MIDLAND SEALYHAM TERRIER CLUB

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Best of Breed

Hansen & Scott’s

Dk.Ch.Int. Ch. Whitepepper’s Othello

Reserve Best in Show:

Lewis’: Ch. Nomis New Day

Joanne Bettis winning the YKC Handling 17-24yrs

With Ch. Plumhollow Seek Him Here Ornella

(Qualifying for the finals at Crufts 2012)

Sealyhams Hit The Headlines

HE’S rarer than a Siberian tiger, a giant panda and a mountain gorilla, but you won’t have to borrow a pair of binoculars and trek across the globe to see Cooper.

The two-and-a-half-year-old pet dog can be spotted strolling around the Stratford area with owner Tracy Titchmarsh on most days.

Years ago, Cooper’s breed – the Sealyham terrier – was the toast of Hollywood with Princess Margaret, Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant and Liz Taylor owning one.

But the breed fell out of fashion and last year just 49 puppies were registered in the UK.

It’s led to one magazine launching a national campaign to save the Sealyham

“I’ve had large breeds for 20 years,” Tracy, 48, said. “But as I got older I wanted something smaller.

“The Sealyham appealed to me. It doesn’t shed hair and it’s quite a robust little dog with a terrific temperament.

“When I was researching the breed I met up with an expert and she described them as the couch potato of the terrier world.

“They are so laid back. They’ll take as much exercise as they want. If you spend half the day out they’ll happily join you.

“But if you don’t want to do that they are quite happy to lounge around and do nothing. The only time he gets excited is when he’s being fed.”

The plummet in puppy numbers has led to the Kennel Club placing the Sealyham on their Vulnerable Native Breed list alongside Welsh corgis, Dandie Dinmont terriers and OtterhoundsTheir popularity wasn’t even boosted when a Sealyham named Efbe’s Hidalgo At Goodspice won best in show at Crufts in 2009.

They were originally bred for badger-digging and otter hunting.

Tracy, a trainer with Warwick Dog Training Club, added: “Things have changed a little now.

“The only badger Cooper gets near is soft cuddly version he likes to play with.

“Demand for them is incredibly high. I waited two years for Cooper.

“But even though they are incredibly rare they aren’t an expensive breed.

“The going rate is between £700-£800 which isn’t too bad when you consider an English bulldog costs £2,000.

“Cooper is a dream. He’s just such an easy dog to look after. Even at dog club he says hello to the other dogs and just relaxes.”

The low numbers of breeding Sealyhams means that the gene pool is reduced.

That means that some owners have had frozen Sealyham sperm sent in from the USA to make sure future puppies are healthy.

Read More http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2011/11/01/meet-the-dog-that-s-rarer-than-a-siberian-tiger-92746-29697681/2/#ixzz1cvi0o85d

Club Member Tracy Titchmarsh with Cooper

Appearing in the Coventry Telegraph