MYRIAM VERMEIRE
I grew up with a German shepherd who was my very best friend during my childhood.
At the age of 14 I had my first Belgian shepherd Groenendaal, the breed that I have also bred for several years.
At the age of 16 I started to work as a ring steward at dog shows and in 1997 I became a judge for Belgian shepherds.
After 23 years of studying and doing breed exams I became an all-round judge in July 2019.
I’m also approved to judge the Junior Handling competitions.
I have already judged a lot of international shows and breed specialties in most European countries, in Israel, the United States of America, Argentina and Australia. I also gave seminars in some of these countries especially on Belgian shepherds.
Due to my judging a lot abroad, I have stopped breeding because I think you should make time for the puppies and be there for them.
Of course, I still have dogs at home: 3 Tervuren adult males. I also own a Groenendaal female and I have a Brussels Griffon in co-ownership.
All my Belgian shepherd dogs won at World dog shows and have won national and several international titles. We also work with our dogs: IPO (obedience, tracking and bite work).
Besides judging I’m also involved in different committees: I’m the vice-president of the Belgian Kennel Club, the president of Section 4A (responsible for the dog shows in Belgium) and the general secretary of the Judges Qualification Commission.
So, you could say that I’m a real dog person.
It’s a big honor for me to be invited to judge at the club specialty in Stavanger and I’m really looking forward to it!
Myriam Vermeire
