Historical Breeders

Max-Well Norfolk Reprinted with permission by Barbara Miller from an old NNTC publication It began thirteen years ago in New York City at the well known eatery, Maxwell's Plum. Between bites, we discussed Sue's four month old fluffy Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier coincidentally named "Max". We searched that year for a Wheaten bitch and decided to keep the male at Sue's house and the female at mine. We have kept to that rule with our Norfolks ever since. Our first Wheaten litter was whelped on our kitchen floor and the Max-Well Kennel was founded. For us, "kitchen" would be a more appropriate name than "kennel." We've made one change, however, we now ask the bitch to use the whelping box instead of the floor. Max-Well and the Wheatens stayed together until the breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club. At this time I was President and Sue Vice-President of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club. Once recognized, we realized that heavy grooming combined with a difference of opinion over trimming was just too much. Wheaten Terriers no longer looked the way we thought they should - natural. It was time for another breed. One day I brought a Wheaten to Jack Simm to be groomed. A little red dog, Ch. Badgewood Monty Collins, welcome me. One look told me he was the perfect size, friendly and outgoing and needed little grooming. Changes were made at Max-Well. We kept our original brace of Wheatens and in 1974 two Norfolk Terriers joined us. Monty's daughter, Max-Well's Rum Raison, moved in with me and my three children. A male puppy, Ch. Badgewood Moreston, moved in with Sue and her family. In 1976 "Wolf", as Moreston is better known, was bred to Raison and presented us with four bitches and one dog. During "Raison's" pregnancy we became aware of and were concerned with fading puppeis. Having never lost a Wheaton pup, we refused to believe we could lose a Norfolk. We asked a doctor friend, whose field is obstetrics, for help. He recommended Lactated Ringers's Solution with 5% Dextrose administered as soon as the litter was whelped, and every four hours from 48 hours thereafter. We've been on the Ringer's "kick" ever since. Twenty-two Norfolk puppies whelped at Max-Well have been on the solution and we have not lost one. Our first litter was a lucky one. The little male, William Penn, went to Sue and completed his champsionship, going BOB twice; Liberty Bell, "Ginger" went to Mt. Paul; Betsy Ross to Castle Point; Bunker Hill to Shirley Seaman; and British stayed with me. Ginger came back to me at eleven months of age having had a superb upbringing by Anne Winston, and not wanting two bitches of the same breeding, we placed British with relatives and Ginger stayed with me. In 1978 Ginger completed her championshuip taking four majors in the Bred by Exhibitor classes and produced her first litter by Am. Can. Ch. Ickworth Nimrod. Of that litter, Mrs. Ethel Phillips took Ch. Max-Well's Lady Chatterly, Cliff Hallmark finished "Bugs", as she is affectionately know, at thirteen months. Ed Resovsky and Frank Rogers took "Hank" (Ch. Max-Well's O'Henry) who with three majors finished under Barbara Keenan at Elm City going Best of Breed over Ch. El Cid of Tinkenswood. "Hank" is the first American Norfolk to gain championship points since the division of the breed. Litter sister, Max-Well's Scarlet Letter, is just getting started in the show ring and has one BOB to her credit. Our youngster, Max-Well's Penny Lane is a brat! Out of Raison, by Ch. Badgewood Rowdy Duke, her grandsires are Ch. Mt. Paul Rowdy and Ch. Badgewood Monty Collins. With breeding like that, there must be something buried in her lovely head that will one day tell her she must stay out of trouble. We have high hopes for her as a mother and in the show ring. Our stock goes to those fully aware of their responsibility to the breed and we keep in contact with new owners, offering advice on grooming, conditioning and breeding. Although Max-Well has produced five champions in a short period of tine, we have remained a "kitchen kennel." Our purpose is to produce, through a care breeding program, hardy well-made Norfolk Terriers. It is still the beginning!