Wyn-D-Hill Pekingese


This story really begins when I was a teenager. My mother and I were doing the dishes a few weeks before Christmas. She asked me what did I want for Christmas and I replied, “A dog”. There was a pause and she said, “What else do you want for Christmas?”


I was a child that grew up in several homes. My mother a young widow went to work and we lived with “relatives”. The only pets I ever had for any length of time were guppies. At Easter my grandmother would buy me green (blue, pink) baby chickens. They were given away to “the farm” when they started to fly out of the box. We had a canary for a while, until I knocked the cage over and my grandmother used chloroform to put the bird down.


So when I was 19 years old, I moved to Seattle. What did I want as a new bride for Christmas? Well a dog of course. I lived walking distance from a pet shop. My husband bought a puppy, a Pekingese. This male puppy was six months old and a son of the Best in Show winner Ch St. Aubrey Argus of Wellplace who was a son of Ch Ku Jin of Caversham. Why was this puppy and its littermate in the pet shop? It happened that the breeder of this litter of two males became hospitalized and her husband gave the puppies to the pet shop. A bit of luck came to my door. I called him Santa.


Santa was an outstanding puppy from excellent bloodlines. I began to read books on the breed, attended a dog show and generally fell in love with the breed. Little did I know that this would become a life long passion?


This was the time of the Vietnam War; my husband was transferred to Germany. My Grandmother agreed to become the surrogate parent for two years. While living in Germany I realized that life was empty without a Pekingese. We contacted the Caversham kennel in England, but by 1966 they no longer were breeding and selling dogs. So locally we found a kennel that had to order a Pekingese from Denmark. This puppy was a descendant of Ch Goofus Bugatti. He was no show dog but quickly became the love of my life.


After two years in Germany my husband was discharged from the Army. I returned home to the Pittsburgh area. My grandmother had become very attached to the little dog she had cared for in my absence. I was fine with that as I had my Danish dog as my house pet.


My Grandmother died only a few weeks after my return to Pittsburgh and the night she was admitted to the hospital I took her dog home with me with promises to take “good care of her”.


My Grandmother had a favorite chair that she sat in with the peanuts on her lap. This chair was taken to our summer cottage after her death. The following summer as we opened up the summer place, I never thought of the connection. As I unpacked my “stuff” I noticed that the Peanuts was sitting on the chair and shivering. Something in her had sensed the memory/presence of Nanny.


The Western Penna Kennel Association show was my first attempt to go into the ring. I had gotten the entry form and with the help of another peke owner, I entered my import in the Novice Class. Sam was the only dog in the Novice Class that day and I was extremely proud of the blue ribbon and silver plate he won. Weeks later I received a letter from the AKC explaining that an imported dog could not be shown in the Novice class. I had to return my ribbon and trophy and my win was declared invalid. I don’t know how my mistake must have affected the points that day.


Mrs. Dorothy Quigley was a giant in Pekingese in the late 60’s. She had a marvelous kennel near Lock Haven, PA. I purchased a “show prospect puppy” from her for the outrageous sum of $150. Nai Jai Mi Tu of Orchard Hill was shown in the puppy class for the entire summer and never won a point. As I look back on his Best of Breed show photo (being the only peke entered) I realize that he was a sound dog with a beautiful Orchard Hill face but long in body and did not carry enough coat. My 8mm movies now on video show that I was not able to make the best of the dog I was showing.


My first litter of puppies was a joy. I was hooked. I still had the desire to do some winning with a “good dog”. I contacted Marvel Runkel who was the owner of Int Ch St. Aubrey Argus of Wellplace. She had a young male for sale, Runkel’s Top Secret. He became my first Champion. The hobby was progressing. It was necessary to purchase a house that was dog friendly. I was pregnant at the time but found the perfect place on the outskirts of Jeannette, PA. My daughter Monica came home from the hospital to our new home, Wyn-D-Hill.


I purchased two more show dogs from Marvel Runkel and Pat McCann, Pat-Tez Sir Camelot(Willy) and Copplestone Pu-Zee-Toi (Toi). Toi went on to win a 4-point major at the WPKA show to finish his championship. It was a big day for me as my competition was the famous Elaine Rigden showing the newly imported Oakmere the Baron.


In a moment of insanity I agreed to take a 2 year old Afghan female from a couple that could no longer keep her. I spent hours removing more mats than I could imagine. Do you know how big the body of one of these dogs is compared to a peke? The next day the dog took me on a chase around Wyn-D-Hill the chase convinced me that she was to find her way back to the place she came from, in better shape than when she arrived. NO charge.


My personal life was not so successful. After a nasty physical altercation, divorce proceedings began. I was at the time a student at the Westmoreland Hospital School of Nursing. I had no job or income and a three year old. My Grandmother gave Monica and me a temporary home while I completed the last weeks of my education.


All the original dogs were sold in order to pay for food and living expenses. At Christmas the Nursing staff at Westmoreland gave me a bundle of gifts to give to Monica from Santa, as I had no money to buy anything that year. I was able to get food stamps and some help from the Salvation Army. The day after graduation I moved to Lock Haven, I was hired at Lock Haven Hospital as a surgical nurse, 11-7 on the strength of my grades without a personal interview.


For two years there were no dogs in my life. Two weeks before Christmas 1974 I met Jon McCracken. We were married and moved to Jersey Shore, PA. Monica was now in first grade and I was ready for another dog. Jon McCracken had a friend who had an Irish setter. He wanted an Irish. We went to Fee Phillips who was a licensed Judge for Irish and a breeder. We purchased a 6-month-old female puppy again as a “show prospect”. We started showing the Irish at matches and some point shows and found that this was no show dog. Tara was sent to a field trial handler to be trained on birds. She competed at a trial in Georgia and could barely find her way back. The handler was kind in that he said she had been too tall and had no talent.


I was becoming frustrated with the Irish setter game and contacted a breeder in England. I wanted a parti-color female from the Jamestown line. On Thanksgiving Day 1975 Chophoi Carousel (Carrie) arrived at the Pittsburgh airport. She had been bred by Sadie Stagg and sold to me by another breeder.


She was 4 months old and so lovable. Monica enjoyed teasing the puppy and the puppy began a life long mutual dislike for her. She was my dog. However, put a lead on her and Monica could do anything. She had the heart of a show dog. Sadly, not the confirmation to go with it. She did win a few points and actually went to the Westminster, winning reserve WB when she was in her best coat.


Carrie became the foundation bitch of the Wyn-D-Hill line. She was bred to Michael Wolfe’s Bracewell Giacomo and gave us a wonderful parti bitch Wyn-D-Hill’s kiss of Buddha (Panda). Panda was sent to Patty Mullendore to be bred to Ch Muhlin Boogaloo and produced 4 female puppies including Champion Wyn-D-Hill’s Magic Trick. That litter also gave us Wyn-d-Hill’s Magic Mist who was Best Puppy in Match at the Canton Ohio Pekingese Speciality. Patty Mullendore(Metzger) gave us a male out of Ch Muhlin Boogaloo in exchange for one of the females Muhlin Magic Kiss of Wyn-D-Hill. This puppy Ch Muhlin Magician of Wyn-D-Hill (Butt) became a Best in Speciality winner and a multiple group winner. The combination of the Boogaloo line and the Jamestown gave us many winners. Butt sired my favorite bitch of all time Ch. Wyn-D-Hill’s Black Queen. Today Lorna Flanagan’s line comes down from this lovely bitch.


Junior showmanship became a driving influence in Monica’s teenage years. A particolor cocker spaniel was added to our family specifically for the Junior ring. Holly was a great kids dog. When the school bus was a mile down the road she would begin to get excited as her kid was coming home. Monica’s grooming skills increased. She had to compete in the Breed ring against the famous handler Ted Young. Despite being the “kid”, she was able to put some points on Holly and we were off to the Madison Garden.


I went through a phase with a Japanese Chin. She was a parti color and imported from Canada. One morning as we were exercising the dogs Rachael didn’t come back. When I returned home from work I had a message on my answering machine. “Are you missing one of your dogs?” Rachael found herself a new home with the neighbor next door.


During the height of Wyn-D-Hill’s breeding and winning several outstanding lines were introduced. This included a breeding of our Ch Ho Man Dee Wee Tina of Wyn-D-Hill to Ch St. Aubrey Laparata Dragon. Our Ch Heathgyll Alouetta was bred to Ch. Paladin’s Sneaky Pete. This litter produced one female Wyn-D-Hill’s I’m Sneaky Tu that was later bred to Ch Mike Mar’s China Dragon, multiple best in show winner.


My professional life was coming along great. I got my Bsed from Lock Haven University and began working as a school nurse in Williamsport, PA. I completed a Msed at Mansfield University in the next two years. At the same time, Monica and I were running a grooming kennel. The income from the grooming paid for the purchase of a Motor Home to go to the shows and the ever-increasing entry fees.


My personal life was not a happy one. I had planned to get a divorce from Jon McCracken when Monica graduated from College. I was working on my PhD at Penn State when the opportunity came along for me to travel to China where my beloved little pekes originated.


In 1985 I met Hamp Hoffman on the trip to The Peoples Republic of China. I came home and filed for divorce from Jon McCracken. I was in better shape financially than during the first divorce. The Wyn-D-Hill dogs of this time were placed or sold and life went on. I kept for my house-dog Wyn-D-Hill’s I’m Sneaky Tu (Charm) who was a daughter of the Best in Show winner Ch Paladin’s Sneaky Pete.


A few years past and Monica who was now in College came home with a young puppy, Hyacinth’s Beach Bubble blond (Pipsqueak). She was a granddaughter of the Great Ch. St. Aubrey Laparata Dragon. She was bred by Patty Pytlak who owned some of the old Wyn-D-Hill dogs. Her sire was Ch Wyn-D-Hill’s Mighty Dragon (Scotty). In time Pipsqueak was bred back into the Magician line. The result was our sweetie Fanny (Wyn-D-Hill Magician’s image). Fanny was bred to a male in the Hi-Jinks kennel who was line bred to the Boogaloo line.


The litter that resulted included our Best in Show winner, American and German Veteran Ch. Hyacinths Merlin of Wyn-D-Hill and his litter sister Ch Hyacinth’s Ariel of Wyn-D-Hill.


Monica having graduated from Penn State with two degrees lived at this time in the Altoona area. She worked for the Penn Cambria school district teaching Spanish. In her spare time, she took up the dog grooming business and began to breed her own line down from the Wyn-D-Hill Stock. On a summer vacation to Europe she met and fell in love with Georg Huckestein. The following June, she sold her home, quit her job and moved with 2 of her 4 pekes to Germany. Georg and Monica were married a short time after 9-11. She started showing in Germany when it was clear that her puppy out of Merlin was outstanding. Zoe (Wyn-D-Hill’s Magic Pixie) completed her German championship. However, this wonderful little bitch hates dog shows. She’ll do it but she isn’t pleased. A wonderful mother in the whelping box and a special favorite of Georg she has a place of honor in Altenkleusheim.


I retired from Pennsylvania School Nursing in 2000. In 2002 Hamp was diagnosed with lung cancer. Hamp smoked most of his life before 1981.Though he was a non-smoker for our 17 years of marriage, The cancer had taken hold. He took his last breath holding my hand. In the five months we prepared for his death, I began to look at my future in Pennsylvania.


I was faced with living alone. I worked with a teacher who once worked for the Defense Department overseas. With this in mind, I applied on line for a school nursing job overseas. I had a short phone interview and was hired.


I had 7 pekes and Monica’s cat in Watsontown. I placed my Laparata Dragon Daughter in a pet home. As tragedy falls after tragedy one of my females died the day after she arrived in her new home in NY and Ch Ariel was put down because of a serious pyometria two days after Hamp died. I arranged to send Suzie to Monica as I sold the house and had multiple yard sales. The Government was kind enough to move all my household goods, including my dog equipment, and my van to Europe.


On August 3, 2003 I left Philadelphia with Merlin and his daughter Wyn-D-Hill’s the Enchantress (Chloe). Chloe was the last puppy Hamp and I raised together. I lived for 3 years in Holland about 2 hours away from Monica and family. Merlin won Best in Show at age 5 at his first show in Germany. We were back at it again.


Monica on one of her trips to the states, brought back a black AKC Champion owned by Lorna Flanagan. Ch Foursome’s knoble rainbow did some big winning with Monica and went back to America with a German title in March of 2007.


In the last year I moved from Holland to Germany. Our numbers have begun to increase. I purchased from Gwenn Nash a parti bitch that went on to finish her Dutch and International Championships Katering’s Candle Chandra lee. The next year we purchased a wonderful puppy from Bert Easdon of Yakee fame. This is our Yakee’s this’ll do nicely (Kiera). Kiera finished her German Junge championship and will soon compete in the open classes. Chloe was bred to the World Champion Pekingese of 2002 Ch Carteneshof I believe in you. Her son Wyn-D-Hill’s Tarot Card won Third Best in Show puppy at Maastricht, NL before going to his new home in Belgium.


The high point of 2006 was the Pekingese speciality in Koln, Germany. Merlin then age 11 won the Dog “Jahre Sieger” award and Chloe his daughter won Best of Breed Speciality and the Bitch “Jahre Sieger” award.


In Feb. 2007 I traveled to Oregon to the home of my friend and soul mate, Gwenn Nash. . I brought back to Germany two of the Katering puppies. Katering’s Parti-On Wyn-D-Hill (Carson) and Katering’s KarmaLeeta of Wyn-D-Hill (Sandi). Carson has won a Best in Show Puppy in Germany and a Third Best in Show Puppy in Holland.


I took my Ch. Hyacinth’s Merlin of Wyn-D-Hill to Gwenn with the goal of preserving the Boogaloo line. Gwenn has a wonderful large kennel with lots of young bitches that could be bred to Merlin. After 4 months in Oregon Merlin died in his sleep after a 24-hour illness. We don’t know at this point if the last breeding will produce any puppies. We hope and pray.


So the parti goes on.