Brian's dog ownership started with a Border Collie mix named Sweep.  When Brian decided to move to the United States from England, he had to leave Sweep behind.

Jeanne's first dog as a child was Starlight, a mixed breed (part poodle, part spitz), and she lived to be 14 years old.  Her next dogs were two female German Shepherds (Duchess and Princess) from local pet stores.

After marrying and living on Long Island, Jeanne and Brian purchased a female German Shepherd (named Striker) from a local breeder.   After losing Striker, they purchased another female Shepherd named Inca from the Monks of New Skete in upstate New York.  They moved to North Carolina when Inca was just 3 years old. 

After losing Inca to a spleen issue, they switched to Golden Retrievers when they decided they wanted to get involved with Pet Therapy. Their first Golden was a male named Hunter (in the photo), then a female named Topaz.  They currently have two Goldens (7 year old female littermates) named Ruby and Jade.

Brian and Jeanne joined the Durham Kennel Club in 2003 to be with other members with common interests in dogs and performance classes.

Since joining DKC, Jeanne has been teaching Rally classes for 10+ years and is also involved with Obedience, Agility, Pet Therapy and Tricks.

Brian's proudest moment was when he and Ruby earned a High in Trial in Novice CD Obedience a few years ago.