Leslie & Don Jeszewski | Highcroft Collies

Interview with Leslie & Don Jeszewski, Breeder of Highcroft Collies

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? How many years in dogs? How many years as a breeder? What is your kennel name?
2. In your opinion, is your breed in good condition overall? Any trends that warrant concern?
3. As a Preservation Breeder, can you share your thoughts on the sport today? How’s the judging these days?
4. How important are Performance Events to you as a Preservation Breeder? As an Exhibitor?
5. In your opinion, is social media good for the sport? Is it harmful?
6. What are the biggest challenges facing the dog show community as a whole today and how can these be addressed?
7. What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in the sport over the past decade?

Leslie & Don Jeszewski

1. My husband, Don, and I are nestled on a 35-acre wooded estate, just 25 minutes west of downtown Minneapolis, where we established the kennel “Highcroft Collies.” I have been a documented member of the Collie Club of America and Collie Club of Minnesota since my childhood in 1963, when I began in Collies at the young age of twelve years old. Since that time, the American Kennel Club registered kennel prefix “Highcroft” is now recognized, not only nationwide but internationally as well, by serious Collie breeders and fanciers around the world, with Champion Highcroft Collies residing in various countries in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, Mexico, and Canada. Additionally, we have been four-time recipients of the Collie Club of America’s Presidential Award for Breeder of the Year and honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Kennel Club for Breeder of the Year/Herding Group.

2. Overall, I think our breed has made great strides improving “head detail” from the Collies of the 1950s and ‘60s. However, although the breed has made dramatic improvement in soundness, structure, and movement, there are still too many straight fronts showing up in the Breed ring, and mistakenly being awarded under the guise of being “upstanding,” a term that has been used too frequently in the past five years.

3. I think the sport is as important as it ever was. Regarding the judging of dogs, I think that overall there’s been an improved commitment, with folks applying for a license for a specific breed to really learn the breed through greatly respected mentors, attending various seminars on a specific breed, and attending breed nationals. While, as an active exhibitor, having an expansive number of shows to choose from on “the dog show menu” is great, it has noticeably been lowering the entry numbers not only just at all-breed shows but also entries at a national, even our own CCA 2024! There was only a one dog entry in the Open Blue Merle class, and only three dogs in the Open Tricolor dog class! I dare say, the lowest class entries on record!

4. Having been in the sport of dogs for over 50 years, I am so THRILLED for the love of dogs that so many performance events have hit the limelight. The more event offerings offered to dog enthusiasts, the better; fun activities for the dogs and their humans.

5. Social media can be both harmful and good for the sport. The old proverbial saying, “Don’t hide your light under a bushel,” may be justification to some degree when people make posts on Facebook about their dogs’ wins; but on the other hand, there are many great dogs out there winning whose owners are either too humble, too busy, (or too techy lame—like myself) to make posts on FB. The late Ron Keller of Marnus Collie fame once said to me, “I can’t believe how some individuals will make comments on a post about ‘pretty expression’ when (and I quote Ron) the Collie’s face is the very antitheses of correct expression! The comments imply it’s correct, when it is not.” Well said, Ron.

6. Anti-dog legislation comes to mind firstly, as a very worrisome challenge, especially when many of our legislators/lawmakers neglect the research proving the positive impacts dogs have on the human race. As dog owners, breeders, and exhibitors, we need to be proactive by educating the public on responsible care and ownership of dogs. Secondly, I feel the need to get more young people involved in the sport of dogs—if dog sports are to continue into the future. Lastly, inflation in our economy has hit the dog show community hard. Entry fees are up while actual dog show entry numbers are down. Hotels and restaurants are still trying to recover from the effects of the pandemic, making dog shows increasingly expensive to attend.

7. I think the most impactful positive change is the rise in opportunities for dog owners to participate in a variety of events. Not everyone feels comfortable in the Conformation ring, so having other events to actively participate in provides more opportunities for one-on-one time with their dogs, which is really what the joy of owning a dog is all about!