For as long as I can remember from my early childhood, I nagged my parents to get me a dog and always got a negative answer. I decided to change my tactics at the age of 14. I moved into overdrive and now the magic word MOPED was the only thing heard in our home. And I always asked why my big brother could have a moped and not me?

After only 2 month of effective nagging; my mother said OK, you can get a dog. She realized that you can't drive yourself to death with a dog after all, only on a moped! The search for a suitable breed could finally start. I had already begun to think of getting a hovawart but they weren't that easy to find.

Since I had looked at a Miniature Schnauzer for almost 2 years my choice became a Standard Schnauzer instead. I wanted a slightly bigger dog that was robust and good to work with. I only had one reservation; I wanted it to be colored salt and pepper. Unfortunately it was impossible to find in Sweden at that time; only black were available. The panic slowly started to set in over me; my mother had changed her mind once from moped to dog, she could just as easily change it back!

An unregistered dark tiger colord Boxer with white blaze and white legs, Zorba made her way into our family. With her I was hard working, training and training. In 1975 we made our debut at the Stockholms fair; as the name was in that time. Obedience Class I (Lkl I) with a honourable first price with 174 points. I was so happy! The year after we competed in Obedience Class II (Lkl II) at the same fair.

Despite my great joy with Zorba; I couldn't get a hovawart out of my mind. I started actively searching in 1977. I stumbled over an old telephone number of the paper Brukshunden at a friends. To my great surprise the hovawart was presented in an article from the Hejderidarens kennel. The Hejderidarens was the first kennel to import the breed to Sweden. Since my family has had a German Shepherd Dog in the late 60s whose mother was named Hejderidarens Hexe, it felt natural to contact this kennel.
 

I rushed to contact Ulrika Borg over the phone who gladly let me order a black with gold female; my SLCh SFLCh Hejderidarens Michelle. My own loved Solei who was tricky, but a female with tremendous working capacity. In the early 80s she was known as the best tracking dog in Stockholms Södra BK.
 

At that time where there were few who owned hovawarts and everybody practically knew each other.

I was a founding part of the Swedish Hovawart Association with a whole bunch of enthusiasts. The association was renamed to AfH (The Breeding Association for Hovawart) and later to SvHK (The Swedish Hovawart Club). As a part of the committee in different positions over the years and starting the local branch Östra of the Hovawart Club I had the opportunity to learn the breed from the beginning before starting a breeding program of my own.

I began knowing Britt Stridh and became a part of kennel Gårdvaren between the years 1987-2005. It has been a great time and I've learned a lot. Together we have developed Gårdvarens to the kennel it is today. The dogs born in my home under the name kennel Gårdvarens can be seen under Results.

In the year of 2002 a serious commitment to the Rottweiler breed was made. Up to now only one litter; the Gårdvarens Abbakull has occured and no more litters are planed.