About Luis

Luis’ love for animals began when he was growing up on a cortijo in Seville, Spain. This was a multi-family farmhouse where they lived off the land and the animals raised there.
In 1966 Luis moved with his mother and her new American husband to the USA when immediately he was introduced in to the world of show dogs by his new aunt, who was involved with collies, in both obedience and conformation. She also had a dog-figurine booth at the shows. To keep Luis, who at this point did not speak English, from getting bored they would take him to the dog shows in Cleveland, Ohio when he can vividly recall seeing a chow chow for the first time. This dog was handled by Jane Kamp (Forsythe), and he believes it might have been Ch. Ah Sid’s the Dilettante, or one of the Gotchall dogs that were being campaigned at that time. On seeing this beautiful red dog he would run to the ring to watch them show.
After a short stay in Cleveland the family moved to California, and then to Texas. After a period of about five years without dogs, he met a friend whose wife showed cocker spaniels, and his interest in show dogs was revived. He would accompany them to the shows and, once there, would always look for the chows.
In 1975 he bought his first chow, an impulse buy from a backyard breeder who happened to be his little sister’s babysitter. He saw the cute puppy and just had to have her. He became obsessed with the breed and began looking for another of better quality. Of course, having no idea how to go about it, he went through the newspaper and ended up with another non-show quality chow, and both with nasty temperaments. He decided to place both in new homes and start his search in earnest for what he hoped would be his dream chow. While attending shows with his cocker friends he began talking to chow exhibitors, and encountered one of the most beautiful chows that, even today, ranks as one of his favourites. His name was Ch. Cedar Creek’s D’Drummer Boi, a Jewel’s Supermanchu son out of the top producing bitch, Jemaco’s Meme of Cedar Creek. This dog was bred by Bonnie Henson and owned by Tommy and Vicky Cheek of Dallas, Texas. Luis became friends with Tommy and Vicky and, with their help, he contacted Bonnie Henson. He made arrangements to travel to Kentucky to visit her and see her dogs in 1978, and this was the first of many trips to Cedar Creek Kennels.
Visiting that first time he saw the great Supermanchu and a son of his name called Cherokee, and many more lovely dogs. There was a newborn litter out of Cherokee, and Bonnie sent Luis a puppy bitch at eight weeks old. Her name was Ch. Cedar Creek’s Cherokee Rose, and Luis finished her himself by the time she was nine months old. Shortly afterwards he attended his first National in Phoenix, and has only missed about four of them in the last 20 years. By this time he had already made friends with Carmen and Gary Blankenship, a friendship that has proven to be lifelong. Carmen and Gary accompanied Luis on his next visit to Bonnie’s, where they bought Cedar Creek’s Maranatha, a double Supermanchu daughter.
By this time Luis had several Cedar Creek dogs, and when Carmen made the breeding of Maranatha to Ch. Marians Imperial Pandee Bear Luis got a beautiful black puppy dog that became Ch. Chinabear Manolete. He was six months ten days old when Luis finished him with 4 Majors. This dog, with his Cedar Creek bitches, became the foundation of GoodTymes
Luis has always believed that just because a dog is not bred or owned by him does not mean that there are not a lot of great dogs out there, and he has always been one to recognize quality and go out to breed to them. During the 80s he sent bitches out to be bred to: Ch. Pinewood’s I am the Boss, Ch. Pinewood’s Pharaoh of Venus, Ch. Bonsai Bully for Chi Debut. Their litters produced some lovely dogs, but the one most remembered, and still very cisible to the chow fancy, is Ch. GoodTymes’ Pacman who is pictured on the AKC Chow Video as the perfect balance of a chow!
During that same period Luis bred, showed, and finished many chows for himself, Carmen, and for a few other friends; this started him in the handling business.
In 1988 he went through a pre-middle-aged crisis, got a divorce, sold his business, got together with his wife Angela and they began handling dogs together full time.