43
Hermitage couple’s terrier earns high praise at Westminster
By LINDA M. LINONIS
hermitage, pa.
He’s a small-town dog that bow- wowed the elite canine crowd at the recent Westminster Kennel Club dog show.
Grand Champion Graycottage Santeric Fyrestorm, a wire fox terrier, won the best of breed at this year’s prestigious dog show Feb. 13 and 14 in Madison Square Garden in New York City. “It was my Valentine’s Day present,” said Altha Graham, a proud owner/breeder with her husband, Clint.
“Jeff’s win was an upset,” said Altha, referring to her top dog by his “call name” or everyday name. He was named in honor of his veternarian, Dr. Jeff Williams of Kinsman.
Altha said the No. 1 female fox terrier in the country, Steele Your Heart, was expected to take best in show. “That was the buzz in People magazine and the Los Angeles Times,” she added. “But she didn’t get best of breed.”
“This is good for small-time breeders,” Altha said of Jeff’s Westminster win. Jeff is the first puppy born in the first of only two litters that the Grahams bred. “Three are champions, and three went to pet homes,” she said.
On the show circuit, dogs are judged according to the breed standard, Altha emphasized. First, the canines compete among their own breed, then face off in their groups, which are hound, toy, nonsporting, herding, sporting, working and terrier. The seven winners of those compete in best in show.
“Dogs don’t compete against one another but are judged on how they best represent their breed,” she said. Ironically, Jeff stands 16 1/2 inches tall, an inch more than the breed standard.
Westminster attracted some 2,000 canine contestants this year. Jeff pawed his way to the top of the wire fox terriers. “He’s a sound dog and tremendous example of the breed type,” Altha said. “He has a wonderful temperament and has good movement.”
Jeff stays in tip-top shape by romping in a fenced-in area at the Grahams’ home. “He’s in wonderful condition and gets a lot of exercise,” Altha said. He has to be in a fenced yard because wire fox terriers have a case of wanderlust. “They like to explore and he’d be off in a flash,” Altha said.
Now retired from the show ring after hundreds of wins, 5-year-old Jeff will live the leisurely life of a pet with the Grahams.
At home, Jeff will have the feisty company of other wire fox terriers including his retired champion mother, Poppy. “The breed is independent, and each one wants to be the top dog,” Altha said. She added that they tend to get along better with other breeds, though they always want to dominate.
Altha is a retired teacher from the Greenville School District, and Clint, a retired Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroard employee. Both said dogs have been a part of their world for decades; Altha grew up with wire fox terriers. One of their children has a rescue wire fox terrier who is a wonderful family pet, she said.
Altha credited a friend, Patt Snodgrass of Jamestown, Pa., with getting her involved in dog shows. Snodgrass would show the dogs, and Altha would help. The Grahams got their first show dog in 2000. Jeff won at Westminster with professional handler, Leonardo Garcini of Henryville, Ind.
Clint said, “Jeff’s success is a once-in-a-lifetime deal.” His wife said they almost didn’t send Jeff to Westminster but then changed their minds because they believed he was the No. 1 dog.
The Grahams said they promoted Jeff in Dog World magazine ad on an inside page; the cover costs thousands. “We spend money but don’t make it,” Altha said of the cost of dog care, the professional-handler fee and dog-show expenses. “We get a ribbon and medallions,” she said.
It must have been kismet for her to be at Westminster this year because she usually avoids the expense and traffic. She went and had a terrific time. A favorite show is the Montgomery County Kennel Club All-Terrier Show near Philadelphia. She is chair of the Wire Fox Terrier Club of Central States Show this May in Sharonville, Ohio, near Cincinnati.