It all started in November 1988, I was 13 and had been begging for a dog forever when I explained to my parents that the dogs on pedigree chum’s latest advert were shelties (Malcolm Hart’s Hartmere shelties), a smaller breed than collies and our search began.  An advertisement in a local newspaper led us to Jan Moody and the Janetstown Shetland Sheepdogs.  Trad Jazz was 17 months old and show trained when we bought him from Jan Moody so we took advantage and headed to our first show soon after.  I have owned and shown shelties and now collies ever since.

A few years later I was lucky enough to buy Mohnesee Likely Image of Marilake, a bitch from the legendary Ch Pepperhill Magic Dream with Mohnesee’s first litter by Kimarg Likely Lad, a Ch Lythwood Spaceman son.  Huge thanks to my lovely friend Kay Hateley for this opportunity.

Likely Image is behind a number of today’s winners thanks to her son Sw/Fin/Est Ch Marilake The Storyteller and grandsons Marilake Like Magic, RCC and Kelgrove Kadiz JW.  I also had a lot of fun with her daughter Marilake Lady Marmalade who gained her stud book number and niece Ch Mohnesee More Than A Wish who spent her retirement with us in Devon.

Our Golden Retriever Zach with Ch Mohnesee More Than A Wish and our son outside Springend Cottage

Our Golden Retriever Zach inspired our switch to collies in 2018 as we loved having a larger breed.  We have been so warmly welcomed into the breed and ‘Collie Life’.  We enjoy sharing our family home in Devon with our collies as well as showing them and breeding the occasional litter.