The 1950's

Keeshonds of the 1950's

With the arrival of the 1950’s and some economic recovery after the immediate post-war years the interest in breeding and showing began to really take off. In the keeshond breed some new names came to the forefront. Fred Greenwood and his wife Nan had met the breed during the 1940’s and were beginning to form the Wistonia kennel based on Evenlode and Van Zaandam dogs. During the 1950’s they made up thirty champions. It was the Greenwoods who succeeded in producing the solid cream leg (shown clearly in this photo of Ch Winzari and her son Ch. Westryton of Wistonia in 1958, below left) – until then nearly all dogs had dark shading to the knee. This is now rarely seen. (See photo of Billisa van Zaandam, daughter of Int. Ch. Billo van Zaandam at 11 months in 1958 below centre.) Two other champions made up in the 1950’s were Wot a Gal of Wistonia, (below left) and maybe the best-known dog of all time, Wrocky of Wistonia, who has been said to represent the nearest thing to a perfect keeshond ever produced. (see photo below right)

1958 Winzari and Westryton of Wistonia

1958 Billisa van Zaandam

Wrocky of Wistonia

1952 Wot a Gal of Wistonia

In the 1950’s Mollie Collins, who had been breeding under the Van Sandar affix in the United States since the 1930’s, returned to the UK and started breeding under the very successful Ven affix, although she didn’t make great strides until the early 1960’s. Her first champion was Merry Christmas of Ven (below) born in 1959. She was joined by Barbara Glover of Welford, who had previously been with Miss Hastings at Evenlode, and who helped with the Vens as well as breeding on a relatively small scale with her own affix of Welford.

The Van Zaandams were still going strong, with the new stud dog Billo van Zaandam (right) producing some very promising offspring, in addition to gaining his English and Irish championship. Another notable championship gained was Beron van Zaandam, (below) in 1955. He was a son of Ch Rayvalen Geron of Grovelyn (below) himself a son of Major of Broadcliffe, the first post-war champion.

1951 Billo van Zaandam

1961 Merry Christmas of Ven

1957 Beron and Prenita van Zaandam

After a very rocky start due to several prospective foundation bitches succumbing to distemper Margo Emerson started her Rhinevale kennel. Her first champion came in 1952 with Rapunzel of Rhinevale (right) daughter of Raphael of Rhinevale and Vesta of Summerleaze.

1952 Rapunzel of Rhinevale

1952 Rayvalen Geron of Grovelyn

1950 Verschansing of Vorden

This decade was the heyday of the Vorden kennel and Mrs Rene Tucker, culminating in Volkrijk of Vorden winning Best in Show at Crufts in 1957. She was pictured on the front of the Utility Group’s catalogue in 2010, a lovely surprise on arriving at Crufts that year! (right). She was born in 1954, gaining her championship in 1955.

Her sire was Verschansing of Vorden (left), himself another son of Major of Broadcliffe, and her dam Vorden Meg of Meadowrock. (right) Having reached such a climax Mrs Tucker may perhaps have felt she had gone as far as she could and the kennel was disbanded a few years later and she went into breeding Shetland ponies

2010 Crufts catalogue showing the 1957 BIS Volkrijk of Vorden

1954 Vorden Meg of Meadowrock

With the breed’s success at Crufts came recognition from a much wider section of the public, and for the first time the breed would occasionally be recognised in the street. It also paved the way for new people to come into the breed and possibly to start their own breeding lines. And so began another stage in the popularity of the keeshond.

1950 Heywood

1950 Muirville

1950 Vlieland

1950 Ravensknowle

1950's Vorden

1950 Kultz

1950 van Zaandam

1950 Vorden

1950's Summerleaze

1950's van Zaandam

1950's Billo van Zaandam

1950 Muirville

1950 Vanellin

1950 Wistonia

1950's Summerleaze

1950 van Zaandam

1951 Fik

1951 van Zaandam

1951 Windywhistle

1952 Evenlode

1952 van Zaandam

1952 Vorden

1952 Windywhistle

1953 Shaughmoor

1953 Vancautley

1953 Vorden

1954 Keesling

1954 van Zaandam

1954 Vorden

1955 Evenlode

1955 van Zaandam

1955 Vorden

1950's van Zaandam

1956 van Zaandam

1956 Mrs Fry the Spinner

1956 van Zaandam

1957 Ced-Lil-Day

1957 Evenlode

1957 van Zaandam

1958 Evenlode

1958 van Zaandam

1958 Vorden

1959 Lowden

1959 Holmeswood

1959 Lowden

1959 Rayeverne

1959 Vorden

1959 Mazelands

1959 Vorden

1951 Summerleaze

1951 Vanellin

1951 Vorden

1951 Wistonia

1952 Keesling

1952 van Zaandam

1952 Vorden

1952 Wistonia

1953 Summerleaze

1953 van Zaandam

1953 Windywhistle

1954 Evenlode

1954 Ravensknowle

1954 van Zaandam

1954 Vorden

1955 Summerleaze

1955 Wendees

1956 Evenlode

Mrs. Fry (left) used to spin the Kees wool that was sent to her from across the UK, and post it back to the Keeshond owner for knitting into mittens and woolly hats.

It was also Mrs. Fry who took in the two poor lost dogs whose story is such a testament to the Keeshond character. Andy and Ferdy were placed in kennels during World War II, while their army officer owner was away on service.

Their kennel was bombed and they escaped. They made their way from Dover to London on their own, (some 80 miles) evading the many attempts of kind-hearted and concerned people to capture them. They found their former apartment, only to find new people there, so they went on to where close friends had lived. Again, no-one they knew was there. During an air-raid a lady who kept a watch for lost dogs saw them and managed to bring the two terrified dogs into her house.

She nursed them back to health, and then set about trying to find somewhere well away from the bombing for them to regain their confidence. Mrs. Fry came forward and she and her husband looked after the two dogs with devotion until their deaths. Mrs. Fry and the lady in London who took the dogs in gradually pieced together their story from a disc round the neck of Andy.

Andy and Ferdy had made their mark on a number of people as they made the journey from Dover, and the most remarkable thing of all is that by pure chance, many years later, Mrs. Fry was to meet one of them. A man visiting a Keeshond-owner friend of Mrs. Fry had kept a kennel of greyhounds on the Dover - London road during the war and had managed to catch the dogs, and taken them to the police station, from where they had escaped and continued on their way. He told this story to Mrs. Fry, and she realised that the two dogs could have been none other than Andy and Ferdy.

Their original owner never came back, presumably missing in action.

With thanks to Gwendolen Wingfield Digby's book "My Life with Keeshonden"

1956 Mazelands

1956 Summerleaze

1956 Vorden

1957 Mazelands

1957 Rayeverne

1957 Vorden

1958 Gnomevale

1958 Waakzaam

1959 Rayeverne

1959 van Zaandam

1951 Summerleaze

1951 van Zaandam

1951 Vorden

1952 Summerleaze

1952 Mazelands

1952 van Zaandam

1953 Evenlode

1953 Summerleaze

1953 van Zaandam

1953 Vorden

1954 Ossen

1954 van Zaandam

1954 Windywhistle

1955 Summerleaze

1955 van Zaandam

1955 Windywhistle

1955 Vorden

1956 Evenlode

1956 Penbryne

1956 van Zaandam

1956 Vorden

1957 Shaughmoor

1957 Summerleaze

1957 Vorden

1958 Kamara

1958 Wistonia

1958 Wendees

1959 Holmeswood

1959 Kamara

1959 Mazelands

1959 Shaughmoor

1959 van Zaandam

1959 Wistonia

1959 Kamara

The photo above shows Mrs Wingfield Digby judging at Bournemouth Show in 1958. On the left is Doreen Le Gallienne with Huzaar of Windywhistle and on the right stands Fred Greenwood with Winzari of Wistonia.