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Chezs & Speedgun

Siamese, Orientals, Maine Coons & Whippets

My name is Cherie and myself and my husband Paul live in a small village near Doncaster and share our home with our wonderful family of cats and dogs. I am a qualified Veterinary nurse and work at a local surgery and Paul has his own business working mainly from home which between us gives us plenty of time to devote to our 4 legged family. 

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My love of Siamese started as a child and although I grew up surrounded by dogs, cats, horses and even snakes, I always wanted a Siamese! My dream came true when I eventually bought my own home and decided to get my first pedigree cat. I visited some shows and was captured by the show world and before long I was bringing my first Siamese cat home a chocolate tabby I named Cracker. It was not long however before I was back to the shows, and eventually ended up visiting a breeder and bringing home my first breeding girl a classic tabby oriental from the Metexa cats. This has established a long standing friendship with the Metexa cattery and I am eternally grateful to them for giving me the chance of bringing home Belle all those years ago.

I have been successfully showing Siamese & Orientals since and my prefix, Chezs, which was registered in 1999 with the GCCF is also registered with FIFe

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Gr Ch & Gr Pr & FIFe Int Gr Pr Chezs Blue Print

(Splash)

Whippets came into my life about in around 2006, having always loved the sight hounds and having lost my elderly Labrador, I decided to research the Whippet breed. Having cats I came across many people who advised me against any sight hound, however determined that introduced properly I could manage a hound I eventually came home with a Whippet pup named Jess. I very soon realised that Whippets and Siamese are very similar  in personality and that they actually make fantastic companions to each other!

Unfortunately Whippets, same as the Siamese are very addictive!

China arrived 4 years later and was the start of the Speedgun Whippets. Initially wanting to try my hand at showing I trained China for the show ring, however in the mean time I met a lovely lady named Trish who was very involved in Pedigree Whippet Racing. She introduced me to the fun of the racing and after attending a dog show and a Whippet race it was obvious which China enjoyed most. Many people confuse Whippet racing with Greyhound racing when in fact the 2 are very different. Pedigree Whippet racing is very much an amateur sport with no monetary gain and as many whippet owners will tell you is more of an excuse to meet up with other like minded whippet owners at the weekend for fun runs with coffee and cake for the owners!

In recent years we rarely race due to the lack of clubs in the area but instead we tend to do rally and trick training (Gertie is an avid trick dog!) We even regularly attend man-trailing which is a doggy search and rescue, for a sighthound is a great challenge as they have to learn how to use those long noses!

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Speedgun Fool Hardy (race name Fools Gold) 

on the podium after winning his final. Owned, loved and raced by our good friend Vanessa

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Me, along with some members of the Yorkshire Pedigree Whippet Racing Club during a Whippet racing demonstration at Pontefract racecourse

During our spare time we can often be found walking the dogs at the local woods or attending Whippet walks at the beach (Fraisthorpe is our favourite) I also attend cat shows up and down the country and am happy to arrange to meet up with anyone wanting to starting showing. Please do not hesitate to contact us about upcoming Whippet walks or cat shows.

Our recent addition (2018) of Maine Coons is all thanks to Paul who has always wanted one. When we first met and I pre warned him about the cats I remember him asking what breed (in the hope it was Maine Coons!) he had never had any dealings with Siamese & Orientals but grew to love them as much as I did. He still dreamed of owning a Maine Coon though and his dream was realised thanks to our good friend Julie Rees who allowed him to bring Talia home (with my firm compromise that he would brush her!) 

I had no idea having been a firm short haired cat person that I would become addicted to these fuzzy monsters!

Although completely different in personality to the shorthairs they do actually compliment each other well and get along perfectly and so was the start of our journey into the Maine Coon way of life!