Hazel Hunt came into the breed as Hazel Collins. She started off with a bang as she owned Ch Lad of Ladypark that was a magnificent dog a wonderful sire and an even better actor as he played the shepherd dog in Prince Littler’s Sleeping Beauty. He actually played this role 144 times which must make him the top Collie actor of all time, even beating the “Lassie” of film fame. He was born in 1946 and was the full brother to the even more famous Ch Lochinvar of Ladypark that was born a year later. Lad in many ways had more influence on the breed than his more famous brother. When I mention that he was the sire of CH Ugony's Golden Son 'o Lad of Riffelsee, CH Ugony's Golden Gloria, CH Ugony's Golden Gipsy, CH Riffelsee Reward of Glenmist  and  Riffelsee Royalist. These were outstanding exhibits in their time and in most ways were of better breed quality than the exhibits we see in the ring today.

Hazel also owned the outstanding Ch Rose of Ladypark that was sired by Lochinvar and she bred her to Lad a mating that was to prove outstanding as it produced Riffelsee Royalist a tricolour that was to prove an outstanding stud dog. What more can I say about this dog as he was the sire of the following truly outstanding Rough Collies,  CH Westcarrs Blue Minoru, CH Lovely Lady of Glenmist and CH Pattingham Gay Lady of Glenmist the dam of the Crufts Group winner CH Pattingham Pacemaker.

Ch Rose of Ladypark deserves a full paragraph herself. She was mated to Lad so became the dam of CH Riffelsee Reward of Glenmist C.D.Ex the only Champion Rough Collie in the UK to be awarded an Obedience title and she was the start of the outstanding Glenmist line of Collies. Rose was also the dam of CH Riffelsee Resplendence, Riffelsee Rozena the dam of Dasher of Dunsinane again when she was mated to Ch Lad of Ladypark.

I did a five generation reverse pedigree on each of these dogs and bitches. The list went on and on.

Hazel really did have a very big influence on the breed in the years immediately after the second World War. And after studying the photographs of her dogs I have to say that the breed has gone backward in quality.

Hazel seemed to leave the game for quite a while and when she came back the Kennel Club would not allow her to have her original Prefix so she altered it by one letter from Riffelsee to Rifflesee. However when she did come back it was similar to when she first started as she came back winning. I was very pleased to award her Ch Rifflesea Rhapsody a CC as she was a lovely bitch. Hazel then went on to handle and show Int Ch and UK Ch Incredibly Blu di Cambiano that was bred in Italy by Maria-Teresa Garabelli who started off in her breeding by buying UK Ch Libretto of Ladypark a son of Lochinvar.

Hazels list of Champions that were bred or owned by her is quite revealing: Ch Lad of Ladypark, Ch Rose of Ladypark, CH Ugony's Golden Son 'o Lad of Riffelsee, CH Riffelsee Reward of Glenmist C.D.Ex, CH Riffelsee Resplendence, Ch Rifflesea Rhapsody, CH Rifflesea Reminds Me of Blu at Leckhill and CH Rifflesea Romantasy.

Ch Lad of Ladypark was the great, great grandsire of my first Rough Collie – Light Cavalry of Ladypark that was born in 1957. Unfortunately my dog did not have the quality of Lad but he taught me a lot. It does seem strange that Hazel and I should start off our show careers with a Ladypark dog.

John Blake
Corydon