Situated about half an hour from the Catlins, our home Old School Farm has an extensive garden, amazing old Oak, Silver Birch and Macracarpa trees and is situated on 5 acres of rolling land.  A doggie paradise, the Vallhunds love the freedom of being able to run and play over the property while we are able to relax and make the most of some of New Zealands natural wonders.

 

Old School Farm

 

Photo by I.R. Morgan

 

The Catlins are part of the Southern Scenic Route which is an extremely beautiful part of the country!  Here we are privileged enough to enjoy the wildlife of NZ; Fur Seals, Yellow Eyed Penguins, Gannets, Albatross, Sea lions, Hectors Dolphins and other extensive smaller bird life.

There are many lovely bush walks, lakes and falls to be enjoyed, along with trout fishing and spectacular beaches!

Views from Nugget Point		NZ Fur Seal		Purakaunui Falls

 

 

How it all Began:

 

My family have always been dog lovers and owners with my parents having had a variety of breeds from Golden Retrievers to Dachshunds over their life time.  It was then, of no great surprise to my parents when the next generation came along and we all turned out to be just the same!

My fathers side of the family have owned and hunted gundogs for what seems like eons and I am lucky enough to have cousins who are training dogs and competing at National Level overseas to whom I can turn for advice if needed.

 

I became in a due course a qualified Veterinary Nurse combining my love of animals with everyday life and have worked in many diffent animal related fields in my time. It all really began for me however in 2003 when an accident cut short my horse riding career.  Having loved and owned horses all my life I found myself with hopes and dreams dashed, not to mention a hole to fill.  An extremely good friend of mine who was an instructer at the North Shore Dog Club in Auckland at the time talked me into going along to watch an obedience competition.  My curiosity was piqued and as I watched I realised it looked like so much fun! That was all it took for me to become truly inspired by the world of obedience and agility. 

Arriving home I couldn't wait to begin researching into breeds of dogs which might be suitable as a companion, friend and competitor.  The NZ Kennel Club website was a wonderful help and it was here that I discovered the Swedish Vallhund.

Photo by: Picpet Photography

In April of 2003 NZ Ch Murivall Antares, or Kindle as he is known, became a part of the family.  A wonderful ambassador for the breed, Kindle is an amazing boy who never fails to bring a smile to the face of those who meet him.  Together we have had great success in the show ring and are currently looking towards gaining our Obedience and Agility titles. My heartfelt thanks go out to Beverly Trowbridge of Murivall Swedish Vallhunds who not only convinced me to show but who has also become a wonderful friend. 

 

 

Having become thoroughly hooked by the Swedish Vallhund, I approached Rose Madsen of Valkrista and in 2006 NZ CH Valkrista Alatna joined our family.  Ash is an absolute superstar and knows it!  From limited outings she has done a lot of winning in the ring with some fabulous results, the most recent winning Intermediate of Group at the New Zealand Kennel Clubs National Dog Show under Swedish Judge Mr Paul Stanton.

Ash is a gentle fun loving girl whose favourite pastime is fishing for shiny stones.  Its not uncommon to see her with her whole head under water as she selects her perfect stone! Not one to hog the spoils of the day, she always shares her discoveries with Ian and me before neatly plopping her gains onto her ever-growing pile by the river.  We are so grateful to Rose for allowing us to bring home this special girl.

Photo by I. Morgan

 

In 2008 Vallarity Day Tripper became the newest member of our family bringing with him some wonderful breed lines from Sweden and Finland.  Sparky is a lovely young dog who has great breed type and, as his name implies, is full of vim and vigour.  Sparky, from limited outings, has done very well in the show ring; however he is a boy more comfortable with home life, long walks, fun in the snow and is always up for a good ball game.

 

 

Photo by I. Morgan

Our Swedish Vallhunds live inside with us and are valued members of our home.  They are included in every aspect of our lives so much so that we often take them on holiday.  A wonderful versatile, intelligent breed and we are very proud and privileged to be owned by them!

 

I hope you enjoy looking around our website while learning about this  ancient viking breed.