JEAN
A celebration
50 Years With Dogs
1954-2004




Jean (on the left) is seen here with her sister Kathleen and Kim her very first Border Collie (Working Sheepdog) who came from a local farm at the Greyhound near Leigh.
He was just three weeks old when he came to live with them,
the farmer decided to get rid as soon as they were eating solid food.
In the photo Kim is approx 2 yrs old.
He lived to be 11yrs of age.









50 years ago, at the tender age of 15. Jean left home to work in kennels at Five Ash Down in Sussex Her ambition was always to work with dogs, now her dream was coming true. Although she did attend some shows, showing dogs was not to be a serious part of her life until the middle 70's, jean just wanted to have dogs around her and to care for them.
In those days it was highly unusual for a young girl to take off on her own, but Jean did have her parents blessing and support, it was hard for them but they knew that this was what Jean truly wanted.


The photo is one of the last ones taken at school








The first kennels that Jean worked at were the Rothina Kennels owned by Mrs Dorothy Ina Jones, She had English Setters, Pekingese and a Cairn Terrier. The working week was 7days, 24 hrs a day, pay 7 shillings and sixpence (37.5p)a week plus board and lodgings. Breakfast was porridge, Lunch a couple of jam sandwiches, and an evening dinner.
Here Jean is relaxing with Tish and Tweeny, two Pekes



It was while working here that Jean experienced her first whelping. The bitch was a Cairn terrier, as usual she whelped in the middle of the night, on her bosses bed, (Now I know where she got the idea to have our girls whelping on the furniture.) At this time she applied for a job at the vets in Leigh,her home town, there were 200 aplicants and Jean got the job, but because she had to give one months notice at the kennels the job went to someone else. Jean stayed with the Rothina Kennels for seven months. She left because the work was too repetetive, as it is in a breeding kennels.


Jeans next job was at the Kennels of the Brackenbury Apso's owned by Ms Beryl Harding, residing here where Lhasa Apsos, Griffons and an Irish Wolfhound called Rapsody, they were also boarding Kennels. Jeans working week here was 6.5 days and her wages leapt to £2 a week plus keep.
Throughout her work in kennels one thing was always hammered home, THE DOGS COME FIRST, No matter what sort of day you are having, no matter how ill you are SEE TO THE DOGS FIRST.
One incident that she told me about. Part of her duties was to boil full veal calves in large pans. After they had been cooked she had to carry the pans, still ful and hot, down the side of the house to the annex where the food was prepared for the dogs. One day while carrying one of these hot pans, she tripped over a kerb, spilling the very hot fat over her right arm and leg, she was in a bad way, a neighbour came and took her to hospital, where she spent 3 weeks. When Ms Harding came home and went to visit Jean, she chastised her for not making sure the dogs where safe before going to hospital. When she left hospital Jean went home, in a special compartment on the train and spent three weeks recuperating before returning to the kennels.
No matter how harsh this seems to have been Jean still has the same attitude, THE DOGS MUST COME FIRST, even when she had a fall and fractured her spine and damaged her hips, She tried to get out of bed and help with the dogs.
It's feeding time


In Jean's opinion a lot of the Apsos in the UK can be traced back to the Brackenbury Kennels. She always says that she learned a great deal in these early years and owes Mrs Jones and Ms Harding a lot for what they taught her.
In the Photo on the left Jean is stood with Rippingdon Rhapsody, a 5yr old Irish Wolfhound, she had one litter and did win 2 CC's.
She did get some time off, as you can see she is aboard Dawn, the horse belonged to her friend Claire. As Jean says she must have been a lot fitter then as she spent ages chasing the horse around the field, she was sure she was laughing at her.



Jean came home in 1957, she was lonely and missing her family. She married a local boy and set up her own kennels, the marriage did not last and Jean lost everything, In those days the wife had no rights,Because Jean was too young all the property was in the husbands name. In this case Jeans husband took everything.

After this Jean set up home in a terraced house on Hindley Green, she spent her time working to try and build up a reserve to start over. However she was courted by an old school friend, Tommy, and they married and had two children,Wendy & Andrew but he did not like dogs very much so the only one around was a X-breed called Sandy. I came along in 1974, I worked at the same place as Tommy and he wanted some painting done around the house, I met Jean and 12 months later she left Tommy and we set up home together with the two children, Wendy, Andrew and Sandy, the first dog that I had known.
We also aquired Suki a Collie x Alsation, she was evil, when I was around butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, when I was away God help anyone who made a move when Jean and the kids where around. She died young. Our Daughter Kathryn was born in 1978, and that year Jean went to look at an Irish Wolfhound, the following year we bought one, later we had another two, Jean did have a little success with showing them, but due to circumstances beyond our control we had to let them go, In 1981 our eldest girl Wendy asked for a Border Collie for her 18th birthday and so was born our love of the breed.


I have a bit more to do yet.





Here is Jean with Sh:Ch: Beesting Twiglette after winning Res Border Collie of The Year 2001
Frazer was 12 years old.

ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT ON THIS SITE ARE © COPYRIGHT PROTECTED AND MUST NOT BE DOWNLOADED, COPIED OR USED WITHOUT THE OWNERS PERMISSION

HOME