About Us

Ashdale Kennels was established after almost 20 years of owning labrador retrievers as family pets. As a child we always had a cat, guinea pigs and rabbits and I had to be content with playing with the neighbours dog.

In 1988 after the birth of my first son, we purchased Sandy, a beautiful yellow labrador. She was to be the beginning of my lifelong love affair with dogs.

In 2003, I acquired a beagle cross puppy, Dougal, whose gentleness and sheer determination of character, captured my heart and led me to my current love of beagles.

For many years I dreamt of establishing a breeding kennel of my own, but financial restraints and the responsibility of taking on a blended family when I remarried in 1998 made it impossible. Instead I took up a veterinary nursing course to educate myself more about the care of my dogs and it is probably this training that has made me such a fanatic for the "soundness of the breed".

In 2008 when all of our children had flown the nest, I registered with NZKC and Ashdale was born.

With dogs being such an integral part of family life, my aim is to produce quality, sound puppies that are true to type and have impeccable natures, that are suitable for pet or field. To meet these aims I have carefully selected my breeding dogs and they ALL undergo testing for currently testable hereditary disorders, with NO exceptions, before they are considered for breeding. My girls have a maximum of 4 litters in their breeding life.

When my girls are ready for retirement they may be placed in suitable pet homes where they will receive one on one attention and are free from the hustle and bustle of a busy kennel.I love to keep in touch with their owners and where practical, make the occaisonal visit. Their legacy will live on in the youngsters they have produced that I have retained for showing and breeding. In this way, my lines are constantly improving and I am able to offer people both soundness and quality.

Each of my dogs is loved exclusively, as if they were the only one here, and they enjoy daily "off lead" forest walks and individual weekly trips to the local beach.

In recent times I have "dabbled" in the showring in order to make sure my dogs conform to the breed standard. It hasn't taken me very long to realise how much time and effort goes into producing a "beautifully turned out", "obediently run", and "perfectly stacked" dog. I commend those breeders whose hard work and dedication we have to thank for exhibiting some of the most outstanding examples of the breed today.

But whatever facet of the "doggy world" you are interested in, whether it be in the showring, the field, or just having that special friend in your life, as long as you are enjoying your dog, then that is what it is all about. My dogs have brought so much joy to my life and if I can pass that joy on to others through my puppies, then the journey has been worthwhile.