When at school, while my classmates were reading Shakespeare, I was reading the encyclopedia "Dogs Dogs Dogs" – I still have the book! My ambitions lay with dogs; showing, breeding, training – anything. During the school holidays I helped out at the Pathfinders Irish Terrier kennel of Miss Norah Woodifield. I went to boarding school for 3 years and during this time took the head mistress's Dashchunds to local shows at the weekends along with my own two mutts, Ringo and  Rondee, that I competed with in obedience.   With FLAIR and BACCHUS in 1987, wearing a cardigan made out of their hair.

This entailed a 20 mile round trip on foot to collect and drop off the dogs plus a bus ride to the show. Leaving school at age 16 I took a job (very poorly paid) at a dog parlour, and learnt to groom, trim and strip etc. A year later I started my own ‘mobile’ business. For a few years’ dogs took a back seat whilst I pursued other careers, which included car sales and driving instruction. I was one of the first females to do either jobs!  On meeting Roger (a Graphic Designer) and having a settled abode at last, I bought a Rough Collie, (a very rough Collie!), and started to go to local exemption shows again. He was from a puppy farm, but until then I didn't know such places existed. He didn’t win much in breed, but we certainly  accumulated hundreds of rosettes for best conditioned or most handsome dog etc. In 1969 I had purchased an Our Dogs annual and having seen the Viroflay advert for Groenendaels, had set my heart on one. I didn’t know that other varieties existed. But I was watching the Crufts programme on TV one day when I noticed a beautiful dog – a BSD Tervueren. I then realised    that the silver ‘Collie x GSD’ that I had admired so much in Germany was also, in fact, a Tervueren. My life was to change forever – an advert in the local paper for Tervueren puppies sired by the dog I had seen on TV seemed to good to be true. One month earlier I had had my daughter ‘Carly’ – but nevertheless I needed a fur baby too, so bought my first Tervueren Amba. Later on I took on her sister Toffee and so it began. My affix BELAMBA came from BEL (for Belgian) and AMBA my first Tervueren.

Winning BPIG with Ann & Bob Older's BELAMBA TETE A TETE AT KYANN in 2000. Over the years  we have enjoyed much success: 19 champions, 5 Ch Show group winners – in Britain, Belamba Bianco, Ch Belamba Monopoly over Nightstorm, Ch Belamba ‘Ooray ‘Enry,  in Australia, Ch Belamba Par Avion, in Canada, Ch Belamba Paramour. SBISs, open BISs, POTY qualifier

We bred the 1st British Tervueren champion – Ch Belamba Bianco at Vallivue, and the 1st littermate champions – Ch Belamba Bianco at Vallivue / Ch Belamba Barley Wine. We owned the 1st grey Tervueren champion – Ch Norrevang Bacchus of Belamba (Danish Import), and the 1st BPIS at a Ch Show – Starbright Dollars Invested at Belamba (US Import). We have imported dogs from the States, Denmark and France. All have contributed to the Tervueren in this country and elsewhere. Ch Bacchus has champion kids in 4 Continents:  North America, Australia (by AI), Europe and South Africa. I have been privileged to judge at the ABTC Specialty in Colorado  and the Belgian Shepherd Club of Victoria Specialty in Australia. In 2005 I had the honour of judging Tervueren at Crufts, which I enjoyed immensely. My BOB, ‘Linda Collin’s homebred Ch Domburg Reve D’Amour, went on to win the pastoral group! This is only the second Tervueren to achieve this at Crufts, the other being Ch Vallivue Bon Chance, a son of our Danish import, the beautiful Ch Norrevang Bacchus of Belamba. Ch Domburg Reve D’Amour is a Bacchus great-granddaughter. I was privileged to be awarded the BSDA of GB Medal of Merit for my involvement with BSD rescue. Roger and I have also been given Honorary Life Memberships of the BSDA of GB for our ongoing work producing the yearbook.