How It All Began

It all began when my family and I wanted a small dog and we decided on a West Highland White Terrier We called her Rona after a small island off the West Highlands of Scotland.

When Rona was three years old we wanted a litter of pups off her for an experience. After enquires we were given the number of Marie Purchon who lives near us and we contacted her and she then invited us to her home. When we arrived at Maries house she was very helpful and gave us lots of good advice on what to do when Rona had her pups. Marie also mentioned that she showed her dogs and I was very interested in this and I wanted to do it, if we had a good enough bitch from Rona's litter.

As time went on and we became friendlier with Marie and she invited us to a Championship show at Stafford and it was then that we saw the standard of all the dogs there. This impressed me very much.

When Rona's litter was born we had three bitches to choose from we let two go and kept the one that I was to show and we call Bertha. She was my first show dog and I will always remember the fun that I had showing her. I won a number of firsts with her in junior handling and this qualified her for Crufts.

We later had a litter of puppies from Bertha. I am now showing her pup called Bessey. She also qualified for Crufts 2002 in the breed and also in the Junior Stakes. I was very excited and found it an honour to be able to show there.

I hope to do well in the future and to show my dogs for a long time and to maybe handle dogs for other people also. My ambitions are looking forward to the day when hopefully I will win my first CC and later to breed and qualify a Champion and then to qualify my dog for the Best in Show ring at Crufts (and hopefully win!!!)

Bessey	Rona

by

Thomas West (Tomlyndon )
Age 13