As you can see, it was pure delight for me and a true awakening!
I was given my first Peke puppy (from Grandma) at the age of 7, but she had to be given up when we moved to another state. At age 14, I received the best Christmast present ever--my next Peke puppy, a black and white parti-color named "Sulu Ming Ku Shah"--pretty grandiose name, eh? Sulu stayed with us several years, but after she unfortunately bit a neighbor's child, she ended up with Grandma.
When I was 18, again a puppy, from my brother who had several Pekes--again, from my Grandma. Her name was "Ho-Ti Satsuma Wong" and she was white. I had her for a number of years.
Then something amazing happened! I went to a dog show, to watch, in Louisville, KY (I was living in Indianapolis, IN, at the time), and by then was 20 and living on my own. I had the extreme good fortune to meet Lorraine Heichel, a handler, who directed me to Brenda Scheiblauer, also a very well-known handler, who then directed me to Luc Boileau. Well, I ended up bringing home "Knolland Jenny Wren" that day. I was elated! My first show Peke!!
I showed Jenny on and off, but had to move from Indianapolis to Massachusetts, and things became complicated--I ended up giving my dogs to my Grandmother and Aunt and Uncle. That was when a real tragedy occurred, for Jenny was stolen right out of their back yard (in Michigan). The perpetrators of this heinous crime knew what they were doing, as they left my Aunt and Uncle's pet Peke alone and just stole Jenny. I was devastated and I still choke up when I think about it...
After a few years and marriage and the births of our two children (now ages 8 and 14), a succession of Pekes have blessed our home. I purchased several who didn't work out to show when they matured, one had to be spayed due to a pyometra from breeding, and one didn't want to be a mom--I lost the babies from her first litter and that set me back emotionally (she was a bitch I bought from Joan Mylchreest and was sired by her Ch. Briarcourt's Rule Brittania. She passed away in 2000 at the age of 13).
Then in the mid-80's I purchased a lovely bitch from Margaret Reed of Reedmar fame, Finnfair Reedmar Hy-Finance ("Hannah")--she was about four at the time. Hannah was bred several times, but it was not until the third breeding to Ch. St. Aubrey Amadeus of Elsdon that I finally got the quality I wanted. Unfortunately, Hannah died of a pulmonary embolism after giving birth to the three pups in the litter, one of which didn't make it. The remaining dog puppy became my first champion in 2000, Ch. Ro-Lyn Parting Glance (Sparky).
Meanwhile, I bought a beautiful black puppy from my good friend and mentor, Frank Tingley, in 1995. "Inky" (Ro-Lyn Tar Baby of Lyt-ton) produced two pups her one and only litter, out of which came "Cee-Cee" (Ro-Lyn Carbon Copy); Cee-Cee's brother was stillborn.
Cee-Cee has produced three litters of pups for me and is now spayed. I now am showing her son "Max" (see showing section), by Sparky, from third litter, and am also showing "King" from her beautiful litter of four puppies by Ch. Akarana Excalibur ("Arthur").
In 2001, I came across the website of a breeder in Russia--and saw a photo of Fiesta iz Mira Kabanova and fell in love!
So in October of 2001, Fiesta came to us as a six-month old baby. She is by an English dog, Delwin After Dark, and her mother is Russian, but mostly of English bloodlines. In January of 2003, I also imported her half-brother, Julien. He is a real hairball and just six months old. We are waiting to see how he matures before I decide whether or not to breed him.
And that's our story--for now!!
