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Pioneers of Swedish Shelties - History of the Shepherd's kennel

by Sonja Wakefield
photo Einar Hauffman, courtesy ASSA:s archive

Let us make a quick flight back in time and land in Sweden in 1930. This was the year when the first Sheltie set his feet on Swedish grounds. Captain Einar Hauffman and his wife Anna had decided to import a Shetland Sheepdog to Sweden. It was Connis of Redbraes, who soon was to be followed by other imports. The kennel prefix Shepherd’s was registered on November 6, 1931, and the dogs from this kennel would dominate in the showring up to the mid-1950’s.

Einar Hauffman was Commander Captain in the Royal Swedish Navy and had never had a dog before, apart from the dogs kept onboard the ships. His wife Anna had a dog before she married.

Why it was decided to get a dog for the family remains unknown, but Einar Hauffman was warmly recommended to import the breed during a contact with the secretary of the Swedish Kennel Club. There were no Shelties in Sweden at the time but the secretary described them as a very nice breed. Perhaps it was the very fact that there were no Shelties in Sweden that persuaded the couple to import the breed, a decision that would lead to intense and passionate development work with the breed for thirty years to come.

So the first Sheltie arrived in Sweden at the end of 1930. It was the tricolor Connis of Redbraes (Dondy Pontiff - Nighean Beg), followed in 1931 by Kilravock Mignonette (Tilford Tam O’Shanter - Kilravock Maree); both came from Miss Thynne, kennel Kilravock. The same year, the bitch Larkbeare Apricot Flan (GB Ch. Gawaine of Cameliard - Larkbeare Rainey Gingercake) arrived.

"Flan," or "the Baroness" as she was called because of her distinguished manner of putting up one leg, nodding her head and yawning - came from Clara Bowring who at the time was the secretary of the English Shetland Sheepdog Club.

Kilravock Mignonette arrived in whelp with Kilravock Specks and became the dam of the very first Shepherd litter born October 7, 1931. In this litter were two CC-winning daughters; Shepherd’s Attractive Ayescha and Shepherd’s Aristocratic Amazon. Ironically, Mignonette ran away after her litter. S Ch. Connis of Redbraes and Larkbeare Apricot Flan became the sire and dam of the second Shepherd litter born the month after on November 17, 1931. In this litter was the very first Swedish-born champion Sheltie, S & DK Ch. Shepherd’s Butterfly.

The family Hauffman lived in Stockholm during 1927-32 and their Shelties were joined in the fashionable apartment at Östermalm by two Wolfhounds. The dogs were exercised along Strandvägen quay, and during supper all the Shelties lay under the linen cupboard so that only their noses were sticking out; the Wolfhounds lay in the hall. They were all very well behaved. During the summers, the family moved down south to the city of Falsterbo and all the dogs, including the two Wolfhounds, were transported there by train.

In the autumn of 1932, the family moved to Lyckeby near the city of Karlskrona and further imports arrived; S & DK Ch. Netherkeir Chief and Kedale Molly, both with blood from the Chestnut-Mountfort lines. Later, Bawdwin of Cameliard was imported, whose pedigree included dogs such as GB Ch. Gawaine of Cameliard and GB Ch. Riverhill Rufus. Around the same time, Runlee Playtime was imported. Among his ancestors were GB Ch. Peabody Panache, GB Ch. Tilford Tay and GB Ch. Moneyspinner of Exford. A third import around this time was Helensdale Dainty Maid (Helensdale Rob Roy - Helensdale Flora), a granddaughter to GB & AM Ch. Rob Roy of Page’s Hill. She was imported in whelp to Pibroch of Page’s Hill, but unfortunately she and most of the litter died.

In 1932 the breed debuted in the show ring. Connis of Redbraes became a champion and the first Swedish-bred Shepherd bitches, Shepherd’s Attractive Ayescha and Shepherd’s Butterfly, earned their first certificates. In May 1934, four of the Hauffman dogs were also shown in Denmark; Shepherd’s Flying Master, Shepherd’s Butterfly, Neitherkeir Chief and Larkbeare Apricot Flan. This drew quite some public attention as it was the first time ever the breed could be seen in Denmark! The judge was an Englishman, Mr Chris Haulker, who gave the certificates to Netherkeir Chief and Shepherd’s Butterfly.

In 1935 the Hauffmans moved to Kättilstorp in Nättraby and the breeding continued with increased eagerness. Shepherd’s Butterfly and Netherkeir Chief were once more shown in Denmark and received certificates, which resulted in them becoming the first Shelties ever with the title Danish Champion.

In 1936 the first international show was held in Denmark and the Hauffmans were once more there, this time with the youngster Shepherd’s Lorna Countess, a daughter of Kedale Molly, who got the certificate from the judge J. W. Marples. In Denmark no further shows were held before 1948.

Blue Merle From Germany

The war made the breeding program difficult at Shepherd’s and importing from England became impossible. In September 1942, however, a German sable dog was imported. This was Merkur vom Rehof (Weaver of Wyndora - White Lady of Wyndora). At Christmas 1943 he was followed by the two first blue merles; Caro- and Donna von der Alpspitze, both heavily white-factored, and Elga von der Alpspitze (Sg.Pajtas von der Alpspitze - Raina von der Alpspitze) with blood from, among others, GB Ch. Uam Var of Houghton Hill and GB Ch. Blue Blossom of Houghton Hill. Elga was black and white from a blue-blue mating. Caro won one certificate in Sweden.

The Wolfhounds disappeared during the war but were replaced by Miniature Silver Poodles and Shih-Tzu. Anna Hauffman was the specialist and Einar wrote and did research. Their mailbox was always filled with correspondence - after the war with letters from foreign friends James Saunders (Helensdale) in Scotland, Sangsters (Exford) in Cornwall, Owen Gwynne Jones (Callart), Mary van Wagenen (kennel Sea Isle in the US), who for many years was the ASSA Historian, and Catrine Coleman (kennel Sheltieland in the US), one of the first American Sheltie breeders and founder of ASSA (American Shetland Sheepdog Association). Catrine Coleman remained active in ASSA up to the 1970’s and bred the first American-born Champion bitch Sheltie AM Ch. Miss Blackie, born May 30, 1931. There were also letters from the Chairman of ASSA at the time, Mr. William Gallagher, kennel Page’s Hill (mainly built upon the Scottish Helensdale lines), who bred the first American-born champion dog, AM Ch. Mowgli, born July 2, 1931.

Tricolor Produced A Blue Family

The 1946 imported tricolor dog Helensdale Black Prince "Darkie" (Fydell Startler - Helensdale Biddy) made it possible to start a blue family at Shepherd’s. Among others, he mated Shepherd’s Silver Maiden, and in 1949 Shepherd’s Blue Etiquette was born, the first Swedish blue merle Sheltie to win a certificate and CACIB.

"Darkie" became the sire of many champions and certificate winners. His great grandfather was GB & AM Ch. Rob Roy of Page’s Hill (Helensdale Emerald - Helensdale Nugget), first Sheltie ever to become champion in both England and America.

American Imports Impossible Due To The dollar Crisis

Einar Hauffman also corresponded with Miss Whelen, an American breeder of enchanting blue merles with the prefix Pocono. From this kennel the Hauffmans bought AM Ch. Blue Treasure of Pocono and AM Ch. Blue Elegance of Pocono. Everything had been arranged. They had been transfered at the AKC, money was sent to the New York City Bank, and before shipping they were to be mated. While waiting for the mating and because of the dollar crisis, the Swedish Government suddenly decided to cancel all import licenses, including those where money had been deposited but not discharged. It proved impossible to persuade the Swedish authorities to grant the import of these two bitches so all the work had been in vain. Einar Hauffman deeply regretted this as he had seen it as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to import "two of the best blue merles in the world." The Hauffmans were so certain that they would have them in Sweden within a short time, they had a kennel folder printed during autumn 1947 picturing a photo of AM Ch. Blue Treasure of Pocono. (See page 36 in the Handbook)

AM Ch. Blue Elegance of Pocono was shown in the US in Einar Hauffmans name shortly before the planned export and she won BOS. A rosette was all that was left of the expectations, the joy, the plans and all the trouble the Hauffmans and Miss Whelen had experienced. It took approximately 45 more years until an American Sheltie finally came to Sweden.

Contacts With The Friend James Saunders

The interest in dogs extended to Einar and Anna Hauffman’s son Claes, who in the summer of 1948 visited the Saunders family in Scotland and Constance Sangster’s kennel Exford in Cornwall. Claes Hauffman eagerly followed the breed’s development in the US and subscribed to the first American Shetland Sheepdog magazine - Shetland Special - that started in 1949. He also finished his judge trainee education but married in 1951 and moved to Stockholm from where he could only follow his parents work with the dogs from a distance.

Many of their foreign Sheltie friends visited the Hauffman family, and James Saunders was one of them. He judged the Swedish Kennel Club show in Gothenburg in September 1947 and stayed a few days, together with his wife Jessie, at the Hauffmans in Kättilstorp. At the show, the Hauffmans showed, among others, S Ch. Shepherd’s Kilham (Shepherd’s Nick-Nack - Shepherd’s Cascade), who was BOB and BIS-4, and the tricolor puppy Shepherd’s Hobby (Helensdale Black Prince - Shepherd’s Warpaint), who won the certificate and BOS with the following write-up: "

...an outstanding eight month black-tan-white puppy, well defined, cleancut head and ears, nice body outline, good legs and feet, free mover with a bright future."

Hobby later became both a Swedish and Danish Champion.

The interest in refining the breed intensified during the late 1940’s. A caretaker was employed at the farm, and kennel maids helped look after the many dogs. Dogs sometimes died by accident, and distemper killed many dogs. One that survived distemper was the 1946 import Helensdale Shepherdess (GB Ch. Fydell Round Up - Fydell Satisfaction), whose dam was a litter sister to Helensdale Gentle Lady (GB Ch. Nicky of Aberlour). Shepherdess was herself a full sister to GB & S Ch. Fydell Round Robin (born 1947), imported to Sweden in 1951 by Birgitta Östergren, kennel Stormkappan.

Well Filled Library

Einar Hauffman was also an eager photographer and collector of Sheltie books, pedigrees, photos, magazines, Swedish as well as foreign material. The library at Kättilstorps was not just for decoration; the books and magazines were well read. When Miss Margaret Osborne asked Einar Hauffman for help to supply some missing links while working on the English Handbook, Mr. Hauffman was not only pleased to provide the information but also honored to do so. Because of his interest in photography, he lent every prospective Sheltie buyer 10-15 photos to enable them to form an opinion about the dog they were thinking of buying.

Not Only Imports

The Hauffmans imported a lot of Shelties but exports were also sent to Poland, Germany, Denmark and Norway. In 1939, for example, the certificate winner Shepherd’s Reflex (Runlee Playtime - Shepherd’s Smaragd) was exported in whelp to Germany. Other German exports during the 1940’s were Shepherd’s Upas (Shepherd’s Oliver - Shepherd’s Effect), Shepherd’s Warman and Warbaby (Runlee Playtime - Shepherd’s Cascade). About seven Shepherd Shelties went to Denmark but some additional ones were exported from other Swedish kennels that had started their breeding with the Shepherd lines.

In 1950 the Hauffmans imported the sable dog Helensdale Herdsman. James Saunders had an accidental breeding in his kennel in 1949 when GB Ch. Helensdale Bhan jumped a fence and mated his dam Helensdale Gentle Lady. Only one puppy came out of this mating; Helensdale Lone Star, later renamed and better known as the charming and ever so popular "Roddie," GB Ch. Helensdale Ace. Roddie won his first CC at the tender age of six months and went Best of Breed at Cruft’s in February 1950 where he earned his Champion title at ten months of age. Soon after, he was shown at the Scottish Kennel Club show in Glasgow, where he won his fourth CC and went Best Puppy all breeds that day.

Helensdale Herdsman was by GB Ch. Helensdale Bhan - Helensdale Aviatrix. Aviatrix was the dam of Gentle Lady, so Herdsman was nearly the same breeding as Roddie. Herdsman won one certificate in Sweden.

The Hamilton plaquette

Through the years there was intensive planning, studying and experimenting going on at the Shepherd’s kennel, all to improve and refine the breed. The standard was inside the Hauffmans’ minds and with this in sight, they continued their breeding program for thirty years. Einar Hauffman died in 1960 and the passionate work with the Shelties stopped. Anna Hauffman died in 1972, without dogs.

Einar Hauffman had received many honors as a Commander Captain in the Navy but the Hamilton plaquettes that he and Anna received from the Kennel Club for their excellent breeding practices were to him "The most important awards of all!"

Clas, Anna and Einar Hauffman

Shepherd's Lives On

Those who think that the pioneer work at the Shepherd’s kennel is pure history and that the dogs from these early imports no longer live on need to reconsider! Although breeders have imported eagerly through the years, I would say that the import that has meant the most for the modern Swedish Sheltie of today was Kedale Molly. She was imported by the Hauffmans in 1932 and forms the somewhat unique family 26, according to the English Charts. What is unique with this family is that it does not exist in the breed’s home country, England. Kedale Molly’s dam, grandmother or great grandmother did not leave any further offspring in England to breed on. It is only Molly that in the Nordic countries has formed the family line 26.

The English Charts are built with a "line" for the dogs and a "family" for the bitches in a straight line running down from a specific founder. This founder has often been the dog or the bitch as far back in the pedigree as it has been possible to trace the ancestors. Lines can contain bitches, just as the Families can contain dogs. In both cases the lines and families stop when they appear in the "incorrect" place, as a dog, for example, cannot make a family live on.

I have searched the pedigrees presented in the galleries in this Handbook as well as in the earlier Handbooks for dogs tracing back to the Shepherd Shelties and I was surprised when I found Kedale Molly and family 26 dominating among both the Swedish show winners as well as the obedience winners of today. For example S Ch. Gordon Bell Dream of Fame (Sheltie of the Year 1993), S & N Ch. Thoco’s Victorian Style, and granddaughter S Ch. Ohinima’s Indian Plume. Victorian Styles litter sister S Ch. Thoco’s Vanity Fair has four certificate winning daughters with the Maribell prefix. Through S Ch. Baronets Daybreak and on through Baronets Apple of My Eye, Kedale Molly runs on to S Ch. Moorwood Theme For a Dream and her winning offspring Int S & N Ch. NV-92, SV-93 Moorwood Theme of A Memory, her certificate winning daughter Windcrest Make Up Girl, and the winning Norwegian dog Int S & N Ch. Moorwood Handsome Tradition.

Through the Smedjenäs Shelties Kedale Molly lives on through, among others, S & N Ch. Surfing’s Barbie Socks and the certificate winner Surfing’s Babuschka.

Successful obedience dogs (not continuing the family as they are dogs) are, to mention just a few; LP S LCh, S Ch. Smedjenäs Dreamboy, S LCh. Int S & N Ch. Älvmarkens Emil, S LCh. Smedjenäs Seb and S LCh. DKELCh Smedjenäs Amaretto.

Through Manhems Shelties the Shepherd bloodlines also live on. These, however, trace back to a later Shepherd import, Helensdale Donna (Helensdale Son ‘O’ Ace - Debutante of Doshell). She became the dam of S Ch. Shepherd’s Absint (x Helensdale Lorne), who is the dam of one of kennel Manhems foundation bitches, Blockhusets Tina, bred by the now deceased Uno Urborn. Helensdale Donna belongs to Family 13.

I will not go through all the winners here but refer you to the Charts I have drawn up to show how strongly the Shepherd’s live on in our Shelties of today.

Many thanks to: Claes Hauffman, who shared memories from his and his parents’ early work with the Shelties. ASSA Historical Committee; Pat Ferrel, for giving me access to archive material such as correspondence and photographs and Bob Miller, for verifying pedigrees. Flemming Larsson, Denmark, who supplied me with the Danish charts, which made searching for Shepherd’s Shelties in Swedish pedigrees so much easier. Special warm thanks to Sue Ann Bowling, Deryni Shelties in Alaska, who inspired me to write this article and who answered my endless questions, scanned photos and old newspaper cuttings, and took the time to send all this to me electronically. Without these contributions this article on the Shepherd’s - or the Charts presented on pages 41-43 in the Handbook - would never have been!

© Copyright Sonja Perklén

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This page was last updated 1998-03-11
© Sonja Wakefield

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