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We bought our first Keeshond , Polly II, in 1984 from Gwen Lambert in London. Why a Keeshond? Well, my first dog, ‘Polly I’ was a mongrel, but she had a curled tail, pointed ears and was a bit unusual. When I took her to the vets for her first inoculation he asked, “Is she a Keeshond?” I replied that she was not, but soon after investigated the breed. ‘Polly I’ grew up more like an Elkhound, but I had fallen in love with the long coat of the Keeshond, as previously I had always had long coated grey Tabby Cats!
When ‘Polly I’ died, I took a trip with a local Dog Club to Crufts at Earls Court to see Keeshonds in the ring and to make contacts. After a visit to Sylvia Scroggs, (Ledwell), to see her dogs, she put me in touch with Gwen Lambert and we had ‘Polly II.’ She was adorable but so naughty! I had trained a dog before, but this was something else! However, we soon got used to the different ways of the Keeshond and we had our first litter of 6 puppies two years later. Our second litter arrived three years after that, sired by Ledwell Silver Dollar.
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I had planned to keep a female from this litter but as we only had two and those were pre-booked, I let them both go. No, I didn’t want to keep a male, so let them all go to what I thought were good homes. But, one family could not cope with a lively young male Keeshond despite a lot of support and encouragement by phone and letter. So we took back the pick of the litter – our wonderful Leazehond Bevis, ‘Toby.’ At 9 months old we decided that as we had a show dog we had better start showing him – and we were hooked! Toby was a real showman and gained a CC, a Reserve CC and BIS at a Keeshond Club Limited Show.
Polly II had a third litter , the only female going to Chris and Nigel Walker in Bristol, who already had 2 male Keeshonds, and Leazehond Tabitha was eventually mated to Rhinevale Robbibrun and produced 5 puppies for our line as this litter was registered with the Leazehond Affix. Leazehond Lyla Clare was kept from this litter and when mated she produced a singleton, Leazehond Solomon’s Seal, (Solo). She only had two pups in her second litter and both went to Canada to my pen pal Shannon.
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When Polly II died we got Barj Lady Louisianna of Leazehond, (Kandi) to keep him company. Kandi gained a Reserve CC and a BOS at a Keeshond Club Open Show. After failing to produce a litter from a mating with Toby, we used his brother Leazehond Cassidy, and had a litter of 3. The only female from this litter, Leazehond Moondance, went to Italy, to Chantal Rossi, gaining her International, European and Italian titles.
For Kandi’s second litter we used imported frozen semen from Can Ch Admiraal’s Cause for Applause owned by my friend Shannon in Canada and this was very successful giving us 6 gorgeous puppies. From this litter another female, Leazehond Sun Dance, went to Italy, gaining International, European and Italian Champion status and she was also a World Winner when the World Show was held in Milan in 2000.
We also kept Leazehond Prancing Horse, (Eddie), and Leazehond Snowbird, (Lulu). Eddie loved to go to shows but Lulu hated it and was pulled out from showing at 9 months even though she gained 1st Minor Puppy and 1st Puppy at Bath Championship Show under Terry Thorn. Eddie went on to gain 1 CC and BIS at the Keeshond Club Open Show in January 2003.
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In January 2004 we imported Bluevelvet del Monte Dragnone, (Bee), from Italy using the Pet Passport scheme. She is the daughter of Leazehond Sun Dance and the grand daughter of Leazehond Moondance! She fitted in very well with her other grandmother Kandi, and her uncle and aunt, Eddie and Lulu – with Lulu becoming her main playmate. In summer 2005 Bee had a wonderful litter of 6 pups sired by Alison Passmore’s Eng/Am Ch Trumpet’s Disco Inferno, and these were the great, great, great grandchildren of my first Keeshond Polly II! From the breeding with L Moondance and L Sun Dance by Chantal Rossi, Kandi now has grandchildren and great grandchildren all over Europe.
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The new additions to our family in 2006 were:
Leazehond Edmundson
(04.03.06)
Leazehond Prancing Horse ex Bluevelvet Del Monte Dragnone
(in the rear)
Leazehond Maddy Moonlight
(02.06.06)
Leazehond Solomon’s Seal ex Foxifayre You’re the Tops
(at the front)
Crufts 2007: 1st Puppy Bitch & Best Puppy in Breed
Crufts 2008: 1st Post Graduate Bitch
 Crufts 2008 1st Post-Grad Bitch, SWKC 2013RBCC
Maddy had only one litter of 8 puppies and we kept Leazehond Moondust Cascade (17.08.11), who had three litters. From the first litter we have Leazehond Lightning Bolt ( 09.08.12)– RDCC Bath 2013 and RBIS Gloucester Open Show 2015. From her last litter we have Leazehond Prairie Flower, 02.05.17. Bolt sired a litter with Vanstrand For Your Eyes Only, born 23.03.17, which gave us May, Wolfswinkel Maria Ogren at Leazehond. |
 Leazehond Lightning Bolt (Ch Kemonts Skylines Game Boy x Leazehond Moondust Cascade)
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 Leazehond Prairie Flower (Ch Neradmik Family Affair with Lekkerbek x Leazehond Moondust Cascade) |
 Wolfswinkel Maria Ogren at Leazehond (Leazehond Lightning Bolt x Vanstrand For Your Eyes Only) |
From the beginning of our show career with Toby, Laura started with Junior Handling, reaching the Semi-finals at Richmond, and was pulled out for final selection one year with Toby. For the KCJO Stakes classes she qualified both Toby and Kandi for the finals at Crufts in the same year, 1996. She also started showing in the main ring with them both, we went to all the seminars and so Laura started out on her judging career. Laura is now fulfilling her dream as she has been confirmed to Judge with CC’s in 2009. We are and will always be lovers of this beautiful breed of dogs.
Sally and Laura Newman
17A Acacia Drive
Dursley
Gloucestershire GL11 4DU
Telephone: 01453 544709
E-mail Leazehond
