Asterel was established early in 1977 when Trisha Dean acquired her first Estrela Mountain Dog. Since that time Estrelas have been in permanent residence making Trisha the longest established owner of the breed in the UK.

As Trisha is a qualified obedience instructor, Asterel Estrelas have over the years participated at an elementary level in this discipline. Some Asterels have also had a go at agility!

Trisha and her husband Stewart relocated from the South of England to South West Wales in 1992 where the whole family settled into a boarding kennels in the heart of the Carmarthenshire countryside.

Asterel have, over the years, been responsible for many awards, notably:

• The first owner-bred dog to win Top Dog of the Year
• The first Estrela ever to gain a first prize at Crufts
• The first dog to win Best of Breed at Crufts (after gaining breed classes in 1991)
• The first Estrela to gain a Group placing (WKC 1995)
• The first Estrela to win Top Rare Breed Bitch in the UK (1998)
• Top Rare Breed Stud Dog (1999)
• Top Rare Breed Brood Bitch (1999)
• The first Estrela to win Rare Breed Stakes overall at Championship level