This is a page dedicated to Manchesters that we have loved and lost over the years.
Bleu Springs Dot Net ME, ROM
(champion producer)
Call name: Dot
DOB: 8/28/06 Weight: 7 lbs
Spayed Female
Sire: CH. Blossom’s California Dreamer, ROM
Dam: Bleu Springs Princess Aurora
Health clearances: JDCM Clear, VwD Clear, CERF Clear, Thyroid Normal, Xanthinuria Clear, Patellas normal
Dot bears my mother’s kennel name and is the matriarch of Maximal Manchesters. She has been featured in the book Earthdog Ins & Outs by Jo Ann Frier-Murza, and in Dog Fancy Magazine (May 2013) for her accomplishments in the sport of AKC Earthdog. She has been asked to participate in Earthdog demonstrations at AKC Meet The Breeds in NYC, thrilling the crowds with her big heart. On May 14, 2014, she became the second Toy Manchester Terrier in the history of the breed to earn the Master Earthdog title. Master is the highest course level in Earthdog.
Dot did her fair share of winning in AKC dog shows prior to her focus on earthdog. Most notably, she won Grand Puppy Sweepstakes under breeder judge Linda Lewin at an AMTC Specialty show in 2007 and was Reserve Winners Bitch at the 2008 AMTC National Specialty over an historically high entry of females under the esteemed Judge Lydia Coleman Hutchinson. Despite Dot’s love and enthusiasm for the show ring, we switched our focus to Earthdog before completing her championship. Dot’s children have carried on her legacy by earning show ring championships and grand championships. Her daughter, Dash is a Master Agility Champion and earned a place in the American Manchester Terrier Club (AMTC) Hall of Fame! In 2016, Dot earned the AMTC Register of Merit, a distinction which recognizes the achievements of her titled offspring.
CH Bleu Springs William th’ Conqueror JE, CGC
(champion producer)
Call name: William
DOB: 7/15/03 Weight: 10.5 lbs
Neutered Male
Sire: CH Blossom’s California Dreamer ROM
Dam: Bleu Springs Princess Diana
Health clearances: JDCM Clear, VwD Clear, CERF Clear, Thyroid Normal, Cardiac Normal (echo), Xanthinuria Clear, Patellas normal
We lost William at 15 years of age. We mourn his loss greatly but also celebrate the many years we had with him. William was as outgoing as he was handsome. He represented the breed for many years at AKC Meet The Breeds in NYC. William was one of the only in the breed to become a Junior Earthdog and was featured in the book Earthdog Ins & Outs alongside Dot. He also made countless television appearances for the American Kennel Club (AKC), representing the breed and the sport of purebred dogs.
He loved the show ring. He quickly finished his championship, earned several group placements, and went on to be in the Top 10 nationwide in both breed and all-breed points in 2004. His show career was limited because I was in college at the time so he was mostly shown in the summer. Most dogs that win enough to be ranked in the Top 10 are shown all year, making his ranking an exceptional achievement. He went as high as the #4 Toy Manchester Terrier in the country in July 2004 before losing ground to the dogs that kept showing after I returned to my studies in late August.
William went on to become a champion producer, and his legacy continues in his daughters, CH Dazzle and MACH Dash, his granddaughter CH Hadley, and his great grandchildren CH Quinn and CH Astro. He also has champion granddaughters and great grandchildren in Europe.
Am/Can CH Bleu Springs Catwoman CGC
Call name: Kitty
Kitty was my best friend who passed away at the age of 16 1/2 years. She joined our home when she was 8 weeks old and I was 12 years old. I trained Kitty and showed her myself. Together, we earned the points to complete her championships in both the United States and Canada. She was my first AKC Canine Good Citizen, my first AKC champion, and to date, she is the only dog of mine to accomplish dual championships. Albeit, I haven’t returned to Canada for dog shows since completing her Canadian championship.
Following, is a video tribute and slideshow that I made when Kitty passed away. Click here to watch the video on YouTube instead.
Bleu Springs Little Princess
Call name: Princess
Princess was my first Manchester Terrier and probably the smallest I’ll ever own, tipping the scales at 6.5 lbs. She had a long and adventurous life that lasted 15 1/2 years. Her larger than life attitude shines through in her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was the foundation for my mother’s Bleu Springs line and lives on, in the pedigrees of Maximal Manchester Terriers.
CH Blossom’s California Dreamer ROM
(champion producer)
Call name: Cal
Cal was purchased as a puppy by my mother from Blossom’s Manchester Terriers in California. He was the sire of Dot and William. He was known for producing amazing heads and bone, with his best traits still appearing in Maximal Manchester Terriers today!
CH Special Acres’ Look At Him Go, VCS, SC, THD, CGC, TT
June 13, 2005 – December 31, 2018
What do these titles mean?
CH = AKC champion (conformation, aka dog shows)
SC = AKC Senior Courser (lure coursing, aka fake rabbit chasing)
THD= AKC Therapy Dog (for 50+ therapy visits)
CGC= AKC Canine Good Citizen
TT = ATTS Temperament Test title
VCS = Versatility Silver Award, granted by the Ibizan Hound Club of the US
Alydar came to me at 11-weeks-old and we were inseparable until his death at 13. He was my first Ibizan Hound, and the reason I joined the Ibizan Hound Club of the U.S. and eventually became their rescue chair and AKC Delegate.
In his early years, we participated in conformation dog shows together and he easily earned his AKC championship. His biggest win was Winners Dog at the Ibizan Hound Club of the United States National Specialty in 2007. After completing his championship, Alydar retired from the show ring and earned his senior courser title in lure coursing, a sport where the dogs chase an artificial lure that is strung around a field in a zig zag pattern that simulates how a fleeing rabbit may run. He loved lure coursing and competed for a few years before retiring and trying his paw at therapy work.
In January 2014, he and I became a certified therapy dog team through the Bright & Beautiful Therapy dogs. We completed more than 100 visits before his retirement. We visited two local hospitals twice each week. It’s hard to put into words the transformation that took place in a patient when Alydar walked into the room. His calm demeanor helped them to relax and he often won over people who professed to dislike dogs. We sat with those mourning the loss of a loved one; comforted children scared from a traumatic car accident; calmed stressed out patients, staff and family members; and cheered up long term patients who hadn’t had a visitor in days.
Alydar also had a second job: he came to work with me and helped train service dogs by serving as a “distraction dog”. Simply put, he helped our trainers teach service dogs and their new owners how to behave when a strange dog approaches them on the street. (Hint: They are supposed to ignore the dog and if you ever see a service dog team working in public, you should always keep your pet dog away from them.)
In 2016, Alydar was diagnosed with a primary lung tumor, which is the rarest cancer in dogs (affecting less than 1% of canines), with most dogs passing in a few short months after diagnosis. He underwent an operation to remove the tumor at UPenn, followed by chemotherapy, and was successfully in remission until early 2017 when he came down with pneumonia. He was hospitalized for a week and we didn’t think he would make it. X-rays of his lungs showed they were riddled with tumors, which was the cause of the pneumonia. When the cancer returned, it was so aggressive, there was no treatment available to pro-long his life so we opted for supportive care. Under the care of an amazing team of specialists, Alydar overcame his battle with pneumonia. He beat incredible odds and we had him for 18 more months before we had to say goodbye to him on New Year’s Eve in 2018.
In the fall of 2019, at its National Specialty Awards banquet, Alydar was posthumously honored with the Unbroken Spirit Award by the Ibizan Hound Club of the United States and in 2020 he was honored with a plaque for being the first AKC-titled Ibizan Hound Therapy Dog.