Pedigree of Dusty

Am. Can. Ch. Aragorn's Swansea Galadriel, CDX, ROM B (tri-color)	Ch. Swansea Black Jack (tri-color)	Ch. Swansea Lord of Rhydowen, CD (tri)	Ch. Lord Jim's Lucky Domino
			Ch. Springdale Swansea Claude
		Ch. Swansea Blue Jeans of Cambria (blue merle/tan pts)	Ch. Lord Jim's Lucky Domino
			Ch. Swansea Lady in Blue
	Ch. Marsh's Llewyn of Llanfair (tri-color)	Ch. Swansea Good Nite (tri)	Swansea Blue Champagne
			Ch. Fydak's Miss Muffet of Swansea
		Llanfair's Jewel, CDX (red)	Ch. Llanfair's Dylan, CDX
			Ch. Hillsborough Other Love

The Aragorn line began with the tri-color bitch, Dusty (Am.Can.Ch. Aragorn’s Swansea Galadriel, CDX, ROM bronze), born Jan 26 1976, and was a Swansea bred bitch. Her pedigree is an old one and reveals such top producers of the breed: Ch. Swansea Good Nite, Ch. Swansea Lord of Rhydowen, CD and Ch. Swansea Blue Jeans of Cambria (the first blue merle to place in the Working Group). Dusty was a fun, outgoing pup, with the inherent Cardigan trait of wanting to please. This made her rather easy to train and she soon developed that show dog attitude making her hard to miss. As a youngster, Dusty was Winners Bitch and BOS in Sweepstakes at the 1977 CWCCA National Specialty, was WB and BOS over Canadian specials at the '79 Canadian National Booster, finishing her Canadian title that day, and returned in '80 to win Best of Breed. Dusty was the #1 Cardigan in Canada for 1980.

Our girl returned to the '84 CWCCA Specialty as a veteran, and earned Best of Opposite Sex and Best Veteran over top dogs in the breed. Dusty was a good foundation for us; and her progeny have carried on the winning and producing tradition.

We bred Dusty to Ddraig (Ch. Glenjoy’s Ddraig Glas, CD), a Winsdown-bred dog, and a grandson of still another top producer, Winsdown Brymore Carbon Blue. Ddraig was the #1 blue merle in the country for 1979. This breeding crosses the lines of the old Swansea and Winsdown stock, with many of the top quality dogs in the history of the breed.

The resulting Ddraig X Dusty outcross (of two solidly line bred dogs) gave us the hybrid Okie (Ch. Aragorn’s Oklahoma Blue Elf, CD, ROM Silver). We took Okie back to a half-sibling on her mother's side, Hawkeye (Ch. Sandon Little Big Man Aragorn’, CD, ROM), himself purely Swansea. This introduced the part of the Winsdown we liked (blue merle coloring, with vivid copper pointing areas, plus heavier bone, strong fronts & rears and big round ears) to the sound part of the Swansea strain we originally started with; having more length of back, better toplines, pretty typey heads, and high trainability.

Dusty was Aragorn's first C.D.X title. She gave 100% of herself in the obedience ring as well. She was High in Match by being the only dog who stayed for the five minutes in pouring rain, with her dark eyes watching to where she saw me go out of sight. At a trial, running off to get her dumbbell, she would pause, glance about to be sure she had an audience, pick it up and retrieve her prize proudly.