My love for the Pekingese started at the early age of being a toddler. 

I saw a  fluffy Pekingese pyjama case for the bed and wanted a “in-sneez”.   It was in a display cabinet in a trading store just outside Lusaka  where my parents did their monthly shopping spree whilst living on a farm.   Each month I would cry that I wanted the “in-sneez” and eventually I toddled off to the display counter and pointed to this fluffy object. 

For peace and quiet they purchased it and I was totally satisfied with it on my bed until my teens when I wanted my real Pekingese.  I saved up my pocket money and bought my first Pekingese which subsequently died 1 week later from a worm infestation. 

My parents felt sorry for me and bought me another puppy from another breeder - A beautifully perfectly well balanced marked parti-colour.  Perfect in body and shape but - oh dear,  a bulldozer would be very envious of NuNu’s underjaw. (This is Nu Nu) 

 

He had such character and totally fearless with the result he beat some very handsome looking show dogs with better finished off faces but dragged tails and were “plod-alongs”. Needless to say, I was not a very popular “newey” in the show ring. 

Eventually I very kind lady in English Setters told me that if I wanted to win at a championship show I would have to get a dog which conformed more to the standard.  

Being the obsessive person that I am,  that set me off wanting a better dog and the rest of the story I am sure you all are au faite with.  (This is Sun Striker(bred by my mother) and myself)

My mother then also started her interest in the Pekingese.  In 1971 I saw a picture of a Shih Tzu and that was it – I HAD TO HAVE ONE!   (This is Don Juan , my first shih tzu serenading his favourite toy)

Even before I finished schooling I was already involved in helping around at dog shows and was co-opted onto the committee of the Natal Toy Dog Breeders Club and was roped into ring stewarding for all breeds clubs open shows and eventually as I progressed I was always ring stewarding for championship shows. 

I had expressed by wish to judge and the all breeds chairman said that if I wanted to judge I must start by ring stewarding.   Once I finished school you can imagine I was fully involved and committed to dog shows.

 

My first Shih Tzu was a son of an imported dog from Snaefell Kennels in the UK.  I was so besotted with him and just HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE and ANOTHER and ANOTHER….

 

Over the years I have been very selective in my breeding and am very proud of my consistent winnings and achievements. I have been renowned for my black and whites and have breed several solid blacks and solid golds and championed the first solid black in the country and followed closely behind his footsteps was his litter sister (also a solid black). (This is Keto)

 

I have been fortunate in being able to make use of imported dogs at stud and managed to keep my lines free from too close in-breeding. 

I have introduced a few people to showing through starting off with my breeding and my kennel name exists in many a South African champion dog’s pedigrees.

 

Through my love of the Pekingese and the Shih Tzu I have been involved in club committees, ring stewarding and judging.  I am on the Toy and Utility panels and have judged throughout South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Australia.(Domino , my last pekingese, going BPIS)