NIH SCWT Lifetime Study Update

May 29, 2026

Dear Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Lifetime Study Participants,

Many years ago, you enrolled your dog, in the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Lifetime Study, a collaborative effort created to better understand the health and longevity of Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. Whether you enrolled a puppy, an adult dog, or perhaps even more than one beloved companion over the years, you became part of an ambitious project with a long-term vision: learning from an entire lifetime.

As you can imagine, studies like this become more valuable with time. We are excited to share that the project is being renewed in collaboration with the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of America Endowment, whose leadership and enthusiasm are helping bring new momentum and opportunity to this effort. Together, we hope to gather the important lifetime health information that can help inform future research and deepen our understanding of the breed.

In the coming weeks, you will receive a follow-up email containing a survey link. The survey will ask for information about your dog’s health history throughout life, including major medical conditions, longevity, and cause of death. We recognize that many of the dogs originally enrolled are no longer with us, and we are deeply grateful for the role they played — and continue to play — in helping advance knowledge about the breed.

Even after many years, your participation remains incredibly valuable. Long-term studies are only possible because of owners like you who were willing to contribute information over the course of a dog’s lifetime, and we are excited about the opportunity to finally bring these data together in a meaningful way.

We hope you will participate when the survey arrives, and we look forward to reconnecting with this remarkable community of Wheaten owners.

With appreciation,

Heidi G. Parker, Ph.D.
Associate Investigator
Dog Genome Project
National Human Genome Research Institute
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD
hgparker@mail.nih.gov
dog_genome@mail.nih.gov