I  bought my first Manchester Terrier from Gill Reeve of the Harkeats affix in 1994.  Prior to that I had owned, shown and bred English Cocker Spaniels.  I loved the Cockers dearly but I was not very good at all the grooming and trimming and wanted a dog that was easy to look after.  I knew Gill and also Ian Beales (Brenandi) and they persuaded me that a Manchester was the dog for me.  So, in May 1994, I brought home Kate (Ch. Harkeats Going for Gold at Mimbre).

Kate had a super start to her showing career and was a champion before she was 2 years old. In 1996 she was mated to her half brother Ch. Harkeats Extra Edition and she produced 5 super puppies, 3 bitches and 2 dogs.  I kept one of the bitches,Rosie (Mimbre Love Match) and she has also done very well in the show ring, as has her brother Mimbre Gold Edition.

Owing to personal circumstances, I was unable to mate Kate again until 2000, when she produced 4 puppies, 2 dogs and 2 bitches, by Ch. Hardway Tars Thark.  These puppies have also had success in the show ring and I hope that they will continue to do so.

Rosie was mated to Ch. Megellan Blade Runner and gave birth to 6 pups - 3 dogs and 3 bitches - on Thursday 20th September 2001. I have kept one of the bitch puppies - Mimbre Memphis Belle - otherwise known as Lulu - and another bitch puppy, Amber, has gone to a show home in Canada.

Kate was also mated to Ch. Megellan Blade Runner and gave birth to 3 pups, 2 dogs and one bitch on 13th December 2001. The bitch puppy has gone to a show home and has been lightly shown with some success.

Lulu was Top Puppy in Breed for 2002 and last year won 1 CC and 2 RCC`s. This mating was repeated and a further 3 dogs and 3 bitches were born on April 29th 2003. One bitch has gone to Sweden and another has gone to a show home in England.

Towards the end of 2003 Lulu was Reserve Best in Show at Lowestoft Oulton Broad & District Open Show and this entitled her to compete at the East Anglian Supermatch in February 2004.

Mimbre dogs had another good year at Crufts with three 1sts, two 2nds, a 3rd and a 4th.

Lulu won her second CC at Bath Championship Show in May 2004 out of Limit Bitch and in June she won another Reserve CC at Blackpool.

We took her to France in July to take part in the 13th European Manchester Terrier Happening and they were all delighted to see an English dog there for the first time.She competed in the Agility and the Obedience as well as the Beauty show and she was placed 4th overall.

She was also mated with a European dog in July and gave birth to four bitches and a dog in late August. We have kept the dog, called Solo, and he is doing well at the shows so far.