An AKC Specialty is a dog show that features just a single breed of dog, or the varieties of one breed. The breed club typically holds a Specialty annually. Fans of the breed gather year after year to share their knowledge and passion, and to bring their best dogs to compete.
Specialty shows are important for a variety of reasons but from the beginning the goal of the Specialty is to determine the best breeding stock to contribute and improve the next generation of dogs. Conformation is taken very seriously at the Specialty because the event is a chance to look at the state of the breed and where it’s going.
Sweepstakes are specifically designed to recognize outstanding puppies and young dogs or older dogs in Veteran Sweeps. A separate judge is assigned to this competition. No champion points are awarded in Sweeps.
Since our club’s inception we have proudly held Specialties and National Roving Specialties. Great Western Terrier Association with the help of Margaret Young Renihan encouraged us to first to become a breed club and then to become members of GWTA. That collaboration has always been a happy one and SCWTCSC held their Specialty in conjunction with GWTA. At times GWTA, the Kennel Club of Beverly Hills and Long Beach Kennel Club joined forces to present fabulous three or four day shows.
Throughout the years we’ve held our Specialties a numerous scenic location; the Queen Mary, California State University at Long Beach, El Dorado Park, Brookside Park. These venues allowed us to decorate the show ring to showcase the theme, host our “Dinner on the Green” and offer a raffle and our “Bow Wow Boutique”.
As the membership grew and spread throughout Southern California the club voted to hold two Specialties at different times of the year in different locations. In January we have the spectacular outdoor desert venue at the Indio Polo Club that is held in conjunction with the Desert Empire Terrier Club and Kennel Club of Palm Springs. In Spring/Summer we have another Specialty in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. Both events have unique show themes that are carried out with decorations, trophies and merchandise.
To win a ribbon at a Specialty is an honor and worth celebrating! Our Specialties are about dogs, friends, competition, eating extravagantly, having fun making memories. They are a temporary retreat from everyday living that slows the world down just long enough to give those ever-elusive moments of happiness ample opportunity to occur.
Each year when organizing our specialty, our club focuses on the past, the present and the future. The past is the foundation of our breed. We celebrate the people and the Wheatens that created history so many years ago. We also celebrate our Specialty history. The present is the joy of the moment, your bundle of fur, a ribbon, friendship at the show site. Most importantly we look to the future. The future is sweepstakes, competition, rescue, volunteers and health cures. The future is in our hands. We must nurture and encourage it with friendship, determination and perseverance...the very essence of a terrier.
We invite you to scroll through photos of Specialties of years gone by and plan on attending one in the future.