Post Avg2UNDvTF30W4QHWC by CarolEmmarie@freeatlantis.com
(DIR) More posts by CarolEmmarie@freeatlantis.com
(DIR) Post #Avg2UGlhTGu8UnAegq by 1031@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T00:30:57Z
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They couldn’t be blamed.When Fru-Fru whelped a litter sired by Darling that included a blue, white, & gold puppy, the breeders were floored. The parents were champion blue and tan Yorkshire Terriers that Werner & Gertrude Biewer had bred before. No previous litters had ever produced a tricolor puppy, and this one came out of nowhere. The Biewers had no way of knowing at the time that the puppy they would name “Snowflake” was the product of two parents who carried the recessive piebald gene.
(DIR) Post #Avg2UI1Kod0MNZUehM by 1031@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T00:33:01Z
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Born in 1984, Snowflake was the only puppy out of 4 who had the unusual coloring.Given that his color was a disqualification, I don’t know why the breeders chose to breed more Snowflakes other than that they found him beautiful and decided to develop a line that consistently produced a tri-colored (piebald) Yorkshire Terriers.The couple began a carefully selective breeding program, the goal to create a new line.Most of their fellow Yorkie owners saw Snowflake as a “mismarked” Yorkie.
(DIR) Post #Avg2UJEqHtP69koxOK by 1031@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T00:35:47Z
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Prevailing belief was that Snowflake was the result of a recessive piebald gene occasionally present in Yorkshire Terriers, & certainly not evidence of a different breed. That might have been the end of it had the couple not produced subsequent piebalds that caught the attention of other dog lovers, & in particular, Margot Eskens, a famous singer who purchased two of these tricolor puppies. Eskens appeared with her dogs in public appearances & brought widespread attention to the new variety
(DIR) Post #Avg2UKImKk99SFfcAK by 1031@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T00:38:56Z
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Even that might have been the end of it had interest in the dogs not grown beyond German borders. As the breed’s popularity grew, so did the need for organization. The Biewer Terrier Club of America was formed but despite its official sounding name, there was still significant in and outside the breed community about whether the Biewer was truly a separate breed or simply a color variant. Who breeds two Yorkies and expects to get an entirely different breed out of them?
(DIR) Post #Avg2ULCmyUwwFxsLT6 by 1031@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T00:40:15Z
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It wasn’t an easy time to own a Biewer Terrier. The dogs were called designer dogs, and their owners mocked. The AKC initially denied breed recognition applications and stated that it wouldn’t recognize as a breed dogs that were merely a color variant of an existing breed. Similar attitudes were present in Europe as well.By 2007, Mars Wisdom Panel had become a leader in canine genetic testing & had one of the largest and most comprehensive databases of purebred dog DNA in the world.
(DIR) Post #Avg2ULsyReh4Mnc2Do by 1031@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T00:41:18Z
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Members of the Biewer Club reached out to see if Mars Veterinary would investigate whether the Biewer Terrier was genetically distinct from the Yorkshire Terrier and put the matter to rest. Owners provided blood samples, and by October 2009, Mars Veterinary had identified genetic markers for the purebred Biewer Terrier after testing over 30 lineages and more than 100 dogs. The pivotal study confirmed the Biewer as a genetically distinct breed—a first in canine history.
(DIR) Post #Avg2UMPwT546132Mbo by 1031@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T00:42:28Z
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Genetic findings were fascinating. While most of the Biewer’s haplotypes (a set of DNA variants) are shared with Yorkshire Terriers, chromosome 20 stood out. A unique haplotype on this chromosome, found in over a third of Biewers, was absent in standard Yorkies. The Biewer’s signature tricolor coat was largely explained by the MITF gene which controls pigment distribution. Unlike Yorkies, many Biewers carry specific MITF variants associated with white spotting
(DIR) Post #Avg2UNDvTF30W4QHWC by CarolEmmarie@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T03:19:41Z
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@1031 All right: This particular dog is TOO cute.We can't have a dog right now and I WANT one of these.
(DIR) Post #Avg2UNkXVz8S9DgKLw by DrFell@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T03:38:08Z
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@CarolEmmarie @1031 You can have it, it's all yours but get permission first from the boss.Bibi might mail you one
(DIR) Post #Avg2UTXI0A6M5rWpX6 by 1031@freeatlantis.com
2025-07-01T00:44:10Z
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Most importantly, the studies found that Biewers have healthy genetic diversity.I love concluding with dramatic flair. The club resubmitted its application for recognition, now armed with the Mars Veterinary DNA study and additional genetic results.After reviewing the DNA evidence and the club’s revised breed history, the AKC accepted the Biewer Terrier. The Biewer Terrier became the first to be recognized as a purebred as a result of a genetic study.-end-