GRF & The Red Hat Fund
Jackie Gottlieb
In 2006, the SCWT Genetic Research Fund was created with an established mission of supporting genetic research at a time when genetic testing was only starting to be accepted by dog breeders and clubs in the US. While the SCWTCA was keen on testing protocols that would help distinguish sick and healthy dogs, the Genetic Research Fund (GRF) was established to raise money for Wheaten-related genetic research. It was started by the grande dame of our Breed, Jackie Gottlieb, and, among others, Neil O’Sullivan, and Roni Andrews, to forge ahead in health where the Club at the time would not.
What started as a fund was transformed into a 501(c)(3) foundation whose immediate mission was to fund research that would establish genetic markers for PLN and PLE, which at the time were ravaging our gene pool. The SCWT Genetic Research Foundation (SCWTGRF) worked diligently over the years to raise funds for genetic research related to the SCWT and they successfully raised hundreds of thousands of dollars–a lot of which had been matched by the AKC Canine Health Fund.
Work associated with the now available PLN Variant Gene Test was made possible, of course, by the SCWTCA, but thanks in large part to a large portion of SCWTGRF-raised funds, and a long list of funding by the Endowment, whose donations and covered health expenses is too long to detail in this column.
In addition to those efforts, the SCWTGRF raised funds by publishing the first online database of Wheaten pedigrees provided for breeders and researchers alike. It gave us, Wheaten breeders, the ability to research Wheaten family trees, see photographs of the dogs, and to perform test matings using AKC and international records gathered from multiple sources that extended well back to our Irish roots thanks to the archives of Jean Petersen of Newkilber Kennels. This database (SCWTPEDS.com) was maintained from 2007-2017.
The SCWT Genetic Research Foundation connection to the SCWT Endowment is longstanding and was cemented in 2021 with the Red Hat Challenge. Issued by the SCWT Genetic Research Foundation in honor of Jackie, this effort provided $40,000 to support the Endowment’s SCWT Database, which has been available online for all to use since 2017. It has now grown to more than 100,000 dogs and provides the ability to extensively record phenotypic traits of our Wheatens and document information geared toward attracting the veterinary research community.
While the SCWTGRF had been managing its funds and continuing to support genetic research, it has chosen to cease operations and brings to the Endowment almost $70,000 in AKC/CHF funds to manage, in addition, former GRF member, Guillermo Rueda, has joined our Endowment Board in 2025.
