Renee Lucescu

( President, Training Director)

I got my first dog when I was 3 years old, and have been interested in dogs my entire life. In 1987 I started professionally training dogs primarily for police, military and law enforcement. I have purchased/bred, sold and placed hundreds of dogs from Europe and from my own kennel over the last 23 years. I also breed my own German Shepherd Dogs under the kennel name "von Lucescu". www.committedtocanine.com
I started the extreme sport of Schutzhund in 2000 and have really enjoyed all aspects of the sport.
I have had really good success with my dogs in the sport. I have successfully competed at National level 9x with 4 different dogs. I have trained 7 dogs from start to SchH3 and have done Breed Survey's on 7 dogs. I have bred 6 K.K.L.1(a) dogs, 6 receiving V-ratings. I have also gained 80+ H.I.T. awards including NATIONAL CHAMPION, EASTERN REGIONAL CHAMPION, ONTARIO REGIONAL CHAMPION x2, OPTIMAL AWARD for ONTARIOx2. I have made TEAM CANADA 2x and have represented Canada at the World Championships-2004-Holland and 2005-France.

I currently have 3 young females (Halle, Galliana & Fauna) in training and am finishing 1 female (Russo) this year. Of course- I have my main stud dog "Xbox" who I am competing with on a National Level.

I would like to thank all members of Niagara Hundesport for their support and want to wish all members the very best with their goals with their dogs. Also thank you to the members of Niagara Frontier Sch Club in Buffalo that have helped us with training. To all other members of the GSSCC that have helped us along the way. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU and BEST LUCK in the future.

Craig Wandtke

(VP, Training Director, Teaching Helper)

Immigrated to Canada from Romania in 2001 with wife Andreea and daughter Chelsea.

Now working as a professional dog trainer for a training school in Paris ON.

His biggest passion was always the German Shepherd dog and together with his wife, also a vet, he registered his kennel "von Amalaberg" in 1989 in their native country Romania.

During many years of hard work and dedication, his kennel produced many successful dogs, some of them becoming VA dogs or top placed in conformation competitions at national and international level.

The most recent successes: "Amalaberg " was awarded top kennel at Canadian Nationals, Ontario and Eastern Regionals.

In Europe he titled a few dogs but after joining Niagara Hundesport club, a great place to train and learn about the nice sport of Schutzhund, George focused more on the working aspect.

"I feel very lucky to be part of a great team at Niagara Hundesport SchH Club. Renee and Craig are very knowledgeable, very professional and, as fellow breeders, they are always a great support for myself and for all the club members."

Janet Steeves

I grew up with animals that were considered part of the family. It wasn’t until my husband, John, and I got Zoe, our first GSD, that we discovered the sport of Shutzhund and joined Niagara Hundesport. After watching John and Zoe and the other club members for a year, the temptation became too much and I was up for the challenge. This past January I got Bella, a 1 year old GSD, from Lucescu Kennels. Having never done any formal training, I’m learning to pay attention to details, take it one step at a time and persevere. Renee and Craig and all the members of Niagara Hundesport are a great source of inspiration. Bella and I look forward to competing in the future.

Janet

John Steeves and Zoe

Richard Regan

New to the Sport of Schutzhund, Richard Regan has grown up with German Shepherd Dogs all his life. Like most canine owners, Richard always has had dogs for basic family purposes. In late 2008, Richard acquired Lexi, a GSD, as a puppy from Amalaberg Kennels with the intention raising her as a house pet. He wanted a well trained dog and a dog that he could be active with. Richard was introduced to the sport of Schutzhund through information from the Amalaberg Kennel and personal research. Richard immediately knew that this sport was something he would be interested in. Due to his passion for competitive sports and his desire to do more activities with his dogs, Richard realized that Schutzhund would be an ideal sport for both him and the dog.

Richard was then introduced to The Niagara Hundesport Club. After a few visits and observing the quality of training and members the club provided, he knew that this would be the Club he would pursue his training with. Richard became a member of The Niagara Hundesport Club in the spring of 2009.

Since then Richard has acquired his second GSD, Icon, from Lucescu Kennels in hopes to obtain more experience and further his training. Richard competed at the Ontario Regional Championships Show with both dogs and both received an “SG” rating. Also this year, Richard has obtained his first BH with Lexi and hopes to compete in SchH1 in spring 2011. He also wishes to do the same with Icon in 2011/2012. With dedication and hard work, Richards’s long term goals are to compete in the Nationals and eventually the Worlds.

Cathy Regan

At only 2 years of age it was very imminent that a passion for the German Shepherd Dog had come about me. While growing up with these beautiful dogs all my life, it never dawned on me until later in life how incredibly intelligent they really were. As a young boy I had limited responsibility with our dogs as my father was their primary care giver. It wasn’t until later in life when I inherited my late father’s dog, Lady, that I really began to develop a much stronger passion for the breed. After the passing of Lady, I purchased my very own German Shepherd dog in 2006 from Amalaberg Kennels and acquired my second in 2008. Owning Lika and Aspen was a big responsibility and I wanted to do right by them by way of providing both mental and physical stimulation which would keep them balanced. With educating myself on how to do this I obtained a plethora of knowledge through the breeders from whom I purchased my two dogs. Andreea and George Zamfirescu enlightened me and introduced me to the wonderful sport of Schutzhund. On my first visit to Niagara Hundesport I was intrigued by the whole club atmosphere and energy. That said, I knew I had to join. After months of making changes in my career which would allow me to dedicate the time to training and reaching my goals I finally joined the club last month. To date Aspen and I have achieved 1st place 4 times at both the Regional and National Championship & Seiger shows in Ontario and Quebec. Most recently we acquired our AD at the Niagara Hundesport Club and are now working toward our BH for the fall of 2010. Our long term goal is to acquire our SCH 1 in the spring of 2011. Thank you to Renee and Craig for all their support and knowledge thus far. As well, I thank all the club members for their warm welcome. It’s the family atmosphere that really makes this Club special and very much like a second home. That said, Aspen and I are elated to be part of the “Niagara Hundesport Club”.

Best regards,

Franky……….goes to Hollywood!

Jack Dinsmore