My prefix, Heathkeeper's was acknowledged in 1996. I bred two
bullmastiff litters with a quite nice success. There are Heathkeeper's
bullmastiffs in five different countries. Half of all my breedings are
Champions. Heathkeeper's Bullmastiffs have also won several Winner
Titles. One of the greatest moments with bullmastiffs was when Int &
Fin & S & Lt & Est Ch, FinW-02, BaltW-05, BaltW-06 Heathkeeper's Be With
Me went BEST IN SHOW at Swedish Bullmastiff Clubs Specialty 2005.
After lots of consideration I decided to finish breeding bullmastiffs.
The main reason was the loss of motivation and so many disappointments.
Naturally I am still involved with the breed. Bullmastiffs gave to me
many dear friends around the world. And of course I want to give my
support for Heathkeeper's Bullmastiffs owners as long as they need.
The top winning bullmastiff breeder at the moment in Finland, Satu Timlin (kennel Bullgrin's) took over my breeding lines and continues bullmastiff breeding from where I finished. Since the moment Satu took the bull by the horns has the bullmastiff breed quality raised a lot in Finland and I can indeed sleep calm at nights. =) All my respect for the work that Satu does with the breed.
I started to search a small breed. I wanted a breed with challenging
coat, cause I felt every now and then that it was too "easy" with
bullmastiffs. I wanted a breed that was lively and confident enough to
live in family with children. Most of all, I wanted to find a healthy
breed, after everything I had been through with bullmastiffs. I’d
earlier lost my heart in 1998 at Helsinki World Winner Dog Show to the black
miniature schnauzer, a legend called “Uffe”. Uffe was BIS-5 at that huge show,
and I remember that I just couldn’t get my eyes off of him. So years after it was
quite clear, that miniature schnauzer was my breed, and thanks to “Uffe”
my color was and is black.
I’m not sure was it destiny or what, but it was extremely crucial to
find my first black miniature schnauzer Iida and her breeder Mikko Samuli. It is hard to even
describe, how much sacrifices Mikko did for me, as he compiled me to
become a valid miniature schnauzer owner. He drove hundreds of
kilometers for teaching me. Another person who has deeply influenced to
me and my learnings is Nina Suhonen, who has shared huge amount of
information and her amazing skill of grooming. Mikko and Nina never
turned their backs to the newcomer. They patiently learned, learned and
learned. My deepest bow to the both of them!
The biggest influence for me with this dear hobby is Irish (lives in Sweden) dog genius Mr. Gerard O'shea. I have attended 3 times to Gerard's handling course and those courses gave me much more expertise than 10 years active competing at the dogshows before the courses.
However the course what influenced me the most was Gerard O'shea's Dog Anatomy Class at my hometown in fall 2007. Like the pieces were finally put together. The course last for only 2 days, but it imprinted totally my breeding stances - not mentioning the view from the groomer's aspect. It's unbelievable feeling to hobby, compete, breed and groom, while you can realize you really know something about what you are doing and why (not just imagine that you know). All my praise to Mr. Gerard O'Shea.
My aims to breed black miniature schnauzers are very high, but still trying to be realistic. My studs and
bitches will always be the top quality and health examined. I aspire for
the best. Therefore I do co-operation with other breeders in Finland and
other countries too. Sharing information is important part of successful
breeding. My target is to breed not to produce. Everyone of my
combinations is the result of long consideration.
As a breeder I aspire to give my puppies the best possible start for a
good and happy life. The new family is responsible for what life brings
with it. I would love to hear about all the joy that the dog gives to
it's family, as much as I want to guide, advice and help with the all
problems that comes by. Every single dog bred by me is equal. I'll give
my support for my puppy owners for the rest of the dogs life. Every dog
earns happy and carefree life.
At this far my puppy owners have been very active people and I have had
a good connections with them. The years have build many strong
friendships with new owners. We are like a big family! -There's always
room for one more.