I have been an active dog-enthusiast since 1980. My first litter of Melukylän Aussies was born at the eve of the Christmas Eve in 1992, and since then I have bred a litter now and then, on average about one litter per year. After living in Helsinki practically all my life I moved to the countryside, in Sipoo east of Helsinki at the beginning of 2004. In 2006 I moved again, for temporarily, now to the Netherlands..
I have a couple of aussies at home and some more living elsewhere in co-ownership. My dogs live normal pet dog -life, playing with kids and taking all the room in a sofa. No cages or kennels in my home. My pups are born and grow in my living room and receive lots of love and attention. They get used to children and to normal home activity from the beginning.
I try to breed Aussies whose character and health would be a joy for their owners, and who look beautiful and typical according to the breed standard. Even if my homebred Aussies go to shows sometimes, I don't feel that I'm a show dog breeder. I prefer emphasizing all the good qualities in Aussies.
The
most important criteria of my breeding program are:
Character
The Aussies I use for breeding are human-loving, happy and easily manageable
dogs. They must also be brisk, be capable of taking new situations openly and
with curiosity, and be active but never nervous. Too dominant/aggressive,
unsociable or reserved Aussies are not typical, and I don't want to breed from
them. I also avoid breeding from aussies that bark much.
Health
I aim for using only healthy dogs in breeding. I try to found out as much as
possible about their lines and any health risks. My friendly relations with
other breeders and relatively long experience in a breed have given me lots of
knowledge about different lines and diseases. Naturally all the aussies I use
for breeding have been officially eye- and patella checked.
Appearance
When considering appearance I emphasize the right breed type and correct size. I
think that downplaying too big size is just a bad excuse for "easy & lazy"
breeding. Another important point is a good anatomical structure. Since an
Aussie has been a working dog, the healthy structure has been a requirement for
its robustness and working ability. For being able to take care of its work as a
"snake guardian" of flocks of sheep an Aussie couldn't be too heavy, either. An
Aussie should be able to jump high (about one meter) and turn around its own
axel in the air, so being fast and agile is a very important feature.
But since we are talking about living creatures the aims don't always turn out
as planned. However, I always try my best since I truly love this wonderful
breed!
Short view to my breeding stock
I imported my first bitches - Tatong's Blue Breeze, INT&FIN&DK&S&LV CH LVW-97 Tatong's Emperor's Jewel and FIN&EST CH Tatong's Red Camellia - from Denmark, from my dear friends Jill Grenaae and Benny Hermansen. I have also bought a bitch Reimin Neverending Joy from Krista Riihelä's Reimin -kennels.
In addition to my Danish imports I have imported Aussies from farther away. In 1995 I imported with Pia Lindqvist (kennel Selendia) a b&t male INT&FIN&LV CH BALTW97&98 Tasdale Kraka Kid from Diane Riley (previously O'Keefe), New Zealand. In 1998 Pia, Jill and I loaned a b&t male AM&FIN CH The Farm's One Hell of a Devil from his breeder/owner Sheila Dunn, USA. Next I imported, together with Satu Hardén (kennel Surely), another b&t male from New Zealand, NZ&FIN CH Tasdale Last Laugh. My latest import is a red male AUST & FIN CH Cliftop Red Dazzler from Sharon Gilkison, Australia..
I have myself exported a couple of my breedings: to the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand and USA.
About dog hobby
Besides breeding and showing, I try to find time to do other kind of dog activities. I used to train agility, obedience and human search (rescue work) with my first aussie. I have been a member of the club board or the chairman of the Australian Terrier Club of Finland for a decade. Since 2006 I'm a member of the club's breeding committee. I collect and read fact books about dogs, and sometimes write articles to the club's Aussi - magazine. Keeping contact with Aussie people around the world is interesting and nice, and it teaches to look at things from a wider angle. I also widened my experience by having an energetic boxer bitch for two years. I was a co-owner/care-taker of French import EST JCH ESTJW-05 W-05 NW-05 JSG-06 Vraiment des Jardins de Passiflore with Nora Nyman (kennel Wandoris). Because of my move abroad Vespa now lives permanently at Nora's. But who knows, maybe some day a boxer puppy will again emerge to my home...