We bought our first Labrador over 40 years ago from Mollie Rayment's Wishwood kennel. At that time we were not interested in Showing, so we trained him and competed in Obedience competitions, together with a Golden Retriever bitch that we also owned.

Unfortunately, he died when he was only 7 years old and we then bought another yellow Wishwood dog, Wishwood Errant of Lyndham. He was such a fine looking puppy that we started showing him with great success and he became a Show Champion before the age of 3 years. We later trained him to gain his Show Gundog Working certificate, making him up to a full Champion.

One of his daughters, owned by us, a son and a grand daughter won Reserve C.Cs., one of them also gaining her Working Certificate and we have now owned 5 generations of his progeny.  We later purchased a black Wishwood bitch (Wishwood Mirth of Lyndham) and also a Yellow Thurbajen's dog ( Thurbajen Pinball Wizard of Lyndham) both of whom we showed with some success.

About 16 years ago we bought a black Ballyduff bitch and have bred two lovely litters from her, both to chocolate stud dogs.  Having kept a chocolate dog and bitch from these litters, after 35 years of having a mainly yellow kennel, we now had only black and chocolate!  This was rectified by buying in a yellow bitch puppy 8 years ago whose sire is Ch/Int/Nord/Fin Ch Carpenny Walpole, and who goes back to our original yellow line on her dam’s side. I have commenced gundog training with her, which she loves, and have had some success in the ring, qualifying for Crufts. We had  Toby come to live with us 4 years ago, a lovely black Lab dog  and have had a lot of fun with him, gaining his stud book number at age 3 years.

We have owned 2 English Setter bitches, and we  bought in another puppy, Katie, wh is now 5 years old. We also own Border Terriers, and currently only have one, just having sadly lost our old girl, Meg.We now just have Gilly, an 8 year old bitch who I have enjoyed showing.  Most of the Setters, Borders, and Labradors, have qualified for Crufts over the years.  We are a small kennel and all our dogs live in as family.  

I started judging Labradors in 1985 and first awarded C.Cs. in the breed in 1996.  I have also been fortunate enough to have been invited to judge abroad in Germany, in Holland for the Dutch Labrador Club and in Italy, several times for the Italian Retriever Club and then at the Milan International show and recently at Pisa International Show. In 2012 I enjoyed judging  in the Czech Republic. In 2009 I had the honour of judging in South Africa for the Labrador Kennel Asscn. of SA. An invitation to judge in Australia in  2014 was an immense privilege and thoroughly enjoyed.  I also judge all the Gundog breeds at Open level and have judged several Gundog and Terrier Groups at that level and Best In Show for a Gundog Club. Keith has also enjoyed judging Labradors and Setters at Open level and recently judged all the Setter breeds in Germany.

I was Secretary of the Kent Surrey and Sussex Labrador Retriever Club for 7 years and am currently Chairman of that Club.   We also do voluntary work for Labrador Rescue South East and Central.

Thanks to our dogs, we have travelled to many places far and wide and met many lovely people and their dogs.