I started in dogs  with a Rough collie Jason of kentine DOB 11/11/1973 Br Mrs J Gore
Based on the old Ugony/Glenmist  lines.
He was only a pet but tought me a lot !!!

I started with an Irish Setter bitch born 11/10/73, she was a granddaughter of Sh Ch Wendover Gentleman. I was 16 years old at the time, and I had great adventures travelling the country on coaches to dog shows. Although only a moderate winner, she gave me so much fun, and established a life long interest in dogs and showing. Thankyou Bridie.

Dawn R.

I started with Zorro, Samagan (sp) Court Herald DOB 21 / 9 / 81 ( I was 4 :D :D ) he was a big cream Afghan. I showed him in junior handling where I did ok (bearing in mind i was the same height as him when I first started out) and also in breed where he never won anything of great importance but usually got placed somewhere. he was a lovely dog, so good natured and only ever got fed up in the ring once, at the end of a very long junior handling class he decided he had had enough and made a run for it he ripped the lead out of my hand and headed straight for my mum - luckily I had already been awarded my 2nd place ;)

The showing bug started there, but I now have Irish Setters (they have a similar personality !!) and am just about to start out with my Alfie my show pup.  My parents still show, but they now have a lurcher and have loads of fun at lurcher shows throughout the summer :) )

At birth. Always loved dogs, as a child had a real affinity with them :) Way better than people ;)

Eating Bonios with neighbour big black lab, he was lovely - that obviously done it for me now on my second black lab.  ;)

My family are not into the commitment a dgio needs so wasn't allowed to have one at home.

When I moved to a house I already had my puppy booked to comne to live with us as soon as we moved in.

She was a BSD Groenendael, and not the ideal first dog, but because of this I learnt a lot.  Sadly she died at only 3 1/2 years old.

As by this time I was a divorced Mum of two young children (pre school and toddler) I wanted a mentally less High maintenence breed.

The Belgian had been a compromise between my Ex and me (he wanted a GSD) and with a year old child I wanted something smaller.

I had been showing my bitch, and at Ringcraft had fallen for a very showy cheeky and affectionate Keeshond.  Initially I contacted theri rescue.

Having shown pictures to my 4 year old sghe announced they were too fluffy.  I went through my Dog Encyclopaedia as I was sure I had seen a smoother coated larger spitz.  I foud the Elkhound, did soem research, and went to see them at a show.

As luck would have it my breeder had a dog and bitch pup not spoken for, and th dog was very nice) he became a Champion) but I wanted a bitch.

When my youngest was old enough to leave at Granparents I start6ed showing the bitch at around two years of age, adn seh idd middling well, usually about the middle in ehr classes, and gained her Stud book number.

Since she arrived I had been pestering all the owners of ehr ancestors for pictures, and had bought 15 years of back issues of our Breed club Journals to study and reseach.

With my breeders support I bred my first litter in 1995.  In retrospect I kept the wrong puppy, but hey we got better at it by the time we had got a generation or two down the line.  Her dauyghter won classes, and even more frequently came second.

Then I had a litter from her, but trying to be sensible wasn't keeping one, and was planning to keep one from a later litter, but fate took a turn and I had pick of litter puppy back.  she started winning from her first show, and now has 9CCs, and Group placements, and won the Champion stakes at Windsor in 2002.

With freinds I imported a male, and his and my bitches daughter has had a lovley start to her show carreer, winning most of her classes, the Puppy stakes at Southern Counties, her Junior Warrant and a RCC.

At home we are a familiar sight all arounf within a 4 mile radius of where I live, and enjoy our l;ong walks in the may good off lead excersise areas available locally.

We even do our basics in obedience, but have to admit I loose interest even faster than the dogs!  I love watching, and admire the dedication of those who do it properly :D

When I DEMANDED that I should have my own dog to train and show like my grandparents!  I had to prove that it was a life long intrest and not something I was going to not want to do in 3 months time, I had to prove I was responsible by picking up dog poo when I walked my grandparents dogs, then my mum had the job of convincing my dad to get me a dog (my grandparents where behind me the whole time) then we strted looking for a dog and in 1995 we got ingasett Kerry Dawn, our first show dog, she done us well and got her stud book number.  Unfortantly her life was cut short though an unknown illness :(  but when I turnd 8 we had to get our second dog, 8 was the age then that you joind the KCJO (now YKC) and I wanted to show and get points which = badges.  So I told dad (the one we had to convince to get a dog) I'm now old enough to show, poor dad, being bitten by the bug, wanted his own dog, then we got handsome, glenessa handsome does with liric.  both have done us proud...we have bred one litter, owned another 4 R&Ws and looking for another!

I was first in the ring with boxers at a very young age!

My first dog was a Scottie called Janet :) My aunt had decided to stop breeding Scotties and concentrate on the Cairns (or perhaps Westies - it's sooo long ago I can't remember) - she more or less forced Janet (her last bitch) onto my poor parents (both of whom had been seriously ill only a year or two previously). They had two small children and didn't really want a dog :( Poor Janet - she wasn't used to children, but coped very well before dying of mammary cancer :( Not surprising that my parents wouldn't have another dog :( , so I had to borrow my (other) aunt's beagle, Duke who lived to 17.

Daisy

My uncle bred GSDs and I remember gazing at them in his car, also watching him in an obedience competition on the South Inch in Perth. I was very young, I remember the dogs faces not my uncles :) Unfortunately my Mum had horrendous allergy problems so I couldnt have one. In our close lived a little black cross breed called Punch who was as wide as he was tall, and I made frineds with him. I had to wait until I was 40 for my first dog, Morse. Funnily enough knowing Morse has made my parents dog lovers in their old age. Now we have Echo, and while I love Gordon Setters and GSDs to bits, I think we'll always have rescues.

Think I was born wanting a dog but my parents wouldn't let me have one until I was   ..... well, it was 1961 & I had a Border Collie (more of a BorderLINE Collie, really, although both his parents were working sheepdogs). He cost my Dad £3.00! Not the ideal family dog in many ways but we adored each other for nearly 10 yrs until he died. After about 3 weeks of my Mum blubbering "I'll never have another dog ...................." we ended up with an Airedale - what a contrast. Compared to my Ceri he was so DIM, so Untidy, so NOT a sheepdog. Eventually I got to know him & he was wonderful with a wicked sense of humour, but never as smart as Ceri in looks or intelligence. Every so often I get a yen to own a sheepdog again - then I remember how energetic they are.

I was born in a whelping box, I am sure of it :D  My father showed Border Terriers and when he thought I was old enough (about 9) so did I. My father bought me my 1st (very own) BT for my 14th Birthday, although I didnt get him till 3 months later, he was Hanleycastle Mattie. When I married I got my 1st black lab, then my second, then my third and rescued an OES. I moved from the county into town when my husband died so after Fanny died (no I did not name her) :D I did not get another dog until I bought another house more suited. Sticking with gundogs I bought an ESS, Connie and then came another ESS, Megan, the love of my life. 3 years later along came Penny Black lab, then Emma yellow lab, and another, and another Blah Blah Blah. I now have 6 Labradors :D :D

My parents got me a puppy for my 6th birthday a working border collie(sam) he was great but got killed by a car 2yrs later at 8 I started bringing home all sorts of strays that other people didnt want at one stage we had 8 dogs and 12 cats my parents made me find homes for 4 dogs all of which live great lives with wonderful families.
I watched Magnum P.I. at 6 or 7 and wanted a Dobermann parents said no so 20yrs on I got my first Abby and she is well worth the wait.
Mary

1982.....my 10 year old son turned up with a gerbil he'd bought in the market...I hit the roof as I don't like rodents, and was cross they'd sold a small boy a pet without any parental consultation - I made him take it back....:( :( :(. He was very upset, and said that he so much wanted a friend...I felt awful, and thought and thought about it - should we get a rabbit....???? I had wanted a dog as a child, but parents said "no", first husband was very anti-dog, but he had died in 1980....perhaps....??? We were fortuitously put in touch with a good breeder of CKCS - I was clueless about breeders, etc - and visited weekly before and after the bitch gave birth. She had 4 boys. I then began to think that my daughter would feel left out if this was son's dog...so decided to have 2!!!!( no-one seemed to think that was a daft idea in 1982) So we had our 2 boys and very hard work they were too! But I was hooked...the cavaliers lived to be 11 and 14, and when the second one died we had no intention of getting another dog. However I found I had severe withdrawal symptoms - so we got a 6 yr old rescue collie-cross - a gorgeous dog, who sadly was only with us for 4 1/2 years. Then, when I retired, we bought a 1 yr old lab bitch who turned out unexpectedly to be pregnant, had six beautiful puppies, and we kept a little boy. Who's now a very big boy! And my son who started all this off will be 34 this year, and has two little daughters and a step-son. :) :) :)

We always had cats at home but I heard so many stories and pictures of 'Growly' my mums black Lab.

I always wanted a dog but Dad decided he didn't want one. I walked other people dogs which included Xcrosses and a springer.

As soon as I left home I did my research and ended up with Mars my first Lab and now onto my 5th, that is 17 years down the line :)

Lucy
xx

Born.... and a GSD by the pram!, we also had a farm at the time, so animals were always in my life, then when we lost our last GSD we were all so upset, he was knocked over by a car, it was the only time I saw my Dad cry.After that got married and had a Lab x who lived till he was 14 1/2, now got a goldie,cant ever imagine my life without a dog,hubby says I will be like Edna Birch in Emmerdale  when I am a little old lady,with my wooly hat and dog in tow.(Bit like that now really!):) Now help in rescue, guess dogs are here to stay...

My father had a red setter her name was peggy , later a airdale,she had 14 pups twice,when we were kids a border collie susie,then a beagle Bianco when she died,mum did not want another,i was working in a restaurant at the time and a guide dog used to come in her name was penny,she was lovely.i said to her owner that as soon as i get my own house iwould get a black lab and name her penny which i did ,she was a real beauty.at 3 she had 6 puppies i kept 1,bess she died at 15 years old last year.

We got our first Belgian in 1985 - Laser was sold to us on the proviso that we showed him - so we did - his first show was LKA and he came 4th - that was it we were hooked :D. Sadly Laser died very young and we were heartbroken - his breeder put us in touch with someone she knew who had a pick of litter dog puppy available and we drove home with Merlin - he grew up to be Champion Zellik Dark Magic and the most wonderful dog we have ever known. His temperament was wonderful and he remains the yardstick that we measure all our Belgians by. sadly Merlin died of cancer four years ago and we were not able to breed on from him due to epilepsy in his line but we remain as addicted to our crazy Belgians as ever :D.

Yvonne