Bergeau Kennel Profile
When I thought about writing about ‘Bergeau’, I did not think I would not have much to write about – I have only been in the breed some 16 years or so and have only had fairly moderate success and bred a total of 7 litters under that affix. However, on reflection, I have a lot to write about the way knowing Belgians and their owners has enriched my life over those years, and hopefully will do so for some time to come. I bought my first Belgian Shepherd Dog (Tervueren) in 1990, and I was probably the luckiest person imaginable. Quite by chance I managed to get a wonderful puppy, who was a real character, and became a Champion before she was two years old. She has formed the foundation of my breeding and even in her great grandchildren much of her fundamental being shines through. Before that point I only knew the theory of what the breed was like from what I had read and researched over the previous couple of years, but in fact that told me very little about the true character of our wonderful breed. This is something I have learned about by knowing and loving my own and other people’s dogs over these years, and they still surprise and amaze me.
When I was married, my husband and I bred and showed Dobermanns, in a very small way, and worked both Dobermanns and German Shepherds in Working Trials. Some years after my divorce, the dogs I had taken with me were getting older, so I started planning for the future. I decided that a young Dobermann would be a bit much for my parents to cope with whenever I went away, so I started looking at a few other breeds, and paid a visit to Leicester Championship Show in 1988. Although I had seen a few Belgians when I had been showing the Dobermanns in the early 1970s, it was only when I saw them at this show that I realised that they could be the dog for me. I chatted to a few people at the show, and arranged to visit some, although none I went to visit either had puppies or were quite what I was looking for. I was idly looking through the catalogue at home many months later, when I noticed that a dog called Kyann Blake of Charbonny CDex UDex had been entered. Because of the Working trials qualification, I decided to telephone his owner to ask about what it was like to be working Belgians. That owner was the late Caroline Harvey, who talked to me about the breed for at least two hours. Her enthusiasm and knowledge were pure joy, and this was only the first of many pleasurable hours I was to spend talking with Caroline. By then, my last Dobermann had died and I had organised a sabbatical at Yale University in the USA for 5 months. My plan was to get a puppy shortly after I returned. I had decided a Tervueren was what I wanted, but Caroline had no breeding plans for that variety, so I contacted a few other prominent Tervueren kennels, but went away with no definite puppy booked. Whilst I was away, Caroline wrote me a six page letter about her dogs and told me she had decided to mate her young Tervueren bitch ‘Spider’, Paliss Supernatural of Charbonny, who had been BIS at the BSDA Championship Show from the puppy class in 1988, to an exciting young dog that had recently been imported by Janet Andrews and David Brett from Belgium, namely Ninja van de Hoge Laer at Delator. I booked a bitch puppy and the mating actually took place the day I landed back in England from the USA, and I thought that this was an omen. When I got back from the USA I went to visit Caroline and I met and fell in love with the ‘Blake’ that had first prompted me to contact Caroline, as well as her other dogs. I attended the BSDA Championship Show (which was then in October at Solihull) and met Ninja and many other wonderful dogs who confirmed my decision to have a Tervueren.
When Spider’s puppies were born I went to see them when they were about 10 days old and was enchanted by the smallest bitch puppy, who was at that time called ‘Mouse’. I must have driven poor Caroline insane, visiting whenever I could – I could hardly wait to take my puppy home. ‘Mouse’ was small, but strutted about like she owned the world, bossed all her littermates about and just had that indefinable something that made her stand out from the others. She came home with me in January and I called her ‘Wysiwyg’ which soon became shortened to Wyzzy. Although I was not convinced I wanted to get back into dog showing, I had promised Caroline I would show her anywhere within 2 hours drive of home (pretty much everywhere if you live in Central England). Ch Charbonny Hedda Aged 2 years
I was seduced, like most people, in that once Wyzzy started winning, I took her wherever the judges were good (according to my mentor, Caroline). Wyzzy amazed us all by winning the bitch CC at only 9 months old at Richmond, and followed that at 10 months by winning the bitch CC at the BSDA of GB Championship show. She was Top Puppy in 1991, but then dropped all her coat. At that time, to get a Junior Warrant all the wins had to be between the ages of 12 and 18 months, but Wyzzy did not win a single point! However, eventually the coat grew again, and she took the bitch CC at Richmond in 1992 to become Ch Charbonny Hedda. She ultimately won 6CCs and 4RCCs and was Commended Elite. She passed her Good Citizen test and BSDA Character test too. Most of all she became my close companion and by showing her I met loads of wonderful people and got back into the social part of dog showing.
In about 1992/3 Caroline’s life became rather complicated and she asked me if ‘Blake’, then aged 12, could temporarily come and live with me. I had broken my leg, and Wyzzy and I were staying with friends, but nevertheless we went and collected him. In fact, he then stayed with me until he died aged 14 and it was a privilege to have such a wonderful dog living with me. Not only had he been a top agility dog in his day, but also won a CC a Crufts. He oozed personality, and wherever he went with me people would say ‘Hello Blake’, because he was so well known. I took him and Wyzzy to a big charity doggy event at one of the local parks in Leicester, where Wyzzy was part of a local display of ‘obedient’ dogs. Whilst we were working, I left Blake with my mother. By the time I came back he had a huge admiring crowd round him – he was that sort of dog. I can remember taking him to the Lake District on holiday and taking him paddling in Coniston water – he looked back with pure enjoyment on his face. He was a great dog and a wonderful ambassador for the breed. He also provided a great companionship for Wyzzy. When he was older he went very lame on one front leg, but he still wanted to go out and about with us. Blake in his prime
When Wyzzy was about three I started looking for a suitable husband for her and fortunately for me, Amanda McLaren and Karen Costelloe had imported just the dog, in the form of Ch Opium van de Hoge Laer at Corsini. ‘Carlos’ was a leggy elegant dog with the most beautiful head, who really complimented Wyzzy’s virtues. In May 1994 Wyzzy had nine puppies in this the ‘Red Wine’ litter and although many were not shown, of those that were my own Bergeau Zinfandel JW won 1CC and 7RCC and was Commended Elite, Bergeau Cabernet France, though very rarely shown, won BIS at the BSDA Championship Show in 1996, Bergeau Merlot of Chatmar and Bergeau Tintas both won RCCs. Both Bergeau Zinfandel and Bergeau Tintas won BIS and RBIS more than once at BSDA of GB Open Shows and NBSDC Open Shows. Another of this litter was sent to the USA as an adult and became AKC Ch Bergeau Pinot Grigio, and sired several Champions and Agility dogs for the Montage and Epris kennels over there.
									The Red Wine litter
Bergeau Tintas JW			Bergeau Merlot of Chatmar
AKC Ch Bergeau Pinot Grigio			Bergeau Zinfandel JW						Bergeau Cabernet Franc
	On the strength of these successes I decided to repeat the mating and of the second ‘Repeat’ litter two were exported to the USA, and became AKC Ch Bergeau Reinvoke and AKC & Can Ch Bergeau Arlequin Replica. Again, both of these dogs have been bred from to produce several further American and Canadian Champions at the Blackfyre, Darboshea and Landmark/Montage kennels, who also excel in their working ability.
AKC/Can Ch Bergeau Arlequin Replica							AKC Ch Bergeau Reinvoke
Corsini Incognito at Bergeau aged 2 years	I cannot write this profile without mention of my wonderful ‘Zorro’ (Corsini Incognito at Bergeau). I did not mean to buy him at all, but absolutely fell in love with him at 7 weeks old when visiting Mandy McLaren. He had a traumatic time, since he broke his neck at 14 weeks of age and was wrapped up in a fibreglass cast until he was nearly 6 months old. Nevertheless, he went on to be Top male and Top Tervueren puppy, and joint top BSD puppy of 1996, also winning BPIS at the BSDA Championship Show in 1996. Although very lightly shown, he has also won 2RCC. He is a very interesting dog, since when he was about 7 years old we realised that he reacts to all sorts of food colourings and additives which affect his behaviour very dramatically. Sadly, this has rather blighted his showing years, as he was very difficult to manage. Now, however, he is much more peaceful and an extraordinarily affectionate dog, but because of these problems was never bred from.
In the mid 1990s, I briefly went into partnership with Cath Bond of the Chatmar kennel, and we imported together two dogs under the joint Chatauberge affix. The first was Hexen House Ayarah for Chatauberge (Ch Cartoon du Perigord Vert x Ch Jarah de la Prairie de la Sommerau) who won 1CC and 1RCC before having just two puppies by the wonderful Ch Lance van de Hoge Laer at Corsini, one of whom returned to Sweden to the Hexen House kennel and then two very successful litters for the Chatmar kennel.
The second was Laser de la Cabanne du Berger for Chatauberge (World Ch Sherpa van de Hoge Laer x Ch Djenna de la Cabanne du Berger) who was the sire a litter for the Chatmar kennel and the Halennia kennel, including Ch Halennia Arpeggio. Laser was also to Bergeau Zinfandel JW to produce the Bergeau Light litter.
		Hexen House Ayarah for Chatauberge						Laser de la Cabanne du Berger for Chatauberge
In the Light litter was Bergeau Spangle of Light, 1CC 2RCC, who was sadly taken from us due to cancer at only 5 years old, Bergeau Ablaze with Light 2RCC and Bergeau Northern Lights CSAU, 1RCC and Top Puppy 2000.
A couple of days after this litter were born I found one puppy who was very cold and floppy, so I thought I would bottle feed supplement it for a while to see how it went on. She was a tiny feisty puppy and I was still bottle feeding her at 12 weeks and she was still a tiny little being. Somehow she stayed with us as our ‘Zippy’, Bergeau Kindle a Light, and she grew and thrived, eventually making size and winning her way out of Postgraduate and winning her class at Crufts.
Bergeau Zinfandel JW					Bergeau Spangle of Light Bergeau Northern Lights
In 2000, it became possible to have Bergeau Cabernet Franc back for a short time and I decided to mate her to the shapely young dog Corsini Nocturne of Dualuse. This was an extremely successful litter, which produced most notably Ch Bergeau Just Like a Rainbow JW, CSAU, TAN, Top puppy 2001, 3CCs and 11RCCs, 2 green Stars, 5RGS winner of BIS at the NBSDC Open Show in May 2003. It also contained Ch Bergeau Just Like a Breeze 3CCs and 5RCCs, as well as Bergeau Just Like Thunder at Everquest who was BIS at Leicester Open Show in 2002, BIS at the BSDA of GB Open Show in 2003 and gained 2 major Green stars in Ireland, but sadly died very suddenly of pancreatitis in 2005.
Bergeau Cabernet Franc					Ch Bergeau Just Like a Rainbow JW Ch Bergeau Just Like a Breeze
I did not breed any litters for several years for various personal reasons until 2005, when I mated Bergeau Kindle a Light to sr Malory de Condivicnum at Corsini with Lancetti. ‘Zippy’ produced 7 healthy puppies, but very sadly died of kidney failure 2 days later. These bottle fed puppies are now nearly grown up and doing well in the show ring. I hope these little Flames will bring me joy in the future.
Bergeau Flamboyant & Bergeau Dazzled by the Flame						Zippy aged 12 months
In 2005 we also mated Ch Bergeau Just Like a Breeze to Bergeau Northern Lights to produce the ‘Wind’ litter and we have high hopes for these youngsters too. Already ‘Meazelles’ (Bergeau Wind Walker) has been Best Puppy Bitch at Championship Shows several times. Bergeau Wind Walker age 6 months Ch Bergeau Just Like a Breeze age 3 years
In 2006 we mated Ch Bergeau Just like a Rainbow JW to the Top Tervueren Ch Corsini Matisse to produce an outstanding litter – the ‘Painting Litter’. This litter has lovely construction and great movement, although they are all very naughty! Ch Bergeau Just Like a Rainbow age 3 years Bergeau Paint with Matisse for Everquest age 9 months
I believe Belgians are unique and wonderful dogs, but because of their activity level and sense of humour they are not to everyone’s taste. My aim is to breed typical Tervueren, with brains and working ability, as well as beauty and stable, but up-beat, characters. I am not a believer in ‘the working line’ but believe all Belgians should be capable of working, in the right hands. I would hate to see the day when the Belgians that worked had a completely different type to those that are shown, as has happened in so many breeds. I try to take infinite care when placing puppies, but even so, sometimes things can go wrong. I try to stay in contact with and help all my puppy owners throughout the dog’s life. I would like to think that all the dogs I have bred, whether they are pets or Champions, are all loved as much as I love my own. Back to Bergeau Back to HOMEPAGE