I am a proud second generation fancier, breeder, and exhibitor.  My mother, Carolyn Bowers, founded our kennel with Pembroke Welsh Corgis in the early 1970's, which was when I began my Juniors career with Pembrokes and GSD's, although I wasn't very good at it.  I'm a great example of how with work and being allowed to show dogs that actually LIKE to show, you CAN get better!  Although my mother might have been more properly described as a multi-breed fancier (later a semi-professional handler and a judge), I fell madly in love with the first Whippet who came home with mother back in 1978, this being the remarkable but tragically injured Whippoorwill Moonstone ROM.  "Stoney" was a great introduction to both the best aspects of the breed (great bed dog, so beautiful, easy to groom, comical personality) and the not-so-great (Puppies on a constant mission to end their careers with freak injuries and will chase and try to kill anything in the yard that moves...).  Since that first Whippet, I've never really thought seriously about devoting my home to any other breed, although I maintain a lively interest in all the Hound breeds and some of the Toys, and like to help show them and judge them at more informal events.  But it is to Whippets that have I devoted my entire adult life in dogs.  

In my time in this breed, it has been my joy to exhibit dogs both owned and bred by Surrey Hill, and some truly fine Whippets who were not, to some excellent awards and have lost count of my homebred or owned/co-owned champions over the years both south and north of the Canadian border.  But as a person who has never had the luxury of hitting more than a weekend or two of dog shows a month, and also splits their dog competition time with many other great competitions our breed enjoys such as lure coursing, racing, Barn Hunt, Dock Diving and (in the past) obedience and agility--chasing rankings has never been my thing.  I appreciate the total Whippet as a world-wide breed, have utilized and/or owned Whippets from England, Canada, Australia, Europe, and Brazil in my program, and my view on this breed is informed by my observations over the years of the intersection between type, balance, proportion, and function along with deep dives into our breed's history.

In my private life, I am a Hospice Nurse, live with my grown son who is the best puppy raiser ever, and reside outside the city of Richmond, Virginia.  

I am proud to have been asked to judge the Sweepstakes at the Canadian National, given the strength of the breed in Canada and its importance worldwide to the fancy.