About Fergustaff
My name is Leanne Ferguson.
I first started showing dogs about 15 years ago. After about 5 years I acquired my first Stafford, and this was the beginning of my addiction.
As a child I was brought up with various Terriers, mainly Patterdales, Lakelands etc, this was back in the days when hunting with dogs wasn’t so frowned upon. I remember my father and I going hunting, my job for the day was to look after the ferrets. There I was in my welly boots, thick sweater, waterproof jacket and my box of ferrets under my arm. I felt very proud that my father had put me in charge of them. I also remember my mother looking at me very despondently when I arrived home, soaked through to the skin and not smelling particularly pleasant, but I very rarely caught a cold and must have been the fittest 8 year old around.
I suppose looking back I thought that if I was ever going to own a dog of my own it would be a Terrier, but that wasn’t quite what happened.
The first dog I owned was a Golden Retriever. his name was Max, and he was a rescue dog. My friend ran a Training Club, and when I mentioned to him that we had decided that it was the right time for us to get a dog he happened to know of one which was in desperate need of a home. His owner had separated from her partner, and her circumstances were such that should could not keep him. Unfortunately she had left this decision a little late.
We found Max in a smelly, dirty stable, his beautiful coat matted beyond belief. We opened the door his eyes blinked as light filtered in on to him. Goodness only knows when he had last seen daylight. The drive home was very upsetting; I could see the poor state of this dog, yet his tail wagged all the way. A few months later you wouldn’t have believed this was the same dog, his coat had grown back and he was the picture of health. I decided to take him to a couple of shows and he did very well.
He lived out the rest of his life with us.
Now you're probably wondering how we went from a Gundog to a Stafford?Let me tell you how it all began:
About 10 years ago we acquired our first Stafford- Our neigbour owned a Stafford, and when our eldest was very young he used to play in the garden with him, he was always so gentle and protective. My husband fell in love with the dog, whose name was Fluke. A few years later our neigbour called us over to see a young dog which Fluke had sired He explained to us that he had taken the dog back as the owners couldn’t cope with him.
The dog's name was Blaze. Blaze was a huge Red and White dog and just like his father had a wonderful temperament. Blaze instantly became part of our family. Being brought up with Terriers from a very early age it seemed natural to have him with us.
As they say the rest is history.
My family consists of my partner Tony, our two children Jordan and Connor. Jordan doesn’t really show much interest in the dogs, but Connor however is obsessed to the point of distraction.
I am lucky enough to have a great job with makes allowances for my addiction, I also write the SBT Breed Notes for: www.showdogsuk.com
Several canine societies have been kind enough to add me to their judging lists:
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier C list
- Notts and Derby Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club
- Downlands Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club
- North East Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club
- Chihuahua Breed C list (Both long and smooth coat)
- Midland Chihuahua Club
- Chihuahua Club of South Wales
In addition I am a Committee member of the Western SBTC, and Vice-Chairperson and Show Manager of the Tavistock and District Canine Society.
I am a member of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of Devon and Cornwall.
