Miracle In Blue
from Nelly‘s Paradise

Märchenbraut Mona
vom Pommernhof

Jorven Red Star Light
von Haus Swantewitt

Unser Beschützer - Ranga
aus dem Auenland

As promised, here is the continuation of my story.

In the summer of 2021, all the conditions were finally right to make my long-awaited dream of having a Collie come true once again.

For quite some time, I had been exploring the Collie world again — visiting dog shows, searching the internet, and browsing Facebook in search of “my” puppy.

As the saying goes, “the early bird catches the worm” … and so, early on a Sunday morning at the end of August 2021, I came across a litter announcement from the kennel “vom Pommernhof” owned by the Groth family.

I was immediately captivated. I started researching the parent dogs, checking their health results, and carefully studying their pedigrees in detail. After about two hours, I already knew: one of these puppies had to become my Collie girl.

I could hardly wait until it felt acceptable to call the breeder, Uschi Groth, on a Sunday morning. The phone rang, my heart was pounding, Uschi answered — and somehow it didn’t take many words before everything was decided.

Yay, yay!

On October 16th, 2021, mama Jeany gave birth to seven puppies, including three girls. My first visit to the Pommernhof puppies surprised me a little because it was completely different from what I had known before. When I walked in, I thought I would choose my little girl myself. Not at all. Uschi immediately pointed to a dark sable female and simply said: “That one is yours.”

A bit surprised, I took a closer look at the puppy. But yes — I instantly liked her, and to this day I have never regretted Uschi’s choice.

On December 19th, our “Märchenbraut Mona” moved in with us and was loved by everyone from the very first moment. Gentle, cheerful, and always smiling in her own sweet way, she quickly won every heart in the family.

Even our stubborn old Labrador grandpa “Ranga” accepted the little fairytale princess right away.

Ranga is now almost 13 years old and still in excellent health. He is a true expert when it comes to scent work. If Ranga can’t find something, it probably doesn’t exist on this planet. Whether it’s tracking in a field or a hidden treat tucked away in the farthest corner of the garden — just ask Ranga. And believe me, he will not rest until he finds it.

Of course, over the years, quite a few unattended bread rolls from the barbecue table, freshly baked blueberry cakes, and even Christmas roasts have also fallen victim to his talents.

His second great passion is water work — that is truly his element. Watching Ranga swim reminds you a little of a beaver. Calmly and steadily, he glides along the shoreline while carefully scanning his surroundings.

There are many little angels — and just as many little rascals — living inside Ranga’s head, and even today he sometimes tests our patience. But we love him dearly for his charm, his adventurous spirit, and his wonderful ability to wrap us around his paw time and time again.

Now, back to our Mona.

It has been an absolute joy to watch this sweet little girl grow and develop. She matured into a truly beautiful female with excellent health results and quickly proved herself to be a real showgirl and a fantastic team player at dog shows as well.

Out of six exhibitions, she received placements five times — including two first places. Her one “excellent” rating without placement still came with outstanding praise from the highly respected judge Mr. Geoff Duffield at the Club Winner Show in Berlin on May 1st, 2023. She was even the only unplaced dog allowed to remain in the ring beside the four placed dogs — something very special and a great honor.

Sadly, Mona’s best friend Katochen, DD “Kato vom Bernsteinsee,” left us in October 2022, and a very difficult and emotional time began for all of us.

Mona especially suffered more and more from the loss. She became truly depressed, and it broke my heart to watch my cheerful little girl slowly turn into a sad soul. NO!!!

At that moment, the decision was clear: something had to change. Since Mona had grown into such a beautiful young Collie, I asked the “leader of the pack” — my dear husband — for permission to bring another little Collie lady into our lives. Mona needed someone to cuddle and play with, and deep inside me the wish was growing stronger and stronger to revive the “von Haus Swantewitt” kennel and return to my passion for breeding.

While browsing the internet, I discovered a media report about the kennel “From Nelly’s Paradise,” which immediately caught my attention. Once again, I researched thoroughly before finally getting in touch with the breeder, Gudrun Disse. This time, I wanted a blue merle female — a color I have always loved.

We had wonderful conversations right from the start, the chemistry between us felt perfect, and a promising litter was expected at the end of March 2023.

And then came the message:
“Your little girl has been born — now start thinking about a name.”

We named the little miracle “Miracle in Blue from Nelly’s Paradise.”

She developed exactly as we had hoped, and at the end of May 2023 we finally brought our little “Merle” home.

Goodness, what a confident little girl she was! Even during the five-hour drive from Aurich to Velten, she already showed her strong personality. At a rest stop, she calmly walked around with me wearing her harness and leash as if she had done it her whole life — and of course she proudly left her little “footprints” there too.

Once home, she happily finished an entire meal and, after a short break, even joined me to pick up the rest of our “gang” from their weekend stay. She was completely fearless, greeted her new pack with confidence, and since then has filled our lives with her joyful and lively spirit.

We are members of the following clubs and associations.