Over Forty Years Dedicated To Dogs
I began showing dogs in the late 60s, as a teenager in New Zealand, where I grew up. I traveled to shows with a top Irish Setter Breeder and learned the ropes of dog showing and field trials. In the early 1970s I purchased my first show dog, an Afghan Hound and was active in showing and membership in The Dominion Afghan Hound Club in Auckland, NZ.
After immigrating to the USA, My husband Irwin and I purchased an Afghan Hound show puppy from the famous Coastwind kennels of Richard Sousa and Michael Dunham. This began a relationship with Coastwind kennels, which lead to me assisting them with the conditioning and grooming of their young upcoming show prospects. Eventually I bred and competed with my own home-bred Afghans which resulted in AKC and International Champions under the affix Ivorycoast and jointly Ivorycoast and Coastwind.
After 15 years showing Afghans, Irwin and I purchased a young Saluki male from the Ken-mar Knoll kennels of Dr. Kenneth and Maryellen Gorske. This very special cream-colored Saluki was just 9 months of age and already named ‘Zarin’ by his Breeders.
Those around ringside knew him as ‘Zarin’ (Arabic for ’the golden one’) but his show name was Ken-Mar Knoll Zamzamah which means in Arabic, “Roll of Thunder” and that is exactly what his show ring success was like. Zarin finished his AKC Championship, at 15 months of age, at the Saluki Club of America’s Western Regional Specialty in Santa Barbara, July 25, 1986 over 126 class entries and going on to win Best of Breed giving him the title of Best In Show Specialty winner.
It was thrilling to have handled Zarin myself to this win. He went on that weekend to win Group 3 in the Hound Group again with myself handling. That was the start of Zarin’s Specials career. Zarin won several other Specialties and an All Breed Best In Show in San Diego at the Cabrillo KC show in 1987, still being owner-handled by myself. His most notable wins are as follows;
- #1 Saluki in the Nation 1987
- All Breed BEST IN SHOW 1987 Cabrillo Kennel Club
- SBIS – BOB 1987 San Angeles Saluki Club Specialty
- BOS 1987 Saluki Club of Greater San Francisco
- SBIS – BOB 1987 Del Valle Dog Club ASA TSE
- SBIS – BOB 1986 SCOA Western Regional Specialty
- SBIS – BOB 1985 Pacific Southwest ASA TSE
With Zarin achieving #1 Saluki in the Breed, we had accomplished what we set out to do and had alot of fun doing it. I took a break from the campaign trail, to raise some Saluki litters.
A few years later, at only 9 years of age, we lost our ‘golden boy’ to a sudden illness. He left his legacy as the sire of several Champions some of which I bred under my affix of Ivorycoast. Exhibitors and Breeders alike still come up to me at the shows after my 20 years absence from showing dogs and say they remember me and ‘Zamzamah’. He was a special hound and great show dog.
Life after Zamzamah; My daughter, Jade, then aged 7, wanted to learn to ride Dressage. 12 years rolled on by as Jade competed in the California Dressage circuit shows becoming an accomplished Junior Dressage rider.
When College for my daughter, interrupted our Dressage show and training activities and breeding for another Dressage prospect, I continued for a few more years showing Miniature Shetland Ponies and traveling to Nationals each year with some good success.
I was starting to think about showing dogs again when an unexpected thing happened. A nearby neighbor and Top Breeder of Beagles asked me if I would like to co-breed two litters of Beagles with her. This began a journey back to the world of showing and breeding dogs. In the beginning of 2007, instead of Sight-hounds, I was now actively showing and breeding Beagles. I finished my first AKC Champion Beagle in 2009.
The two co-breedings which began my Beagle adventure resulted in my acquisition of Ch. Just-Wright I Still Luv U, aka Austin, who became my foundation bitch and went on to become for me the Dam of several Champion offspring and being awarded NBC’s (National Beagle Club) Top Producing Dam 2010.
My philosophy is that the females are of great importance in a breeding program and therefore must be of excellent pedigree, good health, breed type and good structure. I attribute my early and current success in Beagles to being given this opportunity of owning such a wonderful producing foundation female. I count this as a wonderful blessing dropped in my lap when I least expected it.
Since returning to the show ring with Beagles I have produced several AKC Beagle Champions under my kennel affix Jadestone. I am currently showing Cavaliers and have owner-handled four of my homebred Cavaliers to their AKC Championship Titles as well as showing my very special boy Multi CKCSC BIS CH & AKC SBIS CH Jadestone Legend Has It, JW to several Best In Show wins including garnishing Third Top Winning Cavalier 2016 in CKCSC,USA.
Jadestone Cavaliers 