January 8th 2022: Canadian Kooikerhondje’s Facebook group was initiated, hosted by Penny Shewfelt. 

November 2023: Penny Shewfelt queried the Facebook group to see if there was any interest in working towards gaining Nederlandse Kooikerhondje Breed recognition in the Miscellaneous group with the CKC and found a high level of interest. 

March 11th 2024: An ad hoc committee was created with Penny Shewfelt (Sarnia, Ontario), with Crystal Graham (Edmonton, Alberta), Amy McWilliams (Calgary, Alberta), Dominique Tout-Simard (Montreal, Quebec), Cheryl D. Mitchell (North Vancouver, British Columbia), and Laura Manella (Niagara Falls, Ontario). After the initial meeting, the committee met once a week and worked toward creating a robust submission to the CKC.   

April 2024: The committee reached out to any known breeders in Canada and the US to try to create a list of Kooikers in Canada.   Our research identified approximately 70 dogs!

April 2024:  The NKCUSA supported our initiative by providing financial support towards the CKC’s  fee submission costs. 

May 2024:  We received endorsement from the original breed club in the Netherlands, The Vereniging "Het Nederlandse Kooikerhondje" (VHNK) with the club chair Kerstin Ueckert providing support and background information toward our endeavour. 

May 27th, 2024:  Els Meerdink joined the committee bringing her Dutch perspective, veterinary expertise and VHNK connections to the committee. 

June 10th 2024:   Amy McWilliams created a logo for the committee and future Club. 

June 11th, 2024:   A Survey of Interest was posted on Facebook and emailed to any known Kooiker owners to gain perspective on the level of interest in creating a Nederlandse Kooikerhondje Club of Canada.  A total of 23 surveys were completed, with a high level of interest in promoting Nederlandse Kooikerhondje’s in Canada. 

October 30th 2024: The committee submitted a comprehensive submission to the CKC for recognition in the Miscellaneous section.   

Feb 1, 2025: Nederlandse Kooikerhondje Club of Canada website domain was purchased - Kooiker.ca. 

April 17, 2025:  Official club membership form distributed and first memberships received! 

May 2025: The committee ( Shewfelt, Graham, McWilliams and Meerdink)  received acceptance of the important Rules of Eligibility from the CKC ROE Committee. 

October 2025:  Code of Ethics for Members and Code of Ethics for Breeders finalized.

February 24, 2026: Website Kooiker.ca is live.