GEHAM - Mrs Maureen Bell: 2008

I was born in late 1921, the fourth child in a family of six. We grew up in idyllic surroundings in the North Devon countryside with everything you would expect to find in the way of country life pre. World War 2. From an early age l can remember my parents showing Great Danes, while we played with our various dogs and horses. One of my earliest memories of interaction with animals was riding a fat Shetland Pony which bucked me off frequently, but this did not deter me as l continued my love for horses and ponies for the next ten years. I went on to ride show ponies up and down the country for various owners which unfortunately meant no school until l was 15 which l will cover a later post.

My first encounter with Bull Terriers was due to my mother's hunting friend who bred and exhibited them. At the young age of 11, l accompanied my mother on a visit to her friend's house and can remember my mother pulling up outside the house, going to the door and ringing the bell before running back to the security of the car. I was slightly confused by this but realised soon after that th

e two White Bull Terriers living within where exceptional guard dogs. After admittance and being shown to the drawing room, movement was not advisable until the owners appearance. My mother was not keen on Bull Terriers as you can appreciate but l fell in love instantly and from that day onwards l helped with their eight Bullies. I spent many happy days with Mrs Channer's (sitting on the right horse)Bull Terriers and knew then that l would only ever want one breed of dog. This would not happen for many years as my mother would not allow one in the house and also l could not afford one.

As we lived in the countryside hunting was a massive part of our lives and we w

ould go 2 days a week during the winter. Nothing would be thought of leaving on our ponies at 7am in the morning following our mother on a 10 mile hack to the meet. We would hunt for 5 hours and then ride all the way home which might be further than we had rode in the morning and then our ponies had to be rubbed down, fed, watered and put to bed before we could enter the house. My love of hunting and watching hounds working has continued to this day and l believe it was a great loss to countryside life when it was banned a few years ago. At the age of 14 l was given the honour of being blooded by the huntsman, which in them days was like the trophy of the chase and the mask still hangs in my hall (pictured above).

That is all for this installment, and l hope you have enjoyed my first little entry. I hope any Anti hunt people will not be offended by the last paragraph but hunting in my early life was very much a part of country life. Below are some pictures which are all titled.

Thirteen, l think.

My family riding to the meet with my mother in the middle.

My mother.

My friend Michael and me.

The Hunt.

I have only know Maureen for 6 years, a very short period of time in comparison to her many years in Bull Terriers. I started to attend a few shows with her in early 2007, showing her lovely Geham Roderick and l'm sure many have seen me at the various shows around England, now that Roddy is not showing as much l don't go as Maureen doesn't require help with the dogs. The fact that Maureen has nothing to show at the minute won't keep her in the house however and for a woman in her late 80's, she shows an immense passion to attend everything and anything that relates to her beloved breed.

I have persuaded Maureen who many will know is as stubborn as a mule, to do a Blog of her life experience's and what she does now in relation to the Bull Terrier Club, of which she is the President at the minute. Hopefully we will cover many things that all reading will find interesting and as l said to Maureen "anything published in the future on this Blog will be here for life", l have listened to many stories that Maureen has shared with me and l find them amazing. These are memories that should never be lost and surely her experience with these lovely animals is better shared with all Bull Terrier lovers. All post's from today will be in Maureen's words and she will dictate the posts and l will type them up! After she has read the post and is happy, l will publish it and please leave a comment or question for Maureen and l am sure she will reply!

Today we have been to the Bull Terrier Welfare Show at a wonderful establishment for dogs which boasts a Hydrotherapy Pool and several large training areas. Tomlinson's Can

ine Centre is not far from the M1 and is situated between Nottingham and Leicester in a small town called Markfield. To give you a brief insight into Mrs Bell's passion, she gave me no end of grief in order to assure l attended with a few dogs. I eventually broke under the intense pressure and once again ended up having a cracking time with the three dogs l took. Although it rained heavy, we where able to move into the large purpose built hall for the majority of the show. The auction was extraordinary and Ron Scott who was on the mic for most of the day deserved a medal as l think he drew the maximum from the punters pockets. The different classes where run with everyone having fun and the story of one particular little Red Bullie bitch, who was found wandering in the London Underground and ended up in the care of Battersea Dogs reminded us all why we where there supporting these less fortunate animals. This bitch is now re homed and happy with Naomi Kerans! My Greyhounds and ten year old Lab. faired well throughout the day, picking up many prizes, the French Bulldog won Best in Show(the little bugger) which he deserved and other dog that stood out for me was the funny coloured Great Dane Bitch who was gorgeous and picked up Prettiest Bitch. I was disappointed when Maureen who was Judging Waggiest Tale gave first to a white Bullie owned by Ann Cosgrave and Wallace, my Lab. had to settle for second, we where robbed, lol. My highlight was winning the egg and spoon race and after a fantastic day l will definitely return to defend my title next year, all being well. Some pictures are below of the day and finally l would like to thank everyone who made this a great day!