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Me with my original two, Finn (Vakker-Lund's Finn Eric) and Dai (Dai Morgan).
Photo taken during goose banding in the arctic, circa 1964.
My first Cardigan arrived, all of six weeks old, in November 1963. Actually, he arrived two weeks after a Norwegian
elkhound puppy, and both were raised and loved by a six month old kitten. I had a shiny new Ph.D. in wildlife management, a
wife from four months earlier, and a new job teaching university.
Life was good.
I am by trade a wildlife research biologist. I started with the ecology of Canada geese, then became a research administrator,
then ran a fascinating and successful program aimed at vaccinating red foxes and wildlife spreaders of rabies against the disease by
dropping baits containing liquid vaccine from low-flying aircraft.
Little did I know how much those two dogs would teach me. The corgi, Dai Morgan, was a wedding gift from my aunt
Eleanor. She imported three Cardigans from Wales, starting in 1960. These were found for her by a welshman, a breeder of Hereford
cattle, and were intended to work cattle on my uncle’s huge family ranch (for more detail, see this PDF article about
history of the breed in Canada).
My cousins, circa 1961 or '62. The dogs left to right are Gwencie Winkie "Winkie",
"Taffy", "Marbles" (a blue merle stud fee puppy
who was probably bred by Margaret Head),
and Dilwel Dilwyn "Wyn". Wyn and Winkie were Dai Morgan's parents.
Dai Morgan was a strong personality. He traveled all over North America, and made friends wherever he went. As he
grew older, I wanted to pass on that temperament so I bought a bitch in Wales in 1972. From Dwyn’s first litter, I kept a male named
Tully. He did well in shows and obedience, but his real career was as my sister’s constant companion. Dwyn’s second litter included Whiskey.
He was my first real show dog, my first group placer. He got me hooked on shows.
When you breed show dogs, you want to keep only the handsomest or prettiest. The overwhelming majority are sold as pets.
In fact, I have sold many great show prospects to pet homes because no show person came along when they were for sale. I have
always tried to pay attention to what the pet owner wants. Pretty or handsome is nice, but what pet owners really want is a
strong yet trainable personality, and a dog that will stay healthy and live to a ripe old age. So, over the years,
I have given high priority to temperament, sound body and mind, and, hopefully, longevity.
As you visit my website, you will meet several of my favorite dogs over the years, as well as my current crop of show dogs, hopefuls, and pets.
I bred and owned the first Cardigan corgi ever to win an all-breed Best in Show in Canada – that’s Selkirk.
I used to train and teach obedience, and I am getting back to it. Cardigans make excellent office dogs, once they are thoroughly trained.
I am heavily involved in the Cardigan and dog show worlds, and am part of the international team that is working on the educational website
Cardi Commentary. I was a founding member of the Canadian Cardigan Corgi Club,
and have had input to their website as well. I am working on a book on the breed, and parts of it will appear on this site as I get them done.
I also have a few Norwegian elkhounds, and I have worked them in the bush. They really do know a lot about moose!
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