Why the Bengal cat?

I was smitten by the Bengal Cat when we began searching for a cat that wouldn’t cause allergic reactions to my husband. When we encountered the Bengal we were so ecstatic, not only could we finally have a cat again in our lives and home but a BEAUTIFUL exotic looking cat that glittered in the sunlight!

From that discovery we purchased Neko, our first pet Bengal and the love affair of the breed began. At that time I looked into the options of breeding the Bengals but due to my commitments, I felt I did not have enough quality time to give, that the Bengal breed deserved.

Breeding Bengals

I spent several years enjoying the Bengal breed via our pet Neko. The idea of being more involved with showing and breeding Bengals never left me. So when we sadly had to say good bye to Neko, we starting looking at the Bengals and the possibility of showing and breeding.

With the reorganization of my previous commitments, I finally had the time and balance in my life to pursue my passion to show and breed Bengal Cats.

It had been several years since our first Bengal joined our home so I spent many months researching about the current state of the breed, lines, pedigrees, colours, patterns, type and form. I felt this vital so that I could go into breeding Bengals with a good sense of awareness and passion for quality.

With confidence I was able to secure what I felt were some truly top quality Bengal lines as the foundation for my program in 2009.

My History of showing and breeding

My first “breeding program” was set up, breeding rabbits around the age of seven. I soon came across the Satin breed thus forming my rabbitry “Sunray Satins”. With that step I was off on the journey in my breeding education.

During that time I bred and showed nationally with great success with both Satins and Holland Lop rabbits. The experience that provided in; animal husbandry, showing, showmanship, sportsmanship, tracking and selection of pedigrees and lines, interaction with breed associations, registrations, breed type selection and may other things have really shaped my life to this day. The joys I have found in animals and breeding are numerous and priceless.

Past experience

I spent several years developing my breeding program with Sunray Satins. I was specifically instrumental with the work done to develop the broken red, colour variety, in Satins in the USA. After many years of competing in the “open” classes I built a reputation for some of the best Satins in the North West USA.

By the time I was fourteen I broadened my breeding experience with the purchased of a beautiful Thoroughbred mare that I trained, showed and bred. From that point I’ve not turned back from being involved in animal husbandry, of all kinds.

Dogs

At the age of twenty-two, I found the true Australian Labradoodle (as developed in Australia). I am and will always be passionate about them and they will always be a part of my family and life. Because of my history and breeding experiences it was natural for me to look into the breed and their development at depth. I spent a year researching the breed, history, available lines and the breed standard.

After making sure I could make a positive impact on the development of the Australian Labradoodle breed I made the decision to breed them. I purchased my foundation Australian Labradoodle breeding stock from the originator of the breed in Australia. I spent close to ten years dedicated to the work and development of the Australian Labradoodle breed.

I was also instrumental in the development of the Australian Labradoodle Association. The ALA was the worlds first breed specific organization for the Australian Labradoodle. I was also involved and on the international IALA committee for the Breed Standard revision and was instrumental in ensuring the continued quality required for the breed through the standard.

Through endless hours, dedication and passion my kennel, Sunset Hills, gained the reputation of having extraordinary facilities, top breeding ethics, comprehensive health testing programs, top quality management programs and some of the best Australian Labradoodle dogs available in the world.

Due to the large scale required for the breed’s development and my growing family’s needs I retired from Sunset Hills. I have seen them go on to become the foundation program and blood lines for the largest therapy dog project in Japan though Nichii Gakkan.

I've been privileged to be a part of history through Nichii Gakkan's extraordinary vision to see animal therapy programs implemented in medical facilities on a large scale throughout Japan. With their vision it will address the needs of patient’s day-to-day lives with the environmental, enrichment and positive healthy interactions that come with sharing your environment with animals.