CH ALJAMAR BEWITCHED AT SQWIRE NA, NAJ, CGC, TDI
Owners: Karen Passow, Gloria Thomas, Gail Obradovich

Sami is a wonderful example of a wire fox terrier. She is beautiful, smart and funny. We co-own her with Gail Obradovich who, with her husband Mike, completed Sami’s conformation championship. Gail and Mike bred Sami twice under the Sqwire prefix, producing three breed champions.
Sami came to live with us at age 3 ½. She was a “learning sponge”. We began training her using a clicker. Every time she saw the clicker come out she would get so excited as if to say, “Teach me more!” She received her Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Therapy Dog International (TDI) certification after just four months of training. During this time she started agility training with Gloria and completed her first Jumpers With Weaves leg in her second trial, four months after the start of her agility training.

We then took a break from training and co-bred Sami. She produced five puppies, two of them are in performance homes, while Gail and Mike are showing one with great success. Sami came out of motherhood with a bang. She had three perfect standard course runs, completing her Novice Agility (NA) title with three first places. Three trials later, she had her Novice Agility Jumpers (NAJ) (Jumpers With Weaves) title.

CH SAREDON WALKING ON SUNSHINE CD, CGC
Owners: Ron and Linda Lewis

Riska is my "first:" my first wire fox terrier, my first show dog, my first obedience dog, my first agility dog…needless to say, Riska and I are learning a LOT in a short time. To show in breed, we had to learn the art of grooming and how to get around the ring with all four legs on the ground. Many thanks go to Peter Green for his help with grooming and to Pat Holladay for her help in training Riska – both for conformation and for obedience.

Riska adores my husband, Ron, so when Ron decided to try his hand at showing her in the breed ring, Riska was on tip toe. She won her first two majors the first two times Ron showed her. We took a trip from Tennessee to Arizona last fall to visit Ron’s mom and “just happened” (VERY Big Grin) to stop by the show in Goodyear, AZ where Riska finished her Championship (CH) with another major.

It has been a real challenge to learn to keep Riska’s attention on me as we trained for obedience, so we were thrilled when Riska completed her Companion Dog (CD) title with scores of 192, 191.5 and 190. We are currently working on her CDX. We also have our eye on the Cracker Jack Award, as Riska has 2 legs in Jumpers With Weaves in agility.

Many thanks go to Judith Averis for breeding and choosing this wonderful dog for us. We asked Judy for a wire that would do well in all arenas and Riska has certainly met those requirements! She has a wonderful personality and gives us much entertainment with all her antics. Through Riska, we have not only learned how to groom and train, but we have developed a true appreciation and love of the Wire Fox Terrier breed. We look forward to many more years with Riska and to keeping some of her future offspring.

(P.S. Riska won an Obedience High In Trial at the Greater Twin Cities Fox Terrier Club Specialty held in Lake Elmo, MN on August 22, 2003. She has also just qualified for the Cracker Jack Award for 2004 by easily earning both her Novice Agility (NA) and her Novice Agility Jumpers (NAJ) titles. --- JJF)

CH WYRELEE SHAKEN NOT STIRRED NA
Owners: Drew and Amanda Milburn

Apollo quickly learned that his place in our home was that of the “king” and his attitude has enveloped his “professional career”. Apollo finished his Championship (CH) with four majors including an Award Of Merit at the floating national in Ft. Worth and at a regional speciality. While Apollo excelled in the breed ring, we knew that his “terrier spunk” was not allowing him to enjoy “just standing there”. He therefore was allowed to pursue his love for play on the agility field. Apollo easily gained his Novice Agility (NA) title and two legs towards his Jumpers title. Every leg was a placement, with most being Firsts. Apollo enjoys performing for anyone and loves to learn new tricks. Clicker training is his favorite thing because it allows him to create his own new behaviors.

After four litters, it is apparent that Apollo is passing on his excellent traits to the next generation. Not only has he produced outstanding conformation in every litter, but all of his pups have his wonderful attitude and great work ethic. Apollo’s achievements make him a great wire, and his personality makes him an exceptional child. Whether it is playing tug-of-war, “protecting” us from the dogs on TV or just hanging out on the couch, Apollo is the best thing we could have hoped for. Many thanks to Nancy Lee Wolf for letting Apollo spend his life with us.