A life with Collies An interview with Leslie Butler of Whitemoor Collies

COL: How did you get your start in Collies? Tell us about your first collie and how that shaped your life in collies.

Leslie: My first collie arrived on our door step in a snow storm on Long Island. My parents looked for his owner but no one claimed him so he stayed. One of my favorite memories is my sister and I playing checkers and "Brandy" would slide across the board and send the checkers flying everywhere! He went everywhere with us and was a loyal companion. He started my love of the breed. It was years until I was able to have one of my own but the bond that we formed made an impact on me.

COL: How did you decide on your Kennel Name "Whitemoor Collies?"

Leslie: My parental family is mainly Scottish, English and Irish. My maiden name is White and I wanted something to incorporate that heritage and the fact that collies are of Celtic origin. Our current house is on a promontory and when I looked up promontory in Celtic, the name "moor" came up so I put the two together and formed Whitemoor.

COL: Have you always lived in Virginia? How does where you are located affect how you participate in performance or conformation events? What are the advantages and disadvantages to competing in your area?

Leslie: I have not always lived in Virginia. I was born on Long Island. I moved to Maryland for work after college and stayed in Maryland until I married and then moved to Virginia. Living in the metro DC area has the advantage that there are a lot of shows for conformation and performance. The disadvantage is that the trials can fill quickly. For conformation, we don’t seem to have any small shows anymore which makes it difficult to get dogs started. We also have a lot of circuits now which is great for finishing a dog but again hard to get one started. There are conformation and agility shows almost every weekend within a 2-hour drive so it becomes a decision of which shows to attend. Herding trials are more limited. There are great facilities to train in agility and herding but conformation classes are more limited.

COL: You compete in both conformation and performance events with titles on both ends of your collie’s names. How much priority is put on performance vs conformation? How do you decide the order of how a dog will participate in the variety of available venues?

Leslie: I put equal priority on conformation and performance. I want all my dogs to be conformation champions and have titles after their name. I start the dogs in each venue when they are ready. By that I mean that some dogs are slower to mature and for those dogs I will concentrate on performance first. It’s a slow process for me because I won’t rush my dogs into performance. I want to make sure that their growth plates are closed before I start training hard in agility. I want them to have some obedience training before we start on agility. We train agility and herding at the same time. The ones that show more herding ability I will start training them more often than the ones that aren’t as interested. All my dogs have herding ability, but some are more talented than others.

COL: Who have been the most influential Collies in your life that have shaped your life in performance. Who have been the most influential people?

Leslie: In a way, "Harry" – CH Marnus Promontory Gold – was the most influential because he was the first that I attempted performance with. It wasn’t really his thing but I learned so much from him. By the time "Gabby" – GCH Millknock Whitemoor’s Wanderlust, HSAds NAP NJP VA – came along I was able to accomplish so much with her. She was my first versatility dog, first agility titled dog and first herding started dog. With each dog you learn something new and become a better trainer.

Ron and Marcia Keller helped me when I was getting started in conformation. Marianne Sullivan has helped me with my breeding program and has been my main mentor. There have been others along the way that have inspired me. For performance, I train at A ClicK Above in Leesburg, Virginia and I have been lucky to have great trainers that enjoy working with my dogs.

COL: Who are you currently training or trialing?

Leslie: I have a few that I’m currently working with:

"Kayla" – CH Whitemoor’s Glacier Princess, PT – is currently working on her Herding Started title for ducks.

"Innes" – CH Whitemoor My Wild Irish Rose, HT CGC is working on her Herding Started title for ducks.

"Erin" – CH Whitemoor’s Repeat Performance is working on her Herding Started and Novice Agility title.

"Rory" – Whitemoor Wing Commander, HT TKN is working on his Novice Agility title.

I also have a few young dogs that are working in agility and herding. A couple of these will be making their debut in the conformation ring. As you can see, I train multiple dogs at one time which is a challenge because they are all different. I have to keep track of where I am with each one and I have had to learn patience.

COL: What were some of the significant accomplishments with your collies in the past couple of years.

Leslie: "Angus" – GCH Whitemoor’s On Eagles Wings, HSAs NJP VA – achieved his Versatility title. "Rory" achieved his Herding Tested title and "Innes" achieved her Herding Tested title. "Molly" – Whitemoor Celtic Performance received a major at a dog show with me handling her.

COL: What stands out as the most memorable accomplishment in your entire life in Collies?

Leslie: For conformation – breeding the 2018 National Specialty Winners Bitch. The bitch that won – "Glinda" owned by Joni Primas – CH Whitemoor Good Witch of the North, RN BN CGC came from my first litter.

For performance – Putting the PT title on "Taylor" – GCH Marnus Keuka Gold of Whitemoor, PT – he was a challenge. He liked to play games and it seemed forever to finally achieve his final leg. It was a hot day when I had him entered him in a trial and I told him if he would just get the job done he could get back to the car in the shade. I believe that dogs understand a lot of what we say to them and he went out that day and did it quickly!

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