://zukes.com

2008 Floating Specialty

WELSH TERRIER CLUB OF AMERICA
2008 FLOATING SPECIALTY
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Enclosed is the information for our floating
Specialty that will be held in conjunction
With the San Antonio Kennel Club All Breed
Dog Show on Saturday, March 8, 2008 at the
Joe & Harry Freemen Coliseum, San Antonio, TX

THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008
Comal County Kennel Club
Obedience & Rally Trial
Kennel Club of Greater Victoria, Inc.
All Breed Dog Show
Welsh Terrier Judge – Mrs. Mildred K. Bryant

FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2008
Comal County Kennel Club
Obedience & Rally Trial
All Breed Dog Show
Welsh Terrier Judge – Mr. Norman B. Kenney