Dianna Texter | Bayside Toy & Standard Manchester Terriers

Interview with Dianna Texter, Breeder of Bayside Toy & Standard Manchester Terriers

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? How many years in dogs? How many years as a breeder? What is your kennel name?
2.  What is your “process” for selecting show puppies? Performance puppies?
3. In your opinion, is your breed in good condition overall? Any trends that warrant concern?
4. As a Preservation Breeder, can you share your thoughts on the sport today? How’s the judging these days? What do you think about the number of shows?
5. In your opinion, is social media good for the sport? Is it harmful?
6. What are the biggest challenges facing the dog show community as a whole today and how can these be addressed?
7. What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in the sport over the past decade?

Dianna Texter

1. My name is Dianna Texter and I live in Libby, Montana! I am a Gold Breeder of Merit of Manchester Terriers. I currently have six dogs made up of one old veteran, who was 16 in May, and two males and three breeding-age females. My kennel name is Bayside and it is a registered kennel name with the AKC. I got my first Manchester in 2005. Prior to Manchesters, I also bred and showed Chinese Shar-Pei. I grew up on a ranch where my parents raised Simmental cattle, Quarter Horses, and Belgian Draft Horses.

2. I evaluate my litter during the 6- to 8-week period. We usually do litter evaluations with one or two other breeders participating in the process. I think, over time, you develop an “eye” for which puppies will be successful show puppies and performance dogs. The top-winning performance dog in the US, three years in a row, is a Bayside dog: GCHB PACH2 Bayside’s Christmas Gift To Go West PCD BN RA OA MXJ MXP6 MXPS MJP7 MJPG PJDP PAX2 XF MFPB TQXP T2BP3 CA DCAT CGC TKN. I also bred and exhibited the first platinum gand champion & lifetime No. 1 ranked AKC grand champion dog: GCHP Bayside’s Beginning CGC TKN, HOF, ROM.

3. I think the quality of our breed has dramatically improved over the 19 years I have been involved in it. When I think about what was in the show ring back then and now—sometimes I am glad I am not the one judging because there are always a lot of quality dogs in the ring today. Are there challenges we face? Of course, especially with a small gene pool and lack of genetic diversity. Overall, I feel the breed is making good progress. We have improved availability of health testing and have added some new tests in recent years. We also currently have an amazing Health Chair, Michelle Barlak, who has done an amazing job of helping to highlight the importance of health testing as part of breeding decisions.

4. Some amazing things that I have seen added to the sport to increase enthusiasm are the Grand Champion and Owner-Handled program. I think these encourage continued participation while also reminding judges that without breeders, there is no sport. A wise woman (Wendy Kelly) once told me, “Breeding is not for the faint of heart.” There is no end to the work that goes into breeding, whelping, and raising sound puppies, whether they are headed to a loving family as a companion or to a show home.

5. I think in answer to whether social media is a good thing, I think it’s a two-edged sword! It can be both good and bad, but overall, I think the increase in connectivity has put a lot more tools, and education and awareness, in the hands of owners, breeders, exhibitors, and judges.

6. I think the greatest challenge facing the sport currently is the rising cost of everything. This has created many challenges for clubs putting on clusters and being able to stay in the black. I think more clubs working together to help keep costs down is part of the solution. I think AKC allowing more Specialties, and some of the rule changes to help clubs combat these challenges, has been a very good thing. Some examples of this: Allowing all four Group placements to earn points—not just Group Ones. For low entry breeds that have a hard time making points, this was helpful. Allowing Reserve at all Specialties, with large enough entries to have 2-5-point majors, to get a 3-point major was also a good decision. These are just a couple examples of positive things I have seen to help keep the sport growing and moving.

7. I look forward to the future and the new challenges and opportunities that become available. Manchesters are an incredibly smart, easy to train, and versatile breed!