Contributed by Ms Chris Walker, Director Public Sector Accounts, UK, Millennium Hotels and Resorts.

Chris joined Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) in 1992, first as Sales and Marketing Manager at Copthorne Plymouth. It was there that she began developing the public sector business, where it gradually increased to cover all of the UK across all government sectors, at a time where there were no travel policies in place for the public sector.

Outside of work, Chris’ passion has been to breed Bergamasco dogs, a rare breed originally from the Italian Alps, whose global population is less than 3,000 today. She shares more with us about this unique avocation.

My husband and I first decided to buy a Bergamasco dog in 2006. There were very few in UK then, perhaps less than 25. We only managed to find a breeder who was having a litter two years later in 2008 in the US. Hence we made a trip to Connecticut to visit the breeder in 2009 and got acquainted with Biaga (pronounced bee-ah-jah) who became our first puppy.

Back then, there was a six-month qualifying period before a dog was allowed into the UK without being quarantined, and Biaga only joined us at home in September 2009.

Since then, we have been learning more about the breed, and decided to start breeding Bergamasco dogs. Right now, we are the only accredited UK breeders of Bergamascos with female dogs in the UK, and our Kennel name is ‘Calshair’, formed from a combination of the first four letters of my and my husband’s names, Chris and Alasdair.

We have had two litters – a litter of 13 in 2012, which was a record for European breeders, and another litter of six just three months ago! At home, other than Biaga, who is now ten, we have the six pups, and Cicci (pronounced chee-kee), who was from the first litter.

We named the first litter of pups after our favourite places in the northwest of Scotland, such as Luskentyre and Rannoch. The second litter is named after Munros in Scotland, which are mountains with heights over 3,000 feet (914m). The names include our kennel name, so in the recent litter we have pups such as Calshair Sgurr Alasdair, named after the highest peak on the Isle of Skye, Calshair Cairn Gorm, which means ‘blue or green hill’ in Gaelic, and Calshair Schiehallion, named after the prominent mountain in Perth and Kinross.

The pups also have daily pet names that we call them by once they have been ‘paired’ with their new owners, in preparation for them going to their new homes. (Calshair Schiehallion is not easy to shout!)

The standards for accreditation (across all breeds) are high, and rightly so. It is very important that the pups have the best beginnings in life and that owners have guidelines. This helps to stamp out the horrendous puppy farms that exist for some other dog breeds.

To breed, we insist of both male and female dogs having good hip scores, which ensures a minimal chance of hip dysplasia, which can cause lameness and arthritis. We also look at temperament and genetics of the breeding dogs.

For us to be accredited by The Kennel Club, the official kennel club in the UK, we have to undergo a series of inspections every three years. The checks are on our home, how we look after our dogs, how we raise the pups, as well as providing documentation such as feeding guides, socialisation, training, and involvement in preserving the breed.

In 2012, my husband and I also formed a club called ‘BOFF’, which stands for ‘Bergamasco Owners and Friends Fraternity’, when we felt that there needed to be a central reference point for owners. We now have over 100 members, and we hold regular gatherings and publish a regular newsletter.

I will be retiring at the end of the year, after 26 years of working at Millennium Hotels and Resorts, but will definitely be continuing on this passion of mine and be involved in the world of Bergamasco dogs!