A bit about Me and My Animal orientated Career

“Ramchaine” ~ a bit about me

CHARMAINE ENNIS VAN MAREN

I have had a very dog & animal orientated career ~

I started working with dogs and cats at the age of 13 years at weekends and school holidays at two different local boarding kennels & catteries until I left school at 18. ‘The Mardens’ owned by the Cairn Terrier breeder Patricia Breach (Hearn) in Caterham and at ‘Windmill Farm’ in Coulsdon, Surrey, which actually years ago belonged to THE showman himself …….

‘Charles CRUFT’!!

I went to “ The London Academy of Grooming” in 1986, to train to become a Canine & Feline Beautician while working at ‘Northover’ in Sussex, another Boarding Kennels & Cattery establishment owned by a Beagle breeder (Karaham).

I then spent a year at “Arden Grange” Quarantine Kennels & Cattery, near Brighton, the sole importers of Eukanuba at that time and home of the ‘Ardenberg’ GSDs .

Working as their main groomer, under expert handler Don Munro of the Arkama Kerry Blues (Don was BIS @ Crufts in n1979 with Ch/Am Ch Callaghan of Leander) .

I achieved my City & Guilds 775 Exam in Dog Grooming and very proudly won the Richard Barker PetCareTrust High Prize Award for the highest marks ever in the whole of the United Kingdom with 99.5% in my Theory exam !!! (still wonder where I went wrong for that 0.5%!!)

I bought My FIRST Golden Retriever in 1984 ~ “Noravon Rowena of Ramchaine” (Sh Ch Westley Samual ex Noravon Melissa) born on the 18th January 1984.

My second arrived in 1986 “Lovehayne Chancellor of Ramchaine” (Sh Ch Westley Munro of Nortonwood ex Ch Lovehayne Beteazle) …. as well as the very first litter of “RAMCHAINE” puppies. Many more Goldens and litters have enriched my life since then, as I became hooked on this wonderful breed and showing became a big passion.

I groomed and handled the Dandie Dinmont Terrier “Ch Senacre Hooghly” to his UK Junior Warrant & Champion Title (he went on to win over 20 CCs) and with his owners ~ Sheila & Paul Keevil (Yazga) ~ worked throughout the 80’s for their ‘Framed Philatelleics’ Trade Stand at Crufts

(then held at Earls Court in London) plus at other Championship Shows around the country , selling canine collectables, trinkets, postcards, stamps & prints, and had many a fun evening preparing stocks to get everything show ready.

I have owned two fabulous German Shepherd Dogs “Kyra” in 1985 , followed by “Kaine” in 1997 who became my devoted shadows and who I loved to do Obedience with.

Before my first marriage and birth of my three sons in the 1990’s, I ran my own mobile ‘home grooming service’( trimming, clipping and bathing dogs from clients own homes) while also working in three different bars at night, and juggling my time for a few years as a Veterinary Nurse/ Assistant/Receptionist first for Ashton Veterinary Surgery in Addiscombe, and then at Aspen Vets in Warlingham.

While living in England I had three separate Professional Grooming Salons which were all very busy with around 60-90 clients per week.

Sadly my first husband Mick died of cancer while our boys were teenagers and still at school.

In 2002 I qualified as a Canine Hydrotherapist and opened “Trim&Swim Professional Grooming Salon & Hydrotherapy Centre” with a specially designed heated swimming pool for dogs to use as a form of rehabilitation, physiotherapy, weightloss and improved fitness. Trim & Swim employed 9 members of staff and was open six days a week to cater for around 12-20 swim clients and groom dogs a day , as well as teaching grooming skills to aspiring groomers.

In England I was a committee member of the SGRS and helped run their Obedience lessons & RingCraft Classes

In 2008 love blossomed when I fell in love with Bart van Maren “Of the Hellacious Acres” fame Our romance and fairytale lovestory across the sea developed and in 2009 we united, I left my England home in January 2010 to move to Holland. We got married that August in the Scottish Highlands on a boat on Loch Ness with photos at the Guisachin House ruins and celebrated our fun Scottish Wedding Week with family and friends in Tomich, the very place of the ancestral home and beginnings of our beloved Golden Retriever breed. Nowhere could have been better to begin married life and celebrate the love and devotion of two madly passionate, devoted and besotted Golden Lovers !!

My busy UK flourishing Professional Grooming Salon “TopToTail” was taken over by my cousin when I moved to Holland in 2010, and is still successfully running today.

Since the 90’s I have done many ‘Golden Grooming Demonstrations’ for DeZynadog & breed Clubs, plus given ‘Hands On Trimming Workshops’ , and taught ‘Grooming Courses”, as well as doing ‘One-to-One’ teaching days and running intensive ‘Ringcraft Workout Sessions’.

I still enjoy doing my specialized one-to-one tailored tuition, teaching and training days for both Grooming and Show Handling Techniques.

I have had students from various countries around the world of all different levels of expertise to learn and improve on their grooming skills, trimming and handling techniques.

Many of my students have gone on to ring successes & to open flourishing Trimming & Grooming Businesses of their own.

I am thrilled to have achieved my own first three UK Show Champion Titles with my homebred

*Sh Ch Ramchaine Rubellite JW, *Multi Ch Ramchaine Essential JW and with our superstar *Sh Ch Remington Requiste of Ramchaine ~ “Jazmin” – who became the

“Dog World TOP BROOD BITCH” in the UK in 2007, 2008, 2010 & 2011 and ended up with winning 10 x UK CCs before leaving England for her FCI European adventurous Veteran campaign – when Jaz oozed her qualities and charisma to achieve her German , Luxembourg, Dutch Champion & Veteran Champion titles, multiple Group placings & qualified for the Dog of the Year Show too …. all at the superfit grand amazing older age of 10 & 11 years !!
Our special Jaz joyfully lived on to be a spectacular old lady of over 15 years before she died.

Together with Bart we proudly made up four more UK Show Champions :

*UK Sh Ch/Int Sh Ch/ NL/ Swedish/ Danish/ German/ VDH Ch Barnum of the Hellacious Acres

*UK Sh Ch / Int. Sh Ch /Multi Ch Velvenya Vogue of Ramchaine JW /European Winner :

*UK Sh Ch /Multi Ch Sing Sing Sing NJK

*UK Sh Ch/ Int Ch / Dutch/ Danish/ Swedish/ Norweigian/ Nordic/German/ VDH/ Latvian/ Estonian/ Lux Ch Ramchaine Moment of Truth NJK’ ~ fabulously gaining his title at the prestigious GRC 65th Sapphire Anniversary Show from a magnificent quality entry of 165 males!

Together Bart & I had fun and loved to campaign our dogs across the UK & Europe, enjoying exploring the rules and various systems across the many different countries we travelled to !

Bart and I were thrilled to make up our first ever Irish Show Champion in “Multi Ch Ramchaine Jaq of Hearts JW”.

Bart and I have also loved to show & breed our Maine Coon Cats, campaigning successfully to the titles of Champion, International Ch, Grand International Ch & Supreme Champions too!

My first judging appointment was in 1991. I have now judged at CC/CAC level multiple times in England, as well as in Scotland, Germany, Finland, Hungary, Russia & in the Netherlands at the GRCN KampioensClubmatch in May 2023. Sadly that was to be the very last show my Bart was ever to attend before he died in June 2023 following his short 5 month intensive battle with cancer.

I have four sons and four grandchildren to treasure, along with our Maine Coon cats, and our biggest deep passion and intense hobby – our large treasured ‘Golden family’ and true deep love of the Golden Retriever in all its aspects.

( However, having been a Veterinary Nursing Assistant and being conditioned to conserve & preserve life, I have never been keen on my dogs retrieving shot or dead rabbits, hares or birds ~ so our dogs carry and retrieve Dummies, Tennis balls, Toys & Teddy Bears and never shot/dead game !!)

I am incredibly proud to have had x7 UK Show Champions , even more UK CC , RCC & JW winners , plus x16 Dutch Champions at home since my move to Holland, and to have bred and owned many many Multi Champions, International Show Champions , FCI Junior Champions & UK Junior Warrant Winners of our own, plus all those belonging to others worldwide .~ To date over 70 beautiful Goldens with Champion status carry the Ramchaine or Hellacious Acres affix !!!

Immensely proud too of course of the little bit of ‘Claim To Fame’ in breeding UK Show Champion Ramchaine Green Glow by Fenwood JW , the dam of *THE ALL TIME TOP UK CC Winning GR BREED RECORD HOLDER* ….. ‘Bentley’ with 45 CCs & 26 RCCs. !!