President: Fran Cozens
My name is Fran Cozens, and I have been involved with purebred dogs for many years. For the past 20 years, I have been heavily engaged with the Leonberger breed and the Leonberger Club of Canada. Leos are an amazing breed, and we feel blessed to share our lives with them; each and every one is unique and special. My passion is to understand their canine behavior, train them to be the best and happiest dogs possible, and advocate for proper puppy socialization through a host of proven activities. We operate a ‘hobby’ kennel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, selectively and occasionally breeding quality Leonbergers under the kennel name ‘Wanderweg.’
The Leonberger Club of Canada is a special community with members who are highly supportive of each other, constantly striving to improve the welfare of the Leonberger breed. Purebred dogs have faced immense pressure in recent years, with a significant increase in purposefully bred mixed breeds. Club members are dedicated to educating others about the mission of the purebred dog and the benefits of acquiring a puppy from a quality breeder, particularly for large and giant breeds like the Leonberger.
We hope to enter the conformation ring with a few of our lovely young Leos. If you are on the East Coast, we would love to see you at the shows. If you have any questions about the Leonberger Club of Canada or anything else related to Leos, please contact me at president@leonbergerclubofcanada.com. If you are a Canadian Leonberger owner, the club would love to have you as a member. Contact us to find out more!
Thank you,
Fran Cozens – Wanderweg Leonbergers
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Past President: June Ward
I love working with dogs, I am a Draft Dog Judge, I’ve judged in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. I teach draft seminars. I teach and judge water rescue, plus I am a CGN evaluator.
I have bred, shown, and trained Bernese mountain dogs since 1989. Leos came into my life in 2004. We live in Tiny, Ontario.
I belong to three breed clubs, and have served on boards in the positions of president, treasurer, secretary and director. I have been the president of a non profit co-op housing complex, and served on the board for a non profit senior’s home. I am now the past president of the Leonberger club of Canada after serving for 7 years as president.
I presently has 3 leos and 2 bernese and a cat. If I can help you in any way just call or email me please at 705-245-2724 or email at june@kumnc.com
Thank you,
June Ward
Kumnc Kennels
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Vice President: Janet Hanson-Klebnikoff
My name is Janet Hanson-Klebnikoff and I live with my wonderful husband of 35 years. We share our home with three Leos, Porsche (Mom), Logan (son) and new little girl, Charlotte. Darcy was our first Leo, who started us on our journey back in 2007. I have been a member with the LCC since then. I have held the Ontario Director position for the last few years and have recently taken on the Vice President position.
In 2017 we started our breeding program and registered our CKC kennel, Little Phenix Leonbergers. Porsche has had two litters and is now retired. Fingers crossed, our Logan will sire a litter of his own in the future.
I am actively involved in the following dog clubs: Leonberger Club of Canada (Vice President), Leonberger Club of Ontario (member), Leonberger Club of America (member), Therapeutic PAWS of Canada (co-leader Kawartha Lakes zone) and the Peterborough and District Obedience Club (member and assistant trainer). Along with the dog clubs, I also volunteer with Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Lindsay, known as THRIL, assisting with disabled adults and children riding lessons.
We have tried many different activities and sports such as Barn Hunt, Dock Diving, Lure coursing, Agility, Rally Obedience, carting and conformation showing. Logan is our pretty boy, he has his CKC Championship and half way to completing his CKC Grand championship, all owner handled. As well, Logan is a certified Therapy Dog. Porsche is our sporty girl, she has her Novice title in Rally Obedience. We are always taking classes and trying new things and improving our skills. Charlotte has some big shoes to fill, she is a smart cookie so I am sure she will excel.
As Vice President of the LCC I hope to work with all the executives and members to grow this club and have lots of fun too! Please reach out to me if you have any ideas or suggestions to make this happen.
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Treasurer: Jenn Stooke
My name is Jenn Stooke and I have been a dog lover all my life. My first Leo came into my life in 2009 and I have added many more throughout the years. My dogs are a huge part of my life. I enjoy spending time with them and like to include them in as many social interactions as possible. I believe constand socialization from a young age is especially important. I enjoy conformation showing in both Canada and the U.S.A but my most favorite thing to do is pet therapy. The Leonberger makes an exceptional therapy dog and we are welcomed and appreciated wherever we volunteer. Nothing brings me great joy with my dogs than brightening someone’s day with a visit from one of my dogs.
I have a special interest in advocating for pure bred/purposely bred dogs and responsible breeing. I believe in breeding healthy and mentally sound dogs that encompass breed type. I am an active member of Therapeutic PAWS of Canada, The Canadian Kennel Club, a board member and breeder member of both the Leonberger Club of Canada and The Leonberger Club of Ontario and a member of the Leonberger Club of America
I am super proud of this beautiful breed and always happy to talk and educate anyone wanting more information.
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Secretary: Naomi Kane
My name is Naomi Kane and I have been a dog lover from the earliest days. I have been a Pet Dog Trainer for a very long time and that is how I met my first Leonberger, at a Canine Good Citizen test I was running in the mid nineties. That dog, his name was Sam, absolutely stole my heart and my adventure with the Leonbergers began. I have been breeding Leonbergers under the Lewenhart Permanently Registered prefix since 1999. My dogs are an integral part of my life, my companions, bed warmers and also show dogs that occasionally have a litter of planned and wanted fabulous Leonberger puppies.
I am a founding member of the LCC, member of the Leonberger Club of Ontario, Life Member of the Canadian Kennel Club, member of the Canadian Association of Pet Dog Trainers and a Canine Good Neighbour Evaluator. I am a long time advocate for responsible pet ownership and dog friendly training so that dogs can be integrated into our lives in more dog friendly public spaces.
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British Columbia and Yukon Director: Jennifer Fink
I have owned, loved, and trained dogs for over 25 years. I live with my husband and 2 of my 3 children on Vancouver Island, along with our two Leonbergers. We bought our first Leo in December of 2014 and loved her so much that we decided to start our own kennel. We bought Winnie in June 2020 with the goal of breeding her. She has since passed all of her health tests, earned her Canadian Championship, and is showing herself to be a gentle, sweet, versatile dog. We enjoy exploring dog sports with her. We are working on scent detection, rally, and dock diving. I have no doubt we will try our hand at other sports as the opportunities present themselves. In the near future, we have puppy plans. 🙂
Beyond dogs, I have been riding and training horses for over 30 years. I find that the more I learn about dog training, the more it influences the way I approach training my horses. I’m an advocate of positive reinforcement training and enjoy teaching all of my animals using these methods.
In my role as the BC representative, I hope to advocate for breeders, owners, and members with the best interests of our dogs in mind. I value the health, temperament, and conformation of our beautiful dogs, and hope to support the work of the LCC with these areas in mind.
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Prairies Director: Bruce McSpurren
Bruce was first introduced to the Leonberger world during his government posting to Germany in 1990. He spent considerable time at the Clubhouse in Leonberg where he establish friendships with many key European Leo Clubs. He was a member of the German and Danish Leonberger Clubs.
Upon returning to Canada he engaged in advanced dog training with the Leos he brought back with him. In 1994 he was the first to show a Leo in the Maritimes. Following that he was posted to BC where he was involved in Ground Search and Rescue (K9 supported) with the provincial emergency measures organization.
Eventually retiring in Winnipeg he and his family currently own two Leos. Having more than 30 years of experience with the breed, Bruce joined the LCC in 2019 and was appointed the Prairie Rep in 2020.
Ontario Director: Anna-marie Kristens
My name is Anna-Marie. I live in Barrie,ON. I’ve been involved with Leos since I acquired my first, Olie 10yrs ago. Olie was soon followed by a second, Forrest. The versatility of the Leonberger is endless. Their willingness, amazing and bond remarkable. We’ve been involved in agility, dock diving, trick training, water rescue, carting, confirmation, performing, pet therapy, Paws to Read®️ library program for hesitant readers, Addiction services, and Child & Youth Mental Health. I am an evaluator for a national pet therapy organization and provide Pet Therapy visits. I am a member of the Canadian Kennel Club as well as the Leonberger Club of Ontario. I teach and train dogs along with their people for service work, pet training ,carting, dock diving and do some dog grooming on the side. I’ve studied pet nutrition and pet health care.
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Quebec Director: Michelle Johnson
Mon nom est Michelle Johnson, je réside à Rivière-Rouge au Québec, avec mon amour de conjoint, Alain, notre premier léon qui s’appel Hercule, il fut importé de l’Écosse, ses parents sont de la Hongrie et du Slovaque. Ah oui! N’oublions pas nos deux petits chats qui aiment l’agacer et se sauver en hauteur, pensant être en sécurité…j’ai bien dit, pensant être en sécurité.
Ma première expérience avec cette belle race fut quand j’ai tombé en amour avec une photo et description d’un chien, en feuilletant le magazine de Fancy dog, il y a plus de 35 ans. Je n’avais jamais assez d’espace, d’argent ou de temps pour bien m’en occuper, alors je devais attendre le bon moment dans ma vie où j’aurais toutes les conditions idéales pour m’en procurer un.
En mai 2019, j’ai conduit de Montréal à l’aéroport de Toronto pendant 6hrs, ensuite un vol de 6hrs, resté en Écosse pendant 3 jours pour mieux connaitre l’éleveuse, ses chiots et la maman de mon petit Hercule. Et hop! On revient avec une cage et une petite boule de poil de plus.
Que l’aventure débute! Nous avons déménagé à Rivière-Rouge en septembre 2019 sur un grand terrain boisé pour que petit pitou puisse grandir et se promener à sa guise et avoir une belle vie de chien.
J’ai fait du bénévolat dans plusieurs organismes à titre de participante sur les comités divers et les conseils d’administration (Club Optimiste, St-Vincent de Paul, syndicat au travail, comité Santé, Sécurité au Travail, Résidence Rosalie (pour femme monoparentale) et autres). J’adore être impliqué dans ma communauté.
Être impliqué auprès d’un conseil d’administration qui fait la promotion de l’amour, la santé, l’élevage et la continuité de la merveilleuse race, qu’est le Léonberger, est un privilège pour moi. Je suis vraiment fibrille d’être impliqué et d’apprendre d’une merveilleuse communauté de propriétaires, éleveurs et d’amoureux de la race.
My name is Michelle Johnson, I reside in Rivière-Rouge in Quebec, with my wonderful husband, our first leo, Hercule, imported from Scotland, his parents are from Hungary and Slovakia. And we must not forget our two cats, that just love to tease him and then run to safety…so they think…
My first experience with this breed. But I fell in love with it over 35 years ago while going through Fancy dog catalogue. I never had the space, the time or the money in order to take good care of a Leonberger so I had to wait for the right moment in my life when I would.
In May 2019 I drove 6 hours from Montreal to Toronto airport, took a 6hr flight, stayed 3 days, getting to know a wonderful breeder and a beautiful pup named Hercule, then back the same way with an extra crate and furbaby.
And our journey began. We moved to Rivière-Rouge in September 2019 with lots of land, woods for our furbaby to grow and roam free.
I have been in different community groups (Optimist Club, St-Vincent de Paul, union activist, health and safety at work committee) and have been on the board of directors in most of these groups. I am still on the board of directors of a supervised home for single moms. I have experience on boards, and really like being involved in my community.
To be involved with a board that promotes great care, love and health of a wonderful breed like the Leonberger is a privilege for me. I am really excited to be involved and to learn so much from this beautiful community, that is Leonberger lovers, owners and breeders.
Michelle Johnson
Rivière-Rouge, Québec
514-770-1546
QC-director@leonbergerclubofcanada.com
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Atlantic Director: Vacant
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