Kinclova - Down Memory Lane
The Kinclova affix was registered with the Kennel Club in 1972 by Beryl McKenzie. The “clova” part of this kennel name is a reminder of many happy hours spent in the lovely Angus glens on family outings. Later Jack McKenzie registered an interest in the Affix, and recently has been joined by Jacqueline (nee McKenzie)and Niall Irvine.
Beryl McKenzie has always had a close affinity with dogs, and was lucky to experience their companionship from early childhood. Both sets of grandparents had dogs. Terriers were very popular at that time, so the family pets were Scotties, West Highland Whites and a Sealyham.
Beryl’s first “very own” dog was an English Bull Terrier called Wendy, bought for her by an equally animal mad aunt. As an adult there was a long period when circumstances precluded keeping a dog, and the next puppy to join the family was a Shetland Sheepdog called Brandy, unfortunately although well bred, not of show standard. He was later joined by two bitches, Sherry and Honey, and after a local Exemption Show in Fife the showing bug bit!
Giving our Collies a Good Life
Our dogs are our companions “twenty four/ seven” as the saying goes. They have plenty of exercise for the body and the mind. Lots of free exercise over our fields, and plenty of favourite toys to keep them occupied indoors. Roughs are highly intelligent and deserve to be occupied mentally. A dog with plenty to keep it busy is seldom destructive and enjoys life. We enjoy the companionship of our dogs on holiday, and they enjoy our show trips where they recognise our various regular exercise break locations and caravan sites, and enjoy meeting fellow campers. Part of the "extended family", the dogs have made regular expeditions to our local beaches and country parks with Jacqueline & Niall.
Giving Something Back to the Dog Game.
Beryl McKenzie is a former Secretary of Kirkcaldy and District Canine Club and The North of Scotland Sheepdog Club, of which she is also a founder member. In the nineteen seventies she also worked as a volunteer at the Scottish Kennel Club Championship Shows. She has served on the Committee of Bon-Accord Kennel Association. Most recently she served on the Committee of the Scottish Collie Club and was Vice-President 2008-2009. Jack McKenzie is a past President of The North of Scotland Sheepdog Club, and served on the committee of the Turriff Agricultural Show Dog Section, and most recently on the Committee of the Scottish Collie Club. Jack has served as Show Manager for the North of Scotland Sheepdog Club and at Championship and Open Shows for the Scottish Collie Club. A keen steward, he used to steward for many clubs, including SKC, often assisted by Jacqueline. The McKenzies are currently “resting on their laurels” and concentrating on showing and enjoying their dogs.
Judging.
Beryl McKenzie first judged Shetland Sheepdogs in 1985. Then had a long period away from Judging due to business commitments, she is now back judging shelties and is on the Scottish Shetland Sheepdog Club list. She is also on the judging list of the Scottish Collie Club.
For some years work commitments precluded showing but after Beryl retired thoughts of Rough Collies came sneaking back. Browsing the internet Jacqueline found the Coarhabeg Kennel of Fern and Philip Sargeant, and a visit to Yorkshire in 2004 confirmed that the “Coarhabegs” were just what we wanted to bring collies back into our lives. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Fern and Philip in letting us have Coarhabeg Celtic Crystal (Sky) in 2005, we came back to the showring and began to re-establish our presence in the Rough Collie ring. Both Sky and Silver have qualified for Crufts every year to date, but we no longer travel to Crufts. Just too much “hassle” these days! Been there - done that! Weather conditions and distance from the North of Scotland at that time of year make it less than appealing. Regretfully, our location North of Aberdeen curtails our showing throughout the year.
Coarhabeg Celtic Crystal at Kinclova
At her first show, at six months, Sky was Best Puppy in Breed at the North of Scotland Sheepdog Club Open Show. She has not looked back since, and although not always campaigned regularly - in 2008 we attended only eight shows - she has won or been in the cards at most Championship shows attended. She has many firsts at Breed and All-Breed Open shows, and Open Show Best of Breeds and B.O.S. She has also regularly won Best Merle classes.
Coarhabeg Sterling Silver at Kinclova
On Boxing Day 2006 we set off for Yorkshire to collect Coarhabeg Sterling Silver at Kinclova, Sky’s half brother. Not always the happiest of showmen indoors, he loves outdoor occasions. Silver has given us many good wins, starting with a magical weekend when he was Best Puppy in Breed at Dundee Canine Club, and won AV Pastoral Minor Puppy Dog on Saturday, followed by Best Puppy Dog and Reserve Best Puppy in Show at Ayrshire Collie Club Open Show on Sunday. A first prizewinner at Championship and Open Shows, he also has consistently been in the cards at all shows attended, although not campaigned intensively. Full of fun and with a kind temperament, we are very proud of this upstanding, masculine blue dog. Gained his Stud Book entry in 2011.
OnAlthough Jacqueline & Niall
love Sky and Silver as their own and have always provided them with
their second home (or "puppy playgroup" as it became known), life wasn't
complete without a collie as a full time companion. After a long wait,
we collected our "meant to be" puppy, Bram, from Fern & Philip in
April 2009. He is Silver's half brother and also related to Sky, who
instantly became his "Auntie" and surrogate Mum. He is firmly established
as one of the family and Beryl & Jack now provide the reciprocal
second home arrangement with "collie creche"! Running a demanding business
means that Bram won't be a regular fixture in the show ring, but we
were delighted when he won Best Rough Collie Puppy at his debut show
in October 2009. Apart from spending a good deal of time lounging on
the sofa or the bed, Bram loves a good walk and is always happy to accompany
us on photographic trips. It was a special day when we took him to Glen
Clova, the original inspiration for the Kinclova name.
Time waits for no man or dog, and sadly we have lost both Sky and Silver, they were unique, beautiful, intelligent and loving to the end.
It seems a fitting memoriam to our lovely collies that we now contribute regular financial support to the Animal Health Trust who do great work in research into treatment for diseases of dogs, cats and horses, and who spend almost all that they are given on the actual work.
Coarhabeg Midnight Tales at Kinclova continues to delight the Irvine and McKenzie families. He remains a lovely, fit and happy nine year old, without whom we would not have survived the loss of our other collies.
It seems sensible for Beryl and Jack to return to having a Sheltie again, as we may not always be fit to keep up with a Rough Collie in future. Consequently we eagerly await the arrival of a new family member when the right puppy is born. Who knows - maybe a gentle toddle around the local shows in due course? As far as we are concerned, life is not complete without a dog.
The Shetland Sheepdog Family
Our first homebred winner was K. Mountain Mist (Misty) who enjoyed modest success before going on to be a companion dog to Beryl’s uncle and aunt. Our sable and white bitch, K. Wild Thyme (Heather) gave us a lot of fun at Open shows with firsts and Best of Breeds. Our most successful home bred Sheltie was K. Coriander, (Max) who was a Championship show prizewinner and had one Working Group win at Angus and Kincardine C.C. show (in the days when Shelties were classified as Working) We were very fortunate to buy in stock from established breeders, for example Isobel and Alec Elder’s Ellenyorn Pennyblack of Kinclova. Poppet was a Championship Show Best Puppy in Breed winner, among many other good wins, and was a much loved member of the family. Mary and Doug Johnstone of the Demaru kennel gave us Fancy Me at Kinclova (Chloe) who also gave us lots of fun in the ring at all levels. For years we dined from a casserole won by Chloe in a Stakes Class - a very useful “pot” instead of one for the Trophy shelf. We also remember the excitement of taking bitches for mating to kennels such as the Misses Herbert at Shelert and the Caldwell’s Monkreddan’s and waiting to see if the results had improved our stock. There were several other members of the Kinclova Sheltie show team who gave us much pleasure, but time has blurred all their achievements. The love and companionship they gave, however, is not forgotten.
The Rough Collies
Aware that a medium sized breed would not have enough scope in their Fife property the McKenzies did not even consider having one until in the mid nineteen seventies they met War Chant of Degallo as a “rescue” dog. He was bred by Hugh and Doris Scott and was a big, handsome sable and white son of Ch. Snogarth of Narragansette. Unable to resist, they took him home to Kinclova. Six weeks later he won two firsts at the Scottish Collie Club Limited Show under Archie Sillars. He never looked back and gave us so much fun in the ring. Hugh and Doris took our Rough Collie education in hand and later gave us Degallo Red Pepper, a Championship show winner, who unfortunately never gave us puppies, and then Degallo Sweet Selina their CC and Championship and Breed Club Open show Best in Show winning bitch who became our foundation bitch for the Kinclova Rough Collie line. From her first litter with us by Degallo Prince Charlemagne we kept the dogs K. Country Dance, (Shep) K. The Gay Gordon (Prince) and a bitch, K. Strip the Willow (Willow) all sable and white, who gave us many wins between them.
For her next litter Selina was mated to Rubec Call me Simon. She produced two blue dogs, K. Dress Blues and K. Quartz, who gave us many wins and Best of Breeds and started our lifelong interest in blue merles. In addition we kept her tricolour daughter K. Shades of Hades, (Tibby) who started her career well by winning Best Puppy (6-12 months) and Best Tri/Blue Merle in Show at Scottish Collie Club, June 1981. She also went on to be a consistent winner, and to produce quality puppies. Her daughter K. Total Eclipse, (Polly) completed three generations of winning tricolour bitches.
The hallmark of a kennel is to produce consistent type, and now in the 2000’s there is the Breeder’s class as a showcase for stock. Thirty years ago, one of the best ways to test the consistent type of your stock was in the Brace class. It has given us quiet satisfaction to remember that Kinclova braces whether Blue, Tricolour or Sable Shelties or Roughs were seldom beaten.
Several Kinclova Shelties and Rough Collies at that time left to be foundation stock for owners abroad, and all our own dogs remained with us throughout their lives, spending time in the house each day, becoming permanent house dogs in old age, and all are remembered with love and gratitude. After moving north to Aberdeenshire in the late seventies, we finally settled in 1984 in our present home which gave the dogs twenty acres of land to exercise freely and pursue all the fascinating country smells that make a dog’s life interesting.
Our Standard Wire Haired Dachshund, Churlton Anneleise was a lovely bitch, full of character. Bred by Maureen Horley, she was Best Puppy in Show, Turriff Open Show, was a Crufts prizewinner, had many Championship Show firsts and placings, and Breed Club Best of Breeds and Best Opposite Sex awards. A consistent Variety and Stakes class winner, she gave us lots of fun. Sadly, Hannah had to be put to sleep at six years old with a tumour, and left a huge gap in the McKenzie household.
The things we remember about travelling with our “show team” from the past were not only the wins and losses, but the quirks of individual dogs. Polly would chew through everyone’s show lead but her own and then sit looking innocent. Hannah loved egg sandwiches so they were obligatory if she was at the show. At home, Selina loved tea, and had her own enamel mug. If she wasn't served with her ration, she would pinch the nearest human cuppa. She passed the trait on to her son Blue, and Beryl well remembers having to make a red-faced apology to another exhibitor for his helping himself to her cuppa at a show.
Some pictures of our dogs having fun!
