Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 10, 2016 7A
LEADER OF THE PACK
Flash, a Bronze Grand Champion silky terrier, earned a trip Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York
By Emily Mentzer
all the dog because I didn’t
know what I was doing,” In-
franca said.
Now an award-winner, it
was time for Infranca and Lee
to work on what they could
do for the breed. Coquette
went on a trip to be bred.
Just one puppy was born
to the Weeluv Silky Terriers
Kennel, and Lee fell in love
with the boy, Infranca said.
The couple began going
to shows together, with Lee
showing the boy puppy, call-
named Solo, and Infranca
showing his mother, Co-
quette.
Now the terriers bred at
Weeluv are excellent models
of the breed, with three of
their dogs in the top 10 in
the nation last year, Flash,
his sister and his half-sister.
The latter two are not still
owned by Infranca and her
husband, but were from
their litters.
Flash’s daughter has even
more potential, Infranca
said.
“We’ve learned a lot from
the dogs,” she said.
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — When
Flash was a puppy, he was
attacked by another dog
while out on a walk with his
owner, Carol Infranca.
“The first dog show after
that, we were waiting ring-
side and they had one of the
huge breeds — it lunged at
him,” Infranca remembered.
“In the ring he was skittish,
looking for the next attack.
This beautiful boy was
scared to death.”
His tail was down; his ears
weren’t up, she said. So she
and her husband Lee re-
cruited the experience of a
h a n d l e r t o h e l p Fl a s h
through this rough patch.
One would hardly guess
that he had such a trauma
now as the No. 6-rated,
Bronze Grand Champion
silky terrier prepares for his
trip to New York City to
compete in the Westminster
Kennel Club Dog Show on
Monday and Tuesday.
“It’s the Super Bowl of dog
shows,” Infranca said. “I’ve
never been. At first I never
dreamed I would even know
someone who went to West-
minster. To actually be
going, I’m over the moon.”
Not that this will be her
first rodeo.
Infranca didn’t buy her
first dog expecting to breed
and show silky terriers. Her
first animal was an 8-year-
old rescue with a lot of
health problems — probably
a puppy mill dog, she said.
“I just loved this little dog,
and when she crossed the
rainbow bridge, I was bro-
ken-hearted,” she said.
She checked with the
American Kennel Club to find
a silky terrier puppy. The In-
ternet was still young, so she
dialed the phone and pushed
in the number of miles she’d
be willing to travel to pick up
a puppy.
“I got a list of 17 people
who were breeders within
Photos courtesy of CAROL INFRANCA
Flash takes First Group at the Cook Inlet Kennel Club in July 2014. His handler, Karen Oglesby, of Napa, Calif., will
be with him at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City on Monday and Tuesday.
Weeluv M.T. Pockets, or
Flash for short, takes a jog
at a dog show.
Pricey and Joy play ball at their Monmouth home. The silky terriers at Weeluv Silky
Terriers kennel have full run of the yard and are adept at catching moles and voles,
very much appreciated by owners Carol Infranca and Lee Schlenker.
that 500 mile radius,” Infran-
ca said. “I found a breeder
who had had puppies the
day Pookie crossed the
bridge, so I thought, ‘I’m
meant to have these dogs.’”
She took the puppy, Co-
quette, to classes and Lee
bought her a book on how to
show dogs.
“The first time we were in
the ring, we won, and it was
Check it out:
What: The Westminster
Kennel Club Dog Show.
When: Monday and
Tuesday.
Where: Watch live
streaming of events on-
line at: http://www.west-
minsterkennelclub.org/20
16/show/tv.html.
Of note: Flash’s owner
Carol Infranca said all
dogs were bred for a rea-
son. “They all have a role
to play,” she said. The silky
terrier was bred to be
strong even though it is
considered a toy dog, and
to catch rats on chicken
farms. “They’re relentless.
They catch moles and
voles and mice,” Infranca
said. “They’re active and
alert, on patrol.”
For more information
about silky terriers:
AKC.org.