The slides below dish an entree into my life with dogs from aged 7.  Laugh as I did at my dog show poses,  bad fashion and at times fake pageant child smile.   

In my defence, when showing you dress in contrasting colours to the pooch you are parading , and when I was handling professionally, as my face flushes red with embarrassment, there was a costume change or two but no forced familial pageantry thank god, but it was present for some at the Sydney Royal where tension reigned supreme.

For 35 years I’ve trained dogs, showed too in my teens, but obedience trialing was my thing. Adorned with the title of Companion Dog aged 12 with Chester my first English Staffy, who was only a year old, winning three trials in a month attaining the k9 eqivialent Knighthood as the letters C.D. officially added to the tail end of Chester’s birth name. 

Being that young with an obedient ‘dangerous dog’  indirectly placed me as a poster boy against growing voices of concerned adults who enlisted the media to ‘ban those evil dogs’ as they are born bad and will eat your soul and children.

It’s all vague to be honest and I was obviously exploited and should have been paid I type with  tongue in cheek,  but it led to Chester and myself taking centre stage at dog shows during lunch breaks, mock trial obedience exercises hoping to inspire all and sundry by illustrating the breed’s potential for good, proving you can train a Staffy and save them from the dark side of the force and eternal damnation.  Even Bourke’s Backyard came knocking and we were featured in their popular Dog Road Testing segment.    

What a dog and what an impact he had on my life. Tears well as he was also the first I had to put down aged 10. That was tough, way worse than tough, it was devastating.   

Mum was and still is an ethical breeder, exhibitor and show producer. Was heavily involved in Dog Obedience as an instructor and played a major role in the origin and set up of an Obedience Club that is rocking along really well 30 years later. The set up sounds remarkably ‘pageant parent’ I admit 

but in our family of six, with me the youngest of four boys, circa 8 – 12 dogs, one car, a hard working blue collar father, a Cockatoo named Manuel; rescued from the pet shop with no feathers, who is still alive and lays eggs, there was no room for make up. It was full throttle family chaos and when they went to music or sport, I was with Mum and dogs. Dogs all around, all the time, everywhere and, aside from fashion faux pas, I loved it, still do. Dogs are my everything and been the only constant presence in my life. 

Alongside the dog show photos below are obedience and trialling memories- my real love which set me on this path I’ve circled back too.  

Plus lotsa puppies we bred, and my first three dogs, Chester, Holly & Mork – all English Staffy’s.  Joyous tears have been shed, with memories mixing emotions of longing and love while photo foraging to paint a pastiche honest and true just for you. And look how innocent I am in the early days.  Hit the right arrow to start.