More About My Dogs and I

 I am a member of the AKC Shenandoah Valley Kennel Club.  For information about visiting the club please visit www.shenandoahvalleykc.org/ Joining a local Kennel club can be a great way to learn more about opportunities that exist for you as well as your dog.  To find clubs outside of the valley please visit www.AKC.org. 

 Professionally I own Trims by Gwen, a mobile dog grooming service.  I provide personalized, individual care of pets while providing a complete grooming service.  I have been professionally grooming dogs and cats since graduating from the New York School of Dog Grooming in 1982.  I have studied under several professional dog show handlers perfecting scissoring techniques.  I am also a certified master groomer within the National Dog Groomers Association of America and participate yearly in continuing education seminars. 

 My first show dog came to me as a fluke.  I was in Montana working at Lewis and Clark Caverns right out of High School.  I enjoyed livestock and horses so naturally an Australian Shepherd was the first dog that came to mind when looking for a companion.  To make a long story short, I was given a 18 month old Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Becky who was escaping and killing local chickens.  We fell in love with each other at first sight and she never left my side till she passed away. 

 We moved to Virginia and I started showing with my girlfriend who had English Setters and English Cockers.  Becky turned out to be a very talented show dog.  When I went to work for Beth Swiegart (Yarrow Kennels) she finished her championship in one weekend under Beth’s guidance.  I went on to put a Companion Dog title on her. (CH Megafauna Renegade CD). 

 In 2006 I was ready for a smaller dog, which is why I fell in love with the Welsh Terriers.  I got Bridget when she was 18 months old.  She has taught me so much about the breed and learning to hand strip the broken coat. I kept one puppy out of Bridget and ZiZi’s litter “Olivia”. I then finished her Championship, bred her to “Boris” and then kept “Regina” out of that litter and currently i am working on finishing her Championship.