Mary first entered the world of dog training when she joined Rugby Dog Training Club in 1978. Within a very short time her natural empathy with dogs and her tremendous ability shone through and within the space of a few short years, she became one of the country’s top handlers. During this time, her abilities were also recognised by Rugby Dog Training Club and, before the end of the 1980s, she became head trainer of that club.

Mary’s achievements on the UK dog scene are almost too many to list. She was one of the first British handlers to work a brown and white collie, and that was the dog she joined Rugby Dog Training Club with.

She went from Pre-Beginners to Championship Class ‘C’ in an unbelievably short time. She has now qualified nine dogs to work Championship ‘C’ Obedience, seven Border Collies and two Belgian Shepherds (Tervuerens). She has won 59 Kennel Club Obedience Challenge Certificates with five of her dogs and 38 Reserve Certificates. Mary’s Belgian Shepherd, Roxy, was the first Belgian Shepherd in the UK to become an Obedience Champion and she also won the Bitch Obedience Championship at Crufts. Mary’s also very well known Border Collie Red Hot Toddy was the winner of the Dog Obedience Championship at Crufts.

The other main British obedience competition culminating in a final was the Pro Dogs Obedience Stakes. A dog was only allowed to win this competition once in its lifetime and Mary won this on two occasions, once with Toddy and once with Roxy. This competition has now been renamed the Open ‘C’ Charity Competition.

There are very few people in the history of obedience at Crufts that can boast of competing in the two Championships over 20 separate years, winning it three times, coming second on three occasions, having two third places, one fourth place and one fifth place!

Mary’s agility career started in 1980, just after the birth of agility in the UK. Once more, she established herself immediately as one of the top handlers in the sport. She has either won or been in the finals of every major sponsored British agility competition. This included winning the prestigious Pedigree Agility Stakes with her Border Collie Pepperland Hot Chocolate. She holds the record for qualifying the most dogs on the most occasions for this prestigious final in the last twenty-four years. She has also been a member of the Rugby Dog Training Club agility team, which has competed at the Crufts Team Agility Finals on many occasions and a member of the winning team on two occasions, the last being 2004. Mary was also a member of the team that qualified for Crufts 2000. She has also been a member of the Rugby Dog Training Club Crufts Flyball Team, competing in the finals at the Crufts Dog Show.

At Crufts in 2004, Mary and Myndoc Simply Teena were winners of the Crufts Mini Agility Championships (Tina is owned by Mrs Shirley Turner but handled and trained by Mary).

Although there are conflicting stories about where Heelwork to Music started, because some groups of obedience enthusiasts trained with music playing in the late 1980s, the first person we are aware of who actually put together a public performance of Heelwork to Music was Mary at a demonstration event in 1990. She did this again in 1992 and thereafter has done it every year at Crufts. The last eight years, Mary has given a demonstration in the Main Ring at Crufts on Best in Show Night.

In 1997, she performed a routine to “Riverdance” and in 1998 she practically brought the house down with her routine to “Switched on Classics”, a six-minute long classical compilation.

In 1999, she had another first performing a routine to “Boogie Shoes” with both Kizzy and Quincy! She then did a new routine to “Night Fever” from the hit West End show with Kizzy and once more this was a huge success, with the capacity Best in Show audience clapping in time to the music. At Crufts 2000, Mary with her handsome brown and white Border Collie Quincy told the Best in Show audience a little story. The story was from the famous Walt Disney animation movie Fantasia and it was “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” routine, with Mary taking the part of the sorcerer and Quincy as the apprentice. The full routine went out live on BBC television. This was a stunning routine and, as was said at the time, how can you do anything better than that! Mary tried very hard to do just that at Crufts 2001, where in the Special Events Ring and the Main Ring she performed routines based on Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” and a compilation of music from Fred Astaire musicals called “Top Hat”. And of course for this, Mary was dressed in top hat and tails. In the Main Ring on the final evening, Mary performed this routine to a packed Best in Show audience with the houselights dimmed and Mary and Quincy highlighted under four spotlights. She finished the routine to rapturous applause and excerpts of part of this routine were shown live on BBC television.

At Crufts 2002, Mary was once more invited to perform one of her routines immediately before ‘Best in Show’. She chose a Glenn Miller theme and the music was called “Hooked on Swing” which included some Glenn Miller tunes and of course she was dressed in an authentic US Airforce uniform. There was no doubt that this was the best routine that Mary has ever performed until that time. At least that’s what the audience believed especially when, halfway through the routine, Mary’s other dog Kizzy joined her and Quincy in the ring and she proceeded to finish off the routine with two dogs. It was absolutely stunning. Not only was there deafening applause at the finish but some of the audience was standing on its feet and the whole six minute routine was broadcast live on BBC television.

At Crufts 2003, Mary decided to have a complete change and put together a Spanish routine to bullfighting-type music. Quincy was to take the part of the bull and Mary would be the matador. She had a lovely red cape for Quincy to charge at and, along with the cape, Jan Morse had made Mary a superb matador’s outfit. Once more the BBC turned down the lights in the arena and highlighted Mary and Quincy with spotlights. The atmosphere was electric and the audience absolutely loved it. As usual, Mary had the choreography down to perfection, finishing with her attempting to kill the bull (Quincy) but the bull then chased Mary, knocked her down and stamped on her at the end - very difficult to describe but those who have seen it will know just what a stunning end to the routine it was, followed as usual with a tremendous ovation from the audience. The BBC broadcast this routine live.

This superb routine at Crufts 2003 was made all the more special by the fact that Mary performed her routine with Quincy, the same dog which two days previously had been the winner of the prestigious Crufts Dog Obedience Championships and much comment was made about this by the BBC commentators on their programmes. Mary also competed in the 25th Anniversary Agility Competition, having herself started competing in agility in 1980 and being one of the few people in the country still competing on a regular basis over twenty years later and certainly the most successful.

At Crufts 2004, Mary performed a technically advanced routine to the ‘Harry Potter’ theme and keeping up with her reputation for being innovative, she performed this routine with her Border Collie Quincy and her Sheltie Gypsy. This deceptive routine was as usual made to look very easy by Mary as it was necessary to appreciate the difficulty in performing with two such different dogs, in terms of both size and character. Yet once again she was greeted to rapturous applause from the audience as well as being enjoyed by many millions more through television coverage.

In 2005, as usual Mary will be performing her Heelwork to Music routine just before Best in Show in the Main Ring and this year it will be to the overture from the hit West End show Mack and Mabel. This will be a stunning and fast-moving routine where Mary will perform with several of her dogs, culminating in her finishing the routine with no less than four of her dogs in the arena!

Mary has appeared on many television programmes including “Blue Peter, a BBC children’s TV programme, twice on Jim Davidson’s “Generation Game”, which was on BBC prime time Saturday evening, “The Big Breakfast Show” on Channel 4 and three times on the leading morning programme with “Richard and Judy” and not forgetting of course live from Crufts on BBC1. Quincy is also one of the stars of a ten minute film made for BBC2 and the Arts Council called “The World Turned Upside Down”. It is a moving and enchanting short film directed by Jayne Parker and produced by Sally Thomas and was shown on BBC2 during Spring 2002 and has been shown throughout the world at performing arts theatres. During 2003, an episode of the very popular ‘Faking It’ television programme was filmed. Mary was the lead Heelwork to Music trainer on the programme and Rob, the subject of the programme, spent almost three weeks living with Mary and Dave at their home. There is a separate story on this site about the programme, but when it was shown in early 2004, it had the largest audience ratings for any ‘Faking It’ broadcast to date.

Mary is acknowledged as the leading expert in the UK on Heelwork to Music.

There is no other British handler who has the depth of experience and knowledge covering Obedience, Agility, Flyball and Heelwork to Music. Mary is recognised as being one of the leading dog handlers and trainers in the UK.

Mary has judged all Obedience classes from Pre-Beginners to Class ‘C’ and has judged Agility at the Crufts Dog Show.

Mary is head trainer of Rugby Dog Training Club, Championship Obedience Show Secretary for Rugby Dog Training Club, a member of the British Kennel Club and of the Kennel Club Obedience Liaison Council .

Mary’s previous overseas appointments for training and/or judging include Denmark, Holland, Jersey, Malaysia, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Northern Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, USA, New Zealand, Australia, France, South Africa, Austria and Canada.

Mary has had a busy six months and recent appointments have included Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and at the end of 2004 she did a round the world trip with her husband Dave where she judged Obedience in New Zealand and Dave judged Agility, she took two training courses in Australia (one in Melbourne and one on the Gold Coast), then spent five days at the Samsung Canine Centre in South Korea where not only did she train the Samsung kennel staff but also was guest of honour at the centre’s annual Homecoming Day.

Mary will be visiting South Korea again at the end of 2005 as well as having two visits to the USA and numerous trips to European countries during the year.

At the Horse of the Year Show from 13th – 16th October, it is planned that Mary will be performing a joint pairs routine of Heelwork to Music and Dressage with a horse – and no, Mary will not be riding a horse but there will be a horse and rider in the arena with Mary and one of her dogs for the routine.

Mary has been married to her husband Dave for twenty-seven years. They live in Rugby, which is situated in the centre of the UK. Their present family consists of eight dogs (no children): five Border Collies, a Lurcher and two Shetland Sheepdogs. It is a truly “doggy” family as Mary’s husband Dave is the main action event commentator at the Kennel Club’s Crufts Dog Show (National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham) and the Discover Dogs Show (Earls Court, London). Dave co-ordinates all the sponsorship of Agility, Obedience, Flyball and Heelwork to Music for the United Kingdom’s leading pet food company, Pedigree Masterfoods. Dave is also on the committee of the British Agility Club which is the largest Kennel Club registered club in the UK, Vice President of Rugby Dog Training Club and Show Manager of three major Agility Shows and a Championship Obedience Show. Thus, the whole of their time is spent surrounding by all things doggy!