MEG PURNELL-CARPENTER
Biographical information partially excerpted from The Kennel
Club (England) Gazette article by Bernard Hall
She quickly developed the picturesque property near the small village of
Pensford (near Bristol) into a licensed Quarantine Station. Her fine sense of business and
understanding of what dog owners need also led to the development of a complex
Import-Export business. The professional staff safely and efficiently moves animals around the world
whilst Meg will be seen at the Overhill Trade Stand where
everyone comes to visit and purchase unique products while at the shows.
If she thinks of something that dog people need, often before they
have realized they need it, Meg will have it sewn, built, or manufactured! Meg has one
son and two daughters. Rachael
and Lisa are on premises daily, directing staff and insuring the smooth
operation of the multi-faceted Overhill business as well as the impeccable
care of both personal and Quarantine kennels. Born in 1941, Meg packs a
minimum of 28 hours into each an every day and says that it is her three
children who enable her to now enjoy a full judging and travel schedule. Meg bought her first German
Shepherd when she was 15 and bred her first litter only two years later. Interested in everything about dogs, she trained GSDs with
Bristol Dog Training Society, and typical of Meg, she went on to become an
instructor. Her greatest love became the
Akita when she accepted into the quarantine block two O’BJ dogs en route
to Australia. As Meg says,
“I opened the box and fell in love.”
She then imported two bitches from the same kennel, her
much–loved O’BJ White Hope and the bitch she credits with being the
foundation of the Overhill Akitas, Am. Ch. O’BJ Sachette No Okii Yubi,
dam of the first UK bred litter. Meg has traveled worldwide as
a student of all breeds but particularly the Akita.
She has bred Champions in eight countries and was thrilled when she
was able to attend the world conference on Akitas in 1998.
She has since been invited to attend for a second time.
She served as Chairman of the British Japanese Akita Association
and as one of the first and certainly the most knowledgeable on the breed
in her country, she published a book on Akita bloodlines which was a
tremendous reference source for all Akita fanciers. Just to make sure she can
still move at the speed of light, Meg competed in a nine-mile race in
fancy dress and a charity cycle race dressed as a St Trinians’ girl
raising £600. Four years ago
she had a hip replacement, but this has in no way dampened her enthusiasm
for life and her schedule of judging appointments which have included
Finland, Australia and Barbados. She
considers one of her greatest honours was being asked to judge Polish
Lowland Sheepdogs in Poland and this year is judging that breed and Akitas
in Finland. One of the
highlights of her life was of course, the opportunity to judge Akitas at
the largest show in the world – the Crufts Dog Show, where she of course
drew a record entry. It is said that it is always
the busiest people who have time to do more things.
Meg supplied dogs for the television series with the original TV
vet, James Allcock. She once
managed the pop group K-9, was a breed note writer for one of the canine
weekly papers. Not content
with doing only three things at a time, she now owns four peacocks, one
goose, one cow, two doves, two lovebirds, fifteen Akitas, six German Shepherds,
five Beauceron, one of which is the first tri-colour in this country, a
lurcher and a parrot called Tarzan. Meg Purnell-Carpenter’s
contributions to the sport are legendary, the most recent is election to
The Kennel Club (England) Board Of Directors. We are honored to have
her guidance and involvement at TheDogPlace.com Visit the extensive and very
informative Overhill Website
Her
name and face is most familiar in the European countries but she has
become known as a judge par excellence in many countries.
Meg founded the Overhill Kennels in 1978, having first had a boarding
kennel at her parents Overhill Farm, from which she took the Overhill
name.
