Fur, Fins and Feathers By BRIAN LOWNEY
When I was a young boy, my father’s friend announced that he had a litter of puppies for sale. The Basset-Beagle mixes cost five dollars and my father, mother, young brother, and I visited the Westport, Massachusetts farm where the puppy was handed to our enthusiastic family. The playful hound, named “Annie,” lived with us for more than 13 years and stole more than her share of the neighbor’s rubbers, toys, garden gloves, and anything else she could grab. When I graduated from college in the late ‘70s, and began working, I sought to purchase a purebred dog. I started reading “Dog World” from cover to cover and became mesmerized by all the fascinating canine breeds. Remember that those were the pre-Internet days, and I was intrigued by the late Louis Iacobucci’s Sunday pet column that appeared in the Sunday Providence Journal. After reading about the fabled Sealyham terrier, I sought to purchase a puppy, but I could not find that particular breed available. I then searched for my second choice, a basset hound, but couldn’t locate a puppy in the area. I started attending local dog shows, such as the events sponsored by the Providence County Kennel Club and became fascinated by the various breeds and their unique histories. Every time I visited a show, I wanted a different breed. Once I learned that there was a Kerry 70 Shop In RI
Blue terrier for sale at a local kennel in Swansea, I immediately called. The local breeder owned Kerries and Wire-Fox terriers and had one Kerry puppy for sale. Needless to say, Connolly of Castletown arrived home that day and my life changed forever. Being a terrier, Connolly was a bit rambunctious and needed training. I was teaching in Westport at the time and one of my student’s fathers also owned dogs and was active in a local kennel club. I brought my dog for training, never thinking about dog shows, but just rather to have a dog that would behave and settle down. I enrolled in a class taught by Al Kirby, a consummate dog trainer from Westport, Massachusetts, who together with his wife Betty, owned Stonehouse Kennels, renowned breeders of Great Danes and Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Kirby invited my mother and I to join the Wampanoag Kennel Club, an organization of which I am still a member. The Kirbys invited me to attend dog shows as a spectator, and once I attended my first “fun match” and won a ribbon, I was soon hooked. While Connolly won a few champion points, he never was a title holder. He truly was a beloved family companion, however, and spent hours every day sitting alongside my father, who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. During my career in Kerries, I have exhib-
