History of WDTC

History of the Club from Inception to 1992

There was a Wallingford Canine Society in existence before 1939. In 1939 the society was disbanded. After the war, Henley Society took up the Wallingford licence.

The club came into existence again in 1974, being restarted by Mrs Morgan and Mrs Simmonds.

In 1977 the club was registered with the Kennel Club as Wallingford Dog Training Club, with the object of the club being ‘to promote the training and management of dogs in and around Wallingford’.

Mrs B Simper, Miss H Simper and Miss E Scoates were the officers on the Committee and served the club from the early registration for several years. All were made honorary life members of the club.

Veterinary Surgeon Mr J Holmes was the first President of the club and following his death, Mr Terry White, also a Veterinary Surgeon, took on this role.

Agility Demonstration 1984

Initially the club was two sections, Ringcraft and Obedience with competitive handlers as well as those just training their dogs to be well behaved pets.

WDTC Crufts Team 1990
Back Row L to R: Rosemary Tappin and Leah, Lynn Laker and Magic
Front Row L to R: Robert Tappin and Dusty, Sue Cuddon and Tara, Mark Laker and Leia

In 1984, agility training was added to the list of activities offered by the club and this section has steadily grown since then.

The club held its first Open Agility Show in 1988 and has held two each year since then. In 1990 the club team qualified for the agility event at Crufts and came 4th in the final.

In 1990 Flyball boxes and jumps were purchased by the club to add yet another dimension to the activities on offer at WDTC.

Honorary Presidents
Mr J Holmes
Mr T White
Honorary Life Members
Mrs B E Simper
Miss H Simper
Miss E Scoates
Mrs Erica de Lattre-Mander (1991)
Mrs Sheila C Napper (1992)

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