The Story of the
PAXON Kerry Blue Terriers

Copyright © 1995-2020

Established 1968

 

 
We are hobby breeders located in New York on Long Island's north shore. We are producing quality Kerry Blue Terriers for show & pet. We belong to Empire KBTC, the US Kerry Blue Terrier Club & Garden State all Terrier Club.

ALL dogs that are being used for breeding have been DNA tested for vWD, DM, & Factor XI, & ALL are clear & are NOT carriers!

Here is our story:

It all began with a phone call. "You've got your bitch,
" Jesse said, "the best bitch in the litter. The only bitch
in the litter." And what a bitch she turned out to be that
blue bundle of energy we called "Maggie". . .

Mated to five different sires, "Maggie", Ch. Blu Star's Kerri Dancer, produced a record 15 Champions, assuring her place in breed history. Her name appears as a cornerstone in pedigrees of top kennels not only in this country but in parts of Europe and Latin America as well.

Ch. Blu Star's Kerri Dancer2.JPG (18518 bytes)
"Maggie", Ch. Blu Star's Kerri Dancer

"Maggie" gave new meaning to the word metamorphosis. The whirling dervish of black curls that careened around our Muttontown, Long Island home matured into a cobby, beautifully balanced bitch. She had a lovely head with small naturally high set ears.

Ch. Keriwyr Blue Star O'Kip.JPG (20529 bytes)
Ch. Keriwyr Blue Star O‘Kip “Kip”

Her shoulders were so long and clean you barely felt them when you went over her. Add to this a very short back, good tailset, excellent rear angulation and a dense, wavy coat and that was "Maggie"! My husband, Richard, and I couldn't believe our good fortune.

"Maggie" died last November at age 13. We have had other Kerries,but none that quite took "Maggie's" place. She was our beginning. "Maggie" gave truth to the saying "from producers come producers". Her dam, Long Island breeder Jesse Seligman's Ch. Keriwyr Blue Star O'Kip, "Kip", herself was the dam of 10 Champions.

Jesse bred Kip, a daughter of Ch. Tontine's Innkeeper, to Belturbet Canopus. Kip had a great temperament and early color but needed improvement in coat. Ruth and Pat Gettings' Belturbet Kerrries, based on Staten Island, were known for their excellent coats and great elegance. "Canopus"  fit the bill. And so the phone rang the night of January 4, 1979 and we got our bitch - the only bitch - our "Maggie".
"Maggie" is perhaps best known as a producer through her top producing son, Ch. Paxon's Dancer's Image, and top producing daughter, Ch. Paxon's Northern Dancer.

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Ch. Paxon’s Dancer’s Image

Ch. Paxon's Northern Dancer.JPG (17130 bytes)
Ch. Paxon’s Northern Dancer
"Maggie" was line-bred on "Kip". "Dancer's Image" was the only male in a litter sired by a Group winning Kip son, Ch. Blu Star's Ace Of Spades. "Dancer's Image" won Sweeps at Empire and at Montgomery County. He completed his title at 10 months and went on to sire 30 Champions, including Group and Best in Show winners, as well as top producers. He sired the first Kerry litter born through the use of frozen semen. These pups became the standard bearers for Dorte Jansen's Puck Fair and Owe Wimans' Blue Heaven Kennels in Sweden.

History repeated itself with "Northern Dancer". This time it was I who picked up the phone and said, "You've got your bitch. The best bitch in

the litter. The only bitch in the litter." On the other end of the line was good friend and Media, Pennsylvania breeder Carol Ritch. Northern Dancer became the foundation for Carol's Curragh Kerries.

"Northern Dancer" was the product of a union of "Maggie" and a Kip Grandson, Robert and Barbara Thompson's Ch. Keriden's Thom Terrific. This combination produced six Champions. Richard piloted Northern Dancer in a brief but stellar specials career. She was ranked #1 Kerry bitch, Knight and TT systems, mid-year 1985.

Coupled with another Belturbet-bred dog, "Northern Dancer" produced five Champions, including the top sire, Ch. Curragh's The Minstrel, who went on to produce Champions for many kennels, including three outstanding owner-handled winners for Massachusetts breeders Scott and Shirley Schlager, Blue Chip Kerries.
For several years,"Maggie" was tied for the Top Dam title with Ch. Music's Long Wanted. Both had 14 Champions. A "Northern Dancer" daughter coupled with a "Dancer's Image" son, produced Ch. Paxon's Reflector, that mated with Maggie produced the tie-breaker, Ch. Paxon's Carbon Copy. Brought out as a 4-year-old, "Carbon Copy" finished in five straight shows.

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Ch. Curragh’s The Minstrel

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Ch. Paxon’s Reflector

Richard's and my adventure in Kerries began with a chance meeting with Jesse, a neighbor, who was walking his Kerry while I was exercising my MiniSchnauzers. We started talking as dog people do, and discovered we were both interested in showing. Jesse knew of a handling class we could attend and our friendship was cemented.

While Richard and I were busy learning about showing and grooming our Schnauzers, Jesse was working just as hard with his Kerry. By now we had a few Schnauzer Champions and Jesse made the decision to get a good Kerry bitch to begin a small breeding program. This led him to Bob and Emmie Jones of Keriwyr. They had a beautiful Kearnach-bred (Jud Perry)

bitch that had just been sent to Ch. Tontine's Innkeeper. Jesse contracted for a show bitch. He got a beauty! Keriwyr Blue Star O'Kip was pointed by the time she was 7 months old and Jesse was doing the grooming and handling himself.

"Kip" completed her title by 18 months, and it came time to breed her. It was decided to breed her to her grandsire, Ch. Tontine's Something Else. "Kip" had three pups, two of which completed their championships - one of them being Ch. Blu Star's Ace Of Spades.

Ch.Paxon's Carbon Copy.JPG (17323 bytes)
Ch. Paxon’s Carbon Copy

When it was time for "Kip" to be bred again, Jesse asked if I could whelp the litter and keep the pups until they were weaned. I agreed. Looking back I suppose this was when I first entertained the notion of owning a Kerry. The delivery was so easy. Weaning was so fast. The pups were so affectionate.

The clincher came when Jesse asked us to show Ace Of Spades on a weekend when he had other commitments. I groomed the dog to the best of my ability. Richie showed him and won. We were hooked. After all there was no hand stripping like on the Schnauzers, which meant we could show 52 weekends a year. No chalk, no hair spray, no stripping sure appealed to me. Richie like the idea of no tabling and not having to get down on his knees to stack a dog in the ring. We decided that if we got a Kerry it had to be one of Jesse's, and it had to be one of "Kip's".

Kip was bred to Canopus, and soon "Maggie" became a very active part of our family. We wondered would the Schnauzers get along with a Kerry. Well, everyone co-existed peacefully. The Schnauzers just had their beards shortened by their own live-in barber. We couldn't wait to get started at the shows. At 6 months, Blu Star's Kerri Dancer made her debut. She took first in all of her classes, lots of reserves and a few single points. "Bring her back when she has more color," was said to us more than once. We were learning that to some judges color took precedence over most everything. Color was more important than conformation, movement and showmanship. To this day I do not understand that view.

Come Fall, "Maggie" did us proud at Montgomery County taking Winners Bitch from the puppy class for a five-pointer. She went on to complete her title at 16 months with another five-pointer.

Now for her most important job. Would she follow in her dam's footprints as a producer? "Maggie" was line-bled to her half-brother Ace Of Spades and had four puppies in January 1981. Jesse was owed the pick and chose a bitch, but I liked the only male. Even though I said I would never own a male Kerry, this one looked too good to let go the male, of course, was Dancer's Image.

Jesse's bitch became Ch. Blu Star's Toe Tapper. Another bitch was sold to Doug Roller, Majestic Schnauzers, a friend and fellow breeder. Doug's bitch became Ch Paxon's Majestic Emerald Isle.

"Maggie" next was bred to Thom Terrific. If further proof was needed, the resulting litter, including the bitch Northern Dancer, convinced us that "Maggie" was indeed a great producer

After the puppies were weaned, we stepped back and took a hard look at our gal. She was black, but was she? Most everyone who has owned and shown Kerries has played this game.

Motherhood had left "Maggie" with two, rather large, round, gray spots one on either flank. Richard and I looked at each other and chuckled. "Maggie" certainly looked strange. But color was color, we reasoned, and so off we went to the ring.

We chose Staten Island for "Maggie's" first outing as a special. Judging was noted terrier expert Barbara Keenan. Mrs. Keenan struggled to suppress laughter when she saw the two spots. "What did you use, " she asked Richie, "spray paint? Keep her in until her color clears."

Thus admonished, we returned home to wait. In a few months the black faded into a beautiful, even, slate gray. "Maggie" was three. We specialed her for six months. She many times was tapped for Best of Breed and won two Groups.

"Maggie's" next litter was by her grandson, Ch. Keriden's Gotcha Number, a Dancer's Image son owned by the Thompsons. Two more Champions were produced - Chs. Paxon's Double Trouble and Troublemaker, the latter sold to Xander Hehl, Lancaster Kennels, president of the Swiss Terrier Club. Troublemaker became an International Champion and has several Bests in Show.

Another Dancer's Image son, our Ch. Paxon's Path to Glory, was "Maggie's" next mate. Three from this group finished, including Don and Joyce Paynes (Donjoy) Ch. Paxon's Elevation. We kept a bitch, Ch. Paxon's I'm a Pistol. A major pointed male, Paxon's Rebel Rouser, became a top producer with five Champions.

Ch. Paxon's Troublemaker.JPG (22225 bytes)
Ch. Paxon’s Troublemaker

Ch. Paxon's I'm a Pistol.JPG (16899 bytes)
Ch. Paxon’s I’m a Pistol

The last breeding was to yet another Dancer's Image son, Ch. Paxon's Reflector, a puppy Champion at 9 months. From this union came Be the tie-breaker, Ch. Paxon's Carbon Copy, "Maggie's" 15th Champion.

Through top producing get, "Maggie's" name is there behind the stock of many top winning kennels including Josephine and Margery Good's Goodspice Blueberry Kerries; Teresa Bransky's Gemstone Kerries; Bill Mowry of Mowrees; Bev Bracken, Rosegarden; the Hi Crest Kerries in Hawaii; Cindy Vogel's Andover Kerries; the Thompsons' Keriden Kerries; Bernie Kusch's Glory Kerries, and Kathy Holzman's Rockwell Kerries.

"Maggie's" impact also has been felt overseas. There are the Penny Kennels of Walter Pfenning in Germany; the Kordes Kennels of the Bedsteds in Denmark; Dorte Jansen and Owe Wimans in Sweden; Raynaldo Farah's Long Champ Kennels in Brazil and others in Argentina and Chile.

Not bad for just one bitch. Our only regret is that "Maggie" always had small litters which made this feat all the more difficult.

We continue to breed her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, seeing her qualities in so many of them. Our breeding program is small, just two litters a year so there are not too many to choose from, but we've manage to finish 29 in 13 years, owner handled and conditioned.

We never set out to make or break any records. It just happened while we were having fun showing our own dogs. We know that records are made to be broken, but we are so proud that she is . . . the one to beat.

 

 

 

 

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