Lynn’s first Kerry was a severely neglected rescue she adopted in the early 80s. “Sianna” overcame her bad beginnings to become a loving family pet and therapy dog extraordinaire, and began Lynn’s love affair with the breed. Her first show dogs inevitably followed. From a total of just six litters under her Kerigolf prefix, Lynn produced multiple breed and obedience/agility/other titled get, Specialty and Sweeps winners, a National Futurity winner, an Obedience Trial Champion, and three Agility Trial Champions (including the only MACH/PACH Kerry littermates to date). Lynn groomed and handled all her own dogs herself until her health no longer allowed it, and was very proud of the fact that the majority of her breed champions finished owner-handled.

An active member of the USKBTC who embraced her role as a guardian of the breed, Lynn served on the Board of Governors and the Health and Genetics Committee, but was best known for her contributions to Rescue. A tireless rescue volunteer, she served as the USKBTC’s National Rescue Coordinator during an extremely difficult period in the early to mid-2000s when the breed saw a surge in the number of Kerries requiring rescue or rehoming assistance, fostering many herself and directly assisting with the placement of many others. Under Lynn’s leadership, the Club adopted a standardized, written Rescue policy (a revised version of which is still in use today), shaping the Club’s Rescue program into a model for other breed clubs and rescue organizations. In recognition of all of Lynn’s contributions as a breeder and Club volunteer, the 2017 National Specialty at Montgomery was dedicated to her memory.

As the Wizard of Oz famously stated, “a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” Lynn is missed greatly by her many friends, the people she mentored, the countless dogs she loved and advocated for (not just her own!), and most of all her beloved family.