The win must have been all that was needed to convert this dog crazy kid and his mother, Lillian, into fanciers. In no time, the family had more than one show dog and was looking for guidance from a professional handler. “The per- son who showed our Mini Schnauzers for us was Daisy Austad,” Bruce recalls. The family also hired another handler who was just getting established in the U.S. at the time. According to Bruce, “Peter Green showed a Schnauzer bitch on the East Coast for us for a while.” It is through Peter that Bruce met the man who introduced him to the breed he has devoted himself to so completely. “Ric Chashoudian had this Welsh Terrier in the kennel that I took a lik- ing to,” Bruce recalls of his early vis- its to the legendary Terrier man’s facility. Apparently, Ric recognized a connection between the young man and this dog, so he allowed Bruce to take the Welsh home on occasion. The two youngsters quickly bonded and in no time, Ch. Philtown Protocol was Bruce’s show dog. In 1973, the pair traveled to Philadelphia for the Montgomery week- end where they enjoyed their first taste of a big win. The victory took place at the Devon Dog Show Association the day before Montgomery. As reported in the New York Times on October 7th, “Another of the finalists was owned by a student, Bruce Schwartz, a senior at Pepperdine University. He flew from Los Angeles, with his Welsh Terrier, Ch. Philtown Protocol, who was gaited by Ric Chashoudian to his first blue rosette.” Edward E. Loebe was the judge who awarded the win under the watch- ful gaze of the world’s leading Terrier experts. Bruce recalls the memory with clarity. “We were hooked on the breed,” he says of the win. “Protocol” was more than just a show dog. “He turned out to be a good stud dog,” Bruce says of the dog that sired his first home-bred champion, Bruhill’s Concordat and the Best in Show winner Ch. Tujay’s Touchdown. “Touchdown” was co-owned with Wood Wornall, who also handled the record-breaking Ch. Anasazi Billy the Kid, bred by Nancy O’Neal and owned by Bruce. In 1996, Jim Reynolds award- ed “Billy” Best in Show at Montgomery. “It was an amazing, unexpected thrill,” Bruce says of the win. “We had a great Westbury weekend but a really not-so- great Hatboro and Devon,” he recalls
Carlson and Helma Weeks as a club offi- cer. His term as Vice-President was short lived as he became the club’s President the following year. Bruce is also the current Breed Club Liaison, tasked with coordinating the needs of each parent club with those of Montgomery and its members. “That’s really what I do,” he says of his engagement with breed clubs both old and new. Although Mont- gomery welcomes each parent club as part of the family, Bruce understands that every organization is a unique col- lective of volunteers. Some clubs are well established and are part of the tradition of exhibiting at Montgomery, whereas others are still in their infan- cy. As Bruce suggests, “I think some of the [clubs] have great drive to get a breed established and once the breed is
of the shows leading up to the main event. “Our feeling [on the day] was just kind of ‘whatever it’s going to be, it’s going to be.’” The win was a triumph for the Welsh Terrier’s team and it pro- vided Bruce with an invaluable lesson. “Although we had been ‘in dogs’ for 30 years, it wasn’t until those 30 years that we had the quality of dog that could do that,” he offers. “Greatness doesn’t come along that often.” In 1999, Billy the Kid became one of only a hand- ful of American show dogs to win 100 all-breed Bests. IN SERVICE TO THE CLUB The success Bruce enjoyed at Mont- gomery is reciprocated through his active involvement in club activities. In 2010, he joined Walter Goodman, Carol
Lillian Schwartz shared a love for the Welsh Terrier with her son, Bruce. Photo courtesy Bruce Schwartz.
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