Cairn Symposium Reminder

Symposium booking forms are being circulated with the various Clubs' Year Books, They are also available on Club websites or direct from Frances Goldfinch goldfinch@kanawha.freeserve.co.uk tel 01304 851818.

There will be accommodation for dogs being brought for the Show next day.

A reminder of Feffie Somerfield’s Message to all Cairn Breeders/Exhibitors earlier this year.

The Joint Cairn Terrier Clubs

UK Cairn Terrier Symposium

Saturday 16 July 2011

I am very concerned that British Cairn Terrier lovers should fully understand the significance of our Symposium planned for the 16 July next year.

Our breed is at a crossroads and we need to decide which way we want to go. We have to face the fact that entries at shows are dropping and so further sets of CC’s will be lost. Registrations are falling and generally we need to attract new people into the breed. I personally am delighted when I see a young person competing, but are we doing enough to keep them interested and do they feel welcome?

Over the years the breed has changed. Some changes are good of course, but are we, often unwittingly, changing the essential type? Is today’s Cairn too sculptured? Or too exaggerated? Are we relying too much on ‘potions and lotions’ for our presentation?

Are we doing enough to guard the health of the breed? Important steps in this area are being taken, but are they enough? We are fortunate to have good people to lead us, but are we giving them the right support? The same can be said about the rescue of Cairns in distress. Again we are fortunate to have a team of dedicated people in charge of this, but do we ordinary people give the necessary support?

Are we doing enough to encourage new specialist judges? Good though many non-specialist judges are and I would be the last person to say they are not necessary for the well-being of our breed, we also need to bring on our own new, younger judges to take the place of our ageing population.

There has been criticism of our Breed Standard. Does it meet today’s need: should it be amended or enlarged? Or would too much detail go against the Cairn Terrier envisaged by its founders?

All these area will be discussed at the Symposium and we need the views of everyone who loves our breed. Of course we want to see our best breeders, exhibitors and judges, but we also need to see the people who breed the occasional litter or go to the occasional local show. Often these will be the people who see most for the very reason that they are not chasing breed records etc. and will recognise what we need to do to take our wonderful breed forward. We desperately want their input and to know what they think. This goes for every single person who is interested enough to join a breed club.

The Symposium is being carefully planned so that all these points can be discussed. The idea is that everyone’s views will be taken on board for full discussion by the clubs. Those who do not like speaking can always forward their views to their breed club or get someone else to speak for them. We need to have a detailed plan before we run the breed’s World Symposium, and to do this we need everyone’s help.

Ferelith Somerfield.