STEVE CROOKES
I live in Sheffield, South Yorkshire with my wife Anne, 6 Golden Retrievers and an English Springer Spaniel. We have been owned by Golden Retrievers for 37 years. Our first 2 Goldens were show dogs and were worked at obedience.
I have always enjoyed shooting since I was a boy and our first dogs accompanied me on shooting days, enthusiastically but not very successfully. When the time came to get another we bought a working Golden from the Standerwick line, followed 4 years later by another Standerwick bitch, my Standerwick Pandora, I still work her great grandson Moscargrange Blade.
In the shooting season I pick up with my dogs 4 days a week as well as trialling them, and in August we head off to Scotland for six weeks to pick up on a large grouse moor.
Every Saturday in the season I help run a small syndicate which gives me the opportunity to also shoot over my dogs. I enjoy hunting roe deer in Scotland and, when I have time, coming to my friend in Germany to hunt the elusive wild boar!
In my spare time I fly fish for trout as often as I can.
I am the Chairman of the Northern Golden Retriever Association, a member of the Golden Retriever Breed Council and a member of the Field Trials Liaison Council.
I am a Kennel Club ‘A’ panel judge and one of the 19 persons approved by the Kennel Club to present the Field trials rules and regulations seminars for prospective ‘A’ and ‘B’ panel judges.
I have judged field trials and working tests both in Great Britain and throughout Europe.
I was a Police Officer in the South Yorkshire Police for 25 years and have now been retired 20 years.