Page 394 - ShowSight - December 2019

Theresa Goiffon continued
on, so we named our kennel after Dunham Lake, a lake in north- western, Wisconsin where we have our lake home.
Do I co-breed and co-own with others? Yes, I do on occa- sion. Mostly I co-breed with my breeder colleagues in Europe. Most of my puppies that I sell to show/breeding homes are placed on a co-ownership contract with the exception of those international breeders.
Is my breed easy to place? I have no problem placing my puppies with quality families. I typically have a waiting list and many times that list is out one year. I do not advertise but I do have a website and I am very active on social media; however, I have not had to advertise puppies for sale because they are typically promised prior to being born.
The biggest problem I have is keeping up with the demand, as most years I only plan three breeding’s a year. My males are avail- able on a limited bases for stud service to breeders I approve. Our gene pool is limited and over-use of any one stud impacts the genet- ic diversity of our breed and can lead to popular sire syndrome, therefore, it is something we are mindful of. With the ability to ship semen, I have sent semen to Australian to help diversify their gene pool. It has been a successful joint effort that has been beneficial to our breeders in Australia.
What can AKC do to help breeders attain great results? With respect to breeders and how AKC can help with breeding results, I don’t view that as AKC’s responsibility. AKC does a fine job with their mission, maintaining our registry. I think there could be improved efforts by AKC in public awareness of all the wonderful programs and initiatives, they are involved with.
Increasing support for purebred breeders on social media and advertisements would be helpful for all pure-bred breeders. I am pleased to see such Facebook groups being created, two recent ini- tiatives by Mr. Bill Shelton and Mr. Guy Fisher both with AKC. Such groups encourage productive discussion among breeders not only for public visibility, but innovative ideas on promoting and preserving our pure-bred dogs.
I would be amiss if I didn’t mention this so I will say with respect to AKC helping breeders that also exhibit their dogs in conforma- tion, it’s time the AKC takes a clear and transparent position with respect to docking and cropping.
If we are to breed the best to the best sometimes that means seeking lines outside of the USA. Working with international breeders most countries prohibit such alterations and those of us who either show those imported dogs or like myself who choose not to alter my dogs, at times we are experiencing blatant prejudice in the show ring. It discourages new people from exhibiting and breeding and it discourages importing and exporting dogs from and to other countries as well.
I do see that improving some and there are judges that recognize this and award the best over-all dog regardless if the standard states docked or cropped. However, it’s difficult for some judges because without the change in standard as written by the national clubs, to either option is acceptable, altered or natural. For some judges they feel it puts the burden on them to weigh a man-made fault against a structural fault. For me that’s an easy decision, but not to all judges and AKC could make this contentious topic go away if they supported and instructed judges to not be bias with respect to such alterations.
Any hint or trick I can share with fellow breeders? I can say with all sincerity most of our experience too has been through Tri- al and Error. Thankfully, not too many life-changing errors, but errors along the way none the less. It is imperative that breeders are transparent, and our focus must be on the betterment of the breed. Sharing honest details about our pedigrees and working together whenever possible.
Do I show my own dogs? Yes, we have always shown our own dogs or the families that have a show dog from us, show their own dogs as well. We train and groom our own dogs and help others in our breed as well.
We have finished over 25 AKC Champions and Grand Champi- ons, Multiple Best in Show dogs, #1 ranked Australian Terriers over the years, top ranked performance dogs, multiple dogs winning best of breed at Westminster and Montgomery county the all ter- rier show. All handled by my daughters who began showing at nine and 13 years of age or individual families that show or compete in performance events with their own dogs. I now show as well, but I am not near the quality of handler my daughters are, I’m still a work in progress. So, I guess you can still “teach an old dog, new tricks”.
The most amusing thing I’ve ever witnessed at a dog show? Well something that stands out to me that took place at a dog show a few years ago, a judge, who shall remain nameless, announced to us, mid-way through the breed ring evaluations, she was hun- gry and was going to eat her lunch. She turned to all of us and said, “Just stay put, I’ll be back.” It was raining and we all stood there dumfounded in the rain with our dogs, while she ate her bag lunch ringside.
Then when she was finished with her lunch, the ring proce- dure continued. What could have been an upsetting circumstance among exhibitors, most of us took it in stride, moved under the tent, away from the rain, waited for her to finish her sandwich and made the best of an odd situation. Some of us still have a good laugh about that quite unconventional experience to say the least.
LOIS GRIER
How I got started in dogs? It was a time when our three kids were leaving for college. We had a Soft Coated Wheaten and I sim- ply decided I would like to show a dog. I like new challenges in life.
What made me know that this was what I wanted to do? I didn’t know since I had not even been to a dog show at the time. I grew up on a dairy farm and so had a love of animals, I guess it was a desire just waiting to evolve.
Who were my mentors? Over the years I have had extremely knowledgeable mentors that were generous to share their experi- ence and passion about their breed with me. They taught me that decisions should always be made in regards to what is best for the breed as a whole or specifically for the dogs in our care. Showing, ribbons and wins should be secondary. As breeders it is important to keep a perspective on why we are working to preserve our chosen breed. One person that guided me to success is Jana Deaton whose dedication to the breed was instrumental in helping the University Of Missouri discover the gene marker and ultimately a test for PNA or Canine Multiple System Degeneration. I admire her courage and perseverance under fire. Another go to person for help and valuable information is Dana Lynch who breeds English Springers but has a love for Kerry Blue Terriers as well. Having a good friend with a lifelong background in the medical field comes in quite handy when raising and breeding dogs. Another mentor and partner is Virginia Harding who has been a great resource as well as friend to have long conversations with about breeding decisions with. These women have been in the breed long enough to know their lines and recognize the importance of studying genotype, phenotype and pedigrees to be successful in the breed because they understands the importance of structure, movement and temperament.
The best thing about being a breeder? That would probably be the people that I meet who become owners of a Krisma Kerry Blue. I enjoy seeing how much our Kerries mean to the lives of my pup- py owners. This breed is a people oriented breed who have strong bonds to their family members. They are willing to please and try
390 • ShowSight Magazine, DeceMber 2019
Breeder Q & A