LCNW 2010 Summer Regional Specialty

Judge Bios

Mr. John Feehan, KC, Conformation (Saturday, August 21, 2010)

I was born and raised on a farm in Co. Mayo, Ireland but immigrated to England as a teenager, over 40 years ago. After a number of years working in the building trade, I became a publican and acquired my first Rottweiler. Having been raised around animals, including dogs, I couldn’t wait to be in a position to own some in England.

In the mid 1980s I purchased a large boarding kennels, formed the Manorguard affix and started to take dogs more seriously. In the years that followed, I owned and bred a number of the working breeds in my search for the one that most suited me. These included Rottweilers (who will always have a special place in my heart), German Shepherds, Akitas, Bullmastiffs, Tibetan Mastiffs, Neapolitan Mastiffs and Anatolian Shepherds. Then, out of the blue one day, a Leonberger was booked into the kennels for a long stay following a marriage break up, and that was it for me. I fell in love with her and set about finding one for myself. At that time there were very few in the UK so I decided to look elsewhere and in 1991 imported my first pair from the famous Leonberget’z kennel in Sweden. These were my foundation stock: Leonberget’z Crusader from Atlantis and Leonberget’z Lady in Red. Crusader got to the group final at Crufts in 1992 and 1993 and their son, Manorguard Adam, got Group 2 in 1995. This, in my opinion, put the breed on the map in the UK and they have gone from strength to strength ever since, with most of the current lines having Manorguard in their background. I imported several others from Sweden in the years that followed, to broaden our gene pool in the UK (Swe. Ch. Sund Stamm’s Design of Golden Art at Manorguard, “Dart”, being probably the most well known of these) and as a result was fortunate enough to be top Leonberger breeder in Britain 9 times.

Sadly, I have not owned a Leo since I lost our beloved Ch. Manorguard Proud Mary, the UK’s first Leo champion. These days I enjoy being a ringside spectator, although some would say a critic, and of course judging and learning more about our wonderful breed.

It is a great honour for me to be invited to judge in the USA and therefore I offer my sincere thanks to those who invited me.

Mrs. Pat Hastings, AKC, Conformation (Sunday, August 22, 2010)

Pat has been involved in the dog world since 1959. She began her career as an owner-handler, moved into breeding, then teamed up with her husband in professional handling. She has articles published in a wide variety of dog magazines, and has authored or co-authored several books and/or videos – including "Puppy Puzzle: The Hastings Approach to Evaluating the Structural Quality of Puppies," and “Tricks of the Trade: From Best Intentions to Best in Show, Revised Edition.” She is a well-known educator and presenter in the dog world.

She is currently an AKC judge of the Herding, Non-Sporting Groups and Working Groups; Junior Showmanship; and Best in Show.

Mrs. Carolyn Wray, AKC, Obedience and Rally-O (Saturday, August 21, 2010)

I live in Oregon with three Miniature Poodles and an oversize Toy Poodle; the gang and I participate in AKC events including obedience, rally, agility and tracking. I have done conformation and herding as well. All my dogs are spoiled house pets and they all sleep on the bed.

I grew up in a dog show family and earned my first CD in 1966 (I was still in grade school). I am an AKC obedience and rally judge (all levels).

I have titled and loved a variety of breeds including Keeshonden, Shelties, Doberman, Pekingese, and Poodles. Achieving a CDX title on my beloved Peke, Kenny, is one of my fondest memories. His registered name was Wraynbow Unique, CDX and he was indeed unique… I miss him to this day.

I bring a varied background to the ring every time I judge and this experience gives me a balanced perspective both as a judge and as an exhibitor.

Ms. Trisa Hansen, AKC certified CGC evaluator

I began showing dogs at a very early age. Receiving my first dog at 7 years old, I began training for obedience. I joined a dog 4-H group at 10 and there I learned about Showmanship and competition. A friend of my mother’s gave me a Sheltie she thought would work well for me. Boy did she!! Brandy and I competed very successfully in Jr. Showmanship and Obedience. By the end of my 4-H career, I had received 3 second “Best in State” Obedience awards and 3 “Best in State” Obedience Championships. During this time, I started traveling on show circuits looking for my “Perfect” breed. I have gone through quite a bit in my life. My favorite was my Border Collie “Faith”. She became the foundation dog for Faith Kennels. We were in the process of becoming AKC recognized and the feuding was too much for me to handle. I left the Border Collie community and continued my search. While at an International show, I saw my first Leonberger. I was quite taken with the breed but did not pursue it. Since then, I have shown numerous breeds acquiring several Championships. I have become a 4-H leader and judged the Western Washington Fair Dog 4-H project twice.

I have become a Washington State Veterinary Tech and worked for an Exotic and household Veterinary. I was so surprised to see Jennifer and Mark Richardson come in with a Leonberger! A few years later, Fable joined our household followed by Boone and Brandi and we began a show career again. While I enjoy the Leonbergers, my husband prefers a smaller breed. We both decided on the Border Terrier and finally we each have a breed we love.