I have had purebred dogs all my life. My family's registered Labrador Retriever had a litter of 10 puppies when I was just 3 years old...there began a love of purebreds and puppies that would last a lifetime. 

I grew up in a small mill-town in Ontario, Canada. As a young teenager I saved my own money that I made with paper routes, baby sitting, and bottle collecting, eventually purchased a Rough Collie in 1987, and started showing as a Junior Handler under the mentoring of a local handler. I earned a Top Junior Handler award in 1988 (Northwestern Ontario region) with a Weimeraner, and a Group 1st placement (as a junior) with a Keikewabic Alaskan Malamute. I greatly enjoyed the whole aspect of dog shows, and would sit at ring-side for hours... admiring all the different breeds and recording every class, breed & group win in the catalogues from start to finish. Many shows were away from home, from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Winnipeg, Brandon & Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. I quickly picked up show-grooming techniques and also assisted in teaching handling classes in my home town.

With limited showing in select shows only, I have owner-handled my own dogs to Best of Breed wins, Group placements,
Best Puppy in Specialty Show wins, earned many championships, as well as 2 obedience titles.

The "Kaboom" registered kennel name, celebrating year 10 in 2005, has 6 home-bred champions to date: 3 Great Danes - 2 named below, as well as "Ch. Kaboom's Free Spirit" (shown in Alberta), and 3 Boxers "Ch. Kaboom's Legacy Of Rowenda", "Ch. Kaboom's Hearts On Fire", and "Ch. Kaboom's Benjamin Brat". Two more Boxers (out of my stud dog Jackson) also earned their Canadian Championships: Ch. Kaboom's Cookie Twix, and his sister Ch. Kaboom's Caramilk Secret. These littermates were previously owned by me but now in other homes for showing/breeding/companionship.

I have owner-handled the following dogs to their Championships: Ch. Bonnie's Krystal Dancer CD (Rough Collie owned by Joanne, bred by David & Darlene Salter), Ch. Kaboom's Brand New Shoes (home-bred Harlequin Great Dane), Ch. Kaboom's Dark Spirit (home-bred Boston Great Dane), Ch. Ajays He's Instyle At Kaboom (Boxer co-owned by Joanne with Ajays Boxers), Ch. Ajays Kaboom Sinfully Yours (Boxer co-owned by Joanne with Ajays Boxers), Ch. Kaboom's Hearts On Fire (home-bred Boxer), and Ch. Kaboom's Benjamin Brat (home-bred Boxer). My 2004 litter produced Ch. Kaboom's Racetrack Trophy Girl, and in 2005, Kaboom's Demerara Sugar. Currently I have no Boxers living with me - the ones I have remaining under the Kaboom kennel name are all co-owned or sold to loving homes where I can show/breed them and they get all the attention they deserve. This arrangement works out well for everyone involved.

My own obedience dogs have been my first Boston Great Dane "Kacey", (pictured below, the "KA" part of Kaboom)
who finished her CD (owner trained & handled by me) with a final qualifying score of 192.5;

 ...and my Rough Collie "Krysti", (pictured below at Somenos Marsh, Duncan BC) who earned a High In Class award
and her 1st obedience "leg" at age 6 months (owner trained/handled by me). 

Krysti and I went on to win 2 more High In Class awards, and I finished her CD by the age of 12 months.
I also finished Krysti's CKC Championship with a 4-point win at the Tyee Kennel Club show in Mill Bay BC in 1992.

I have several years of pet related business management, two years of pet related business ownership (with the creation in 1999 of "In-Style Pet Grooming" in Victoria BC),  past memberships in two all-breed dog fanciers clubs, two individual breed-clubs and the Dogwood Boxer Club (briefly as editor of the club newsletter Dogwood Tattletail, then as a member of the Executive in 2003. Current membership is with the Canadian Kennel Club.