Charlene Gann of Gallica shares her passion for Scottish Terriers, preserving breed integrity through showing, sports, and care.
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Charlene Gann
1. My name is Charlene Gann and I live near Rifle in Colorado, surrounded by beautiful cattle country. We bred our first litter in 2002. We chose the name Gallica as a kennel name because I used to raise the old Gallica roses when we lived on the Front Range of Colorado.
We show in Conformation, AKC Scent Work, Earthdog, and used to have the one Northern Colorado AKC Earthdog. Bob, my husband, is an Earthdog Judge, traveling to many different states and Canada to judge. We are now getting started with Tracking. We enjoy watching the Scottish Terriers doing disciplines that they were bred for; they really come alive with excitement! It also makes them a well-rounded, happy individual.
We have had a nice string of success with our dogs. At the top of the list has been our STCA (Scottish Terrier Club of America) Montgomery National specialty win in 2022 with “Sorcha,” CH Gallica’s Edelweiss, under respected Breeder-Judge Kari Hill of Charthill kennels. Sorcha is a wheaten-colored Scottie, and the last time a wheaten had won the breed at our National Specialty was in 1986 with professional handler Mark George. So, this was truly a momentous day for us!
2. The hallmarks I find in the Scottie are his noble look and courageous heart. He has not lost any of his breed instincts to be a keen, expert vermin hunter. He is also fiercely loyal and dedicated to his owner. In his appearance, I love the hard coat, which is protective for him, and when groomed, properly exemplifies his beautiful and powerful, classical build on a smaller-sized dog. He’s a stout fellow who demands respect and he won’t readily hand out his loyalty to just anyone who shows up.
3. Most definitely, there are many families on the waiting lists of many breeders. In past years, most were looking for a black female. Recently, I’ve experienced more people looking to acquire wheaten-colored Scotties. That’s music to my ears! I love the wheaten Scottie. At the Scottish Terrier Club of Greater Denver Regional Specialty in August it was wonderful to see so many wheatens showing. There were probably five entered.
4. We have incorporated videos at times in our breed publication, The Bagpiper. We include a QR code in the ad that directs people to view a video of one of our AKC Scent Work Scotties exhibiting her hunting skills.
5. Well, there’s a touchy subject for the ethical purebred dog breeder. Yes, sadly, these “designer breeds” of all sorts of “doodles” have flooded the market. When we have some beautiful, charming, lovely breeds on the watch, endangered, or rare list we wonder why people are overpaying for a mixed-breed dog when they can save a life at a shelter. Why not buy a purebred dog with history and careful health research behind it? It’s so foreign to me for people to breed “designer dogs” that have no quality pedigree, history, or plan behind it and are then given a silly name. These people pay hundreds, even thousands more for that over a very fine and carefully thought out and beautiful, established breed. Some claim that mixed breeds are healthier than dogs that are pedigreed, but that is a fallacy—there simply is no accurate data that has been done on them. In an established breed, you know what you are getting: personality, traits, health, etc. With the “designer breeds” you have none of that. New breeds are developed, but it takes many, many generations.
Such fabulous breeds in terriers such as the Skye, Sealyham, Dandie Dinmont, Glen of Imaal, and the Scottie are becoming dangerously close to that rare list. These are breeds that deserve to be embraced and paraded around with pride. They all have an interesting history and careful reasons taken into the development of the breed.
6. Yes, it’s quite concerning that the numbers in the Conformation show ring have dropped off. The ring is where the best stock for the breed is to be examined and rewarded, worthy to be propagated for the betterment and survival of the breed.
The Conformation ring is NOT just about collecting ribbons and titles. As the great Dan Ericsson is known for saying, “Breeding is an art, showing is a game. Let’s not lose the art to the game.” I keep these words on my refrigerator because they are so important to me.
Wins are nice, of course, but setting sights making it top priority at all costs is destructive in the long run. We breeders are here to maintain the health and quality, to supply families with an animal they will fall completely in love with and be loyal to the breed. Health and longevity are so important, so we must breed the best we can for the all-around big picture.
7. I rather like the new sports coming out for dogs, such as Scent Work, Tracking, and other activities being offered to do with your dog. Regardless if the dog is a show prospect or not, these activities help to develop a close bond between owner and canine.
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