ABOUT US
Our family was captured by the toller bug in 2000. After reading
everything I could get my hands on to do with tollers, visiting many dog
shows, visiting with many owners of tollers at their homes and stalking
various breeders for two years, Trio, was entrusted to us by Alison
Strang of Westerlea Kennels in January 2003. Our little red ball of
fluff has gone on to earn titles at both ends and is now known as CH Westerlea's
Kasomor Trio CDX WCX SH.
We are a family who has become totally absorbed in everything toller!
Our tollers are fully integrated into the life of our family; they are house dogs who have full run of the house and go everywhere with us, including holidays. While our dogs are the family pets, my days revolve around them. Yes, my husband and children are aware of this and they have become very adept at fending for themselves while mom is out doing stuff with the dogs!
I "retired" in 1990 and have been a stay-at-home mom since then, with a husband and two teenagers. I wanted a performance dog; one who could be shown successfully in CKC Conformation Shows. Trio fit the bill perfectly. With a little encouragement and a LOT of help I was introduced into the world of dog sports beyond the show ring. I became interested in working Trio in the field and in competitive obedience.
I went on to train Trio in obedience and in the field while taking show-handling class. Yes, we were doing those all at the same time! She earned her Championship, her Companion Dog Obedience title, and her Working Certificate title all before 16 months of age. Trio was awarded the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Club of Canada (NSDTRCC) Dobirstein Award in recognition of her versatility.... and I was hooked!!
When Trio was two years old I started duck hunting.
Yes, ME, a woman, from a non-hunting family, with a husband that is so totally NOT into hunting it is ridiculous. However, my family is wonderful in supporting me in what I have come to love to do with my .... our... dogs. My son has become an avid duck hunter as well. It's GREAT mother x son bonding time!!
In August 2007 we kept a female pup, Tikka, from Trio's third litter. We didn't introduced another toller into our family up to this point because I felt I could not do justice or have the time to do all the activities I wanted with Trio if I had another dog at the same life stage as she was. With almost 5 years between the two girls I knew I could meet their individual needs.
I didn't just want a couple of tollers running around being lawn ornaments, looking pretty...I wanted to DO things with them!
More importantly, tollers are at their happiest DOING things. They thrive on being active with their people!
Tikka has followed in her mother's footsteps. Before her first birthday Tikka had earned her Championship, four Best Puppy in Groups, a Best Puppy in Specialty Show at the NSDTRCC B.C. Regional Specialty Show, and a Best Puppy In Show at an All Breed Show. During that time she also earned her Junior Hunter and her Working Certificate titles. Since then she has gone on to earn her Working Certificate Intermediate and Excellent titles, her obedience Companion Dog, Companion Dog Excellent, Obedience Trial Champion titles and her Senior Hunter title.
Tikka was the CKC 2nd Top Obedience Toller in 2011 and again in 2013...and she has retrieved more then a 100 ducks per year since turning a year old and joining us in the duck blind. We also hunt pheasants together.
Tikka is a great dog who does everything with confidence and ease. At the moment, Tikka's official name is "BPIS BPISS Multi BPIG OTCH CH Kasomor"s Wack 'Em N Stack 'Em SH WCX CGN.
We are a family who has become totally absorbed in everything toller!
Our tollers are fully integrated into the life of our family; they are house dogs who have full run of the house and go everywhere with us, including holidays. While our dogs are the family pets, my days revolve around them. Yes, my husband and children are aware of this and they have become very adept at fending for themselves while mom is out doing stuff with the dogs!
I "retired" in 1990 and have been a stay-at-home mom since then, with a husband and two teenagers. I wanted a performance dog; one who could be shown successfully in CKC Conformation Shows. Trio fit the bill perfectly. With a little encouragement and a LOT of help I was introduced into the world of dog sports beyond the show ring. I became interested in working Trio in the field and in competitive obedience.
I went on to train Trio in obedience and in the field while taking show-handling class. Yes, we were doing those all at the same time! She earned her Championship, her Companion Dog Obedience title, and her Working Certificate title all before 16 months of age. Trio was awarded the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Club of Canada (NSDTRCC) Dobirstein Award in recognition of her versatility.... and I was hooked!!
When Trio was two years old I started duck hunting.
Yes, ME, a woman, from a non-hunting family, with a husband that is so totally NOT into hunting it is ridiculous. However, my family is wonderful in supporting me in what I have come to love to do with my .... our... dogs. My son has become an avid duck hunter as well. It's GREAT mother x son bonding time!!
In August 2007 we kept a female pup, Tikka, from Trio's third litter. We didn't introduced another toller into our family up to this point because I felt I could not do justice or have the time to do all the activities I wanted with Trio if I had another dog at the same life stage as she was. With almost 5 years between the two girls I knew I could meet their individual needs.
I didn't just want a couple of tollers running around being lawn ornaments, looking pretty...I wanted to DO things with them!
More importantly, tollers are at their happiest DOING things. They thrive on being active with their people!
Tikka has followed in her mother's footsteps. Before her first birthday Tikka had earned her Championship, four Best Puppy in Groups, a Best Puppy in Specialty Show at the NSDTRCC B.C. Regional Specialty Show, and a Best Puppy In Show at an All Breed Show. During that time she also earned her Junior Hunter and her Working Certificate titles. Since then she has gone on to earn her Working Certificate Intermediate and Excellent titles, her obedience Companion Dog, Companion Dog Excellent, Obedience Trial Champion titles and her Senior Hunter title.
Tikka was the CKC 2nd Top Obedience Toller in 2011 and again in 2013...and she has retrieved more then a 100 ducks per year since turning a year old and joining us in the duck blind. We also hunt pheasants together.
Tikka is a great dog who does everything with confidence and ease. At the moment, Tikka's official name is "BPIS BPISS Multi BPIG OTCH CH Kasomor"s Wack 'Em N Stack 'Em SH WCX CGN.
Our third toller is a Tikka daughter born in 2014 "Kasomor's Pop 'Em N Drop 'Em". Kimber, is a going concern that thinks everyday has been created just
for her amusement. I have high hopes for her in the field and we will
dabble in the show ring and obedience as well but for the moment I'm
just along for the ride!
Tollers are a very active breed, capable of excelling at a variety of dog sports, if time is devoted to their training. They can be destructive if their endless energy is not channeled into a positive activity. My thinking is if you don't have the time or energy to devote to providing your toller with a lot of DAILY exercise...get a cat. A busy toller is a happy toller...and has a happy human too!
We are fortunate enough to live in Chilliwack, an hour drive from Vancouver, which is a dairy farming based community in the Fraser Valley here in Beautiful British Columbia Canada. We live three minutes from the Vedder River to the south and fifteen minutes from the Fraser River to the north. Cultus Lake is within a ten minute drive also. Mountain hiking trails abound. It's simply a toller paradise. Swimming holes, sites for field training and duck hunting are unlimited. I also belong to a duck and pheasant hunting club.
My main efforts go towards field training now, while hunting over the dogs during duck season. I continue to show and do competitive obedience as time allows.
With Tikka almost ready to run Master, Kimber coming along in her raining and Trio as the official "Master Seat Warmer Truck Dawg", it's great to be able to trade off between the dogs and lengthen out my training day. Hey...just think....this gets me out of cooking dinner more often too!
Tollers are a very active breed, capable of excelling at a variety of dog sports, if time is devoted to their training. They can be destructive if their endless energy is not channeled into a positive activity. My thinking is if you don't have the time or energy to devote to providing your toller with a lot of DAILY exercise...get a cat. A busy toller is a happy toller...and has a happy human too!
We are fortunate enough to live in Chilliwack, an hour drive from Vancouver, which is a dairy farming based community in the Fraser Valley here in Beautiful British Columbia Canada. We live three minutes from the Vedder River to the south and fifteen minutes from the Fraser River to the north. Cultus Lake is within a ten minute drive also. Mountain hiking trails abound. It's simply a toller paradise. Swimming holes, sites for field training and duck hunting are unlimited. I also belong to a duck and pheasant hunting club.
My main efforts go towards field training now, while hunting over the dogs during duck season. I continue to show and do competitive obedience as time allows.
With Tikka almost ready to run Master, Kimber coming along in her raining and Trio as the official "Master Seat Warmer Truck Dawg", it's great to be able to trade off between the dogs and lengthen out my training day. Hey...just think....this gets me out of cooking dinner more often too!
Happy training in what ever activities you choose to do with your toller!
Linda, Trio, Tikka and Kimber
Linda is a member in good standing of;The Canadian Kennel Club
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Club of Canada (B.C. Director 2009)
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Club (USA)
The Dumbbell Obedience Club
The Golden Retriever Club of B.C.
The British Columbia Labrador Retriever Club
(no, we don't have a golden or lab but training groups are few and far between)
She is also a CKC Hunt Test and Working Certificate Test Judge, a CKC Canine Good Neighbour Evaluator
Linda is employed as an Obedience Instructor at Janice Gunn's TNT Training Center
Linda is a member in good standing of;
The Canadian Kennel Club
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Club of Canada (B.C. Director 2009)
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Club (USA)
The Dumbbell Obedience Club
The Golden Retriever Club of B.C.
The British Columbia Labrador Retriever Club
(no, we don't have a golden or lab but training groups are few and far between)
She is also a CKC Hunt Test and Working Certificate Test Judge, a CKC Canine Good Neighbour Evaluator
Linda is employed as an Obedience Instructor at Janice Gunn's TNT Training Center
