| I like to think that my love of Collies started even before the womb. I was born into a dog (and generally animal!)-loving home surrounded by Collies and Old English Sheepdogs (as well as cats and horses). I cannot remember life without a Rough Collie around. Although several lovely Collies preceded a chance meeting between my mother and Linda Stevens of Bannerstone Kennels in the 1980�s began the adventures and brought us one of my most loved dogs, Ch.Bannerstone�s Black Jack. �Jack� was a joyful, smart and kind Collie. He literally did whatever I asked of him from obedience, jumping hurdles to dressing up and pulling a toboggan. He was my first obedience partner and taught my invaluable lessons of patience and laughter. He had a wicked herding instinct and stepped out of his farm life at the age of 6 to win AOM at the 1994 Collie Club of Canada�s National Specialty. 9 years together was far too short and I have only the fondest memories of my handsome tri �party boy�. After the loss of Jack came my beloved Quincy, Ch. Candray Motown, our second Bannerstone tri boy. We were hesistant to own another tri so soon after losing Jack but after minutes of meeting Quincy there was no question! Linda & Brian purchased Quincy from the famed Candray Kennels and he quickly finished his Canadian Championship and sired some quality litters, notably BISS Ch. Bannerstone�s Imprint. I know it was with sadness that Linda made the difficult decision to let Quincy come live with us after her health began to fail. It wasn�t long after that Linda sadly passed away and I will be forever grateful to her for the gift of Quincy. When people ask what Collies �should be like�, I always revert to describing my much-loved Quincy. He lived for attention. His favorite trick was to shove whatever dog out of the way in order to be seen or touched. He loved to nudge your hand for a pat and I spent many hours sitting on the floor with his pristine white paw draped over my knee and his head in my lap. In a time where I find many Collies in the showring, especially males, are small, Quincy was a robust, lithely-moving boy with lovely bone, expression and abundant coat. Although he enjoyed simply barking at horses instead of herding, he epitomized the patient, kind Collie with a laid-back persona you couldn�t help but love. He lived to be 13 and died peacefully, on his own terms, in my arms one quiet July morning. When I was given the opportunity to own a Quincy grand daughter, �Caissie�, (Anjay�s Reliable Cassidy CD NAJ (x BISS Ch.Bannerstone�s Imprint, out of Ch. Candray Reliability)), I couldn�t pass it up. She is my right-hand farm girl and a �mini-me� of her grandpa in her loving and affectionate nature and I see so many of the lovely Candray characteristics that live on in her character and looks. Although I have a rich history of tri�s, I have a special place in my heart for blue merle bitches. �Bree�, Bannerstone�s Divin� Willow CD CGN is one of the most special dogs I have owned thus far. She was 100% sound in body and mind and was the kindest dog you could ever meet. After deciding I wanted a blue bitch to show I waited for what felt like forever for her to come along. In the end, she was worth every minute. From her perfectly symmetrical facial markings to her gorgeous crisp color to her effortless movement, Bree was a show dog without exception. However, she disliked actually being IN the show ring so much I didn�t have the heart to force her to finish her championship. She was truly joy to be around and she became a dogshow roadie and lived for the weekends in hotels stretched out on the beds or touring around the showgrounds meeting new friends on bathroom breaks. When in full coat and groomed up Bree was, without exaggeration, breath-taking. To put her essence into words is best described by simply saying, �She was a Collie�. She would herd and bark like there was no tomorrow, she was patient and attentive to children (& cats!), and she loved her human and dog family dearly. Everything I asked of her, she tried her heart out. She did step back into the arena at 5 years old as a truly wonderful obedience competitor. She LOVED to train and took competition seriously. What a surprise to discover my show dog extradinaire was a hidden obedience superstar? Her untimely passing is something I still have difficulty accepting but she lives on in the beautiful photographs and very special memories I have of our time together. Not a day goes by that I don�t think of her sunny spirit and her signature Collie smile. Bree is the bar against which all my future blues will be measured and what a standard she has set��� I look forward to the Collies that lie ahead in the future and feel blessed to have owned and been owned by such wonderful dogs in the past and present. Please take a moment to visit their pages. If you are interested in adding a member of this wonderful breed to your family please do not hesitate to contact for a breeder referral. ~Natalie |
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| by Cindi-Lee Campbell L-r: Quincy, Bree, Abigail & Caissie July 2005 |