My Story

My name is Tim Smith and I’ve been breeding Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers since 2006.

The name Haldane comes from a series of books I’ve loved over the years—Kelson, my first dog, was named after the king in those stories. The books are set in a magical world that, to me, feels inspired by Ireland—the homeland of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.

I met my first Wheaten about 23 years ago while working in my landscaping business in Denver. Every day, a man walked by with this beautiful dog. One day I asked him what breed it was, and he said proudly, “This is a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier—they’re the best dog in the whole world.” I told him that someday, I’d have one too.

I started looking for a new dog and remembered the Wheaten. I got on the Internet and found the breeders list on the AKC site and started contacting breeders in the Colorado area. I got referred to a local breeder and ended up getting a show potential puppy from her and her co-breeder.

One day she asked me what got me interested in the breed so I told her my story, she looked at me funny and said “what was the man’s name”, I told her and she told me that that dog happened to be a puppy out of their first litter!!! We both could not believe how small a world this really is!!

The Oklahoma City area has been my home since 2011 and where I established the Haldane kennel. You can check me out at the AKC Breeders of Merit website where I am verified with them.

I frequently travel around the country and show my dogs.