Conny Loest bought her first Bobtail in 1971 as a young 15-year-old girl. She attended her first show on May 28, 1972. It was in Neumünster, Germany, at the Holstenhalle. This hall is still standing, and Conny still runs through the show ring. The first litter, “Aus dem Elbe-Urstromtal,” was born in July 1973. Now, 53 years later, puppies are still being born in the “Elbe Urstromtal.” A proud 185 champions of my breeding make me very proud.

From 1988 to 2018, I bred Bearded Collies under the kennel name “Firstprizebears,” also successfully producing 125 champions. This kennel name and breeding program are continued in Ireland by Justina Maisule.

I am neither a judge nor on the board of any club. I am a member of the DOESC and the Norwegian OES Club; that’s it.

Why did I go to such great lengths trying to convince my dear Chris van Beirendonk-Lembrechts to bring the Euro OES show to Belgium again and put in the colossal amount of work?

Quite simply: this fantastic event must stay alive! Chris will be 70 in December 2025, and I in June 2026. That’s old… so this show is a slow beginning of my farewell to the OES, my beloved breed, for which I have dedicated more than 55 years of my life. I had to endure a lot, couldn’t do a lot, but also had many fantastic encounters and have great memories.