It
all started one Sunday in 1986 while attending the French National Championships
in Lille.
That was the day I met the Golden Retriever.
A love affair was born...
The very next day I started reading everything I could find on this race
that was up to then unknown to me.
After many difficulties and with much persistance, I met another person with
a passion :
Miss Colette de VINCK (affix :
"Noroy
du Plessy"),
who taught
me an enormous amount about goldens.
My first Golden came at the end of 1987 :
Laïka Noroy du Plessy
(Ch.Nortonwood Foregoer & Kipling's Balmoral Mist)
Laïka, as all the Goldens who fallowed, was above all a familly pet.
Yet after only a few shows with Laïka I was hooked...
In 1992, I was lucky enough to meet another
exceptional lady :
Sue ALMEY (affix "Arbutus")
who breeds Goldens with champions every generation.
Early 1994, I was lucky enough to acquire a bitch with tremendous
qualities in both work and conformation :
Arbutus Ladysmith : « Dune ».
(Ch. Paudell Easter Plantagenet at Kerrien x Arbutus
Anacortes°
Laïka and
Dune
were to be my foundation bitches from which came my first two champions :
French, Luxembourg, V.D.H, International and
Deutscher Champion
L'Eau d'Issey du bois de la Rayere
(CH. Mabella James v.d. Beerse Hoeve & Laïka Noroy du
Plessy)
Luxembourg,
Belgian, Internatinal, V.D.H and Deutscher Champion.
Moon Light du bois de la Rayere
(CH. Mabella
James v.d. Beerse Hoeve & Arbutus Ladysmith)
While at Crufts in 1995, I looked up Mrs
Hennessy Lyn (affix : Ritzilyn)
as was looking for a son of Ritzilyn Cockney Robin ( in my opinion an
excellent example of the race).
She suggested that I contact Mrs Robinson Gainor (affix :
Beeangee).
This is how I became the proud owner of a very special dog with
the conformation and character which all retrievers should have :