Our Story
In the last almost 40 years of my life, if someone asked me about my favourite breed, the answer has been always THE COLLIE. My love for the breed started in my very early childhood. On the way to the kindergarden there lived collies in a house, and I admired them every day, and dreamed once I will also have one. When I was 15 finally my dream came true and I got my very first collie. In May of 1995 arrived CASSANDRA-SKEEPS BLACK FELICIA "JESSIE" to our family. As an absolute newcomer I had no idea, that we have to buy a puppy only from a breeder, but not from trunk of a car. I just knew I want a golden sable female. We went to a marketplace with my parents where I fell in love with a tricolor puppy girl, who sit very elegant and confident in the trunk and I knew immediately I need her. I had incredible luck as I found a real treasure. I never wanted to attend dog shows, but her breeder, Zsolt Marton (Cassandra-Skeeps Collies, Dombóvár) told me, that her father ROCLYNN KINGS MINSTREL is a double World Winner and Jessie is also very promising for shows. I did all may best to raise Jessie acccordingly. But for me it was much more important, as a teenager she became my best friend, my soulmate, who read in my thoughts and followed me everywhere as my shadow.
When she turned 1 year old we tried her on a dog show. It was a very small show where the judge admired her, she said fantasic things about her. Jessie won her class, she became not only BEST OF BREED, also won the group. It was a kind of drug for me. I wanted more and more of it. So we started to go to shows and Jessie became a successful show dog, collected Hungarian Champion, Hungarian Grand Champion and Veteran Champion titles.
Her first puppies were born on the 4th of December 1996 by the Int.Ch KŐAKÓI UTAH (owned by Péter Harsányi). Some of her puppies from this litter were shown, but her second litter brought us the first real success. At that time began my friendship with Elena Balázsovits (Nyitramenti Collies), who teached me a lot and I am still very grateful for. On 18. June 2000 was Jessie’s second littter born by an amazing golden sable boy, INT.CH NYITRAMENTI CAPTAIN BLOOD. One of her daughters STONEHAVEN BEST WISHES went to Slovakia, where she was a successful show dog.
The smallest and cheekiest daughter I kept for myself, she was STONEHAVEN BASIC INSTINCT „Bunny”. With her we achieved many successes, she was two times Hungarian Clubwinner, in 2003 she was choosen to BEST HUNGARIAN BRED COLLIE. She had several CACIB and BEST OF BREED titles, but we never finished the International Champion title. (Probably reason was the lack of my persistence.)
HCH HGCH HVCH STONEHAVEN BASIC INSTINCT "BUNNY"
Meanwhile two more lovely females joined my team. HCH HGCH ROLLING STONES AMANDA AT STONEHAVEN „Szaffi” a dark-sable girl out of Jessie’s daughter STONEHAVEN AMIABLE FACE and King Charles of Cassandra-Skeeps. MEMORY VON CAVALCANTI „Milka” (Blueroyce Midnight Arrow – Handsome Blue v. Cavalcanti, bred by Frank Barthel) came home with me from my summer practice in Germany. Szaffi became a successful show dog with her fantastic topline, wonderful movement and shaded mahagony color. She had two sons from her only litter, sired by the english gentelman SAMHAVEN ADDICTED TO LOVE (owned that time by Alexandra Török): STONEHAVEN CASHMERE TOUCH and STONEHAVEN CALIFORNICATION had some lovely wins as juniors. Milka was not really a show dog, and unfortunately she was also not lucky in breeding, but a happy family dog, she died in our house with 14 years.
HCH HGCH HVCH ROLLING STONES AMANDA AT STONEHAVEN "SZAFFI"
MEMORY VON CAVALCANTI "MILKA"
STONEHAVEN CASHMERE TOUCH "CLOPO"
MILKA, JESSIE, SZAFFI AND BUNNY
From Bunny we had two litters. The first litter was born in 2005 by the amazing BRILYN DIAMOND DISCOVERY (owned by Zeljko Todorovic, Zexwood Collies) living in Serbia. From this litter we kept the sable daughter STONEHAVEN DEWY DAWN „Daisy” in co-ownership, and at the age of 3 years we bought back a beautiful sable sister DIAMONDS ’N PEARLS „Jessica”. Both of them had successes on show, but we never could raise a litter from them. Bunny’s second litter was born exactly a year later by RANGER V. BELVEDRE (owned by Nyitramenti Collies). We kept the girl STONEHAVEN EARLY DAWN „Lara” and HCH STONEHAVEN EASTER BUNNY „Cindy” became the foundation bitch of Nóri Mankovics’ SUNMORE COLLIES after a successful show carreer.
STONEHAVEN DEWY DAWN "DAISY"
STONEHAVEN DIAMONDS N' PEARLS "JESSICA"
STONEHAVEN EARLY DAWN "LARA"
HCH STONEHAVEN EASTER BUNNY "CINDY"
In April 2007 was my first daughter born, Zsanett. She drove my attention from the dogs and breeding and a few months after her birth we had to say goodbye to my beloved Jessie, who was very ill that times. She was still the best babysitter ever, who slept always next to the baby and warned me excited when she was awaken.
Loosing Jessie was an incredible pain for me. I felt I just got a miracle from sorrow, but one was same time taken. I felt I never ever want a new dog, because I can bear that pain again. But in a few weeks, I just got lost in a pair of eyes, and I knew he would be able to help me to get rid of my pain. So joined NYITRAMENTI YACHTMAN our family in August of 2007. Reggie became my next soulmate. He was a very successful show dog, he achieved HJCh HCH and HGCh titles and won intermediate class on Euro Dog Show. In breeding he was not lucky, from many matings he never ever had a litter. I think this was the first slap in the face which drove me to a very drastical decision.
HJCH HCH NYITRAMENTI YACHTMAN "REGGIE"
In 2009 my second daughter Nikolett was born. This time the last litter was born under STONEHAVEN prefix, out of Lara and a lovely masculine tricolor RINEWELD TIME OF BLACK KNIGHT (owned by Erika Lissai, Rineweld Collies). Unfortunately non of the 3 pups became a show dog. Followed by numerous unsuccessful matings and a completely lost litter. At that point I felt, breeding gives me only pain and disappointment instead of joy and happiness, I decided in 2010 to give up dog breeding completely. I payed all my attention to my family, stayed away from shows but loved all my dogs as family members.
In 2013 a real tragedy happened. My beloved Reggie died in leptospirosis in a few hours at the age of only 5 years. He died in my arms while 3 vets were fighting for his life. I was heartbroken and didn’t understood why this happens to us. Meanwhile I used to bring our other dog, Jessica untiringly to treatment, she was also affected and followed Reggie in four days. My family collapsed.
"Where there is desire, there is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns, doesn't mean you're gonna die
You gotta get up and try, and try, and try..."
It is often said, if a door closes, an other opens instead, but that time I could not see it from that view. When I drove home from Jessica’s last journey the Pink song „Try” was played in the radio, and my tears were falling like rain. I knew I have to stand up and survive anyhow, but till today I get tears in my eyes when I hear this song. My dear friend, with whom we were in very close friendship for many years but anyhow in breeding we had always different ways, gave me incredible help to stand up, for which I cannot be enough grateful ever. She had puppies from AMALIE LYNMEAD DO YOU LOVE ME „OLIVER’S” one and only litter, from which she wanted to keep a female for herself. As I had no more breeding ambitions, we got „Lola” BORN TO BE YOUR PS I LOVE YOU in co-ownership, to love and live with while she will breed with her a few litters. This was the historical moment when we celebrated our first co-owned collie after so many years of friendship.
I was still interested in having a male, one who could be my soulmate instead of Reggie. In August of 2013 I just fell in love with the eyes and I know immediately I found him. I had goose-flesh when his breeder wrote me, he was born on the same day as Reggie. There was no question I wanted him. To be honest I still don’t understand, why his breeder Dora Richter (Scottlyme Collies, Belgium) decided to give this georgeous puppy even for me, but for me it was the world’s best decision and I will be grateful for ever. So became SCOTTLYME MIDAS TOUCH my dog. Midas and Lola has totally new blood line compared to my old dogs, only one common point in each pedigrees. Midas is descendant of father of my first collie, ROCLYNN KINGS MINSTREL. In Lola’s pedigree there is SAMHAVEN ADDICTED TO LOVE from whom my C litter was born.
I started again attending shows with Midas and Lola. They both became very successful show dogs and they lived with us as real lovers. As they were old enough, there was no question to have a litter by them. As I eagerly wanted to keep a female from this litter, came the idea, Lola’s first litter should be registered under my own prefix, which was changed meanwhile to STONEHAVEN PRIDE according to FCI regulations. So was the STONEHAVEN PRIDE „G” litter born on the 12. November 2015 and started