Introduction; 

During a journey to London in 1975 to visit Crufts, I immediately fell in love the shape of all the well-dressed bobtails lined up on the ring. This natural and instinctive attraction to the breed was so strong and forever anchored (I knew it later in my life), that I promised myself to get a puppy in the near future.

Chance did it well. At the end of that same year, my "partner" Dominique Prin and I adopted Beldon Yves Panda, a female from England with Rellingsea, Wrigthway and Reculves pedigree. In 1977, she had her first litter with the Bobbingay Stallion Plainsman of Ambelgait, and became French Champion in 1979. From this first litter, we kept our first French Champion mare with our kennel name, Des Korils d'Armor.

In the early years, we imported several subjects from England with different origins but with a similar morphotype - Oldoak, Hartington (Siblindy) and a daughter of Pockethall New Shoes. From 1975 to 2006, date of our last litter and until 2015, death of our last dog, many bobtails occupied our life and gave us happiness.

During these thirty years, the Korils d'Armor kennel produced a dozen French champions and several subjects were well known and well rewarded on the French rings. In the 1980s, our bobtails were the stars of an advertising campaign for Pedigree Pal - newspapers, posters and TV spots re-launched the Old English Sheepdog breed in France, which became very popular. A few years later, there were more than 2000 births by year in France.

It is a great honour and a real joy to take part in this 34th Euro OES Show 2023, to meet again known and unknown faces and especially to live this beautiful spectacle that is a European Old English Sheepdog Show.

With regards, Jean-Paul THUAL