My tri colored spotted saddle horse Apache Shadow Taz
About Me
In first grade when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I answered “an artist on horseback.” After all, this wrapped up both my loves--Animals and Art—in one package.
Throughout my childhood we had every imaginable pet: newt, fish, turtle, parakeet, mouse, gerbil, hamster, guinea pig, rabbit, cats, dogs and even a horse! Art continued to be my favorite subject in school and it was my major in high school and college. I met my husband in high school and around the same time I fell in love with what I thought was the most beautiful dog in the world--the Samoyed! I asked my parents if we could get one but by this point in their lives they were pretty much done with all the pets and told me to wait until I left home. After I graduated from college I married my high school sweetheart and the day after our wedding day I picked up our first Samoyed, G’Jisas Negweh, a name suggested from a Native American woman I was working with, which translated to great white bear of the sky.
In the art field, I worked as a Graphic Designer and as an Art Director in advertising. It wasn’t long before I wanted another Samoyed, but this time I did my research and looked for a serious breeder with beautiful healthy dogs and met Sue Dye (Nerak), who pointed me in the direction of a litter with a puppy available. When I bought G’Jisas Jeeya, I was told she had promise as a show dog and I was given a contract to sign where I agreed to show her. I signed up for handling classes, started showing her, and after her first Best of Breed I caught the show bug. Samoyeds were our only breed for 18 years and we showed and finished many American and Canadian Champions from the bred by classes, with a few specialty wins, like the time I took a 5 pt. major with a 9 month old puppy I bred who competed against top winning Samoyeds with professional handlers on them.
We were also involved in obedience, therapy work, rescue and sledding. My father-in-law, William Hossler, who became an AKC and UKC judge later in life, came along with me in the early days to help me show dogs and he eventually caught the show bug too and started showing a lot of dogs for other people. Because he would come home with dog show magazines, my mother-in-law discovered a beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy in one of the magazines. He ended up buying her a
Cavalier puppy from Jean Tremblay (Halfmoon) of Canada to keep her company while he was away showing dogs.
After spending 12 years as a graphic designer, art director and graphic production manager, we started our family with a son and almost 4 years later a daughter. I stayed home as a full time Mother for 9 years until both children were in school. I went to graduate school at night while my children were young when my husband was home and eventually got my teaching certification and my Masters of Science in Education degree.
In 2006 my young children both fell in love with our first Cavalier, Heavenly’s Angelena, a tri-color out of my in-laws second litter. My son promised his Grandfather that if we got Angie, he would show her and as a 10 year old he ended up taking a Best of Breed with Angie when she was only 14 months old. My daughter, who is 4 years younger, also got involved with Jr. Handling and when she was only 10 years old she made it into the top 15 Jrs showing cavaliers.
Brenda Rath (Breven) and Carol Rose (Karlee) were my mentors showing Cavaliers in the AKC when I was new to the breed.
In 2015, while searching for a whole color breeder, Katherine Kates (Darane) encouraged me to join the original cavalier club, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, USA and I am a member of that as well as the Cavaliers of the Northeast Club and I am a member of the AKC Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Northeastern New York and Central Carolina CKCS Club. Cavaliers have been our only breed for 18 years now and I am proud to be recognized as an AKC Breeder of Merit.
Currently I have 5 cavaliers. A black and tan, CH Darane Jane Eyre, who I got from Breeder Kathy Kates. Jane is the mother of my Ruby boy (Phineas) CH Heavenly’s Carpe Diem CGC, TDN, FCAT, whose sire is BISS GCH Saranade Royal Charmer. Jane is also the mother of my black and tan boy Heavenly’s Night Sky (Joey), and my Blenheim girl CH Heavenly’s Shining Light (Phoebe) whose sire is CH Kinvaar All Fired Up. We also have a sweet black and tan, Heavenly’s Superpowers (Ellie), who is Jane’s granddaughter.
I started teaching art in my community at our public middle school right when my daughter entered kindergarten. Teaching art allowed me to share what I grew up loving to do in school and afforded me more family time, which of course included time with the dogs and time to create my own art.
In 2017 I was encouraged by Kathy Kates to bring my art to dog
shows and sell it. Over the Summer of 2017 I created 20 pieces of Cavalier themed artwork and took them to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club USA’s Specialty Show in Sturbridge, MA where I sold half of the artwork I had created. Not a bad beginning. When I returned home from the dog show I reluctantly joined Facebook after much encouragement from those I met at the show. I had really been avoiding social media because as a teacher I didn’t want to put my personal life out there. So, I opened a Facebook account with my kennel name, Heavenly Cavaliers, and invited new friends to my business page, Heavenly Cavaliers Artwork, and from there my artwork business took off.
I retired from Teaching to make artwork full time. It’s so exciting to make friends around the world that have the same passion and love for dogs that I do. Making art for other people makes them happy and that makes me happy!!
I will create art for as long as I can and that will always include a few dogs by my side.