It’s August tomorrow!

The weather people have admitted they got it hopelessly wrong with their “barbecue summer” forecast but tomorrow does see the start of summer trips for many people. If you are out and about with your Glen of Imaal Terrier, or any breed come to that, this website could be quite useful preparation for when you are truly fed up with the sight of the bumper in front of you.

Has it happened to you?

In the Veterinary Record (July 18th edition) the following letter was printed:-

Dear Sir
The Glen of Imaal Terrier is classed as a vulnerable breed, with births averaging below 50 a year. As breed secretary I am taking an increasing number of calls from Glen owners about veterinary nurses advocating the routine spaying and neutering of their companion dogs.
As a breed we have a condition known as Late onset PRA and as a consequence most breeders do not mate their bitches until almost three
years of age. The gene pool is limited and repeat matings are not the norm as we wish to limit any possible damage to the breed until a test for the condition is found. Given that we could then lose a percentage of possible breeding animals to routine neutering for no sound medical reason, the overall picture becomes grimmer.
Could you please print this letter wherever possible, so that the veterinary profession becomes aware of the possible damage that will occur to our vulnerable breed if this policy is routinely advocated at their surgeries

Thanking you in anticipation

Yours Sincerely

Anne Hardy – Secretary of The Glen of Imaal Terrier Association

Are we going down the American route of early neutering? If so, why? If you have been advised by your vet (whatever the breed) to arrange for your puppy to be neutered do let us know the reason given and at what age it was suggested.

For anybody who missed it.

The New Zealand government has recently, in view of their own scientific findings, rescinded docking legislation. In other words DOCKING IS LEGAL AGAIN!. Not just any Tom, Dick or Harry can do it, the procedure can only be done by Vets & “accredited dockers”. A country the other side of the world stands up for freedom of choice and correct newly evaluated research.

The Kennel Club probably thinks it has to much on its plate to attempt a fight it didn’t teally have much heart for in the first place but what an opportunity…..to get people onto its accredited breeder scheme as they would be the obvious people to become the equivalent of the “NZ accredited dockers”.

Where’s it gone?

No, we haven’t stopped raising money. The specific website, efgfundraising, has been taken down. It will be up again soon with details of how you can (again) part with your money to benefit the search for the rogue gene that causes late onset PRA in the Glen of Imaal Terrier.

Interesting mix but what criteria?

The terrier tent at the Game Fair was a very interesting mix but nobody seemed to know what it was. There were Glen of Imaals, Sealyhams, Smooth Fox, Skyes, Dandie Dinmonts, Manchester, Irish & Norwich so the first reaction was the “so-called” Vulnerables but where was the Kerry, Lakeland, Welsh and Mini Bull? It wasn’t working terriers either. Does anybody know?

Sunday is a day of rest but…..

If you have a spare five minutes take time to have a look at this. Read it properly, playing careful attention to the Kennel Club letter (pages one and two) listed halfway down. Of all the breeds possible the KC try to bully the German Shepherd Dog fraternity????? They must be feeling very brave, or very rich, at the moment.

Another Breeder placement…

Glen of Imaal Terrier people don’t often bother with the Breeder Class at Championship Shows but maybe it should be thought about more often. Back at National Terrier Jean entered the Jeonty team and was pulled in fourth in the Group by Paul Wilkinson. Yesterday at Leeds the Amhard crew of Mel & Anne were number TWO under Jean Lanning. Nice one!

Here or there?

Glen of Imaal Terriers can be seen out and about at two places today; Leeds Championship Show and the CLA Gamefair at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire. As Leeds is held at Harewood House a fabuolous weekend of culture and dogs can be had by everybody

Native Dog Breeds Trust closes it doors.

News was released recently that the Native Dog Breeds Trust is to disband and, unfortunately, it isn’t much of a surprise. The idea, to promote British breeds, was an excellent one but even at the first meeting in 2003 it was obvious the way forward would be a rocky one. The guidelines were adopted from the Rare Breed Survival Trust, a very succesful organisation, but farm animals and dogs are different. Cattle, sheep, hens, pigs provide food; dogs don’t anymore. The big majority of RBST breeds think very local; 75% of a breed within a 20km radius is only category 4 (at risk) but dogs are big time global. Trying to balance the two and come up with a workable solution was always going to be large headache time.

The volunteers at the NDBT did their best to make it work but the overall remit (20+ breeds to begin with) was just too much. A plus for effort should be awarded to them

It could be a poster!

The photographer of this fabulous Glen of Imaal Terrier shot is Liza Margulies of Ossining, New York and taken in 2007. Do have a look at her website