Pup Scouting

During my last trip to Chris’ cottage I fell in love with a breed of dog – the soft coated wheaten terrier. Her family friends have one named Kailey (not sure on the spelling) and she was absolutely adorable. I love terriers but the thing that makes this one perfect (I think so at least) for me and Dave is that it is not a small dog. They are about 30-45lbs and therefore classified as a medium dog. Wheatens were originally bred in Ireland to be all purpose farm dogs. They tend not to be as aggressive as other terriers and I have been told that they have a tendency to not bark but rather communicate their needs in other ways such as nuzzling. They are keen jumpers and unless trained not to will jump up on people when they first meet them (in a kind playful manner though). This is often referred to as the “Wheaten Greetin” which I think is really cute. There are four varieties of wheatens: Traditional Irish, Heavy Irish, English and American. The differences between the different varieties has to do with their coat colour for the most part, however, the American breed is prone to more diseases and illnesses then the other varieties. Wheatens are hypoallergenic and like Yorkshire Terriers, do not shed, which is ideal for our living style and we don’t want to have to vacuum on a regular basis. They are playful and energetic and generally adorable. There are of course the many cross-breeds but who cares about those when the original is just so ideal.
There are a few breeders around, 3 of which are right here in the Ottawa region (as a matter of fact, one is ten minutes from our house). I want to start communicating with the breeders to find out prices and estimated dates of litters, etc. I would only purchase one from a reputable breeder and luckily enough, the 3 that are in this area are not only registered with the Canadian Kennel Club, but also with Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Association of Canada. They are also active senior members of the Ottawa Association and I believe one of them is the president. I would feel safe purchasing a dog from one of these breeders, even though it would cost more to do so. My parents believe Eddy had his genetic disease due to poor breeding and possible inbreeding and the best way to avoid that is to go to a reputable source who shows their dogs and therefore has to have legal pedigrees with all their dogs. In case you can’t tell by now, I am very excited about this. I have done tons of research and want to take the next step and talk to breeders. I feel I could care for this breed of dog quite well and I know I would love it more than anyone else possibly could. Now I just need to get Dave on board with me for getting one in the new year (I would prefer now, but it just doesn’t make sense with our travel plans for December and how much attention and stability a puppy needs).
Note: images from wikipedia (top) and Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Association of Canada (bottom).