Welcome to my new website where I hope you will find lots to interest you, whether you are an exhibitor, breeder, judge or just a committed dog lover.

I owned my first pedigree dog, a Boxer, in 1963 when I was just eleven years old and he fired a passion for the whole world of dog showing and breeding which has never left me. My first Champion was a Pekingese but my TRAGBAND kennel name was subsequently carried by several Champion Beagles and Afghan Hounds. My “heart dog”, Ch TOO DARN HOT FOR TRAGBAND, universally known as Ada, held the breed record for CCs won by a Beagle until recently.

I started judging dogs when in my late teens and awarded my first Challenge Certificates, to Pekingese, in 1977. Ijudged my first Championship Show Toy Group in 1981 and in 1988 my first Best In Show at a General Championship Show in the UK. Subsequently I was approved to judge all seven of the Groups. I have judged extensively overseas, officiating in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia, Barbados, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines, Italy, France, Holland, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Croatia, Russia, Belarus, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Hungary, Iceland and Ireland.

As a schoolboy English was my favourite subject and I always loved writing. I was able to utilise this within the sport, first writing for OUR DOGS and then DOG WORLD for which newspaper I wrote a weekly column – GOING AROUND – for more than thirty years, acting as Consultant Editor for several years before the publication’s sad demise.

I have contributed regularly to several periodicals around the world and am the author of THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO JUDGING DOGS, BEAGLES TODAY and THE PET OWNER’S GUIDE TO THE BOXER. I edited THE ULTIMATE ROTTWEILER and with Anne Rogers Clark, the legendary American judge and writer, I co-edited THE INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF DOGS.

On the website you will be able to access many of the articles I have written over the years.

More recently I have presented several online Zoom Webinars which have proved very popular and links to these can also be easily found on the site.

Over the years I have had the opportunity to interview many of the icons of our sport and lots of their wisdom has been included in the Webinars.

My involvement with purebred dogs has allowed me to travel the world, meet some amazing people and get my hands on countless outstanding dogs. I hope that this website will allow you to share some of the pleasure that dogs have given me.