Ilmer Terriers - click for larger picture.....
Above photo copyright Charles Sainsbury Plaice 2011 not to be used without permission
For all enquries please contact gail@gwestcott.wanadoo.co.uk
Our Vet website: www.mercuryvets.co.uk . Alison Hawkes is a Sealyham enthusiast herself and she can testify, like many vets, tot he strength and character of these wonderful dogs.
Crufts 2012
26 March 2012
We had another great show at Crufts. Special thanks to Eukanuba who provided the stand. You can see pictures in the gallery here.
Also there are some pictures taken by a very young photographer....
Don't forget Winnie's Diary. January and February have just been updated.....
Also, here is a link to petspyjamas which is lovely Petspyjamas - they are helping with out appeal....
Dates For The Diary 2012 :
We will be displaying and parading the pack at several Game Fairs/Events during the Summer of 2012 and we very much look forward to seeing you ,please do come along and support us in our quest to keep the Sealyham Terrier in the public eye,come and meet the pack and have a chat ! Our first event is Crufts next week where we will be displaying the pack for all 4 days by kind invitation of Eukanuba on their stand in Hall 3, (look for the huge bright pink stand )
Working Sealyham Terrier Club Show Dates 2012
Thurs 8th - Sun 11th March ~ Crufts ~ NEC Birmingham ~ find us on the main Eukanuba stand ~ Hall 3 Stand 3-48
Sat 26th & Sun 27th May ~ Highclere Game & Country Fair ~ Highclere Castle, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 9RN ~ www.countrymanfairs.co.uk
Weds 27th & Thurs 28th June ~ The Royal Norfolk Show ~ Norfolk Showground , Dereham,Road, Norwich NR5 0TT ~ www.royalnorfolkshow.co.uk
Weds 18th July ~ Festival of Hunting ~ East of England Showground, Oundle Road, Peterborough, PE2 6XE ~ www.eastofengland.org/festivalofhunting
Fri 20th, Sat21st &Sun 22nd July ~ CLA Game Fair ~ Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Leicestershire ~ www.gamefair.co.uk
Sun 19th August ~ Martin Clunes Buckham Fair, Beaminster, Dorset, www.buckhamfair.co.uk
Sun 26th & Mon 27th August ~ Warwickshire & West Midland Game Fair ~ Arbury Hall, Warwickshire CV10 7NF ~ www.countryfairs.info
Sun 2nd September ~ Warwickshire Countryside Day ~ Hatton World, Warwick CV35 8XA ~ www.warwickshirecountrysideday.co.uk
Sat 15th & Sun 16th September ~ Midland Game Fair ~ Weston Park, Shropshire, TF11 8LE~ www.countrymanfairs.co.uk
Any amendments will be posted on the website in due course.
December 25th
Great Link the Sky News bulletin screened throughout the day on Christmas day:
http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16137071
The new video from Harry Parsons. A lovely short clip of a modern day Sealyhamd Pack...
News for Christmas 2011.....
It has been a fabulous month for us. We got national coverage for the Sealyham in Country Life and all the major newspapers.
The front cover shot for Country Life was by Charles Sainsbury Plaice who is recognised as one of our leading countryside animal photographers. We are able to make this picture available in the form of a high quality greeting card with envelope which is A5 in size and is a fabulous collectors item in its own right. All funds go to the Save Our Sealyham campaign.
Available Now :~
Working Sealyham Terrier Puppy Greeting Card as featured on the front cover of Country Life. Copyright Charles Sainsbury Plaice 2011.
A5 High Quality Greeting Card with Envelope ( Blank inside to suit any occasion )
£2.90 each ( inc p+p )
4 for £10.00 ( inc p+p )
Order yours now
To purchase please click on the link above or contact Gail on gail@gwestcott.wanadoo.co.uk or call 07974948312.
All proceeds from the sale of these cards will go to S.O.S ~ Save Our Sealyhams. Enlarge by clicking on the picture.....
Also, Winnie's diary is here. Please click on the picture to see details.....
CHRISTMAS NEWS UPDATE MESSAGE :
Following the success of the Country Life article in October we were approached by Sky News and the Sealyham pack and our 8 Sealyham pups were filmed for a small piece to be shown at the end of Sky News on Christmas Day.
There is also a lovely photograph of the puppies in this weeks Double Christmas issue of Country Life magazine ( Dec 14th ) and we are very grateful to them for all the wonderful coverage.
We also have the Country Life front cover shot of our pup Molly available as a greeting card ~ see website for details.
Thanks to everyone who has supported us in 2011 and we look forward to a great 2012 with the Sealyhams.
Best Wishes from Harry ,Gail ,Frank S. & all at W.S.T.C
News October 2011
It is not every day that we get great publicity for the Sealyham, but this month is spectacular. The article in Country Life is a must for all Sealyhams and potential Sealyham owners. If you have come on to this site as result of the article, or other articles in the Daily Mail or Daily Telegraph please feel free to browse and if you would like to support our efforts to Save Our Sealyham, please just register your email address in the column on the right - the more the merrier!
SEALYHAM NEWS UPDATE!
We are very excited to announce that there will be an article on the Sealyhams in next weeks Country Life magazine ~ with our Sealyham puppy Molly on the front cover. We had a great day at Cothelstone Manor in Somerset with our hosts Nigel, Finny and Jack Muers-Raby for the photo shoot, which took several hours and a lot of patience !
The magazine is on sale 26thOctober and will hopefully raise the profile of our wonderful breed.
We have had a good summer promoting the pack at the country shows and Game fairs and would like to thank everyone who has shown their support by coming to see us and joining the club to help Save Our Sealyhams.
We will be sending out a more detailed newsletter very soon.
Hope you enjoy the magazine.
Very Best Wishes
Harry, Gail, Frank S & all at W.S.T.C.
For W.S.T.C Membership enquiries please email gail@gwestcott.wanadoo.co.uk.
SAVE OUR SEALYHAM
SOS
I would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone at the Country Life for helping me to make the public aware of how dangerously vulnerable the Sealyham Terrier really is.
The response that we have had from the Country Life article already tells me that beyond doubt all that I have been trying to do over the last 10 years has been truly worthwhile.
The concern and interest for this breed has prompted me to write this letter as a plea for help, as I sadly fear it may be the last chance I get to promote the Working Sealyham on this scale. Gail and I have done all we can, but with the right help and support coupled with our knowledge and experience, we feel the Sealyham could be in a much safer position. ~ This might sound like begging but if that's what it takes then so be it - I am not too proud to ask for help as it is the only option I have - and the Sealyham can't ask for it themselves .
What we really need is the facility and space to be in a position where we could breed the right type of Sealyham which is the small, active type that Sir Jocelyn Lucas would be proud of.
The feedback we have had about Sealyhams we have bred is extremely encouraging which again makes it all worthwhile.
We feel that the future of the Sealyham relies upon introducing some new bloodlines from overseas to use as an outcross and to widen our gene pool. Armed with this knowledge and with fresh and enthusiastic input from whoever is willing to help I know that we can and WILL save the Sealyham.
Not only will we be saving a terrier of the highest order but we will also be preserving a piece of Merry Olde England - as anyone who has spent a summers day in the English countryside beside a glorious river with the only pack of Working Sealyhams in existence will gladly verify.
If you haven't yet read the article in Country Life please do. If you as a company or a person think you may be able to help in any way, shape or form to rescue this breed, please get in touch because if the sad day comes when it is too late to save the Sealyham we would hate to
think that there may be someone who could have helped, but didn't because they were unaware of the plight of the Sealyham.
With help we can continue to breed, work and display the pack all year round. So if there is anyone who can help we look forward to hearing from you. Let us not allow the Sealyham to become retained only in our memories and lost forever in the mists of time.
Please contact me on gail@gwestcott.wanadoo.co.uk or on 07974948312
Many Thanks
Harry Parsons
Did you know the Queen once favoured Sealyhams?
Click on the picture to see some famous people with their Sealyhams - including Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock and Princess Margaret.
Don't forget to have a look at Dave's Diary of Winnie - his working Sealyham pup from Harry.
Winnie's Diary http://www.mysealyhams.com/page20.htm
Check out these articles in The Telegraph, the Daily Mail, and, of course the online version of the Sealyham article in Country Life
News September 2011
Important Notice : ~
It is with regret that due to circumstances beyond our control that we will have to cancel our annual visit to Sealyham Mansion in Pembrokeshire this year.The owner has just informed us that due to bookings for the Activity Centre we will be unable to camp or go on the river this September.We hope that we will be able to return next year but will keep you informed.
Best Wishes
Harry, Gail & all at W.S.T.C
MAY 22 2011
We are very pleased to report that Flo ( as mentioned in the April newsletter ) now has a litter of 5 Ilmer Terriers puppies, born on Easter Monday. They are 4 weeks old and are all doing extremely well. For any information on this litter please call Harry on 07974948312.
We are now preparing ourselves for the Highclere Castle Country Fair next Sunday + Bank Holiday Monday ( 29th + 30th May )As always we are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible for what will be a lovely weekend on a beautiful Country Estate ~ The perfect place for a pack of Sealyhams !
Very Best Wishes
Harry & Gail + all at the W.S.T.C.
Latest: May 2011
Latest: April 2011
We are pleased to announce that little Meg is doing very well after giving birth to a healthy dog puppy a few days ago.the Father being Charlie the Ilmer Terrier on the far right hand side of the photo on the website.I have also lined Charlie with Flo and she is expecting pups in 2 weeks time.This is my next step forward in the breeding programme for the Ilmer Terriers.We are hoping for small dog terriers from these matings to put back across small purebred Sealyhams with the intention of keeping the size down and bringing them as near to the old fashioned working type of Sealyham as possible.
We are still receiving excellent feedback from Ilmer Terrier owners who are all very happy with the breed and cannot speak highly enough of them.
As and when there are any Ilmer or Sealyham pups available we will of course keep you informed.
The photos below are of a 16 week old female Ilmer Terrier who is looking for a good home.If you think you could give this wonderful little terrier the lifestyle and home she deserves and if you tick all the right boxes you could possibly be the proud owner of a very rare Ilmer Terrier.For further information regarding this puppy please call Harry on 07974948312 or email gail@gwestcott.wanadoo.co.uk with a contact number.
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN 2011
Hello Everybody
2010 was a very eventful year.We held our first official meet on the River Chelmer in Essex which was well attended and deemed a great success.As a result of this we will be meeting again in Essex and having a weekend meet in Suffolk as well as our regular visit to Sealyham Mansion in September.We will email the dates as soon as finalised and hope to see as many of you as possible.
The first event of the year will see us promoting the pack for 4 days at Crufts from 10th-13th March,Saturday 12th March is Terrier Day ,so please do come along and support us if you can~ we will be on the main Eukanuba stand.
We have just received the official breed registration results from the Kennel Club for 2010,and the good news is that there was a slight increase although very small ~ 49 Sealyham Terriers registered in 2010 ( 47 registered in 2009 ).17 of these were bred through our club.Hopefully 2011 will see more Sealyhams being bred.
The CLA Game Fair is being held at Blenheim Palace ,22nd-24th July and we will be there with the pack in the Terrier Pavillion.When we have the dates for other country shows we will let you know.
Through attending game fairs and country shows we get to meet and vet future owners of Sealyham and Ilmer Terriers which means that our pups end up in the right homes.
Now for an update on the Ilmer Terriers as over the Xmas period we received lots of emails and photos of these wonderful little terriers of which there are now 19.
As mentioned before we bred this way about 25 years ago and kept one or two pups back as working terriers,the rest went to pet/companion homes.As time went on and the pups were seen by the public,the interest grew but unfortunately due to work commitments I didn't have the time to keep up a breeding programme.It has always been an ambition to reproduce the type of terrier that would have been seen before 1920.
Whilst at the country shows we have had the pleasure of being visited by descendants of Sir Jocelyn Lucas who were very complimentary about our efforts to revive what for them was merely a memory and they assured us that Sir Jocelyn would most certainly approve.
From a maintenance point of view the Ilmer Terrier requires less grooming than the pure Sealyham and from the small amount that we have bred it seems they are a very active,healthy little terrier that will excell at most country pursuits.as well as being a loyal companion.
I can't stress enough their amazing ability to use their intelligence whilst working,they seem to take a great pleasure in letting you know that they are not just working for you but working with you and after a hard day in the field you will feel nothing but pride for your terrier.
Like the Sealyham he is a terrier that loves the company of people including children and should be included in family life as much as possible.The bond that is created by him to his family cannot be explained,it needs to be experienced.
In the breeding of these terriers we are not introducing anything new or alien to the Sealyham makeup,just adding a dash of what was already there 120 years ago.
It is my humble opinion that in order to recreate the Sealyham of old we need to go backwards before we can go forward.This is not a new fangled cross breed with some fancy name ,but a good old fashioned all round working companion as you can see in the above photo.
This breeding programme is a very slow process (which suits us ) but the feedback that we receive from the few owners makes it very worthwhile.
Last but not least I must point out that by opening the gene pool and out crossing at least every 4th generation and with careful selective breeding this terrier should not suffer genetic problems.With the use of commonsense and a good eye for a good type the apple should not fall too far from the tree.
Below are some photos of Frank & Kristines Ilmer Terrier puppies which are now 7 weeks old.
For more information regarding Sealyham or Ilmer Terriers please call Harry on 07974948312 or email gail@gwestcott.wanadoo.co.uk.
Best Wishes For 2011
Harry Parsons
Happy 2011 ALL!
We look forward to seeing and hearing from you. Click below to get pictures of our annual meet at the end of the summer in Sealyham, Pembrokeshire. If you have a Sealyham you might want to join us??????
Latest Photos of Sealyhams
by the sea
We hope you like them...
Sealyhams Playing Tig Tag together. Namely Ralph and Ruby and their puppies just before they left for new homes. Sealyhams make the perfect family pet as they just love fun, and play and they are often described as haveing a sense of humour!
Two new Sealyham pups from Devon.
Cute or what?!!!****
June 3rd 2010
Sealyham Summer
Video of stills for the wonderful summer we have with Sealyhams:
19 May 20210
13 April 2010
As we write this Spring is firmly upon us ~ there is even a spring in the Sealyhams stride ! So it seemed like the perfect time to go out and get our boots wet along a stream.Hopefully these photos will make you feel as we did and we look forward to meeting members , old and new, at the Country Fairs and also at the meets that are in the process of being organised and will be posted on the website shortly.
Kind Regards
Harry & Gail
Updated March 30th 2010:
Pics of fully grown Ilmer Terriers ....
New Ilmer Terriers....
2 Ilmer Terrier dog puppies. 10 weeks old. Legally docked, microchipped, wormed and fully innoculated. They are due to be photographed by Charles Sainsbury-Plaice for a forthcoming article on the breed. Once these photographs have been taken these 2 boys will be ready for sale to suitable homes.
For more information please ring Harry Parsons on 07974948312 or email gail@gwestcott.wanadoo.co.uk
Itinery for Crufts 2010.
We will be at Crufts Saturday13th March. Look out for us as we will be on the Eukanubu stand. We will also be parading from about 3.30pm in the vulnerable breeds section. This promises to be very exciting as they introduce Harry Parsons' Sealyham Terriers as the only working pack in the world! It will also be on More4 and on the internet. See more details below.
To view it on TV.... visit
Look out for it!
There are also some pics here of Ralph and Ruby and pups. They are settled in their new homes now. It was a great experience bringing them into the world and we will definately do it again. There are more WSTC breeders looking forward to new Sealyham puppies so please register or register on behalf of someone else if you want information for when the next litter arrives.
CRUFTS "PARADE" DATE & TIME:
Saturday March 13th 2010 - 3:55pm - Main ARENA - NEC Birmingham
OFFICIAL TITLE:
"A Celebration of Vulnerable British Heritage Dog Breeds"
SEALYHAM TERRIERS:
I am delighted that BHDB have managed to place Harry Parsons and his amazing pack of working Sealyham Terriers (the only pack in the world!) on the huge Eukanuba stand in Hall 2, where he will be all day Saturday dressed in traditional hunting gear. Harry will have at least 8 working Sealyhams and they make quite a sight! Additionally, if time allows, they have promised Harry can have two slots on the stage area behind their stand to talk about the Sealyham Terrier, past, present and future. BHDB are very grateful to Eukanuba fro their support, for Britain's rarest breed (2009 regs) a breed which actually won the show last year! If you get the chance, do please drop by the stand as introduce your selves to Harry, he will be delighted to see you.
http://www.british-heritage-dog-breeds.co.uk/
A lovley letter about how Sealyhams came in useful during the Blitz....!!!
Udated Feb 2010
Letter From the Chairman:
I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and hope that 2010 is a good year for the Sealyhams.
The Country Fairs that we attended last summer were a great success and created some very positive interest in the Sealyhams. We have decided that this year we will be doing 2 days at most of the shows, as to try to travel, set up early and stay all day was virtually impossible to do in one day. So camping and staying overnight will make life a lot easier and the response we have been getting certainly makes it worthwhile .Our thanks go out to everyone who gives up their time to make these shows a success for the Sealyhams, especially Frank, Kristine and Alison and their boys Archie, James and Mark without whose help it wouldnít be possible.
We have been asked to display our Sealyhams at Crufts on Saturday March 13th as part of the British Heritage Breeds Parade ~ this will be aired live on the internet and possibly televised ~ as soon as we have more details we will post them on the website.
We will hopefully be attending several major Country Fairs again this year. The list will be on the website shortly.
Some good news on the breeding front ~ Aliceís daughter Bunch had a lovely litter of 5 Sealyham puppies ~ Frank Salmonís Ralph and Ruby also produced 4 stunning Sealyhams. Frank Humphreyís Lola had 3 wonderful Ilmer Terrier pups, one of which they kept and also Mandy Hubbardís Floss mated Edward our Sealyham resulting on 3 more Ilmer Terrier pups. All of the pups have been successfully homed.
The litter of Ilmer Terriers that we ourselves bred were a year old last October and we are pleased to report that all 6 are doing very well and are all top ratters and hunt well with the pack, rabbiting and on the rivers as well as being loyal companions.
We have at present 2 four week old male Ilmer Terrier puppies from our lovely small Sealyham Rose.
Our A.G.M at Sealyham Mansion in late September was a very pleasant weekend. We had two joint meets with the Pembrokeshire & Carmarthenshire Minkhounds and drew the Sealy Brook with the Sealyham pack. The remainder of the time was spent reflecting on the Club and what it has achieved in its first year. Everyone agreed that it has been absolutely worthwhile and from a personal point of view it gives us great pleasure to know that the Sealyhams can still make such a big impact on people who meet them face to face whether it be hunting in the countryside or being displayed at a country show. We also receive a good amount of positive correspondence which is very encouraging.
Once again we are very grateful for all your support and look forward to another successful year with The Working Sealyham Terrier Club.
Very Best Wishes
Harry & Gail
Starting the Year with NEW Sealyham Puppies.....
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Four can be a handful. |
We'd like to thank Harry, Gail and Mark in particular for their help and advice surrounding the mating and the DELIVERY of the pups! Thank you so much.
The Sealyham world is a really lovely one as we have made such good friends through them.
Best for now
Devoted Sealyham Lovers
Alison and Frank......
By the way, Gail runs the membership of the Working Sealyham Club. She can be contacted on: gail@gwestcott.wanadoo.co.uk)
October 2009
We had our Sealyham Meet in September this year. Please look at these photographs. They are stunning. We went up the river with the dogs, and as is normal these days, there was nothing to catch, but just to be out there in the river with the Sealyham pack - that was something special. Special thanks to Gail who did a LOT of cooking and looking after us, and to all the crew who camped. It was good to see Joe and Dave and their dogs. A wonderful first year for the WSTC! You can click on the image below to see the pics....
Also, anyone who wants to see an interesting page on Sealyhams just click here to see a lovely little article about a London Sealyham in the 1920s. It also shows Alfred Hitchcock, Liz Taylor and Humphrey Bogart with their Sealyhams. They were THE most popular dog in Hollywood.....
http://www.british-heritage-dog-breeds.co.uk/sealyham-terrier.html
If you are not a member but would like to join, please email Gail - mail@mysealyhams.co.uk
Sealyham Lovers!!! You can email : mail@mysealyhams.com anytime, especially for editorial or if you want to send a photo of a Sealyham, or any stories or news items.
If you don't get a response, or if you have a question about breeding or puppies, or membership, email Gail or Harry direct on: gail@gwestcott.wanadoo.co.uk
The 'Field Magazine came out in June. It has a fantastic article on Sealyhams, so we advise you buy it today. W H Smiths stock it. Inside there are lovely photographs of Sealyhams and a great write up. We think Sealyhams are great and the way things are going, they will make a huge comeback. Everybody loves them!!!!!
|
Stop Press The Sealyham has won Crufts Best of Breed March 2009!! |
This may just be the news we want. Check out Ralph and Ruby below.
If you want details of a Sealyham puppy PLEASE register in the form on the left and we will contact you! This video amply illustrates how lovely Sealyham pups are. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIk-NL-XK28
You will also be sent our newsletters and other information about Sealyhams as this fabulous terrier makes its big comeback!!!!!
I couldn't help myself this morning. March 18th. I had to film the Sealyham Shadows of Ralph and Ruby. They make the most charming shadows don't they? Anyway, I put it to a bit of music too. I hope you like it. Please leave a comment!