A character, someone who lived life to the full and enjoyed the experience, loved her dogs and the world it brought her is how we will remember Boni Moen – who died this week after a long and courageous struggle against the cancer that had tested her for so many years, write Adele Summers & Vandy Williams

We first met Boni (then Sorenson) in 1976 when she was on a working holiday at Karina Le Mare’s Helmlake Kennels at the Mill House.

Boni and her parents had a long association with their first love, Great Danes and this is what brought her to Surrey and introduced her to her second love – Pekingese – with which, as with the Danes, she was destined to write breed history in her native Norway and become known worldwide with her Hotpoint kennel name.

We were showing Sungarth Kanga of Toydom at that time and she started coming to training classes with us with our young puppy Toydom Aphrodisia, and at the dogs shows she would come to ringside taking a great interest in the breed, plus learning about presentation and handling in the UK.

She was aware that presentation of the breed wasn’t exactly high up on the list when showing Pekingese in Norway and she wanted to be sure that when she returned with her Kanga son, Toydom Aphrodisia, that she would be able to show him to perfection, which she did and Dizzy caused quite a stir when he swept into the ring in full coat, taking the breed and being placed in the Group as well at his first show.

Success followed success in the showring with both breeds but it was with her Pekingese that she continued to make history when Int & Nordic Ch Sunsalve Come Play With Me at Toydom became Top Dog All Breeds in the early 1980’s.

When her mother died, she remained at home with her father at their beautiful house in Oslo, which sat overlooking the fjord and we have fond memories of wonderful holidays and times there with them.

She married her long-time boyfriend Steiner Moen and they moved into the family farm at Store Ruud, which had been her father’s home during World War 2, when he, as a major leader in the Norwegian resistance, kept their radio for contact with England which they managed to keep hidden under the staircase despite being raided by the occupying forces on one occasion.

From their new home the Hotpoint success story continued with Boni fast becoming one of Norway’s most sort after judges both at home and abroad, including judging at the World Show.
In the show ring she continued to successfully breed and campaign both her Danes and Pekingese through to their titles in Scandinavia and abroad – at the World Show she won with Nor Ch Dreamtimes Odds On for Delwin and at what was to be her last visit to Crufts in 2009 she handled Grace Godwin’s Int & English Champion Mahjon Elio by Delwin to Best of Breed.

So many people were helped by Boni who always made time to advise and mentor anyone who was genuinely interested in the world of dogs. The respect and affection in which she was held both in her own homeland and abroad are a testament to the devotion she had for dogdom.
It is so hard to believe that she is gone from our lives, she was such a positive and philosophical person regarding life and what it could bring, and we were so lucky to have had her as a close and loyal friend for so many years. Our thoughts are with Steiner and her close circle of friends at this very sad time.

After many years fighting cancer, Bonnie lost her final battle early on the morning of Tuesday the 15th of June. She passed away peacefully in hospital In Oslo, with her husband Steiner at her side, write Laurence Morgan-Evans & Bill Paterson (Vanmore)

It is always very difficult to know what to write about such a great lady, especially if you really knew her. She was, in many ways, a modest person about her achievements and privileged upbringing, as she came from the great Sorenson shipping family in Norway.

Most people will know her as a talented breeder and exhibiter of Great Danes (although she also bred Pekingese and King Charles Spaniels), making up many Champions all over the World. UK kennels have benefiting directly and indirectly from her exceptional breeding and stock including our own Vanmore Great Dane Kennel, the Walkmyll kennel of Ron and the late Freda Lewis, and also the Batworth kennel with the beautiful harlequin bitch International Champion Hotpoint’s New Treasure.

Bonnie graced us with an occasional ‘Viking Raid’ to the UK, to show mostly a Pekingese, but she did win Best of Breed at Crufts 2001 and Working Group 3 with her blue male Great Dane Champion Hotpoint’s Mr Blue. She herself took centre stage at Crufts as the judge in 2005. Bonnie was a well respected international breed specialist and all-round judge and was due to judge Boxers amongst other breeds at Richmond 2010.

To us however, Bonnie was a great friend that you could talk to about any subject for hours, and usually well into the early hours of the morning at her beloved farm near Oslo. She was an incredibly funny lady although she was quite shy with new people, a talented Reiki Master and into alternative healing and other such things, which she found fascinating.

We will miss Bonnie dreadfully and our thoughts are with Steiner and her family.

Bonnie you don’t have to fight anymore … sleep peacefully …. you touched so many people’s lives in so many ways … we were privileged to have known you for so many years and honoured to have had your friendship.

It was with great sadness that I heard from Laurence Morgan Evans last Tuesday of the passing of Bonnie Borghild of Hotpoints fame, writes Jean Lanning.

As Laurence said, she was a very special lady and a very brave one. Aged only 52, she had beaten her serous illness that had threatened to take her life many times, over the years, that one had begun to think that Bonnie was indestructible.

Born in Norway, her mother owned Great Danes, but she had her first show dog from Karina Le Mare, that was founded mainly of the old Merrowlea and Clausentum blood. She quickly proved she was a clever breeder and her Hotpoints fawn and brindle Great Danes had a distinctive mark of recognition, of excellence.

She also had the same success with her Blues and had imported successfully from Laurence Evans of Vanmore, and at Crufts 2001 won BOB Crufts under Feffie Somerfield, with Multi Champion Hotpoints Mr Blue and went on to win third in the Working group under Margaret Everton. She subsequently had the honour of judging her breed at Crufts. Bonnie appears to have the gold finger touch, as a stock breeder and had also outstanding success with her Hotspoints Pekingese.

Bonnie is a great loss to the International world of dogs. A most competent and respected judge, she was approved for a number of breeds as an F.C.I. judge, and I am quite sure, had she lived she would have become one of the most important all-breed judges on the world circuit.

Our condolences go to her husband, members of her family and her many friends around the world. The name of Hotpoints will long be remembered amongst those who love the best in Great Danes and Pekes.

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