UK Stinkeye

Welshie Big Adventure in Wales

The Welsh Terrier invasion begins!

UK Stinkeye Begins

The biggest event of the trip started on Thursday afternoon.  We drove to Craig Y Nos Castle for the start of the UK Stinkeye.  In 2023, this is where the idea of the Welshie Big Adventure started.

The purpose of the UK Stinkeye is to raise money for a charity called Terrier SOS, and to gather families together for several days of socializing. Brian and I first came to the UK Stinkeye without the dogs in 2023 and met loads of nice Welsh Terrier owners. 

We enjoyed driving around Swansea, Mumbles and the Gower Region so much that we agreed to make a bigger trip out of it next time and bring the dogs back with us.

Winston making friends at registration.

What a difference two dogs can make on a visit to the UK.  Having our dogs with us means that we are part of the dog crew.  We discuss their ailments, their quirky behaviors, and compare the US Welsh to the UK Welsh.

Differences between US and UK Welsh

Seeing a large quantity of the same dog breed in one place gave me a chance to compare American and British Welsh Terriers.

The biggest difference I can tell is that the dogs here are smaller than those in America.  Back home, it is a novelty to see a petite Welsh.  After a day out walking with the dogs here I find that small is very common and that taller dogs stand out.

American Welsh (Maisie on the bottom) tend to have shorter legs.

Most of the dogs have the distinctive black and tan coloring that we are used to in the U.S. but there were a few exceptions to this at the event.  The dog that comes to mind is Winston’s first heart throb, Minnie.

Winston and his girl crush Minnie.

Ahh Minnie, how Winston looks longingly at you as you walk ahead of him up the hill in Brecon.  Winston lets no one sniff him, yet Minnie came nose to nose and he didn’t mind. 

Minnie had a burst of energy running up the rather steep incline and Winston threw his lazy nature to the wind and raced to follow her.  First love can be such a lovely thing to watch.

The Walk in Brecon Beacon Park

I don’t recall in 2023 seeing such a large number of dogs and humans come on this walk.  I cannot put an exact number on it, but would say it was nearly forty dogs of various ages that marched, sniffed and sometimes rolled up the path.

Winston and his new friends waiting to start the walk at Brecon.

And when we reached the very top of the trail, many of the dogs posed for their pictures on top of a tall concrete block with a very faded red Welsh dragon on it.

Posing at the top of the Brecon walk for a family photo.

As a dog mom, I enjoyed the chance to chat with so many different dog parents about their dogs. 

A Welsh on top of the world.

Maisie is my world and she knows it.

I think this would make an excellent holiday card.

Our dogs are something we all share in common, and the strong love and respect we have for these fiercely independent creatures can never be erased.

Sip and Paint Night

Terrier painting

Terrier painting

Terrier painting.

The first night we had a sip and paint opportunity which I took full advantage of.  We each were given a canvas with the outline of a standing Welsh and several suggested strategies on how to paint the canvas.

Participants painting.

I do not consider myself an artist, and usually don’t enjoy these kinds of painting opportunities, because my work looks very juvenile.  Painting the picture was actually quite fun and while it won’t get auctioned off at Christie's, it likely will find a place on a wall in our house.

Welsh Walk at Craig y Nos Country Park

Saturday arrived with a blaze of blue skies and sunshine.  Did the women who organized the trip specifically order this weather? 

Waiting outside Craig Y Nos for the local walk to start.

Dogs could be spotted everywhere in and around the castle waiting to start our local walk.

I am used to juggling both Maisie and Winston on walks but with so many Welsh in one place, Maisie walked with Brian.  Winston and I ambled along as he sniffed and cautiously looked at other dogs as we strolled along the path.

Walking through the country park with a pack of Welsh Terriers.

When we arrived at a large field, many dogs were off leash and chasing balls.  This was too much for Winston, he had a meltdown and went home. 

I remained with Maisie so that she could have a run and not need to worry about Winston.

Enjoying a stretch.

Dropping her lead, I had a chance to practice her recall.  As I moved farther away she sat patiently and waited for the signal to come.  Seeing her run like the wind with the other dogs made me smile.

Maisie and Woody exchanging sweet nothings.

Maisie walked back to Craig y Nos with her new friend Woody. Judging by the way she watched him and allowed him to sniff her, I believe there is a little Welsh spark taking place. 

Woody is an older Welsh, compared to her Wyoming sweetheart Key.  I get the impression that she enjoyed the easy ambling and lack of youthful exuberance being with Woody.

Winston and a friend.

Who would have thought that both Winston and Maisie would fall in love on this trip?  Magical things seem to be happening on this Welshie Big Adventure.

As Woody walked into the water and cooled himself off.  Maisie took three dainty steps into the moving water and had a quick sip.  Glancing back at Woody, she turned to walk higher up the rocks, so that no water could possibly touch her, to wait for him to be through.

Hunting for something in the water.

Later in the afternoon, I took Winston back to the same area and let him walk in the water.  I tossed small stones in the water, and Winston tried to find them, but he never could get them back.   A little boy and his father were by the river too and the boy chose the largest stones to chuck into the water.

Winston thought that the boy was tossing something worth watching. He moved closer and followed the action intently with his eyes.

Fancy Dress Contest

Similar to the Stinkeye event in the U.S., we had a chance to dress up our dogs and parade for everyone to admire.  I don’t ordinarily dress up the dogs because Maisie really doesn’t enjoy it.  But with two beautiful Scottish kilts, made by Katherine in Wyoming, I knew I had to give it a go.

Dressed in our Scottish finest.

There was a good deal of fuss between Brian and me on how to properly put the costumes on each dog.  I then put on my own kilt and we went to wait with the other contestants.  Any dog that is willing to subject itself to a costume deserves a prize.  But there were a couple of costumes that stood out.

Blind as a bat.

One petite Welsh was dressed as Dracula with bats flying around its head.  What made this family stand out is the story behind the costume.  About three months ago, the dog had to have its eyes removed because the cataracts turned into glaucoma.  The only way to relieve the pressure behind the eyes was to remove them.  This little Welsh pup was blind as a bat.

Dressed as a Welsh lass.

Paddington Bear

Gabe and Olive were the youngest human attendees at Craig Y Nos this year.  We met Gabe when he was a baby back in 2023 and sweet little Olive joined the family within the last year.

Martini anyone?

The parents cleverly dressed the family as parts of a martini.  Olive dressed in a cute olive costume and Gabe in brown with a brown painted hat was the toothpick, and their dog wore a cone to represent the martini glass.

Coming in first place this Welsh knew he was a winner.

The final standout was the entry dressed as a biker gang with their dog sitting calmly in a ‘motorcycle’ wagon.  Wearing a tiny black helmet and dark sunglasses what amazed me was that the dog never moved.  He sat motionless as if he knew he was going to win the contest (he did).   He just basked in the glory of the moment.

Thoughts on the UK Stinkeye

As the festivities wrapped up Sunday morning after breakfast, I had time to reflect on the event as we journeyed home.  Summing it up, bringing Maisie and Winston with us made the event for me.

Any food for me?

I rarely needed to worry about Winston being troubled by other dogs, because the dogs at the event seemed to be less wound up than the dogs at the US Stinkeye.  Winston sniffed other pups, let Minnie and Woody give him return sniffs, and didn’t seem phased at all by the dogs sitting near him at meals.

Dogs getting along at a meal.

In fact, because there was little to worry about, we brought both dogs to almost every meal.  Don’t misunderstand me, there were dogs that growled and barked when the dogs were in close quarters, but not with the frequency or volume that would occur back home.

I have a theory about why there is a difference in terrier attitude here.  In the U.K., dogs go almost everywhere with their humans.  Dogs can go to pubs, some shops, and ride on public transport.   

Drinks of Madri beer and flavored gins flowed over the weekend.

Many of the National Trust and Cadwu properties allow dogs on leads to walk around the grounds.  Essentially, dogs can go almost everywhere with their humans, and because of this, the humans and dogs are more comfortable interacting around others.

Dogs on trails are also allowed to go off lead here.  This made me nervous at first, but these dogs walk past our dogs while calmly trotting next to their humans.

A dog and her Mum never parted.

And humans are more attuned to other dogs around them here.  In the U.S. I encounter people who just assume all dogs are fine with an unleashed dog approaching.

Here in Wales, if a person sees that I am shortening our leashes and putting the dogs in a sit, they will recall their dogs and put their leashes on theirs as well.  No questions asked and no big fuss made.

A small but mighty Welsh.

In summary, if we have the opportunity to do this journey with the dogs again I know we will come back for the next UK Stinkeye.  Brian and I look forward to sitting and chatting with the friends we made and the dogs will get the chance to live in a castle for several days.

Friendships to last a lifetime.