Welcome to the SweetCheeks Kennels Web site. We hope to present a page that will be of interest to people involved in the dog sport known as conformation (dog shows). We raise, breed, and show Boston Terriers, so you may notice a slant in that direction, but we want the page to be of interest to the largest possible cross-section of dog fanciers.
Our email address is cheeks@earthlink.net
We would like this page to be kind of an electronic magazine for the online dog-fancier community. Drop us a line and let us know what you would like to see, I'll see what we can do.
Naturally, you folks who are not involved in dog-showing are welcome to visit as well.
Name: Jeannette and Anthony Cheeks
Residence: Oakland, California
Primary Breed: Boston Terriers
# of Dogs owned: 6 (because we don't have room for 7, yet)
Dogography:
Jeannette and I have been involved in Bostons for almost 9 years. We have found that creating a line of quality purebred dogs is a long, slow process if it is done responsibly, but also very spritually rewarding. We have bred a total of 3 litters. Our first Boston was a bitch that we rescued from an abused home. She had one litter, out of which we kept one female puppy that we called Kitti. Kitti had only marginal success in the show ring, (winners' reserve was the best she ever did in a 3-year career) but at the age of 6 years, she was as healthy as a horse, so we decided to breed her. Too many dogs in this breed, and others have hip problems, eye cataracts, respiratory disorders, etc. We could not pass up an opportunity to return a set of healthy genes back into the pool of breeding stock. Kitti's mom Suzie (our rescue dog) is now going on 9 years of age, and is equally as healthy. We call her 'Grandma Sue' but she still acts like a puppy. Kitti's litter which was delivered in March of 1995 resulted in two males. One of marginal show quality (Snickers), the other (Topper) is outstanding. Topper took awhile to get the hang of the show ring, but even when tugging at the lead, and refusing to stack properly, he got a reserve ribbon under Dr. Jackie Hungerland. A few weeks later Topper and I got our act together, and he got his first two points. We also show a bitch that we purchased from some local breeders. Michy is almost 3 years old and has 12 points including one major. We participate in apprximately 20 - 25 shows a year, especially the annual Golden Gate Kennel Club benched show at San Francisco's Cow Palace in late February. We are devoted the promotion of the dog fancy, and the responsible breeding of healthy purebred dogs. Many people are surprised that we call ourselves breeders after only 2 litters in 9 years. We definitely believe that when it comes to breeding, it is quality NOT quantity that should be of the utmost importance. Also, we firmly believe that when a breeder brings a puppy into the world, it is a lifelong commitment. All pets should be placed in their new homes under a spay/neuter agreement. If for any reason the new owner is unable to keep the dog at any point in its life, the breeder must be willing to take the dog back, UNCONDITIONALLY. We believe that breeding should be done only to improve the breed; not to have a second income from selling puppies. Well that's a just a little about us, there'll be more in the months to come.
There don't seem to be many publications that educate people about conformation. Most of the periodicals that I am familiar with that are conformation-oriented are essentially advertising pages for dogs and their owners and handlers to celebrate big wins. Dog Fancy seems to be of general interest for pet-lovers as well as professionals (which is just fine, by the way). Dog World emphasizes conformation a little more but the education component is still lacking. The AKC Gazette is a great magazine, but still misses the mark for what we would like to do.
Producing a Web Page is a lot cheaper than creating a magazine, and a Web Page has the potential for world wide distribution.
I'm thinking that there is a need for a Popular Mechanics type of magazine for conformation. Something that talks about the nuts and bolts issues that both newcomers and experienced breeder/handlers face in preparing for the ring, and succeeding in the ring. Things like, selecting the proper lead; techniques for stacking a "difficult dog"; reading a judge's preferences; finding a hotel that accepts 6 dogs; the best fairgrounds for those who are fortunate enough to have an RV (recreational vehicle; gaiting your dog to show it at its best, etc. Also, I think the topic of learning to research a pedigree and conduct health screening for breeding purposes is of great importance.
I want to emphasize one thing. By no means do I ever want to be considered an expert. In fact Jeannette and I have a saying that "there are no experts", only people who have spent many years involved in a specific activity. This seems to us to be especially true in the dog fancy. I have lost count of the number of times that I have asked a question about dogs and received wildly differing and contrasting answers from people who have been in the sport for many, many years.
I have come to realize that the experiences of these people are valuable, and no doubt you can learn something from them. But keep in mind that the opinions they espouse are what has worked for them. There is no guarantee that the same techniques will work for you. The best way to learn, is by doing. That is the path that we have taken, and as we accrue information that may be useful to others, we will use this forum to pass it on.