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(The following information is from the excellent & informative book Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier: A Complete And Reliable Handbook written by Marjorie C. Shoemaker by T.F.H. Publications Inc.)
Ireland has long been noted for beauty, mystery, legendary heroes, St. Patrick, the Blarney Stone, lace, hand-blown crystal, whiskey, horses and dogs. Legend has it that the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is an ancient breed whose origins are lost in the mists of time. One popular theory is of the black dog who survived the sinking of a ship off the coast of Ireland and swam ashore, subsequently mating with local females to become the founding sire of a number of breeds, including the Wheaten Terrier. There are those who believe that the Terriers of Ireland descended from crossing the Irish Wolfhound with various local females. Indeed, the Wheaten Terrier has long been called the "poor man's Irish Wolfhound." There are records of wheaten-colored terriers owned by families and bred "pure" for generations. Whatever the actual origins, this medium-sized terrier with an "open" or soft wheaten colored coat has been around for nigh onto 200 years.
These versatile dogs were found on farms in counties Munster, Cork Tipperary, Waterford, Limerick, and Kerry. They were all-purpose dogs who guarded the homestead, baby-sat the children, helped herd the cows, removed vermin from the premises, and even went bird hunting with the master. They were quick and hardy animals, intelligent with a desire to please.
The Irish are a speaking people--a story-telling people--who weave their history with colorful prose. The British are documenters. A few English books written about dogs of the British Isles, published as early as the 1880s included a chapter on "Irish Terriers" found at dog shows and fairs. The description of the dogs denoted a long-legged, medium-sized terrier wearing a variety of coat textures and colors. Some of these terriers had hard, grizzled coats, while others had "open" soft coats. The colors ranged from blue-black to pale yellow/wheaten, with gray, red, grizzled, fawn, and even harlequin color (coats of blue-black mixed with gray mottling). This description applies to three modern-day Terrier breeds originating in Ireland: the Irish Terrier, who sports a hard, red, or red-wheaten coat; the Kerry Blue Terrier, whose soft, wavy coat is blue-black to slate gray; and the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier with his soft blond coat. That these three breeds are related is doubtless. Which breed was the progenitor of the others is moot. There are a number of authors of dog books who have referred to the Wheaten Terrier as the original breed, including Anna Redlich, in her book The Dogs of Ireland, published in 1949. I will only mention that the soft blond coats can be found in Irish Terrier litters, and that until the 1950s, occasional blond puppies were born into pristinely bred Kerry Blue Terrier litters.
In 1937, the Wheaten Terrier officially became a recognized breed in his native Ireland. The first recorded Irish champions were Dr. Pierse's Ch. Charlie Time and Mr. Blake's Ch. Kingdom Leader. Both these gentlemen were instrumental in garnering the recognition of the Wheaten in Ireland. Dr. Pierse, in particular, campaigned tirelessly in attaining official recognition. In the late 1940s, Maureen Holmes, of Holmenocks Kennels, County Kildare, took up the banner and populated the present-day world with Wheaten Terriers. It is from Holmenocks that almost all the American Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers descend.
Originally, Wheaten Terriers came over to America in the late 1940s. Lydia Vogels, an exhibitor of Kerry Blue Terriers, imported a male and female, whom she showed at the Westminster Dog Show and subsequently bred. Unfortunately, the breed did not "catch the fancy's eye" at that time. Cecelia O'Connor and her daughter Margaret located and imported their first Wheaten Terrier in 1957, Holmenocks Gramachree from Maureen Holmes, and had their first litter in 1962. From there, the breed gained popularity steadily. For ten years, the Wheaten Terriers were shown only in Obedience Classes and Miscellaneous Classes at AKC (American Kennel Club) Point Shows. Miscellaneous Classes are comprised of rare breeds not officially recognized by the AKC. These classes are proving grounds leading to AKC recognition. Meticulous Stud Book records play a key role in acceptance into the American Kennel Club. Steady growth, with a geographic distribution of the breed is the second important aspect considered. During this ten year span, approximately 1300 Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers entered the Stud Book kept by Cecelia O'Connor.
On March 17, 1973, Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers were recognized by the American Kennel Club, and on October 3, 1973, they entered their first AKC Point Show as a recognized breed. The first Wheaten to gain the American Championship Title was Ch. Abby's Postage Dhu O'Waterford, owned and shown by this author. He was the only dog in the United States to acquire his title the first weekend we showed. This dog was sired by Ch. Stephen Dedalus of Andover, CD, a dog bred by Cindy Gottlieb. The second Wheaten to attain his championship was Ir. Ch. Benmul Belma owned by Emily J. Holden and Carol Carlson. Belma still holds the honor of being the only Irish champion to become an American Champion. The third Wheaten to become a champion was Ch. Innisfree's Annie Sullivan owned by Gay H. Sherman Dunlap.