Our Story

Having my own collie had been a longstanding wish. I remember cherishing this ideal while still in kindergarten! It wasn’t till I was 15 years old that I bought my first puppy. I was not very lucky as she died within a month as the result of distemper. Another year went by before I could afford a second chance. This bitch called Twickelonia Tara was by Lynaire Mister Moonlight out of a Dutch bred mother. With her I bred my first litter in 1983, the sire being the English import Meranne Rough and Tumble. Pick of the litter was the tricolour bitch puppy Sea Dreamer’s Black Angel (Mandy).

For Mandy’s first litter I decided upon Mybern Marine Boy as the ideal sire. He had recently been acquired by Gitka de Leers from Lansingh fame. In this kennel I came to know exquisite gold sables such as Lansingh’s Keep in Touch, Nice Value and Zoë Zeminda. I fell in love straight away – these where the collies I wanted to breed and possess my own!
Another important factor in developing my own ideas was my contact with Willy van den Akker and Jim Krijgsman, owners of the well-known Baden Court prefix.

By 1988 I had become a regular visitor of their kennels. Jackaroo van Koridwenn and Baden Court Day Dream were two of their dogs that made an unforgettable impression on me. When a year later Baden Court Day Dream was mated to Champion Cramar the Commander at Lynway I didn’t hesitate one moment when I was offered the opportunity to have one of the bitches from this superb litter.
This was how Baden Court Kiss and be Friends came to live with us. She was to become the founding mother of my sable line. All my 4 sable bitches at present trace their lines back to her.

Around that same time I started to develop an interest in blue merles as well. In one of the international handbooks I saw a photo of Champion Troydon  Pebbalmyll at Mybern.

This modern type blue with almost sable head qualities raised my interest even more. From Mike and Bernice Harris I was lucky to buy Mybern’s Marie Bloo by Champion Jankeith Gideon at Mybern out of Mybern Moondyle, a Pebbalmyll daughter. From the same litter Willy van den Akker, Jim Krijgsman and Anke Blommers got their lovely Champion Mybern Movie Blue.

The sables

Early 1990 I made a kennel tour with Ruud Santen (Mountbatten) through the United Kingdom. At the British Collie Club Championship Show we were both very impressed with the later Champion Mirpet She’s no Lady and her young daughter Mirpet Tilly Tantrum. If we had been the judges on that day we would have done what Jimmy Tait did a week later at the Welsh Collie Club – award them the reserve CC and CC respectively! They were gorgeous! We made up our minds and wrote to Pete and Miriam Marsh that we would be interested to buy a dog and a bitch from Tilly’s first litter. That’s how Champion Mirpet Red Baron and his sister Mirpet Diana Rigg came to live in Holland. Unfortunately Diana Rigg never produced a litter.

I decided to use Red Baron for the first litter of Baden Court Kiss and be Friends (Chanel). From this mating resulted a 3-1 sable litter. Most influential was to become Sea Dreamer’s I’m Maikel whom I sold to Martina Wurfel in Germany (Von Belvedere). With Martina’s Malouine’s Spread Your Wings he produced the lovely Champion New Line von Belvedere.

Chanel’s next litter was with the French Champion Edward de la Bergerie des Quatre Vents a son of the famous Pelido King’s Counsel and a grandson of Mallicot Super Trooper and in the possession of Christine Bisconte (des Marecages du Prince). I was particularly
 pleased with Edward’s offspring from different bitches. He didn’t let me down.            
 The litter was born in 1994 – 2 dogs and 3 bitches and proved to be very successful both in the show ring and in breeding.

Sea Dreamer’s Lord Shogun moved into the Belgium kennel Silver’s Inspiration of Anny and Ger Snopkowski. With Baden Court Urswell (Champion Amalie Best Bitter ex Badencourt Still Smiling, a daughter of Chanel’s sister Baden Court Keep Smiling) he produced the very successful champion Silver’s Inspiration Undisputed.

Sea Dreamer’s Satin Dream (Sara) also went to a Belgium breeder – Mr. and Mrs. De Smaele (Von Dikalie). Sara was to be very successful on the shows. She qualified as Junior World Champion at the World Show in 1995, won the bitch ticket at the Dutch Collie Club Championship Show in1996 and eventually qualified as Dutch champion.

When she was mated to champion Jonny Von Dunnwalder Busch (by Jackaroo ex a Red Baron daughter) I was able to get a puppy back: Underworld von Dikalie.

Sea Dreamer’s Gold Dust (Storm) went to Jos Ourth and Willy van den Akker who than had become partners in the Slatestone kennels. In short time Storm became Luxembourg Youth Champion and Europa Jugendsieger.

From this litter I myself retained Sea Dreamer’s Wicked Game (Jackie) who proved to be invaluable for my further breeding!
As always I kept looking around for different lines and sires in order to keep a broad breeding base. I feel too many people stick to what they have got and to what is familiar to them. Many breeders that way breed themselves into a corner. I strongly believe that without trying and taking chances now and than the breed will know no progress. I feel very fortunate that in those years I have been able to buy Champion Silvermoor’s Highland Chief
from Doris Mortiboy. Over the years he has proven to be an asset for the breed with lots of successful offspring all over Europe.

For Jackie’s first litter I decided to use Ted. From this litter Sea Dreamer’s Sammy Jo went to  Germany. She quickly gained her German Youth title. I repeated this mating in 1998. Sea Dreamer’s Desert Sky (Roger) went to Ka’llay Krisztina of the Most Majestic prefix in Hungary where he was shown to his 
Hungarian title. Roger is from the same type as Sammy Jo, both tend more after their mother being gold sables. They both excel in construction and movement. Sea Dreamer’s Handsome Dutch Boy (Romeo) moved with his owners Dick and Jolanda de Groot to Canada where he gained his Canadian championship title. Romeo goes more after his father as far is type is concerned; he too is a dark sable.

Go to Our Story 2.....Our Story 2