Hi,
A few words all about me! I was born into the world of Dalmatians as my parents had been showing since before 1963. In fact the week before prior to my birth my Mum won the third Ticket that gave Perdy (Eng Ch Cabaret Ceramica) her title, evidently there where many worried faces around the ring concerned over my pending birth.
Being born into the Dalmatian world I have been
very fortunate to not only
see some of the breeds greatest Dalmatians (and know these dogs as dogs not
just show dogs) but also to know personally many of the doyennes of the
breed, the people that have made the breed what it is today. I am not going
to name them here (for obvious reasons) but knowing the great breeders,
handlers and exhibitors of yesteryear have really assisted Pampard in what
it is today.
The hardest thing that I have ever had to come to terms with was the passing of my Mum; it was at this stage that I realized just how important Mums are to their little boys! I can still remember my Mums eyes showing just how desperately she wanted Pampard to carry on. Well Shellie and I were up for the Challenge and after following Mums strictly laid down guidelines we tried several breeding options, all of our own that would had made Mum turn in her grave, but some of our “experiments” really paid off improving our stock to what you see today.
We have been fortunate enough to produce several Dalmatians that have been good enough to gain Grand champion titles, the highest honor available in Australia, all of them collecting multiple Best in shows at the highest level possible along the way. While many of these have lived at home, there is nothing more pleasing than to be sitting at home and receive the phone call letting us know that one of our dogs has won another ribbon. To all of you who have had any of our dogs please be aware just how proud you make me feel!
The greatest parts of my life (So far) were marrying Shellie (of course), who similarly to me was brought up in the dog world and is certainly my guiding light, but also our two children (so far); Emily who at such a young age amazes me with her “dog” skills, I still can’t persuade a dally to do half the stuff that she can – I suppose its genetic? Then of course there is Thomas; Thomas certainly loves the Dogs; he can often be found playing in the paddock with several furry friends begging him to throw the stick. Another history making point in time is just around the corner with Shellie expecting our third child.
I decided that I should learn to become a judge some 15 years ago after watching several judges do things in the ring that make breeders shiver (I’m sure that we have all been there) well believe it or not a short time after they allowed me to venture in the ring and judge! They even let me judge the whole group! This is certainly one of the greatest things that any “dog” person can do as there is nothing better than finding that dog that gives you a “chill up and down the spine” as it is just so beautiful. Judging has allowed me to travel all over Australia and to many parts of the globe; the only issue with this off course is missing the Dogs and family at home.
When it comes to our dogs and whilst I am very proud of what they have achieved to date and hopefully what they achieve in the future; they will always be my family pets to me.
My philosophy in life has always been “enjoy it” and that is exactly how I treat my family, the dogs and whole dog world. If you don’t enjoy something don’t do it! I am always prepared to enjoy anything and everything especially when it comes to dog shows, sometimes to me detriment, I often get an odd look from the boring “fuddy duddies” that we find at dog shows.
Well that’s surely enough from me, hopefully bye now you will understand a little of me and what makes me tick!
Jonathan
