Our online store will be temporarily closed as we relocate, any orders placed in the last 24 hours may be delayed. Sorry for any inconvenience. We Thank You For Supporting border Terrier Welfare.

Thank you so much for your kindness & generosity Border Terrier Welfare extends its gratitude to everyone who participated in the creation, distribution, and purchase of the wonderful #btposse calendar. Together, you raised £3,326 for Border Terrier Welfare. This impressive sum will significantly aid in supporting the dogs in need. If you would like to purchase one of the calendars click here .

The winner for the prize draw for Helen Moncur's cottage is Cathy McBrearty Thank you all so much for entering and for raising a fantastic amount of £920 for Border Terrier Welfare. Escape to Anglesey: Win a Week at Helen Moncur's Cottage and Support Border Terrier Welfare! https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/property/1012720?rfx=14307 The prize draw rules: -To enter, just make a normal donation via Paypal "friends and family - to avoid fees" to PayPal.me/thejumpingfox   and put cottage in the comments. - A £10 donation gets you 5 entries. - You can donate as many times as you like. - Prize draw date 1st March 2025 - Entries will be drawn using a spreadsheet number allocation and random number generator, by Allie Grieve - The Winners name and prize will be posted and also notified by messenger. - Should the prize remain unclaimed after 14 days, the organisers reserve the right to reallocate the prize to another winner. - No financial alternative to any prize is available to any winner. Booking for the cottage is subject to availability.

Every year, the #BTXmas group, a segment of the BT Posse, delivers their annual Christmas production, successfully raising an impressive £2664 for Border Terrier Welfare. If you missed it, catch up and watch it here. https://www.justgiving.com/page/btxmas2024?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Calling all our wonderful supporters we are due to hold our AGM on Sunday the 17th of November and we are a little short on attendee numbers in order to form a "Quorum".    If any of you who have not already signed up and could spare a little time, please consider joining us and lending your support. Your participation will make a significant difference, and we truly appreciate your help.     The meeting is being held on line via Zoom at 4 pm on Sunday 17th November and is expected to take approximately 40 minutes.     If you are able to help please register your interest to attend via secretary@borderterrierwelfare.co.uk    and perhaps mention to any of your Border Terrier friends too There will be a free prize draw that all attendees will be entered into and one lucky person will win a £50 B&Q voucher !   Our thanks as always to you all. If you have any questions for the committee please email to the secretary in advance. Being covered in the AGM, approving the minutes from the last meeting plus a couple of other formalities and the voting in of the the committee, those who are standing are as follows:-   Joyce Rhodes - Chair Melanie Robson -officer /trustee and Treasurer & Secretary Roger Newson -officer/trustee and Coordinator John Jessop - officer/trustee Vanessa Jessop - officer/trustee Shelley McFarlane - trustee and Microchip Admin/Deputy Secretary Tony Wrenn - trustee (stepping down as Chairman) Mark Harvey - trustee Sue Broom - trustee Nicola Lambert - trustee Jean Cranmer - trustee Sylvia Smith -trustee   The formal part of the meeting will be followed by Joyce and Tony sharing some tales of their time with BTW and any questions being answered.

On Sunday, the 27th of October, the Shropshire Border Terrier Buddies will be holding a walk at Ironbridge, full details can be found on their Facebook page here .

We had a great turnout on a beautiful morning for a walk across Headley Heath a wonderful mix of open heathland, woodland and chalk downland, with a wide variety of paths and open areas. The day continued at Woodmansterne Village Hall, where we had BTW merchandise including an exclusive chance to purchase the 2025 calendar and having good banter about all things Border Terrier before sitting down for a hearty lunch. After eating we had a Q and A some subjects raised were about health and diet. The day finished up with some fun dog show classes .  Sales and donations raised a lovely total of £768.39 Prettiest Bitch . Boudicca Owned by Marion Handsomest dog and waggiest tail. Bertie. Owned by Sarah. Best under 7 years old. Mabel Owned by Kelly-Ann Best over 7 years old. Sidney. Owned by Jean. Some of the other dogs entered. We would like to thank not just those that attended the walk and meet up, but everyone that supports Border Terrier Welfare.

The Essex Border Terrier Group held their autumn walk on Sunday 22nd September. The walk takes place at Wat Tyler Country Park and despite rain forecast it stayed dry and the sun even came out to shine on the 36 Borders and 50 people that attended, raising a Total of £726.90 for BTW, coming from donations and sales of our 2025 calendar and other BTW merchandise but boosting up the total was a range of handcrafted items produced by the wonderful Jackie who donated all £231.00 of her proceeds. The next walk will be December.

The walk saw a nice turn out taking in the beautiful Shropshire countryside and raising money for Border Terrier Welfare. See here for next walk dates. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557774753573

The Breed Health Co-ordinator publishes an annual report from the Border Terrier Breed Health Group each year.  Please read on for the full 2022 Breed Health Report from Doctor Eddie Houston BVMS MRCVS, who is also Chairman of the Border Terrier Club and a Championship show judge. Border Terrier Breed Health Report 2022 Fortunately there haven’t been any new conditions highlighted this year so, as for the last few years, those of most concern continue to be: Spongiform- Leuco- Encephalo-Myelopathy (SLEM) Gallbladder Mucocoele (GBM) Canine Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome (CECS) aka Paroxysmal Gluten Sensitive Dyskinesia (PGSD) Cushing’s syndrome Late onset hereditary cataract Spongiform Leuco-Encephalo-Myelopathy (SLEM) I am pleased to record that there have been no reports of any litters affected by SLEM having been born.  It is important that breeders do not become complacent about this and must continue to monitor the genetic status of their dogs.  Approximately ten per cent of those tested last year proved to be CARRIERS so the gene is still widespread within the population and to breed a litter from a pairing where at least one parent is not known to be CLEAR is highly irresponsible. Of the results so far published for this year the incidence of CARRIERS is about seventeen per cent. This might appear worrying but in reality, it seems to reflect that breeders recognise the need to test the offspring of matings where one of the parents has been a CARRIER, a number of which have taken place.  There is nothing wrong with using a quality dog which is a CARRIER for breeding but they must only be mated to animals known to be CLEAR, never to other CARRIERS or those of unknown status. The Canine Genetic Team (CAGT) are now established at their new base in the University of Cambridge Veterinary School and SLEM testing kits may be ordered directly from them.  Results from here are forwarded to the Kennel Club and will be added to the individual dog’s records.  If the SLEM test is carried out elsewhere it is asked that owners forward the results to the Kennel Club. The Kennel Club have put their plans to recognise animals from CLEAR parents as being Hereditarily Clear for only two generations on hold due to difficulties with technical aspects of logging the data. Although we have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the DNA test it is still a good idea to have some animals regarded as Hereditarily Clear tested, particularly stud dogs just in case any inaccuracies in identifying parentage may have occurred — a mismating can occur in even a well-organised kennel! £50 once in a lifetime is a small price to pay to ensure that the genetic status of your dog is accurately recorded.  Dogs produced from a mating where one of the parents was a CARRIER should, of course, always be tested prior to breeding. Cushing’s syndrome Studies based on data obtained from VetCompass,  a Royal College initiative involving hundreds of veterinary practices, would seem to confirm our long-held suspicion that Border Terriers are one of the breeds at increased risk of developing Cushing’s syndrome.  In this study, our breed is placed as second to the Bichon Frise in a list of breeds more likely to suffer from this illness.  The same survey suggests that dogs which are larger or heavier than the normal range for their breeds may be at greater risk. We have been compiling a list of affected dogs to put on an Open Register and are keen to obtain details of as many affected dogs as possible.  Whilst grateful for forms submitted from any cases, of particular interest are those where the pedigree name of the animal is known as these may be of help to anyone trying to investigate any genetic bias towards the disease.   The Open Register is ready to go but we really need details of more cases to make it worthwhile. Gallbladder Mucocoele (GBM) GBM continues to be reported and is a most distressing and frequently life-threatening condition. Reports of GBM are also being received from Scandinavia and North America so it is a condition of international significance.  There haven’t been any further reports from those researching the disease this year but work is ongoing at The Willows Referral Centre and it is likely that further research projects may commence next year. I receive regular queries regarding the diagnosis of GBM and as it cannot be diagnosed purely on blood results the best advice I could offer anyone at present would be that if your middle-aged or older Border has had bloodwork which shows increased liver enzymes have it followed up with an abdominal ultrasound if at all possible.  If picked up at an early stage, gallbladder issues may respond to dietary changes and the use of drugs which stimulate contraction of the organ.  More advanced cases are likely to require surgery which is both risky and expensive. Unfortunately, many dogs don’t show any signs of illness until the condition presents as an acute emergency. We are compiling a list of affected dogs for an Open Register and as for Cushing’s syndrome reports for dogs where their pedigree name is known are of particular interest. Canine Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome (CECS) There is nothing new to report regarding CECS research in the UK. Late-onset hereditary cataract A number of breeders have had their dog's eyes tested this year and all results reported to us have been clear.  The only cataract picked up on a BVA eye exam was not considered to be hereditary.  It would be appreciated if owners could notify us directly of any test results available.  Late-onset hereditary cataract is present in our breed and we need to determine the prevalence.  Based on the results from the last few years it doesn’t appear to be a significant problem in the breed in the UK at present.  However, eye testing any animal intended for breeding is always a worthwhile exercise. Borders 2020 health discussion At the Borders 2020 event held in May 2022 one of our speakers was Marg Pough, Chair of the Border Terrier Club of America Health Committee.  In the USA they are rather more pro-active as regards health screening and recommend that breeders attain Canine Health Information Centre (CHIC) Certification for their dogs, a scheme which comes under the auspices of the Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).  This involves SLEM testing, eye testing, cardiological exam and an orthopaedic assessment for hip dysplasia and patellar luxation. Border Terrier Health Survey In 2022 we have had fifty responses to our ongoing health survey, including 12 regarding dogs with no known issues.  The other 38 have reported a diverse range of conditions including a few where an individual dog has been reported as suffering from multiple conditions.  However, the majority of owners rated their dogs as being generally healthy. The conditions reported this year were: ENDOCRINE (3): Hypothyroidism (1) Cushing’s syndrome (2) DIGESTIVE (12): Pancreatitis (2) Liver shunt (1) Duodenal ulcer (1) Hepatitis (1) Cholangiohepatitis (1) Gallbladder Mucocoele (4) Foreign body (2) NEUROLOGICAL (5): CECS (2) Autoimmune meningoencephalitis (1) Brain tumour (1) Canine Cognitive dysfunction (senility) (1) NEOPLASIA (7): Cutaneous lymphoma (1) Extraskeletal osteosarcoma (1) Lipoma (1) Warts (1) Skin tumours (1) Brain tumour (1) ORTHOPAEDIC (5): Perthe’s disease (1) Osteoarthris (2) Cervical spondylosis (1) Bilateral patellar luxation (1) Bilateral rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (1) REPRODUCTIVE (5): Pyometra (2) Caesarean section (3) BEHAVIOURAL (3): Excessive timidity (1) Aggression (2) URINARY (3): Urinary incontinence (1) Ectopic ureter (1) Renal hypogenesis (1). CONFORMATIONAL DEFECTS (2): Undershot jaw (1) Kinked tail (1) DENTAL (3): Lingually displaced lower canine (1) Dental extractions (2) OCULAR (5): Cataract (2), Glaucoma (1) Pigmentary keratitis (1) Enucleation (1) DERMATOLOGICAL (9): Recurrent otitis (3) Allergic dermatitis other than otitis (2) Neoplasia (4) - Warts (1), Cutaneous lymphoma (1), Skin tumour (2) Breed Health Survey Isolated reports of numerous different health problems come through on the health survey forms, fortunately at low incidences.  However, the more owners who submit forms for their dogs the greater the chance of picking up an increasing trend in any of them and hopefully being able to pinpoint any emerging problems with a view to addressing them before they become too widespread. I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to complete one of our questionnaires and ask as many owners as possible to submit these, including those who own dogs with no known health issues.  Reports on healthy dogs help to give a more balanced view of breed health.  The questionnaire can be downloaded from the homepage of the Border Terrier Health website (scroll down to the Breed Health Survey section).  All survey responses, whether submitted online or downloaded and posted, are received by myself. Overall health status Overall the health status of the Border Terrier appears to be pretty good - let’s try to keep them that way. Eddie Houston, BVMS MRCVSBreed Health Co-ordinator For more information More information on Border Terrier health can be found on our website and in more detail on the Breed Health Group Border Terrier Health website . We would encourage all Border Terrier owners to complete the Breed Health Survey, whether their Borders are healthy or have health conditions like those listed above and others.

As the Kennel Club pulls funding the Canine Genetics Center now faces a funding gap of £345,000 for the 12 month period from 1 April 2024. If this gap is not filled staff will be made redundant, valuable experience and expertise will be lost , ongoing projects will be affected and may be abandoned and 40,000+ DNA samples may be lost.

We are taking photo submissions of your Border Terriers to include in the 2025 Border Terrier Welfare calendar. Please send us photos of your dogs at work or play, action shots or just relaxing.  We cannot use every photo sent but will include as many photos as possible in the calendar. Please send no more than 2 good quality photos attached in jpeg format, avoid sending screenshots  and images download from social media, preferably taken within the last 12 months. You should be the owner of the dog/dogs or have permission of the owner of the dog/dogs of photos sent. By sending us the photos you are giving us permission to use the photos for any future  Border Terrier Welfare use free of charge. Email your photos to  calendar@borderterrierwelfare.co.uk  making sure you put "BTW Calendar 2025" in the subject line. The closing date for submissions is 31st July 2024.