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Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Submitted Photo
Leny Wagenaar-DeRuijter is often seen walking these three Leonberger dogs around Clinton with her husband Dick Wagenaar. The dogs have legal registered
names, but are commonly known as Star, Angel and Gem. The Wagenaar's have competed with their dogs at many shows over many years, bringing home many
trophies.
Trip to Holland begins love affair with Leonbergers
Former resident retires to Clinton with
husband and award-winning dogs
Valerie Gillies
Clinton News Record
Leny Wagenaar-DeRuijter and
her husband Dick Wagenaar
have often been seen walking
their three award-winning Leon -
burger dogs around the streets of
Clinton. DeRuijter says many
people stop and talk to them as
they are drawn to the dogs.
DeRuijter originally arrived in
Canada from Holland with her
parents and siblings in 1948,
landing with a war boat in Que-
bec City. After a train ride to
Toronto, they were picked up by
their sponsor in a car to take up
residence in Moorefield. In 1951
her parents bought their first
farm in the Londesborough area,
eventually moving to their sec-
ond farm near Bayfield.
While growing up, DeRuijter
attended Porters Hill Public
School, then Goderich High
School and finally Clinton High
School. At the age of 16, she
moved to Kitchener to work in
St. Mary's Hospital. By 22 she
moved to Ottawa/Kanata.
DeRuijter went to Holland for
a family reunion 29 years ago.
While there, she met Wagenaar
and in 1987 moved to Holland to
be with him. Since DeRuijter's
parents had applied for Cana-
dian citizenship for her when
she was 5 years old, she was con-
sidered to have dual citizenship
in Holland. Had she been 18
years old, like her brother, and
signed herself into Canada, she
would have had to be sponsored
to live in Holland.
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