| A lil' bit on how the insanity all began..... |
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Rebecca started in the world purebred dogs with her Great Dane, Leanonme's Ms B Haven v Cheviot (Nikki) in early 1999. However, she was no stranger to having dogs around as she grew up with smooth and wire hair dachshunds (Standard & Mini), a couple of mutts and a rescued Pomeranian (to name a few). Rebecca began to compete in CKC Conformation with Nikki early in 2000 and has been hooked ever since! A few months after Nikki arrived, thoughts of a second dog started to surface and a German Pinscher named Kucsapal's Joker's Wild (Joker) joined the family. Joker was a challenge from almost day one. Agression became an issue early on and sadly, Joker was sent to the Rainbow Bridge at the age of 5 1/2yrs but not before he acheived 9 of the 10 points needed for his CKC Championship, be awarded #5 Conformation GP in Canada (2002), & #1 GP in AAC Agility (2004). A few months later, Rebecca lost Nikki to cancer at the young age of 6 1/2yrs. A few years before loosing Joker, she acquired a young female German Pinscher named Lita (BPIG Ch Superlative's Always Blushing). Lita became the founding female of Jonik.. or so it was hoped. Lita blessed Jonik with 2 beautiful litters (1 in 2003 and 1 in 2004) resulting in 17 happy & healthy puppies. Although 4 puppies were chosen to continue the lines (1 male & 1 female from the first litter and 2 females from the second), this was not to be the case. Shortly after Lita's retirement, she was diagnosed with Epilepsy. There is no proof one way or the other as to whether or not Epilepsy is hereditary. With the possibility of her offspring delveloping or, worse, passing it on to their pups, Rebecca made the difficult choice to spay and neuter those pups that her hopes and dreams had hinged upon. However, we are happy to report that as of 2011 no puppy has shown any sign of developing Epilepsy. In the summer months of 2008, Rebecca received a call from one of her puppy owners who had taken one of her pick females from Lita's last litter. Jade seemed to be having difficulty adjusting to her new life after the family moved out east. So... Jade came home that September and has been here ever since. Jade came back a very scared and unstable puppy at the tender age of only 18 months. Now at the age of 4yrs, she has proved to be an invaluable member of our family. Sounding the alarm when things 'just don't seem right' or squishing herself into the tiniest spaces just to be on the couch with us, she's "Just Jade" and we wouldn't have it any other way!
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Brad is a man very much steeped in tradition. After loosing his beloved Duke (Springer Spaniel) & hunting partner, he never thought he'd find another dog who could even come close to filling Duke's paws. For a while, he shared his home with a Jack Russell Terrier that ruled the roost but she proved to be a it more than he could handle at that time in his life. (Murphy has since found her place with a great family who gave her the stucture she needed.) However, Brad has, for as long as he can remember, been surrounded by hunting dogs of some kind or another (mostly Labs) and his fondest memories of them are in the field. Brad and his family have been going to the same spot in Spanish, Ontario for over 50yrs. It is here that Brad's love of fishing and hunting are most apparent. But for the last few years (up until the fall 2010 season), something always seemed to be missing. All those who hunted with him who had dogs at one points, had lost them due to old age but had never replaced them for a variety of reasons. For years, the humans had to retrieve their own ducks.... not their favourite part of the trip! It was around this time that we met...... |
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In the summer of 2009, we met in Milton, Ontario and, as the saying goes, the rest is history. After Rebecca learned of Brad's loss with Duke and his desire to once again have a partner in the field, she contacted an old friend who she had always respected. Kathy Adorjan (Katyra Tollers) just happened to have a litter on the way from spectacular working lines and luckily was hoping to find a home for a boy where he would be exhibited to his fullest potential. After a few months of anxious waiting, we brought home our first Toller, Tac (BPIG Katyra's Take It N Go Tactical) during the Easter weekend of 2010. The past year has been full of suprises and changes! We bought our home together in the fall of 2010, became engaged in May '11 and are now expecting a new arrival.... four-footed, that is! We are soon to welcome a red male German Pinscher, Quinn (Duroamin's Equinox v Jonik), into the insanity we call home! Many thanks to Ashlee Archibald for entrusting this newest hopeful for her kennel to us. Here's to having new life breathed into an old dream of Rebecca's that Brad has become a willing & valuable part of!
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Brad Murdoch & Rebecca Hedges-Murdoch
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