Winter 2010 - Cairn Terrier Club of Denver

MICROSOFT
The Cairn Connection
Kari and “Woody” Win BOB at
CTCA National Specialty
ISSUE 108
DECEMBER, 2010
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
National Specialty 1
Christmas Party 2
President’s Letter 7
Breeders Corner 8
Safety/Health 17
Earthdog Brags 18
Conformation Brags 20
Member News 21
Member Photos 23
Humor 24
CTCD’s Kari Loken and her dog MBISS Ch. Cherbo Harwood
Steele at Harmony A.K.A. “Woody” won Best of Breed at this
year’s National Specialty, Montgomery County KC, Blue Bell,
PA. CONGRATULATIONS Kari, Cheri and Woody.
Woody is owned by Kari & Jack Loken and Cheri Eagleson. It
was one of the largest National Specialties ever and Kari and
Woody made our club proud by receiving the winning nod from
Judge Jon Cole.
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST:
• CTCD Christmas Party
• Breeding/Perspective
• Health Tip
• Brags
• Member News
An interview with Kari begins on page 8.

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ISSUE 108
Christmas Party
This year’s Christmas Party Theme could have been “The More the
Merrier”. Our club and the Rocky Mountain Earth Dog club joined
together to have a terrific party at Cinzzetti’s Italian Market
located in Northglenn, CO. The group had its own private room
with ample space for exchanging gifts and playing the “trade for
something better” game. The food was without doubt a gourmet
delight (so much variety too). Definitely a yummy and fun event.
Our “Christmas Future” wish is that all members will be able to
attend next year’s party.

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ISSUE 108
Christmas Party Cont’d
Photo by Ray Daniels
Photo by Ray
Photo by Ray Daniels

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ISSUE 108
Christmas Party Cont’d
Photos by Ray Daniels

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ISSUE 108
Christmas Party Cont’d
Photos by R Daniels

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ISSUE 108
Specialty Show Photos
Photo by L Daniels
Photos by R Daniels

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ISSUE 108
President’s Letter by Sandy Trzos
HAPPY HOLIDAYS CTCD MEMBERS
The year has been one of the busiest and most successful for CTCD
and all its members. We hosted a member’s fun day, a three-day AKC
agility trial, two AKC Earthdog weekends, an educational program at the
Elizabeth Celtic Games, and our 20 th Annual Specialty Show. Many
thanks to all the members who worked so hard to make these events
happen. Congratulations to all our members for all their titles in
conformation, agility, obedience, and earthdog your Cairns have achieved
this year. Cairns really do rock!
A special thanks to all our Board members for making my job so easy
this last year. Ray Daniels has put out a fantastic newsletter every issue
this year and we are looking forward to another year of greatness.
This next year CTCD will be adding a combined conformation and
agility fun match in February, a one-day agility trial in May and two
Specialty Shows in August, besides our Earthdog Test and Celtic festival
dates. As always our success depends on our members’ help and
support.
Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year to you and all your Cairns!
Sandy Trzos, President

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ISSUE 108
Breeder’s Corner “An Interview with Kari Loken”
Preface by Editor: During my short 7 years of being a Cairn fancier and
member of the CTCD, our members have achieved several significant
milestones. The ones that stand out most to me are: (1) Andrea Faucette’s
Dottie was the first Cairn to achieve a Mach 14 in Colorado and become
number one agility Cairn in the USA. (2) Pam McMichael’s Bean was the first
Cairn in Colorado to achieve Iron Man Earthdog status and the first ever Cairn
to earn the AKC Endurance Earthdog (EE) title. (3) And most recently, Kari
Loken and her dog Woody won the coveted “Best of Breed” at the National
Conformation Specialty show in Montgomery, PA.
How did you go about selecting which Kennel to work with when you started
showing Cairns
• I was fortunate to spend a few years going to A LOT of dog shows and
seeing Cairns from around the US and Canada. The Cairns of McCairn
best fit my idea of the Cairn Terrier as described in the standard.
• Glenn Sergius and Frank Mesich (McCairn) have great integrity and
the best interest of the breed at heart. So, when I was ready for a
Cairn I called them first.
How did you formulate and define your goals
• I have been involved in competitive dog sports my entire life.
Initially, I had mediocre dogs at best and was happy to win a point or
even Reserve Winners.
• Over time, I was able to obtain and eventually breed dogs of merit
and adjusted my goals accordingly. My first goal was to finish a dog
in strong competition. Then, it was to special a dog and obtain top 10
status.
• Most recently, my goal is to breed quality, healthy and sound in
temperament Cairns that can win across the country at all-breed
shows and more importantly Specialty shows.

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Breeder’s Corner Cont’d
How was progress toward your goal measured
• I keep a critical eye when “judging” my own dogs. I hope that I only
finish dogs that are truly worthy of the Champion title.
• I also seek the opinions of my mentors (McCairn) and other friends in
the breed who share my vision of what a Cairn should be and who will
be honest with their critique of the puppy/dog in question.
• My final measurement is to head to the show and see how they do
against the best competition.
Who was your mentor (s)
• My mentors are Glenn Sergius and Frank Mesich of McCairn, located in
Burnaby BC. They have been active in the breed for more than 30
years and were mentored by the “god-mother” of Cairns, Betty Hyslop
of Cairndania.
What did your mentor say after achieving your goals
• They shared that they are proud of my accomplishments. I believe
that they are “OUR” accomplishments.
What were your greatest achievements along the way
• Best in Specialty at the National Specialty is definitely my greatest
achievement in dogs.
• Sam’s (BISS Am/Can Ch. McCairn’s Sir Sam Steele, RN, NAJ)
consistency in producing quality dogs that can be easily picked out
from a line-up of dogs (18 champions to date).
• All-Breed Best in Show on the Cairn Bitch, Heidi (BIS Am/Can Ch.
Meadowwyn’s One Trick Pony)

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Breeder’s Corner Cont’d
Think of the actions that you took to achieve the goal. What were the steps
that you took for achieving your objectives
1. Finding the right breeder.
2. Choosing the right puppy. You must be critical without being overly
critical, remember there is no perfect dog.
3. Rearing of a confident puppy
4. Training
5. Grooming
6. Finding the right judges (There are some judges who don’t interpret the
Cairn standard as I do and there are some that do. I show to both types
of judges and have had success under each “category”.
I trust in my knowledge of the breed and my interpretation of the
standard. If a judge that I think should really like my dog or bitch
doesn’t use the dog/bitch that day in their ribbons, I don’t consider the
dog a “dud”. I take another look, I ask a friend to move the dog for me
to check for grooming errors or a fault that has cropped up that I
missed. If I don’t find anything new or surprising, I ask my friends/
mentors for their opinion and adjust accordingly.
Sometimes, it just isn’t your day. I do not ever make a decision that a
dog has merit based on whether they win or not at any given show.
That goes for a win too. I don’t automatically think the dog is a superstar
based on their win record. Too many different variables come into
play. (How the dog shows, what the other competition is, what stage in
their coat they are etc.)
Tasks during the activity (timing of the grooming cycle to prepare a Cairn for
the big show etc.)
• Grooming is essential to success in the ring. A GREAT dog can look
“AWFUL” if it isn’t presented in proper coat. Since there is not a perfect

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Breeder’s Corner Cont’d
dog, one should not proudly state that every hair on the dog is 2” long.
I must be critical of my dog’s faults to do my best to accentuate its
virtues and detract from its faults.
◊
The timing of grooming will vary from dog to dog. There are some
dogs that I call hair factories and some that seem to grow hair at a
turtle’s pace.
◊
If I am starting a coat from “scratch”, I typically strip them down to
undercoat approximately 4-5 months prior to when I want to start
showing them. At about 8 weeks, I take a light layer off the entire
dog to start the coat rolling. Then, again, depending on the dog, I
trim them every 7-14 days, just a light layer to keep the coat
rolling for the duration of their show career.
• Training is also an important component. I believe that one should
simply direct the energy and personality of the dog.
♦
I don’t over train my dogs. I don’t think any Terrier should show
like a robot (similar to a Doberman etc…) If they want to look at
another dog or anything that captures their attention, I encourage
it as long as it doesn’t bother another dog in the ring.
♦
I teach my dogs to walk on a loose leash, I get them accustomed to
being handled. (i.e. stacked on the table and the ground, their tail
touched, teeth looked at etc…) I keep it positive and in short
increments. I start my puppies early by stroking their tails, putting
them on a table and having it be for pure fun etc…
◊
Each dog has to be handled differently and trained
differently based on their individual personality.

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Breeder’s Corner Cont’d
Your personal management activities
• I never stop learning. I talk to and watch my peers both in the ring and
out. A lot can be learned not just from our fellow Cairnites, but other
dog fanciers as well. When judges speak, I listen. I don’t always use
the advice and suggestions offered, but I definitely take them into
consideration and may try them out along the way. Maybe not on the
current dog, but it might work for another one down the line.
The changes and difficulties that you handled effectively
• The heartbreak of losing puppies at birth. Having the grit to be brave
enough to go through with another breeding and all the responsibility
that goes along with it. The joy of watching healthy puppies develop
into well-adjusted teenagers and adults and hopefully watching many of
them finish their championship and maybe even become specials along
the way is worth it to me.
• Woody (MBISS Ch. Cherbo Harwood Steele at Harmony), was HORRIBLE
on the table and I mean HORRIBLE. I tried everything that I knew,
then Jerry Knaus went to a handling seminar offered by Patsy Wade at
the Texas Specialty and they shared a tip of just letting the dog walk
into the stack (this only works if your dog looks best in a natural stack).
I tried it with Woody and WALAH, it worked! We are both happier and
the judge is more likely to use him in the ribbons.

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Breeder’s Corner Cont’d
• When I was showing Sam I learned a hard lesson of why I show my
dogs. Sam was competing weekend in and weekend out against a dog
similar in age to him, defeated him at every show while they were
finishing and then at most shows when they started out as specials.
The dog we were competing against was handled and was out EVERY
weekend. I learned that it is difficult to compete against a dog that is
out campaigning every weekend. The judge might have just put that
dog up at another show just a weekend or so ago, like it or not, many
judges consider what they have done for a dog in the past. Dog shows
weren’t fun because Sam wasn’t winning. In my opinion, he was the
better dog, at the beginning most judges agreed. We just couldn’t
compete with the history the other dog was building. So, I put Sam
away for several months, until I could take him to the show and not get
upset when he lost. When I brought him back out, it was for the joy of
showing him, to proudly share him with the fancy and for the joy it
brought him to be in the ring. I would love to say that when we came
back we won more than we lost, but we didn’t. We won maybe 1/3 of
the time. It was enough, it didn’t make Sam a lesser dog.
• Deciding how many dogs are too many for the time and money
available, and knowing when to bend the rule. For instance, when I
saw Woody, I knew that I did not, in any way, need another Sam son. I
had Sam, a Sam son, and a Sam daughter and access to many other
Sam sons. But, at 8 weeks he held so much promise that even though I
didn’t need him, I brought him home. As it turned out, I really did
need him in my breeding program. He turned out better than I hoped,

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Breeder’s Corner Cont’d
Sam no longer has viable sperm and am not using my other Sam son as
a stud dog. (even though he is a champion with multiple 5 pt majors,
one at a specialty - evidence that I don’t believe that all my dogs should
contribute to the Cairn gene pool despite their win record and success at
the dog show.) Woody will offer a lot to my breeding program as we
continue and is just a fun dog to live with.
How did you achieve an “edge” and position yourself and your Cairn to win
• Developed new grooming techniques Handling Techniques
♦
Just as hair styles in people change, so does the grooming style of
Cairns. I try to stay true to the neatened trim that is called for by
the standard. It used to be that I was often criticized by my peers
for “over” grooming my Cairns.
♦
Now, as I look at Cairns in big entries I find that my dogs are often
carrying more coat than most in the ring. There is an art to
allowing a Cairn to carry length of coat without blowing the coat.
It will be interesting to me to see how the shorter coats carried by
many dogs that I compete against influences the trim I put on my
dogs.
♦
I am an advocate of trimming the dog to win. There are some that
disagree with this line of thought, but I view it as harmless. I am
not changing the structure of the dog, I am simply trimming to its
best features.
♦
Handling: as stated earlier I am constantly learning from each
individual dog and my peers in the dog fancy. I adjust, adjust,
adjust, sometimes even while I am currently in the ring!

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Breeder’s Corner Cont’d
• Developed efficient use of time and recourses
♦
I plan ahead, and strategize as I go. I may need to pull the coat
down tighter than I’d like for the show this weekend, but the coat
will look great in three weeks at a Specialty or a big show or a
judge that is more likely to use the dog.
• Established good working relationships with fellow fanciers
♦
I hope that my fellow Cairnites view me as approachable and good
for a good discussion/debate. I always offer help to other Cairn
fanciers in grooming and handling tips, evaluation of a litter etc. I
try to give kind, honest feedback. I also seek the opinions of my
fellow fanciers and find that more often than not I also receive
kind, honest feedback in return.
Describe the win and how it ranks with winning at other shows i.e.
Westminster, Crufs etc.
• Winning the National Specialty was such an incredible honor that it is
almost indescribable, but I will try. It offers validation that I am on the
right track. Not just because of the final nod from the judge, but from
the support of the crowd when he went around the ring and the flood of
compliments received from my fellow Cairn breeders and fanciers
afterwards.
• This win was also so special to me because Woody is closely related to
other very special dogs in my life. He is a Sam son, who is my first
Cairn that I owned, a Heidi grandson, my first Cairn special, the initial
link between Glenn, Frank and I and also my first and so far only allbreed
Best in Show winner. Woody is walking in the footsteps laid by so
many great dogs in his pedigree. It is that sense of history that chokes
me up when I think or talk about it.

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Breeder’s Corner Cont’d
• I have shown Cairns and many other breeds over the years at all the
biggest shows in the US and Canada. No win compares to this
National win, not even Heidi’s Best in Show. I plan to continue my
journey in Cairns and hope that through continued diligence to my
breeding program, ongoing quest for education and good Karma that
another National win is in the Harmony Cairns future.

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ISSUE 108
Health Related Issues
Does Your Dog Eat Carrots
By
Cheri Eagleson
I love the mid-summer and the harvesting time, and going to the
farmers market to purchase the fresh Michigan vegetables when the
markets start to have strawberry's, corn on the cob, green onions,
tomatoes. My husband and I travel to Florida in the winter and as I
compare the quality between the corn on the cob, strawberry's and the
tomatoes between the one grown down south and the vegetable grown in
Michigan, there is nothing like the taste of the fresh vegetables from
Michigan, maybe some of you know what I mean if you have ever
traveled to the south or Florida and tried the vegetables grown there.
Well, one Saturday this year I'm at the farmers market purchasing my
wants for the week and I see these beautiful carrots they look so good,
so I decide I'll purchase some, I need some for the dogs anyway, and as
I am getting my change from my pocket purse, I ask the farmer, "I have
a question sir" "Yes", he replied, "I'd like to know why do the cocktail
carrots that are in the grocery store in the cellophane bag get this white
coating on them with time" He looks at me with this little grin of a
smile, "You would huh" he replied. "Well it's in the processing," he
explains, and he goes on to explain the procedure and the reason to me
and I am thinking to myself I can't believe I didn't know this.
The small or deformed carrots are cut, whittled and shaped to that size
and then cleaned of the natural casing that is on the carrot. Then they
are soaked in a solution that contains chlorine the same chlorine that you
use in the laundry and in your swimming pool. The solution is meant to
reduce the contamination because the outer skin of the carrots has been
removed. So I thought I would surf the net and see what I could find, an
interesting site snopes.com: Baby Carrots.
So, do you give your dog carrots for treats I think the convenience of
these little cocktail carrots might not be the best treat I can give my
dogs, I can cut my own cocktail carrots for those party trays too, and
now I remember why I enjoy going to the farmers market.
Resources mentioned in this column: http://www.snopes.com/food/
tained/carrots.asp
Dogs Rule!

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Earthdog
Earthdog Test Brag
Date: October 23, 2010
Earthdog Test Brag
Date: October 23, 2010
Dog : CH Paragon’s SkyeHigh Calescence, JE
(Callie)
Owner: Sandy & Fred Trzos
Dog : Ragtime to the Max (Charlie)
Owner: Suzanne Trzos
Test: Rocky Mountain Earthdog Club Tests
Location: Elizabeth, Colorado
Test: Rocky Mountain Earthdog Club Tests
Location: Elizabeth, Colorado
Judge: Gayle Gitlin
Judge: Stan Trummell
Placements: AKC Senior Earthdog Title
Placements: 2 nd AKC Master Earthdog Leg
“Callie” Senior Earthdog
Photo by Fed Trzos

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Earthdog
CTCD CAIRNS “MASTER” EARTHDOG
Photo by Fed Trzos
by Suzanne Trzos
Three Cairns ran and qualified in Master Earthdog (ME) on Sunday
October 24 th at the Rocky Mountain Earthdog Tests in Elizabeth, CO under
Judge Stan Trummell. The three Cairns were (left to right in the photo):
Brewster Bean O’Wildeoaks, EE (Bean) owned by Pam McMichael.
Bean is working towards an Endurance Earthdog (EE) second title, having
been the first Cairn to ever earn an AKC EE Title earlier this year.
CH Paragon’s Skyehigh Calescence, SE (Callie) owned by Sandy & Fred
Trzos. Callie earned her first Master Earthdog leg on her first attempt on a
Master Earthdog Test course.
Bean’s sire, Ragtime to the Max, SE (Charlie) owned by Suzanne Trzos.
Charlie earned his second Master Earthdog leg (having earned his first
Master Earthdog leg almost three years ago).

PAGE 20 ISSUE 108
Conformation Wins/Brags
Date: 10/10/10
Dog: MBISS Ch. Cherbo Harwood Steele at Harmony A.K.A. “Woody”
Owner: Kari & Jack Loken and Cheri Eagleson
Show: CTCA National Specialty/Montgomery County KC
Location: Blue Bell, PA
Judge: Jon Cole
Placements: Best in Specialty
“Woody” BOB Winner at the National Specialty

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Member News
Announcement: Ann Brodie has retired from the CTCD Board of
Directors. As many of you are aware, Ann has made many contributions
and has been responsible for many tasks and activities that were key in
keeping CTCD on track and viable. The board will miss her wise and sage
advice.
Please extend a big welcome to Andrea Faucette our newest board
member. As many of you are aware, Andrea has been a member of CTCD
for many years. During those years she has participated in conformation,
agility, earthdog, fun days, club sponsored events and shows etc. If I can
speak for my fellow board members, we are enthusiastic and looking
forward to working with Andrea.
Photo by Jerry Knaus

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ISSUE 108
Member News Cont’d
Tue 11/23/2010 7:45 AM
Hi Ray,
Please let other CTCD members know that Macie had a fight last
Thursday evening under the deck in our back yard with either a
raccoon or fox. She sustained many bites on her neck and chest, but
is doing well and was very lucky. I've had Cairns for many years but
really saw firsthand their pluck and fearlessness - she did not back
down. Remind people even in the suburbs to watch their yards
regularly and make sure that no animal can hide anywhere, and that
your dog can't get somewhere you can't - sounds obvious but I think
people in the suburbs can get complacent.
Best wishes to you and yours.
Suzi and Brian Scherzer

PAGE 23 ISSUE 108
Member Photos
Thais and Buck
competed in the
AKC Invitational
in Long Beach,
CA.
Buck had 3 clean
runs and out of
4. He loves the
sailboats in the
bay.
Photo by Ray Daniels
SkyeHigh’s Pack looking for
Santa
Tucker is a family pet. His
owners Forrest and Holly like the
all natural look of Cairns.
Some fanciers would say “Look!
a Cairn in the rough”.

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Humor
You would not believe what those Cairns are doing
now!

PAGE 26 ISSUE 108
Worth Thinking About
IN LIFE AND
LONGEVITY
Be nice to others because .
.
Time WILL make a
difference!
One day you will no longer
be the big dog...
just the old dog....

The Cairn Connection
Happy Winter
Editor: Ray Daniels
898 Pimlico Ct.
Boulder, CO 80303-3226
Phone: 303-499-8197
raydan898@comcast.net
We’re on the Web
http://
www.ctcdenver.co
Cairn Terrier Club of Denver
Officers
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Corresponding Secretary
Recording Secretary
Sandy Trzos
John Wishart
Thais Winstanley
Kari Loken
Linda Daniels
Board Members
Ray Daniels
Andrea Faucette
Mary Lou Wilde