the bluebonnet norfolk terrier club
Historic Norfolk Breeders/Kennels
Historical Breeders
© The Bluebonnet Norfolk Terrier Club
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Elve and Michael Crawley By Lesley Crawley Michael Crawley’s kennel of Norfolk, Norwich and Australian Terriers came by its prefix by chance. The English KC turned down over 20 name applications and finally accepted part of the name Elvenring, so Elve came into being. It is pronounced LV and became one of the most well known prefix’s in the UK during Michael’s 23 years of breeding and exhibiting. His first 4 champions Michael handled for himself but later he preferred to take a seat at the ringside and watch his wife Lesley handle his dogs. The kennel achieved 16 Norwich, 2 Australian and 11 Norfolk champions, only 5 of whom were not home bred. Among the many wins the kennel had were 2 all breed BIS’s, 2 Best Puppy in Shows at the National Terrier (The UK’s top terrier show), 9 group wins in 2 breeds one being at Crufts. From 1990 to the year 2000, Elve Norwich stud dogs were top sires on the breed club points table for 8 of the 10 years. In 1996 Elve stud dogs held the first 4 stud places, a record yet to be equaled or beaten in Norwich.  Michael’s most famous Norwich stud was CH Elve The Viking, whose 11th champion offspring was the group 1 at Crufts, CH Elve Stormwizard. His top Norfolk stud dog in the UK was CH Elve Cloudyhead, who won Top Stud twice and was sire of the first male group winner and the first multiple group winner in Norfolks. This was Eng. Ch. Salette Gold Bullion who won 25 CC’s, a record at the time. In the USA he bred the well-known stud dog AMCH Elve Pure Magic, owned by the late Joan Read. He also bred ENG and AM CH Elve Nick Redthorn at Belleville, who was 2nd Top Terrier in the USA in 1998. In Australian Terriers he bred 2 champions, one of whom, CH Elve The Forger, became the first Aussie in the UK to with a Puppy Terrier Group and when adult, won 2 group 2’s at a time when Australians never won such awards in the UK. The most famous Elve Norwich was CH Elve The Sorcerer, who was the first male BIS winner. He was also the first multiple group and BIS winner and was certainly the pathfinder for such wins in the UK and is in the pedigrees of most top-winning dogs today. Published with permission from the Norfolk Terrier Annual 2010