WORLD   WORLD
           1
Sheila and Maurice
Baker
 
   Situated: Henley on Klip, Gauteng, South Africa.
   Present shelties: Four dogs, three bitches.
   World breeders: For more than 50 years.
   Reputation: Breeders of more than 30 champions in the U.K. and South Africa. World-wide very well respected judges (all breeds).
   Colours: sable and white, blue merle and tri colour.
   E-mail address: shemaur@telkomsa.net  
FOUNDATION

In 1954 Maurice Baker founded the ELLENDALE kennel. Sheila started the SHEMAUR kennel in 1968. The two of them met when Sheila was Editor of the English Shetland Sheepdog Club Handbook. Doing some research for the Charts she contacted Maurice. Their common love for Shelties was by then established as they had both been breeding for some years, and they met frequently at dog shows, Maurice living in Yorkshire and Sheila in Essex. They joined forces in 1979 and decided to use the kennel name SHEMAUR. The name SHEMAUR was originally a combination of  Sheila and Maureen – a friend of Sheila with whom she started the kennel in 1968. Sadly her friend Maureen died suddenly in 1974 and the kennel name became solely hers. As it is also a combination of Sheila and Maurice it seemed appropriate to adopt that as their joint kennel name when they married.

The first sheltie Sheila owned was a pet bitch, sired by Rockaround Red Jacket, who won a few prizes at shows and whetted her appetite for serious showing and breeding. She then purchased the bitch Speckled Moth of Shelert, from the Misses Herbert, and this bitch was the foundation of the SHEMAURS. In her first litter this bitch was mated to Ch Strict Tempo of Shelert. In1969 she produced the Res CC winning dog Troubleshooter of Shemaur, who in turn sired Ch Felthorn Beachcomber, who took Best of Breed at Crufts, for Barbara Thornley. He has had a big influence on the breed and is behind many winning  dogs.
Troubleshooter of Shemaur

Troubleshooter and his sister Sweet Charity of Shemaur are behind all the dogs Sheila and Maurice have today.

At that time - the 1970s - there were many lovely Shelties. Amongst those Sheila admired most were Ch Monkswood Mosstrooper and his son Ch Mistmere Marching Orders, Ch Midnitesun Justin Time and Ch Riverhill Richman who she used.


Ch Ellendale Prim of Plovern

She sent a dog from the litter (Shemaur Sand Dollar) to South Africa – this dog is also behind their present dogs. In bitches Sheila thinks her favourite to be Ch She’s My Fancy of Shelert.

Maurice founded his kennel with a bitch from Jim Saunders, Edana of Ellendale, sired by Helensdale Frolic. Later there was Ch Ellendale Prim of Plovern. Maurice thinks at that time his favourite Sheltie would be Ch Alasdair of Tintobank, a son of Ch Helensdale Ace. Later he was very fond of Ch Greenscrees Swordsman.

I asked Maurice and Sheila about those early years and if their shelties then already met the type they had in mind.
 

MAURICE: “The early period of Ellendale was simply getting to know the breed and trying to establish the kennel. Also my first judging appointments. Jim Saunders (HELENSDALE) never minded me taking out the prefix ELLENDALE. Ch Ellendale Prim of Plovern came close to what I wanted.


Aus Ch Ellendale Ettienne

She did a lot of winning including a Reserve Best in Show under the great Joe Braddon. Later Ch Marksman of Ellendale also came very close and he was a great sire. Also Ellendale Ettienne, a CC and Junior Warrant winner who later went to Australia and gained his title there. If  Sheila had been with me then I would never have let him go.”