About Us
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a fondness for working dogs. The fondness began from a young age, around 6 weeks old to be exact, when my parents adopted a rescue ‘Cattle Dog’ from a shelter. As my dad was a truck driver, our rescue pup was affectionately named Mack. Mack had a little bit of everything in him and in hindsight just wanted to work, often rounding up our chickens, barking incessantly, jumping our 8ft colorbond fences (he was nicknamed Houdini) and getting up to general mischief when he was bored…he was trying at times but we loved him all the same. We grew up together and were the best of friends so when he reached about 13 years old and mum had to make the heartbreaking decision to have him put down, I was beyond devastated. |
Mack
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Piper
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Prior to Mack’s passing in 2003, we took the plunge into the purebred dog world and welcomed an adorable little King Charles Cavalier Spaniel named Piper into our family. I recall mum taking months to come up with a name and by chance, wandered past the TV while my sister and I were watching Charmed, heard the name Piper and had that ‘eureka’ moment. More like a stuffed toy rather than a living dog Piper was literally a couch potato spending every waking moment either in your spot on the couch or on your lap and my gosh could she snore! We would take her for walks and before we had even reached the end of the block, she would plonk herself on the ground and wait to be carried home. |
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In 2006 after some changes to our home life, we became the adoptive owners of a beautiful little Border Collie called Roxy. She could be a little timid with my mum and sister while her hu-dad was away at the mines but adored spending time with me and going for runs alongside the 4 wheeler as I drove it through our estate. She was incredibly intelligent, loved to run and thrived on working with her people. She had the fluffiest most fox-like tail I have ever seen on a Border Collie and a cute little face that reminds me now of my beloved Finnish Lapphunds. |
Roxy
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It was Roxy that sparked my interest in acquiring my own working dog and in 2008, I began researching Border Collie and German Shepherd breeders in Queensland, unfortunately my plans were put on hold in 2008 after receiving notification that my application to join the Royal Australian Navy had been accepted. Roxy never strayed far from my mind so I continued researching but ultimately decided that I wouldn’t be able to give a true working line dog the time, space and training required for it to thrive while I was in the military, so changed my criteria.
It was Roxy that sparked my interest in acquiring my own working dog and in 2008, I began researching Border Collie and German Shepherd breeders in Queensland, unfortunately my plans were put on hold in 2008 after receiving notification that my application to join the Royal Australian Navy had been accepted. Roxy never strayed far from my mind so I continued researching but ultimately decided that I wouldn’t be able to give a true working line dog the time, space and training required for it to thrive while I was in the military, so changed my criteria.
Heidi
It was as if by chance that I stumbled on a picture of a Finnish Lapphund in 2009 and after countless hours of researching, decided they were the breed for me. I joined forums, bought a book, and learnt everything I could about the breed with the limited information available.
In 2010/11 I moved to Sydney and was finally in a position to add a dog to my family. In October 2011 we welcomed a sweet little Finnish Lapphund puppy called Heidi into our lives from Therese at Svea Kennels. Heidi was the start of my Lappie addiction, she was everything I could have asked for in a companion, smart, mischievous (and adorably fluffy) and she will always be my heart dog. We made the move to Darwin for work at the end of 2011 with a 14 week old Heidi in tow and began a new chapter of our lives.
It was as if by chance that I stumbled on a picture of a Finnish Lapphund in 2009 and after countless hours of researching, decided they were the breed for me. I joined forums, bought a book, and learnt everything I could about the breed with the limited information available.
In 2010/11 I moved to Sydney and was finally in a position to add a dog to my family. In October 2011 we welcomed a sweet little Finnish Lapphund puppy called Heidi into our lives from Therese at Svea Kennels. Heidi was the start of my Lappie addiction, she was everything I could have asked for in a companion, smart, mischievous (and adorably fluffy) and she will always be my heart dog. We made the move to Darwin for work at the end of 2011 with a 14 week old Heidi in tow and began a new chapter of our lives.
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I was warned that you can never just have one Finnish Lapphund so sure enough, in 2013 we welcomed our second Lappie Ryker. Ryker came to us from Roslyn and Col of Theldaroy Kennels and was our first introduction to the dog show world and quickly became Heidi’s best friend. Roslyn was very persistent about showing and even contacted the president of DogsNT to ensure I had a great mentor to learn my way around a show ring, a gesture that was extremely appreciated! It was an exhilarating albeit nerve-wracking first few show ring appearances with Ryker making his debut by taking the world’s longest pee in the ring (with a mortified owner on the end of the lead) and yelping for no apparent reason. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t even string a coherent sentence together, so believe me when I say I was shocked that Ryker was then awarded Baby in Show! We continued to show in Darwin and I became more confident with the whole process, eventually gaining Ryker’s Australian Championship title, something I’ll not soon forget. Ryker became my introduction to a world of dog things I never knew existed, and he helped me make friends from all walks of life thanks to his sweet nature.
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Heidi and Ryker
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Heidi
Halfway through 2014, we made the move back to Sydney (with puppies in tow), only to have our happy family torn apart by the sudden and unexpected passing of our beloved girl Heidi at just over 3 years old. It hit all of us hard including Ryker and so we retreated from showing and dog activities for quite some time to grieve. I still miss her terribly and I don’t think we will ever truly come to terms with her loss.
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With Ryker completely lost not having his best friend to bounce around with and regressing in to a depressive state, in mid 2015 we decided to make enquiries to look for a companion for him, we had other criteria too but ensuring Ryker was happy and thriving was our number one priority. After lots of back and fourths we settled on litter plans from Caleebra Kennels and made the trip to Victoria in January 2016 to visit the puppies. Caleebra had 2 litters at the time and we had made up our minds as to which one we wanted to go for...however, all that was thrown out the window when I saw a little 3 week old Vader in the puppy pen. Vader seemed to be the loudest puppy ever created, and SCREAMED when anyone picked her up. I remember her being handballed around to everyone, never letting up, until she hit my arms and melted in to a silent cuddle. It was love at first sight and I was definitely in trouble! |
Baby Vader
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Vader, earning a title that was very special to us
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Vader eventually came home with us and I don’t think we can ever truly thank Caleebra enough for allowing her to come in to our family and help to mend the heartache of losing Heidi. Vader and Ryker became instant best friends and helped me move past the grief. Vader reignited the passion I'd buried and helped me become exactly who I was meant to be. She is my absolute world and has taught me endless lessons, humbled me in so many ways, and brought a joy to my life that I can't put into words. She's an absolute one in a million dog, and has touched the lives of so many people along the way. Thanks to Vader, my life became much more than just owning dogs, every day I'm blessed to be immersed in a world of all things canine to make sure I give the best life possible to the creatures I've been chosen to care for. From nutrition to genetics and health, training to behaviour, dog sports to body work, there's nothing I won't pursue if it means my animals get the best life possible, and I hope to educate many others along the way, just as Vader has me. Lappies and all the dogs I met growing up, have had such an amazing impact on my life and I hope to bring this same joy and love to many others in the future. If you want to know more about us or this versatile breed, please feel free to contact through the email [email protected] and we will only be too happy to help. Kira Ehana |