The 2006 Centenary Championship has been held 0n April the 15 th. at Ryton-on-Dunsmore with Mr Roger Wright (Rotella) as the judge. .Click on April Show button for results and photos etc.

In 2006 The KC has granted the Club another set of CC’s

This show was held in conjunction with the West Highland White Terrier Club. The WHWTC of England will select the judge for dogs (Miss S Cleland-Birkfell) and the WHWTC the judge for bitches (Mr D Berry -Incheril)
Show was held at the Barony College in Dumfries , Scotland on June 24 the 2006
http://www.barony.ac.uk/bc_h_003.asp
There was an evening meal and Ceilidh. A typical night out in Scotland with Optional Fancy Dress .
Click on June Ch Show for results, show photos and evening photos

''Dog of the Year' event took  place at the Sketchley Grange Hotel, Sketchley on Sunday 28th January 2007.  Entrants eligible were all CC winners, best puppy in breed winners at general championship  shows from the previous year. All Club's 2006 Ch shows and Open shows winners, ie Dog CC,  Bitch CC and BPIB at Ch shows, BIS and BPIS at the Open shows,
The three judges were kept a secret and only  revealed on the day of the competition.
They were Mrs E Berry (Breed Specialist) , Mr G Corish (Breed Specialist ) , Mrs F Somerfield (All Rounder but who was involved with both WHWT BIS wins at Crufts)

Click here for Dog of the Year photo album & results

A Century of West Highland White Terriers

2006 will be a time for celebration for the many people involved with showing and breeding the West Highland White Terrier.

One hundred years earlier, like minded people decided to form a club to promote the breed and to seek recognition from the Kennel Club.

This process was actually started in 1905 when a group of enthusiasts in Scotland met in January of that year to form a club for the White West Highland Terrier. The Kennel Club in its wisdom decided upon the name West Highland White Terrier just about the time that interested people in England were meeting to form a similar club. Thus at the time that the breed was recognised by the Kennel Club in 1906, there were already two clubs in existence.

The people who eventually formed the West Highland White Terrier Club of England had first met at Crystal Palace in October 1906. They elected Colonel Malcolm of Poltalloch as their Vice President and he was also President of the West Highland White Terrier Club. Colonel Malcolm is credited by many as having brought the breed to public notice so these two early honours were a fitting recognition of his role, however he was not the creator of the breed as is sometime written, the breed was kept by many families in the West of Scotland .

The first champion of the breed came along in 1907 and he was Ch.Morven owned by Colin Young, born on March 28th 1905, sired by Brogach out of a bitch named Culaig. There were nine sets of Challenge Certificates on offer that year and Morven won five CC's. Champion Cromar Snowflake was the first bitch to be made up, she was also bred by Colin Young and was owned by the Countess of Aberdeen. The Countess was the first President of the West Highland White Terrier Club of England.

Breed clubs did not run their own shows at this time, this was a post World War Two phenomenon but clubs were important in that they guaranteed classes and sponsored the breed through offering prizes at general championship shows. The first Challenge Certificates for the breed were on offer at The National Terrier Club held at Westminster in January 1907. Morven won the dog CC and Pittenweem Lulu took the bitch CC. The judge was Mr. D.T.McNeill

Many of the people who were involved with the clubs are also well known for their success as breeders and exhibitors. One such is Mrs. May Pacey who is the most succesful breeder. She started with West Highlands in 1910 after showing other breeds including Whippets, Greyhounds and Poodles. Her Wolvey affix is known throughout the world and she was an International all breed judge. She helped steer the club through many difficult periods, the most difficult being the two world wars when many kennels gave up and had to send dogs abroad because food was in short supply. Fifty nine dogs had either the Wolvey affix or were owned by Mrs.Pacey at the time they became a champion, a record which will be very difficult to beat . Many people will have read her book published in 1963, the year of her death.

Mrs. Pacey holds the record as the longest serving President of the club, an office which she held for thirty years from 1934 until her death in 1963.

other holders of this office were :The Countess of Aberdeen (Aberdeen), Colonel Malcolm of Poltalloch, The Hon. Mrs. Gerald Lascelles (Lyndhurst), Mrs. E.A.Beels (O'Petriburg), Mr. G.B.Dennis (Branston), Mrs.F.M. Brownridge (MacHylan), Mrs. B.Graham (Lasara), Mrs. R. Pritchard (Melwyn) and currently, Miss. S. Cleland (Birkfell).

The club has always been fortunate in that many people have given their time and energy to ensure its success and the success of the breed.

Our greatest thanks must go to those people who steered the breed through its most difficult times, ie the two wars. Many kennels had to give up betwen 1914-18 and 1939-45 as food for dogs was difficult to obtain and puppy rearing even more difficult as any form of meat was in very short supply and people could be fined for giving food to a dog which could be eaten by a human or another animal which was used for food production.

Many of the best dogs were exported during these times but fortunately, some dogs were kept here despite the dificulties and so the breed has prospered.

Since 1945, the system for awarding challenge certificates has changed and they are on offer now at shows run by breed clubs as well as at general championship shows.

The West highland White Terrier Club of England has organised championship shows almost every year since the end of the second world war and in 1994 it held its Golden show to celebrate the 50th championship show.

Next year, 2006 will see two championship shows being held to commemorate the centenary of the club and it is hoped that there will be a bumper entry with visitors from around the world to celebrate 100 years of a super breed of dog.

Rob Hill (Olton) Archivist WHWT Club of England.

Publisher of Centenary Book email for info  : OLTONMPW@aol.com

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