So much of our recent news has been about the youngsters that I am delighted to share these lovely new pictures of some of our Golden Oldies. The splendid old gentleman below is B.Brigand, who will be celebrating his sixteenth birthday shortly. Brig belongs to the Hassell family, who have had Brambledales since the 1970s and currently have three. Picture two is of their B.Barley (Griff), who was fourteen on May 1st.....and these lads are kept young by their G-G-G-nephew, Finn (B.Bill Brown), who will be a year old next week.

 From fourteen year old Griff (above), to his equally spritely litter sister - Elisbabeth Heron-Watson's Bluebell (B.Brimstone, below), who, like Griff, puts up with a lively young relative .... her great-niece B.Brora, who was a year old in February. Elisabeth and Charles have also had Brambledales for many years, together with a succession of delightful wire haired dachsunds.

It is interesting to compare these veterans with the younger Brambledales. Brigand is a son of my B.Banner (see her on our 'nineties' page) and was sired by Ch Brenrigas Double Take, while Griff and Bluebell  were in my very last show-bred litter, which was sired by Moonhill Knight of the Stars and out of B.Brighde ( who then went on to produce my first working-sired litter) .