Some puppies arrive after years of careful planning. Grace arrived and immediately made up for lost time.

Grace, also known as Gracie Grey or GG, is the puppy we dreamed about long before she ever existed. She is the result of years of careful pedigree planning, quiet hope and trusting our instincts. We first noticed her sire, UK Sh Ch Layways Van Winkle JW "Jasper", while Celeste herself was still in puppyhood, long before either dog had become the successful show dogs they are today. We waited patiently for the right time, believing this pairing had the potential to produce something truly special. Then Grace arrived... and promptly took over our lives.

Although formal assessments wouldn't come until eight weeks of age, Kirstie quietly picked Grace as "the one" when she was just ten days old. Looking back now, it almost feels as though Grace had already made the decision for us. She has never done anything slowly.

From the very beginning, Grace seemed determined to make up for lost time. She won her very first ribbon at exactly three months of age, qualified for Puppy of the Year at the very first show after turning six months old and the very next day went Runner-Up to Best Exhibit in Group at just six months and two days of age. She continued her remarkable start by becoming an Australian Champion while still just six months of age, before adding multiple Best Exhibit in Group wins to her growing list of achievements. Grace has never been a dog to wait her turn.

Grace possesses her mother's beautiful expression and headpiece, together with the extra substance and forechest we admired so much in her sire. From both parents she inherited the effortless movement and sound construction that first drew us to this combination years earlier. Yet beyond her conformation, Grace has something that is entirely her own. She is noisy, confident, affectionate and wonderfully opinionated. Friends know her as Miss Loudmouth, and there is so much of her beloved Aunty Dusk in that larger-than-life personality that it is impossible not to smile. GG loves hard, makes friends wherever she goes and has won over hearts just as quickly as she has won awards.

Nothing seems capable of slowing Grace down. Following a freak accident that was expected to keep her out of the ring for months, she defied every expectation, returning within weeks and immediately picking up exactly where she had left off. That resilience has become one of the qualities we admire most about her. Grace doesn't dwell on yesterday - she simply looks forward to whatever adventure tomorrow might bring.

Today, Grace is everything we hoped this carefully planned combination would become. She is strong, resilient and beautifully balanced, combining the virtues we admired in both her parents while bringing a personality that is unmistakably her own. Watching her grow in confidence has been just as rewarding as watching her collect ribbons, because with every passing month she seems to blossom a little more into the dog we always believed she could become.

They say good things come to those who wait. We waited years for Grace, and she has rewarded that patience in ways far beyond the show ring. Some puppies simply become part of your family. Others quietly become part of your future. From the moment she arrived, Grace has felt like both.

Some highlights include:

Multiple Puppy of the Year qualifier.
Multiple Best Exhibit in Group winner.
Currently Australia’s Number One Rising Star Gundog.
Currently Queensland's Number One Rising Star Gundog.

Official titles:

Australian Champion title - 6 months old.