History
The Beginning
My love affair with labs goes back a long way. Like most kids, I begged my parents for a dog - unfortunately for them, when I was 7 they finally told me I could have one if I saved up for it myself... I'm sure they didn't count on my determination! Four years later, a little black dog puppy called River arrived in October 2001.
One is never enough...
Bracken followed 3 years later and has been a brilliant start for me to get into the world of dog sports; I cannot emphasise enough how much fun it is to have a dog that really wants to work and loves to be trained. We both get a kick out of working together and it has formed such a strong bond between us.
In 2006, I registered my kennel name with the hope of breeding from her, but ended up making the hard call that if I was going to breed, I was going to do it right. Even though she passed all her health checks, she was only bought with the intention of being a pet and I knew she wasn't the quality that I wanted to start with as a foundation to my line, so she was spayed.
Having been researching pedigrees for years already, I set about looking for exactly what I wanted, all in the same dog - a pretty big ask!
My search led me to Pam Gregg of Catraz Kennels in Australia, and I made contact with her late 2007.
The 2nd Beginning
I went to Australia at the beginning of 2009 on my OE with the intention of working for a year and coming home at the very end of the year with a pup, having earned enough to afford to bring one back...
Well you know what they say about the best laid plans!
I ended up buying Onyx only 2.5 months into my trip and staying with Pam for the next 6 months. It was an amazing chance to spend 6 months with 11 incredible dogs who all happily ran together without any issues - a huge testament to Pam and the calm manner in which she handles them and to the temperament of her dogs. This really cemented the knowledge that I'd chosen the right breeder.
2010 saw a dream come true with my first lovely litter arriving. From this litter I have kept a bitch (Shadow), one other girl went to a breeder/friend and the 3 others are now in training as Seeing Eye Dogs. The two boys are both in fantastic pet homes as cherished members of their respective families. You can see updates on their progress and photos of each of them on the "Past Litter - 2010" page of my website.
My Aims for Breeding
To me the essence of a labrador cannot be summed up by any one factor, but is a combination of many things. To this end I hope to breed dogs that are true to the world famous labrador temperament and maintain their natural ability as a working retriever. Without correct conformation, a dog cannot be expected to do its job tirelessly day after day in the field, and without good health a dog will forever be compromised. I have done everything in my power to start with foundation dogs that have a history of sound conformation and natural birdyness behind them. They come from a long line of health tested, genetically screened dogs and are lovable members of society.
All my dogs are first and foremost family pets, and I feel it is important not only to know their history, but to actively test the strengths I wish to maintain in my lines. Therefore I show my dogs in the conformation ring and they are obedience trained. I also compete in agility and will be working them all through the CGC programme as time permits. My dogs are genetically clear of PRA, they will be hip and elbow scored when old enough and they are tested for EIC. Litters are carefully planned and will only happen when I wish to keep something for myself.
|
|
