Description:

Farmcliff Snowflake
Jan. 6, 1991—Dec. 26, 2005

Before Snowflake was born, we had vowed we would never keep an all white Jack Russell puppy. But, for reasons now lost to us, we ended up keeping her and am I ever glad.

Snowflake was all Jack Russell and earned her natural hunting certificate to woodchuck. Two days later she qualified in the Grand Prix to go to the United States Agility Assn. national competition. That was back in 1994 when Snof was just 3 years old and I really did not know what it meant to qualify for USDAA Nationals. So Snowflake, Bob and I flew to Texas in August where the competition was held in the Houston Astrodome. On our first warm up run, I was waiting at the start line but Snowflake was concentrating on the skirt of the trophy table where the air conditioning was blowing it around enticingly. I guess she was sure there was a woodchuck under there and when I released her, she went to check it out. So, that was it for that run and of course I was mortified in front of all those spectators. However, Snof pulled it all together over the next couple of days and kept qualifying in Grand Prix with clean runs. Eventually, she got to the finals and placed 7th out of more than 100 dogs in the Mini Division which back then included both 12” and 18” jumping dogs. Standing on the start line for that final run was one of the biggest thrills of my life. Over the next several years, Snof ran in the USDAA finals two other times - once placing 3rd. When Snowflake was 11 years old, she earned that last illusive gamblers leg to get her USDAA Agility Dog Champion award—another big thrill for me.

After that first USDAA Nationals experience, we bred Snowflake and found she had a very important lesson to teach us. Her puppies, born January 1 and named for Bowl Games (some of you may know Sugar), were slow to develop. Our local vet suggested taking the pups to Tufts Univ. Vet School for BAER testing for deafness. Much to our astonishment out of 4 pups in the litter, two were totally deaf, 1 unilaterally deaf (deaf in one ear) and one had normal hearing. We also tested Snowflake and the sire of the pups and much to our surprise, we discovered that Snowflake was also deaf in one ear. My agility and obedience instructors could not believe that Snof was unilaterally deaf. This pointed out to us that not only is there deafness in Jack Russell Terriers, but it is very difficult to tell when a dog is deaf in just one ear. We gathered information about deafness in canines and sent an article about Snowflake to our breed publication, “True Grit”. Today, just 12 years later, most JRT breeders are BAER testing all the puppies they produce. Through this lesson learned from Snowflake, we believe the JRT is now making significant improvement by no longer breeding deaf or unilaterally deaf individuals or not repeating a breeding that produced deafness.

Snowflake was very much a Jack Russell though except that she was more “laid back” than most. But, when she was waiting to race, she would bellow in anticipation louder than any other dog and became well known to folks in the Northeast because of this. She was always cautiously slow through the go-to-ground tunnel, but then exploded with the loud barking. She even won the 1995 JRTCA National Trial Trailing and Locating competition by earning bonus points barking at the quarry. Snowflake won many JRTCA High Point Agility Championships and Reserves at many trials including JRTCA Nationals.

Snowflake also did obedience reaching the Open Level. She was a Delta Therapy Dog going with me occasionally to visit folks in hospitals and nursing homes and we also participated in a Doggie Square Dance Group that entertained at local nursing homes.

A year and a half ago Snowflake was diagnosed with Cushings disease and once again alerted us to a disease that I did not know was found in Jack Russells. Again, Snowflake’s story on Cushings went into an article for “True Grit”. Through internet research, I found out about Trilostane, a drug approved in England, and worked with a wonderful veterinary internist to balance her cortisol levels for another 1 ½ years. But, the cause of her Cushings was thought to be a fast growing tumor on the pituitary gland and the pressure on her brain must have caused the seizures that finally ended her life.

Up until the end, Snowflake enjoyed her walks in the woods, sleeping on my bed and doing some obedience and agility with low jumps. The little white shadow that followed me everywhere I went has now gone leaving a big hole in my life. But, I am comforted by the knowledge that she lived a long and full life.

Snowflake, I miss you very much, but I thank you for all the agility you taught me and for the knowledge you gave to the Jack Russell world. I hope you are finding good hunting and some agility courses to run at the Rainbow Bridge.

Genie Franklin

See "Deafness in Jack Russell Terriers - Snowflake and Deafness" under Articles for the reprint of the 1994 article.

Height: 13.5"
Coat: Smooth
Color: T/W
Reg # A56-89
Whelped:

BAER
CERF

Breeder: Paul Ross (NH)

Breeder: Paul Ross (NH)

Foxwarren Scrumpy
12.5" Rough T/W
Reg # 531-81Gb

Bandit of Foxwarren (Gould)
14" Broken B/W

Foxwarren Sinbad
T/W
Reg # 274-76/GB

Foxwarren Kelly
11.5" T/W
Reg # GB70-78

Somervale George

Somervale Patch

Height: 12.5"
Coat: Rough
Color: Tri
Reg # 48-90A
Whelped:

BAER
CERF

Breeder: Bob & Genie Franklin, CT

12.25" Broken T/W
Reg # 32-87A
Whelped:

BAER
CERF

Breeder: Jose Rico & Mario Lobo, CT

Blencathra Trimmer
14 Broken Tri
Reg # 60-85A

Woodluck Eclair
13.5" Rough T/W
Reg # A27-85

Farmcliff Blaze
12.25" Broken T/W
Reg # 32-87A
Whelped:

BAER Normal
CERF

Breeder: Bob & Genie Franklin, CT

Joshua of Farmcliff
13.5" Rough T/W
Reg # A10-85

Foxwarren Ticket
13" Smooth T/W
Reg # E124-84