Page 412 - ShowSight - December 2019

Sharon Lindgren continued
Who were my mentors? I have had several mentors over the years. You can learn a lot by having an open mind and talking to other breeders and dog owners.
The best thing about being a breeder? Breeding healthy, socially adjusted puppies is exciting. I keep in contact with every puppy I place and have been rewarded finding out how much love and hap- piness they provide to their new owners.
The toughest part about being a breeder? Being a breeder is a big responsibility. It is a must to study pedigrees and try to increase your probabilities that your litter will be conformationally well structured and healthy. When I breed I devote almost all my time caring for the litter. It is a joy, but limits my other activities. I do not work outside our home so it is easy for me to do this. Because I love the puppies I breed so much, I do find it very difficult to say “good- bye” to each puppy leaving for his/her new home.
Am I involved with a breed club or all-breed club and held posi- tions within the club(s)? Over the years I have been involved with two Irish Terrier regional breed clubs and our national club. I have served as an officer in various positions in the Irish Terrier Club of Chicago including president and have also served on the Board of Governors for the Irish Terrier Club of America
My kennel/exercise areas described: I do not have a separate ken- nel for my Irish. My puppies are raised in my home. I have a dog run and a half acre fenced in yard for my Irish to run and play in.
Do I co-breed and co-own with others? I have co-bred with one other club member, but rarely co-own with anyone.
Is my breed easy to place? When I have puppies to place they are generally placed by word of mouth or from interested parties who have contacted the Irish Terrier Club of America’s breeder referral program.
Any hint or trick I can share with fellow breeders? The only advice I can give to fellow breeders is to study pedigrees. You need to know your bitch’s good traits and also the ones you would like to improve on. Then look for a stud that has the same desired traits your bitch has and maybe one or two traits that the stud has in his pedigree that you would like to see in your litter. I think it is imperative to look at a stud’s grandparents and several generations back. Do not breed to the most popular stud dog. He may not com- pliment your bitch. Genetic health issues are a must to consider. It is of the utmost importance to breed not only beautifully structured animals, but also healthy ones.
RON LUSTER
My father bred Coonhounds of various breeds and competed in UKC events. My step-mother bred Collies and participated in UKC and AKC events.
I always found it to be extremely rewarding to work with dogs and love the bond that I have with them.
My mentors were my father, Ronald Luster, my step-mother Heather Luster, Nick Joines, Joel McCarty, Barbara Linder, Beverly Schwab, Renee Wallace and her mother Naomi Regan.
The best part of being a breed is watching a beautiful pup from the whelping box mature into proper dog that can work and show!
The toughest part of being a breeder is letting go.
Do I work outside of the home? No, we own a boarding kennel and grooming parlor, which allows for ample opportunities to train and spend time with our dogs.
Is my family involved? Yes, our immediate family.
Am I involved with a breed club or all-breed club and held posi- tions within the club(s)? Yes, my mother and I belong to the Collie Club of America, the Collie Health Foundation, and our local club, Collie Club of Western Pennsylvania.
She was the Secretary of our club, and I’ve been the show chair- person for our local clubs show.
My kennel/exercise areas described: we have multiple enclosed play areas and a 40 run kennel which consists of indoor, and out- door runs.
How did I come up with my kennel name and it registered with AKC? A lot of people use geographical settings where they live. Since our breed is Collies, my mom used her first name, Heather (which is Scottish and Collies are from Scotland), also we have many fields around our house and kennel, so combined the two and got Heatherfield Collies.
Do I co-breed and co-own with others? No, not at this time.
Is my breed easy to place? Collies are a good tempered breed with many fans that want one, but placing a dog is difficult, we do background checks, check the location were they would live. We mainly advertise our Collies online.
Do I think “Breeders’ Showcases” as a special event at an orga- nization’s site will give breeders the recognition they deserve? Any type of Positive recognition of good breeders is appreciated.
What can AKC do to help breeders attain great results? We believe it is not the AKC that makes a good breeder, or good results. Good results for a breeder depend on their work ethic, love of the breed, and ability to understand their breeds standard and willing- ness to follow the advice of mentors.
Any hint or trick I can share with fellow breeders? Follow your heart, constantly refer to your breed standard, and absorb as much knowledge about your breed and dogs in general as you can, and know that you are human, making mistakes is what we do.
Do I show my own dogs? Most of the time, but we have and still do utilize handlers.
The most amusing thing I’ve ever witnessed at a dog show? I once saw a lady enter the Working Group ring, run around and stack her Irish Setter. She did not realize that she was in the wrong group until she heard the crowd chuckling.
CHERYL MECHALKE
My husband and I have always had, and loved, dogs. Our start in showing dogs was sort of a whim. We had owned Shelties for 17+ years and were looking for a new breed that didn’t shed. Through internet research, we found a breed that piqued our interest—the Aus- tralian Terrier. After reading about the breed, we found a local breeder, and contacted them to learn they had puppies on the ground. We met our first Australian Terrier at
three days of age, and that started our love for the breed.
Although our first Australian Terrier was not a show pup, we attended a few local Dog Shows, as I knew I was interested in show- ing dogs as a hobby. We later had the opportunity to own a poten- tial show pup, whom we trained and showed to their Champion- ship. That experience solidified our interest to continue showing,
and to later breed a litter of our own.
We have been fortunate to have several mentors over the
years: Jill Grenaae of Denmark, Carin Sandahl of Sweden, Irma Harden of Finland, and Kirsi Ola of Finland. All of these breed- ers have offered their knowledge and time to help us with our breeding program.
There are many things that make breeding very rewarding— from breeding a lovely litter of puppies, to having pups of our
Breeder Q & A
408 • ShowSight Magazine, DeceMber 2019