Our Designer

Saudjie Cross Crook
I am of Native American Cherokee decent and was raised in Africa.

Weathertop was born in 1987 on a remote California mountaintop overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In my studio surrounded by my Labradors I designed and created the Weathertop Collection with my trademark Labrador central to all of my designs.

My leads are used by top breeders around the world and my quilts have been presented as Best of Breed trophies at dog shows throughout the world. In 2000 I designed my first handbag.

Our Life
My husband, John Crook OBE, is a legendary British Labrador breeder and patron of the South African Labrador Retriever Club. We met in the show ring in California when he was judging one of my top winning Labradors. We were married in North Wales in 1999, honeymooned on safari in South Africa, then he moved with me to my hometown of Carmel, California.

Our Dogs
Having combined breeding programs we now breed and exhibit Labrador Retrievers under the affix Balrion at Weathertop. Our Labradors are recognised as some of the best show bred Labs in the world and I also work my dogs. My husband bred and owned the Best in Show winning Labrador, Sh Ch Balrion King Frost, who became a British Breed Record Holder. We travel the world judging Labs and speaking at breed seminars.

Our Home
In 2003 we moved with 10 Labradors from Carmel, California back to North Wales where I now work surrounded by the green Welsh hills and lots and lots of sheep.

In 2004 I won a sheepdog puppy named Sbot (Welsh for Spot) bred by former Welsh and World Champion Sheepdog Trialer Aled Owen. Sbot and I now work sheep with the neighboring farmers and attend sheepdog trials in the summer.

Kiana Siino
Kiana began working on the Weathertop Collection nearly 20 years ago when, as a young child, she made 25 cents each for cutting out Labradors for quilts.

Raised in Carmel CA, she attended 6^th Form at Abbots Bromley School for Girls in Staffordshire, England, and graduated from London's Roehampton University with a degree in Art History and Drama &Theatre Production.

Her love of performing arts has found expression on a variety of stages around the world and has included lead roles in works ranging from Shakespeare plays to a play she co-wrote called Salad Bowl that was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She dances professionally with belly dance troupes both in the Carmel area and in London.

Having grown up with Labradors she began drawing them as soon as she could hold a crayon. She’s begun a series of paintings of our own Balrions at Weathertop in either water colour or acrylic, and we are happy to offer copies of these paintings made up as blank note cards.

Kiana lives in North Wales and in Carmel, Ca. and continues her work with the Weathertop Collection.