Best in Show Annual 2018

Publishers Jovana Danilovic Ruth Rauherz Managing Editor Ruth Rauherz editor@bestinshowmagazine.com Art Director Jovana Danilovic jovana@bestinshowmagazine.com Marketing Manager Juraj Sokolic ads@bestinshowmagazine.com Contributin Writers Anne Tureen, Richard Hellman, Juha Kares, Karl Donvil, Lisa Croft-Elliott Jovana Danilovic, Bo Bengtson, Ante Lucin, Viltė Šokaitytė, Mihaela Kosic Contributing Photographers Selene Favretto, Karl Donvil, Anna Szabo, Lisa Croft-Elliott, Jeffrey Hanlin, Tommaso Urciuolo, Jovana Danilovic Web Designers Jovana Danilovic Sanja Jukic Printed by GrafoMark d.o.o

Questions and feedback: Conaros Sportmanagement AG Landstrasse 58, 9494 Schaan, Liechtenstein

intro Dear Best in Show readers and followers, this year we are celebrating the 6th birthday of Best in Show Magazine! We have successfully published 18 editions including our Annual 2018 where you will be able to enjoy beautiful photos from shows around the Europe including reports from World Dog Show by Karl Donvil, the Philippines Circuit by Tommaso Urciuolo, the AKC National Championship RC by myself, and many reports from the dog scene worldwide.

Besides reports you will be able to read a great number of articles. Read and think about Ante’s words in ìIs it time to start fighting for our sport?î and Anne’s interviews about World Dog Show in China 2019.

In this edition we spoke with some of the best breeders of Pomeranians from Asia and Canada. Unfortunately breeders from Europe did not give us any interviews about the breed. Helping each other, we could do many great things for our sport. That is my idea for this year.

I truly hope you will enjoy spending time reading our new edition with a cup of coffee or tea until our next edition which will be Spring 2018.

Enjoy!

E-mail: ads@bestinshowmagazine.com Web: www.bestinshowmagazine.com While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, the publisher Conaros Sportmanagement AG can not accept liability for any statement or error contained herein.

Best In Show Magazine cannot accept responsibility for the claims, goods or services of advertisers.

No part of this magazine, inckluding texts, photographs, illustrations, maps or any other graphics may be reproduced in any other way without the prior written consent of Conaros Sportmanagement AG.

Best in Show Magazine

Jovana Danilovic publisher & art director

Content

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World Dog Show

82

Jose Luis Santiago

104

Athina Chairopoulou

118

AKC National Ch. by R.C.

160

Is it time to start fighting for our sport?

180

Philippines Circuit

206

Looking over my shoulder

218

IDS Zagreb

by Karl Donvil

Interview with Handler

Interview with Junior Handler byJovana Danilovic

by Ante Lucin

by Tommaso Urciuolo

by Pekka Hannula

by Croatian Kennel CLub

118 180

206

Content all about the pedigree 234 It’s

by Juha Kares

244

Yearly reports

by Photographers & Kennel Clubs

the Legend 300 Zirus

by Rade Dakic

314

244

“Domesticated”

Literary Dog by Anne Tureen

336 Pomeranians Chriscendo - C. & J. Heartz

Handleigh - Kaz Igarashi Tokie Pomeranians -Chaivat Tangakaravakun Moxiepoms - Nantawan Tair Panpruet Admirer Poms - Tanya Holding Bangyeekhan Chaio Li Ya - Frank Hsieh

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2017 World Dog Show 2017 LEIPZIG, GERMANY • 8-12 NOVEMBER th

Report by Karl Donvil

It was supposed to become a big show, a very big one. Germany accepted to take over the organization of the 2017 World Dog Show that was initially supposed to happen in Ecuador, but due to Natural disasters they were not able to fulfill this commitment. In relatively short time the “Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen” or better known as VDH, managed to set up this huge organization and every time when it happens in Europe, a high number of entries were expected, especially as a lot of exhibitors hesitated to go the Kiev, due to the unstable political situation. For Kiev this was bad luck as if Ecuador would have organized the WDS, there would certainly have been a lot more entries there. But now, for sure, a lot of people decided to subscribe for Leipzig.

The Leipziger Messe, the expo centre where the dog show took place, is very modern and huge. The central hall is a masterpiece of modern. Leipzig has an airport with very good connections, as well fast railway connections and with car it was no problem either. In and around the halls the traffic was no problem and everything was efficiently arranged for the exhibitors, good parking place, no cueing and fast veterinary control. Visitors and hotel residents from Leipzig could travel directly by tram, stopping 48

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right in front of the halls. Leipzig had enough affordable accommodation and that is very contributing to the success of such an event. If hotels are too expensive it affects the number of visitors, press, and exhibitors, especially for events like this that spread over 5 days! So all of this was well thought over and the result was there: 24.692 unique dogs entered for the show only! With another 6.423 dogs entered for the German Winner show, plus the numerous dogs taking part in the sports disciplines and specialty shows, the VDH claims to have 31,115 dogs!... that makes this show into the biggest Dog Show ever held! Crufts is dethroned and the new version of the Guinness Record Book will from now on mention Leipzig. The KC claims 22.991 as its record and that was in 1991 but it is always difficult to say how many individual dogs Crufts had as dogs can be entered in more than one class, so here it’s better to speak of entries. Paris 2011 had about 38.000 dogs, but that includes the WDS, the French Championship show and the different Club shows. The number of dogs entered for the show here was 21.588. Of course most of the dogs entered for the German Winner were probably entered for the World Show too. Best is to just focus on the Main show and then Leipzig is undoubtedly the winner. For once it was

easy and straightforward to see the last catalogue end with dog number 24.692, and without entering different classes! This is the 7th time that Germany organizes the World Show starting in 1935, then 1956, 1973, 1981, 1991 and last time in 2003! There were around 280 different breeds on display, the Miniature Schnauzers leading with 562 specimen (all colors). 8 Other breeds had between 300 and 375 entries, and 13 others counting between 200 and 300! There were many German Shepherds but it must be said that a World Championship for German Shepherds has impressive numbers of dogs while here, in the country of origin, there were “only” 154. For a dog show, very good, but nothing compared to their own championships. The dogs came from no less than 73 different countries. The biggest part were German dogs, 8.577 followed by Russia with 3.463 entries. Italy had 2.295 dogs, Czech Republic 1.770, Poland 1.737, Sweden 1.460, Denmark 1.421, France 1.219 and Finland 1.174. There were 621 dogs entered from The United Kingdom, 99 from the States and 11 from Australia. Among the rare countries there were dogs entered from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, India and Pakistan. In number of dogs there were little over 400 dogs from other continents, all the rest were dogs from Europe. All those dogs were judged by no less than 203 judges coming from 45 different countries. I have no idea if this includes the judges for the sports competitions too. Anyway, it’s an impressive number. But there are more impressive numbers like the 90.000 visitors! I’m not going to discuss this number but probably due to the 5 massive halls and the area they cover, 85.000 square meters, it gave a false impression and not a crowded one at all. Notwithstanding the relatively high prices for an entry ticket (12 EURO for adults, 6 EURO for children) this very good score has probably got its effect from the German media that covered it very well. In my hotel I saw myself a long shot on some national channel and that was only one. I’m sure there were several ones the first days and indeed Saturday and Sunday one could experience more difficulties to go from one hall to another, but once in such a hall, there was so much open space between the rings that easily 5 large trucks could drive in the middle corridor side by side. It gave an empty

and quiet impression. And not withstanding all that space, the exhibitors complained about the size of the rings that were comparably small. One had to have good legs to go all around. The distances to cover were impressive and I wonder how professional handlers managed to run from one hall to another if they had to be in several rings. 4 Halls or even 3 could have been enough. It was very clean all around. Hall 2 was only partially used for Dog Dancing and Agility and in a corner of Hall 3 there was the first European Championship Dog Diving.

Unfortunately this most enjoyable competition had its finals at the very same moment as the finals in the main ring! The Dog Dancing competition was now according the new FCI rules, set up earlier this year in Paris. This competition had 110 participants. Sweden won the team competition, Elke Boxoen and Jessy won the individual competition, a gold medal for Belgium. 350 Dogs were in competition for the World Championship Agility. Traditionally there is also the World Championship Junior Handling with participants from 35 different countries. Every day 3 Juniors were selected to go to the finals that was

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judged on Sunday by Liz Carledge from the UK. A big show has always some interesting breeds to see, breeds that you can only see on shows like this as they are often working breeds and hardly shown like the Cao de Castro Laboreiro and the Steierischer Rauhaarbracke. And even then there are hardly one of two of them. But there are also the non, or not yet, FCI recognized breeds like the Silken Windhound, a cross breed between Whippet and Barzoi and the Continental Bulldog, a Bulldog on normal (long) legs . And breeds not in competition like the Silken Windspritz before know as the 50

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longhaired Whippet, the Belonka Zwetna, a Russian Bichon-kind of dog that can have many colors, the Prazky Krysarik, a black and tan Toy terrier-like rat dog from Czechia and the Gos, another rat dog from Spain, looking more like a Brazilian Terrier, especially in color. In the main hall, unfortunately not so easy to find, on a platform the visitors could watch a presentation of the German Breeds and the German Shepherd was certainly present in large numbers.

Hall 1 was reserved for the 185 trade stands, the 62 Kennel Clubs and Breed clubs and the Main ring. There were lots of trade stands but they were worried the first days, afraid that exhibitors would not leave their dogs and belongings behind and walk a long distance to go shopping in Hall 1. The first two days their turnover was relatively low, but thanks to the high number of visitors during the weekend, most trade stand holders were happy after all. The Kennel Club village welcomed a newcomer, the Sudanese Kennel Club and main street was one of the busiest corners of the showground.

The main ring was large with stairs on 3 sides while one long side was reserved for the podium and a large screen. The opposite long side was open in the middle, leaving a view to the background and an entrance for the VIP’s. The press area was on the right side while the VIP’s had the middle and the left side. The press people were not happy at first as only a few of them were allowed to take a seat while the rest had to sit on the right stairs with no way to enter the ring for taking photos. But under pressure the committee agreed to let them all in at the end and from then on there were no problems any longer. Thanks to the strict uniformity of judging with an emphasis to the right side of the ring, the press was able to make good moving shots. Unfortunately, the main ring was very unevenly lit due to the spot that was unable to follow nicely every dog that entered the ring. It also distracted several dogs when they entered the ring and suddenly found a spotlight over them. Some even jumped aside for it. A similar problem was the case for the podium where the light should always be bright and very even. Another problem were the marks on the floor, small dots in striking different colors to indicate where certain things or persons should be placed

in order to get uniformity. Several dogs thought it were treats to eat and were distracted while entering the main ring. While taking photos in the main ring I myself found a bright red medical capsule on the floor without a brand mark on it. Luckily no dog picked it up. What it was I don’t know, but there was a rumor that a dog had been poisoned but that proved false afterwards. It was a dehydrated dog that could be saved rather quick. The timing of the judging was very good and I had the impression that the judges briefing had a penetrating impact, only one judge forgot how he was supposed to act, but he was kindly asked to start over correctly. All dogs that entered the ring for the finals received a new number, no longer their ring number and that was a real pity. Maybe it helped for the organization but there was no way to find out what dog was entering the ring each time, one was forced to rely on the speakers comments. Alike in Luxembourg, the numbers could have been scanned and displayed on the big screen, so at least the spectators could see what dog it was with all the details from the catalog. What a missed opportunity as there were so many interesting rare breeds to see.

The show in general was perfectly organized, “Deutsche Gründlichkeit”, but one had not an impression of a very special show, the highlight, the canine top event of the year. Alike Oslo, the cake was missing the Icing! There was hardly some entertainment in the main ring, at least not during the finals or the flag ceremony, nor during the opening with the exception of a nice short performance of a young popsinger and 4 dancers. The speeches were short, the flag ceremony very sober. However, during the day there were a few nice treats for the public. One of them was the Frisbee demonstration which is always spectacular another was a demonstration of the police dogs in action, but most impressing was the sheep dog demonstration.

4 Border Collies were guiding 4 big beautiful Walliser goats while a young girl was coming up with a white horse, probably a Lipizzaner. At a certain moment she made the horse lay down while de dogs were forcing the goats to climb over the back of the horse. Then the horse was standing again and the goats were driven under the belly of the horse.

And finally the goats were driven on top of the roof

of a Landrover, while one of the dogs was watching them laying on the motor cap. That was a lovely show, but there was nothing like that during the finals. That is probably the reason why the BIS judging could start in time and end at a reasonable hour.

BIS Juniors were judged by Rafael de Santiago, FCI president. His BIS winner was the Belgian Papillon “ Planet Waves Forever Young Daydream Believers”, owner Roosens Kathleen, Belgium. What a win it was as this little dog was entered for a show for the 3rd time only.

Mr.Horst Kliebenstein was honored with judging Best In Show. At his 16th he got his first dog and he started judging in 1964 and can look back on a very long career. Like we very often see, and this show was no exception, national breeds are often awarded with the ultimate title. He had to place 4. I still wonder if this is an FCI invention as in no other competition, as far as I know, there are 4 places, always 3! The BIS went to the fawn Great Dane, a breed claimed by Germany under the name “Deutsche Dogge”, “Queenie Eye Del Castel Levante”, owned by Vidano Patrizia Maria from Italy. I was personally more impressed with the very beautiful Miniature Dachshund, also a German breed, but it’s the judge’s choice. The other 3 dogs on the podium were all 3 British dogs and that is amazing! On the second place we had the Fox Terrier, Wire-haired “Hampton Court’s Monte Cristo”, owner Malzoni Victor, the 3rd was the Beagle “Dialynne Peter Piper” owner Spavin Melanie and the 4th was the American Cocker Spaniel “Afterglow Miami Ink” owner Lynn Jason & Da Silva Rui Jorge.

In fact this is a Great-Britain/Belgium dog.

So this show puts another mark in history as the biggest dog show ever! It was not the most glamorous show ever but technically probably the best. It would only have been nice to have some feedback afterwards with extra interesting facts and figures, other than only the results.

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FCI GROUP 1

Sheepdogs and Cattledogs JUDGED BY MR. NAVEDA CARRERO JUAN (SPAIN)

MARKÝZ SRDCOVE ESO

1st place

Australian Shepherd

Owned by Hodová Zuzana & Linda

2place nd

3place rd

4place th

LONCSOSI BATOR ORKENY Puli, White

Owned by Ravn Jesper

GARY VOM HÜHNEGRAB German Shepherd Dog

Owned by Scheerer Michael

SHAGGY BLUE BOBS UMBERTA @ BLUE ZOTTELS Old English Sheepdog

Owned by Leonhardt Brigitte & Matthias

FCI GROUP 2

Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs JUDGED BY MR. SCHAFER GUIDO (GERMANY)

1st place

QUEENIE EYE DEL CASTEL LEVANTE Great Dane, Fawn

Owned by Junehall Jessika

2place nd

3place rd

4place th

PEPE LE PEW V. TANI KAZARI Affenpinscher

Owned by Cooijmans M. & Miodonski L.

MASTIFWAY ZOLTON Tibetan Mastiff

Owned by Borichev Evgeniy

MELJANE BULLDOGS KINGEDWARD Bulldog

Owned by Tamagawa Genko

FCI GROUP 3

Terriers

JUDGED BY MR. KOROZS ANDRAS (HUNGARY)

HAMPTON COURT’S MONTE CRISTO

1st place

Wire Fox Terrier

Owned by Malzoni Jr Victor

2place nd

3place rd

EDBRIOS EXOTICA Kerry Blue Terrier

Owned by O’brien & Poulova

SUNJOY’S SHOW MUST GO ON Dandie Dinmont Terrier

Owned by Fandino L. & Taucci A. G.

4place th

KARBALLIDO STAFFS RAINBOW FIRE American Staffordshire Terrier

Owned by Andres Carballido Jose Ignacio

FCI GROUP 4

Dachshunds JUDGED BY MR. DE GIULIANI CLAUDIO (ITALY)

1st place

PICOLLO TECKEL INFANTA Rabbit Dachshund, Smooth-haired

Owned by Ekaterina Pikul

SKIN ON SKIN VITORAZ

2place nd

Dachshund, Miniature Wire-haired

3place rd

ZHEMCHUZHINA PETERBURGA UDALOY GUSAR

Owned by Busta Jan

Dachshund, Miniature Long-haired

Owned by Zhechkova Olga

4place th

XARINA VOM LINTELER-FORST Dachshund, Standard Wire-haired

Owned by Engel Dieter

FCI GROUP 5

Spitz and primitive types JUDGED BY MR. MACHETANZ PETER (GERMANY)

1st place

SMILING SNOWBALL LUMINOUS PHOBOS Samoyed

Owned by Uspenski K.

2place nd

VASKURS GISELA HARABO QIWIDOTTER Pharaon Hound

Owned by Behles J. & Krieger A. & A. Sanda

3place rd

KING OF EGYPT DE LOS PERROS DE BIGO Chow Chow

Owned by Vigo Navajon Nuria

4place th

AISTRAUM INFINITY EGIR Keeshond

Owned by Baklanov S.

FCI GROUP 6

Scent hounds and related breeds JUDGED BY MR. JAKKEL TAMAS (HUNGARY)

1st place

2place nd

3place rd

DIALYNNE PETER PIPER Beagle

Owned by Spavin Melanie

FROSTY SNOWMAN Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen

Owned by Huikeshoven G. & Reid P.

MELISSA IZ TERLETSKOY DUBRAVY Dalmatian

Owned by Petrakova & Chernova

4place th

INFINITY STAR LIFE FOR BROWNY Bloodhound

Owned by Illarionova Julia

FCI GROUP 7

Pointing Dogs JUDGED BY MR. MARTINEZ MIGUEL ANGEL (ARGENTINA)

1st place

2place nd

3place rd

4place th

EPITHELIUM DINAMO Spinone Italiano

Owned by Zemtsova Irina

VICCOR Portuguese Pointing Dog

Owned by Put Lidy

AMBRAVITTORIYA AMADEUS Hungarian Vizsla Short-haired

Owned by Morunova Ekaterina

BROMHUND LET ME LOOSE Weimaraner

Owned by Phillips Eden & Purdy Ian

FCI GROUP 8

Retrievers, Flushing Dogs & Water Dogs JUDGED BY MR. SANTOS AUGUSTO BENEDICTO (PHILIPPINES)

1st place

2place nd

3place rd

4place th

AFTERGLOW MIAMI INK American Cocker Spaniel

Owned by Lynn J. & Da Silva Rui Jorge

CASTLEROCK SIMPLY MAGIC Flat Coated Retriever

Owned by Dyren Anette

AQUAFORTIS KAMIKAZE Portuguese Water Dog

Owned by Kristiansen Runi

BRAVO MESSI Labrador Retriever

Owned by Shatrukova Nataliya

FCI GROUP 9

Companion and Toy Dogs JUDGED BY MR. DOEDIJNS RONY (THE NETHERLANDS)

1st place

2place nd

3place rd

4place th

DAWIN STEAL MY HEART Standard Poodle

Owned by Campbell Linda C.

CHIC CHOIX PARTI CELEBRIS Lhasa Apso

Owned by Pi Rasmussen

SHER ZESTA WINNER Papillon

Owned by Bonkina Alla

PUGBULLY MR FLYER Pug

Owned by Freudenberg Judith

FCI GROUP 10

Sighthounds JUDGED BY MR. LUIS PINTO TEIXEIRA (PORTUGAL)

1st place

2place nd

3place rd

4place th

SOLOVYEV BRAVY GUSAR Borzoi

Owned by Uspenskiy Dmitriy & Khenkina Marina

SOBERS XTRAVAGANZA Greyhound

Owned by Ahrens Primavera Bitte

AZIZ QITARAH Saluki

Owned by Eriksson Nicklas & Ingunn

SHOU GERAT GIPNOZ Afghan Hound

Owned by Belyaevskaya Anna & Osipova Irina

1st place QUEENIE EYE DEL CASTEL LEVANTE Great Dane

Owned by Vidano Patrizia Maria

2nd place HAMPTON COURT’S MONTE CRISTO Wire Fox Terrier

Owned by Malzoni Victor

3rd place DIALYNNE PETER PIPER Beagle

Owned by Spavin Melanie

4th place AFTERGLOW MIAMI INK American Cocker Spaniel

Owned by Lynn J. & Da Silva Rui Jorge

Best in Show Magazine

Best in Show Magazine

Jose Luis Santiago Professional Handler Interviewed by Mihaela Kosic

BIS: Dear Jose Luis, thank you for taking your time to make this interview with us. Please, at the beginning,, tell us how have you got involved with dogs?

Have you first started with breeding or showing?

J.L.S.: Thanks a lot for having me, it is a pleasure to speak with Best in Show.

I think that since I can remember I have had dogs in the family, but my real start in the dog world came with my older sister Mercedes, with her I established our kennel “Los Chatos del Norte”, about 10 years ago.

We started going to the shows at the North of Spain as a hobby, and to show some purebred dogs she already owned. This was when my passion for pugs started, when I only was 10 years old, I showed the first pug which she had bought as a companion dog when this breed was completely unknown to the general public in our country.

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BIS: Do you remember your first show, which dog did you show? Did you have a mentor at the beginning?

J.L.S.: I do not remember my first show exactly, but I remember the dog. His name was Dali, a Pug born at home. I learnt a lot with him, all in the amateur way, since I haven’t had any knowledge of this sport, and I was only a kid. I did not know that this crazy life style could be my way of life years afterwards.

I did not have anyone in particular to learn from, but I always liked to take a bit of each person I admired.

Photo 1 • Multi BIS Ch Aiola vd Schoenen Bergen at Montgomery 2015

BIS: What about your first Best in Show and how did you feel winning your first BIS? J.L.S.: My first Best in Show was with my female Pug when she was only 17 months old. It was something amazing , all the effort and daily work payed off that day, I was really thrilled. I only remember it was an International show in Portugal.

It is a great memory and I will treasure it forever!

BIS: What result do you consider as your biggest and the best one?

J.L.S.: I think that each goal that you try to achieve is the most important one, at the moment you achieve your goal, you need to have the next one in mind, it is the unique way to improve day by day.

BIS: How many shows per year do you attend?

J.L.S.: A few years ago we were going to many more shows, but these last years we have been trying more to select the places we want to go to, but I would say around 35 shows a year.

BIS: When did you start breeding and why Pugs and Griffons?

J.L.S.: As I have answered your previous questions, my sister has bought her first pet Pug 25 years ago and I felt in love with the breed , so as soon as I became older I founded a kennel with my sister, it all started with her.

The Griffon Bruxellois came a bit later, because of the film…. “As Good As it Gets” …. Curiosity arose, I studied a bit about the breed and I managed to see one at a show. A short time later, I had my first Griffon at home, Gala, she is in all our pedigrees. I must say that it is such a special breed that from the moment it enters your life you completely fall in love with its personality.

BIS: Your girlfriend, Ainara Otegui, is also involved with dogs. When did you start working together and would you say that being with someone who has the same passion and job is easier to understand each other and be with?

J.L.S.: More than 5 years ago I have been lucky to meet a “crazy dog lover” who was worse than me.

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Photo 2 • Jose Luis and Aladar (Ch. Dartan the Valieant Aladar) the Chihuahua (owned by Sandra Ludmir) winning Best in Show #3 at the 4th day of Insubria Winner 2017, Italy Pictured by Thommaso Urciuolo Photo 3 • Aladar the Chihuahua winning Best in Show at Specialty for Group 9 in Estonia 2017 Photo 5 • Aladar the Chiahuahua winning Best in Show at the International Dog Show in Luxembourg 2017

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We help each other and we learn one from another, it is nice to be able to share with someone all of this passion and to be able to enjoy it together, I think that this is the best of “my dog world “ I hope I can enjoy all of this with her for a long time.

BIS: Do you have a favorite show?

J.L.S.: Without any doubts I would answer 1000 times the same, 4 Summer Night Shows, Split, in my opinion one of the best shows at the moment, each year they improve and they surprise us all. I would recommend to everyone of the dog world to attend that show at least once in their lives.

BIS: Which was the favorite dog that you ever handled, and was this dog also your most successful one?

J.L.S.: I have a lot of dogs which I have enjoyed inside and outside the ring, but I would be crazy if I didn’t name the Smooth Coated Chihuahua Dartan The Valiant Aladar; he was the perfect partner to travel with, to whom I owe everything. He taught me how to enjoy myself in the ring, to keep calm, to win and to lose. He taught me that when one works hard, good things happen.

However, although if he was the unique dog in the ring, he was just as great out of it. Now, he is enjoying a well-deserved retirement at his home with his owner in Peru. He is without any doubts my special dog .

BIS: Which part of your job do you like the least in this business?

J.L.S.: The thing which I least enjoy is the people who enter this dog world only to harm the others and who have no respect for anything or anyone.

Everyone deserves to be respected and that is something that usually is missing at a dog show, between handlers or owners.

Photo 4 & 5 • Jose Luis and Gabo the Akita (Ch. Gabugal Firacus), owned by Diego Bugarin

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BIS: Have you ever had crisis which made you consider quitting this job?

J.L.S.: Yes at least once a month... hahah. In some occasions I was wandering if it was worth going through all that , but at the end, when you wake up you decide to start again, because there are more good moments than the bad ones.

Best in Show Magazine

Photo 6 • Ch. Dartan the Valiant Aladar the Chihuahua, pictured by VIP Dog

BIS: Is there anything in life that you would like to do or to visit, which is your life dream?

J.L.S.: This year, for the first time we will travel to New York to be present at Westminster. It’s something that we have wanted to do for a long time, to see how it all works there and to learn more from them. Just to be able to step on the green carpet at Westminster, with a dog bred by me, is one of my big dreams, hope one day I will be prepared to be there.

BIS: What do you respect the most in judging skills?

J.L.S.: I like the judges which I call “ doggy people” the ones that breed and the ones who are driven by the same passion as the people who are showing their dogs to them each weekend, the ones who enjoy what they are doing, that have class and respect inside the ring .

No doubt I think it is very important to be honest, to judge by type and to know the essence of the breed they are judging.

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BIS: Please tell us a name or two, if there are any, whose skills you admire when it comes to breeding, showing, grooming or judging?

J.L.S.: In breeding skills I would say Alberto Velasco ( chelines ); without any doubts I think that he is one of the best breeders in the world. He is an encyclopaedia with legs from whom you can learn each moment, even having a normal conversation while you enjoy his company and his famous “chistorra omelette”. He is a person which I always keep very close to my heart and I really care about his opinion.

As a professional handler I could mention a few names, but Javier Gonzalez Mendikote , apart from being a good friend, is in my opinion, a person who represents what a handler should look like, work, sacrifice , constancy, perfectionism, passion….

Among the Judges Carlos Renau, someone which I could also include as one of the best breeders, he made a person to want and like to see the finals, either from the inside of the ring or outside of it as public, a real dog person with capital letters, a judge and a breeder which I was very lucky to know well.

Best in Show Magazine

BIS: How would you describe a professional handler? What are the most important skills for a handler?

J.L.S.: I really like this question, I think that a prof handler is born with something special inside which makes him able to give life to dogs and to live for them. We dispense with a lot of things and even a lot of people, but we feel full and satisfied with our four-legged friends. Someone who wakes up at 8.00 in the morning and goes to sleep at 01.00 at the next morning, someone who dedicates his 24 h a day to take care of dogs that are under his responsibility, who cleans shit and prepares them mentally and physically. Someone who works daily with them to show it inside the ring, who lives with them and treats them as they were his own, someone who grooms them with style and brings out the best in them, not forgetting the breed standard. I think that as far as grooming is concerned, a handler must have an artist touch of his own personality, this is in my opinion of what a handler should be. The most important ability of a handler is to be able to understand the dog one has on the leash, dog’s psychology in my opinion is fundamental.

BIS: What about Junior Handling and do you think that Professional Handlers and judges should work more with young people?

J.L.S.: In my country this is something that should improve a lot, they should let professional handlers judge that category, something which is not common here in Spain. Who can be better to give advice to a junior handler than older people who do the job professionally? To defend Spain, it seems that nowadays a group of people is starting to work on improving the jh in our country , let’s hope that takes the right direction.

BIS: If you could, what would you change in dog world?

J.L.S.: All and nothing. But as I cannot change anything, if you permit me, I would keep that answer for myself :)

Photo 7 • Jose Luis and his girlfriend Ainara Otegui sharing podium Photo 8 • Jose Luis and Ainara Oregui with friends Marta Damar, Daniel Ariza and Javier Gonzalez Mendikote Photo 9 • Jose Luis and Border Collie winning Best of Breed at the Euro Dog Show

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Athina Chairopoulou Junior Handler Interviewed by Milla Kanninen

BIS: Thank you for taking your time to answer our interview. Please introduce yourself a little bit.

A.C.: Thank you for inviting me, my name’s Athina Chairopoulou and I’m 17 years old. I consider myself lucky because I divide my time between two countries, namely Cyprus and Greece. At home we have six dogs, two Irish Setters, two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, a Golden Retriever and a mini Pincher. So as you can see I’m never lonely or bored, there’s always a dog to play with and more importantly to take care of. However, my life is not only dogs, I have another passion, the ballet, I’ve been dancing since I was in Nursery School, that means I must have been about five years old. I go to ballet school three times a week and the truth be told, if we are preparing for a performance we go almost every evening. Besides these activities I love horse riding, playing the piano and singing along.

My everyday routine is quite stressful at the moment because I’m presently in the 11th grade at school, so I have to devote quite a bit of my time to studying.

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BIS: When did you get into the dog world? How did you get encouraged to get into junior handling?

A.C.: Well it all started in 2014 when my dad bought an Irish Setter that had all the qualifications to compete in a dog show. I tagged along to keep him company and ended up getting hooked, I found the whole idea captivating. It was then that I asked my dad if I could show our dog. Obviously I needed someone to teach me how to handle a dog. I was introduced to Yiannis Vlachos who took me under his wing and I believe that I am who I am today in the dog world because of his devotion, patience, love and care. Besides Yiannis’ help I have to acknowledge the help my parent’s gave me. What I mean is they made it possible for me to travel to so many counties to participate in dog shows. This is something that I will always be grateful for.

Photo 1 • JWW’16 Balt-LT-lv-Est-Ch RUS-BALT-LT-LV-EST JCH BALT W’17 LT W’17 Enci W’17 Club Jw Club W Ti La Shu California Dream a.k.a Panda Junior Photo 1 • Athina together with Oriona’s Land Irish Red Setters

“You never really know what will happen in the future, however because of my love for animals I’d like to become a vet, probably specializing in dog dentistry or physiotherapy. ” BIS: When was your first time competing in junior handling? What do you remember of that day?

A.C.: That would have been in the summer of 2014 when I participated in my first junior handling competition. For me this was a great achievement because I was so nervous and stressed out. Although I was feeling really stressed, at the same time I felt great joy, because I realized I was at the right place at the right time. So just like that I took the dog and entered the ring. What an amazing experience!

BIS: You had some very impressive results. What do you consider your greatest JH win and why?

A.C.: Difficult question, I think the show that made the difference for me was the International Dog Show in Marathon 2015 when for three consecutive days I won first place, under honourable judges. This was the beginning of my career as a junior handler, and this triumph gave me so much pleasure. Another unforgettable moment was a year later when the honourbale judge Catarina Molinari, awarded me the first place and her comments were so touching!

Of course I have to mention my experience at the Crufts Dog Show in 2017 as a representative of Cyprus where I handled two particularly difficult dogs.

Lastly, at the World Dog Show 2017 once again as the Cypriot representative, where I participated with Allison Foley’s incredible ‘Twink’. I feel so proud and blessed that Allison trusted me with her ‘Twink’.

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BIS: Who do you admire in the dog world?

A.C.: Quite a few people come to mind but I think I have to say Mr. Peter J Green. He achieved so much in his career as a dog handler. Some of his achievements are four Westminster BIS, six dog of the year awards and BIS at Crufts.

BIS: Who has been your mentor? What has been the greatest advise they have given you so far?

A.C.: My mentor is Yiannis Vlachos who is a very respected and charismatic person who undertook my training and who has been at my side throughout my career. Yiannis is a man who has marked my path, has taught me to believe in myself and not to panic in a difficult situation. His advice is that I should always choose to show different breeds no matter how difficult they may be. So every time I am awarded a place my happiness for my achievement is huge. This of course has helped me become more self-confident. Another thing he advised was that I should always work on having a good sportsmanship attitude. Last but not least that I should never stop trying to better myself.

BIS: How do you see yourself in the future? Would you like to show dogs professionally?

A.C.: You never really know what will happen in the future, however because of my love for animals I’d like to become a vet, probably specializing in dog dentistry or physiotherapy. I’d like to believe that I will always continue to handle dogs because its something that gives me so much pleasure but besides this I also hope to breed dogs. I guess what I’m saying is that my life will revolve around dogs!

BIS: How do you think junior handlers are treated in your country? Do you think something should be improved?

A.C.: On the whole I would say we are treated very well, everyone in the game both encourages us and comforts us when necessary. Generally speaking breeders treat junior handlers with a lot of love and give us as much help as possible to present their dogs in the ring. Like everything else in society there is always room for improvement.

BIS: What do you dream of achieving in junior handling?

A.C.: I would like to be trained and improve the way I handle dogs as far as possible, always trying out different breeds of dogs particularly dogs with special needs. Another goal would be to win a place in the World Dog Show in Amsterdam in 2018, that would be a dream come true!

BIS: BIS: Do you have a favorite breed you love showing and why?

A.C.: I’m going to have to say Irish Setters first and Pyrenees Mountain Dogs second. Both are breeds which give me pleasure and for some odd reason boost my self-confidence.

BIS: Are there some breeds more popular than others in Junior Handling?

A.C.: Yes, I would say that junior handlers do prefer certain breeds, usually opting for breeds that considered to be easy going and fancy. The most popular breed is the English Pointer probably because it has such a good character and that makes it easier to handle. Another breed which is popular is the Poodle, such a fancy obedient dog. Popular as well is the Australian Shepherd since it is an extremely intelligent dog that is amazingly easy to train and handle. Another breed which I have noticed the junior handlers choose is the Whippet.

BIS: What part of the whole dog game do you love the most, and is there anything that you don`t like so much?

A.C.: Something that I consider very important is that I’ve met and made so many friends in this community from all over the world, that’s really awesome!

Not to mention learning about new cultures in the different countries we visit. When participating in the shows around the globe we meet up again and its so good to see familiar faces. This gives us the chance to take part in the dog shows together but also to spend quality time having fun. Another aspect that I like is that I get to discover new breeds which aren’t common. My love for dogs make me feel wonderful when I’m at dog shows among beloved friends from around the world. I ‘taste’ a variety of emotions such as anxiety, fear, happiness deBest in Show Magazine

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pending on the situation at the time. The downside is that some people lose sight of the situation and in their quest to win forget that this is something we should be enjoying, this leads to them creating competitive relationships with their fellow contestants which can cause a good deal of friction.

BIS: What about the future? Do you plan on pursuing a career as a full-time professional handler?

A.C.: Nobody can answer this question, but I do believe that my love for dogs won’t allow me to stay away from them. I believe that wherever I am or whatever I’m doing I’ll never stop dog handling.

BIS: How would you encourage younger people to get started in junior handling?

A.C.: As I believe in the institution, I think that young people who have a good relationship with dogs should be encouraged to participle in dog handling.

As far as I’m concerned I do my best to help young people who wish to embark on this activity by giving them advice and showing them how to show a dog. By making this seem easy for them I feel that some of them will take up this sport. I’ve tried to encourage my friends to come and see me when I’m taking part in a show in the hope that one of them will decide to start themselves.

BIS: How do you try to improve your own skills?

A.C.: Apart from all the training I think that by practicing with dogs that are not allowed to participate in dog shows, such as mixed breed dogs is both difficult and excellent training. By watching videos of junior handlers in important shows, observing how they handle the dogs noting both the positive and the negative points. Besides this I think it is really important to participate in as many dog shows as possible choosing different breeds from different categories and different degrees of difficulty. Lastly, listening to my mentor’s advice and suggestions, and doing my best to put them into practice.

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THE SPORTING GROUP

THE WORKING GROUP

1st Place • Cocker Spaniel ASCOB GCHP CH Silverhall Strike Force

1st Place • Alaskan Malamute GCHG CH Taolanquest Flying Cloud

Judge: Mr. Robert Stein

Judge: Mr. Ronald H Menaker

Breeders: Wilson S Pike & Bonnie S Pike Owners: Regina Beinhauer & Carolee Douglas Agent: Michael Pitts

Breeders: Laurie Newburn & Ron Pohl Owners: Alisa Syar, Laurie Newburn, Ron Pohl & Mike Stone Agent: Mike Stone

2nd Place • Wirehaired Pointing Dog GCHS CH Whiskeytown Genesee On Tap MH

2nd Place • Newfoundland GCH CH Honey Lanes No Soup For You

Breeders: Meagan Withrow & Kristi Woods Owner: Larry Delaney Agent: Amy Rutherford

3rd Place • English Springer Spaniel GCHS CH Random Legacy Dylan Du Revention Breeders: David Rand & Jason Douglass Owners: Robert & Sandra Mockoviak & Kellie FitzGerald Agent: Kellie L Fitzgerald

4th Place • Pointer GCHS CH Oncore Mykyna Tailgate Party

Breeders: Peggy Lee Davis/Liam Boyd Davis/Dr. Patricia H Haines Owners: Dr Patricia H & Thaddeus T Haines & Peggy Davis

Breeders: Kelli Le Pore & Angela LePore Owners: Kelli Le Pore & Angela LePore

3rd Place • Kuvasz GCH CH Ederra’s Glacier The Power Of Mo’Ne Breeders: Maria Arechaederra & Deborah Blank Owners: Mary & Caroline Clegg & Mari Arechaederra

4th Place • Black Russian Terrier GCHB CH Oles Ognennij Zver CGCU Breeders: E. A. Mishko Owners: Ricahrd Hawkes & De Anne Hawkes Agent: Rhanda Glenn PHA

THE HOUND GROUP

THE TERRIER GROUP

1st Place • Afghan Hound GCHB CH Pahlavi Marilyn Merlot

1st Place • Smooth Fox Terrier GCHG CH Absolutely Signature

Judge: Dana P Cline

Judge: Mr. Robert E Hutton

Breeders: Karen Wagner/Ellen C Klosson Owners: Dr Patrick Truman & Jeff Bracken & Karen Wagner

Breeders: J. W. Smith & Dana Schumacher Owners: J. W. Smith & Dana Schumacher

2nd Place • Long Haired Dachshund GCHP DC Walmar-Solo’s Omg Sl JE

2nd Place • Bedlington Terrier GCHS CH Willow Wind Money’s Still Talkin’ At First Class

Breeders: P. Carter, K. Vidrine, W. Jones & Mrs. M. C. Jones Owners: Kim Vidrine Paula, Carter Theresa, Nesbitt Audrey White

3rd Place • Borzoi GCHG CH Belisarius Jp My Sassy Girl

Breeder: Kyoko Ozeki Owners: Michele Molnar, Jamie Danburg & Minoru Kato Agent: Valerie Nunes-Atkinson

4th Place • Beagle GCHS CH Chester (Ordaz)

Breeder: Luis Ordaz Perez Owners: Connie Long & Felipe Quijano Agent: Jenny Wornall Rangel

Breeder: SJacquelyn J Fogel Owners: Jacquelyn Fogel & David Ramsey Agent: Kellie L Miller

3rd Place • Welsh Terrier GCHS CH Shaireab’s Bayleigh Daenerys Stormborn Breeders: K. M. Nelson, Ms. K. L Bailey & S. Abmeyer Owners: Sharon Abmeyer & Keith Bailey Agent: Tracy Ann Szaras

4th Place • Cairn Terrier GCHG CH Hjohoo’s Love Looking At Hjo

Breeder: Elisabeth Theodorsson Owners: Victor Malzoni Jr, E. Theodorsson & M. Hoff Agent: Geoff S Dawson PHA

THE TOY GROUP

THE HERDING GROUP

Judge: Mr. Desmond J Murphy

Judge: Ms. Peggy Beisel-McIlwaine

1st Place • Pekingese GCHG CH Pequest Pickwick

1st Place • Puli GCHB CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky

Breeder: David Fitzpatrick Owners: David Fitzpatrick & Nancy H. Shapland

2nd Place • Pug GCHG CH Hill Country’s Puttin’ On The Ritz Breeders: Kristy Ratliff & Kevin Ratliff Owner: Carolyn Koch

3rd Place • Affenpinscher GCHS CH Tamarin Tailback Breeder: Tamarin Knl Owners: Doyle & Carol Girouard Agent: Alfonso Escobedo

4th Place • Toy Manchester Terrier GCHG CH Cottage Lake’s Our Lady Of Fatima Breeders: Roger P. Travis & Marcelo Chagas Owners: Dr Roger Travis & Marcelo Chagas

THE NON-SPORTING GROUP

Breeder: Sue Huebner Owners: E Charles, J. Beaudoin, L. Pitts, P. Kelly & S. Huebner Agent: Linda Pitts

2nd Place • Pembroke Welsh Corgi GCHS CH Alenclaud Vicenta

Breeders: Monica Waisman & Jorge Waisman Owners: Bill Shelton, S. Leyerly, B. Williams & D. Snow Agent: Jenny Wornall Rangel

3rd Place • German Shepherd Dog GCH CH Marquis’ Hermes V Kenlyn Breeders: Liz Oster & Kent Boyles Owner: Kent Boyles & Liz Oster

4th Place • Cardigan Welsh Corgi GCHP2 CH Aubrey’s Tails Of Mystery

Breeder: S, Michael, Mrs. C. M Savioli & Mr. V. J Savioli Owners: Cynthia M Savioli, Vincent Savioli & Sherri Hurst Agent: Sherri Samel Hurst

BEST IN SHOW

Judge: Mrs. Houston (Toddie) Clark

Judge: Mr. Roger R Hartinger

1st Place • French Bulldog GCHG CH Le Petit Prince De La Bete

1st Place • Cocker Spaniel ASCOB GCHP CH Silverhall Strike Force

Breeders: Peter Photos & Blake Hamman Owners: Alexandra Geremia, Blake Hamman & Peter Photos Agent: Jenny Wornall Rangel

Breeders: Wilson S Pike & Bonnie S Pike Owners: Regina Beinhauer & Carolee Douglas Agent: Michael Pitts

2nd Place • Boston Terrier GCHP2 CH Sabe’s Simply Invincible

2nd Place • French Bulldog GCHG CH Le Petit Prince De La Bete

Breeder: Sharon Saberton Owners: Joseph & Carla Sanchez & R Looker &Sharon Saberton Agent: Jorge Olivera

3rd Place • Tibetan Spaniel GCHP CH Kan Sing’s Ambrier’s Manaslu V. Altnaharra Breeders: Martha Feltenstein & Mallory Cosby Driskill Owners: Alexandra Geremia, Blake Hamman & Peter Photos Agent: Jenny Wornall Rangel

4th Place • Bichon Frise GCHP CH Belle Creek’s All I Care About Is Love

Breeders: L. Keuren, G. Blue, L. L. Carlton & Lawrence A Letsche D.V.M. Owner: P & B Odette, L. Keuren, L.. Carlton & L. Letsche Agent: Bill McFadden

Breeders: Peter Photos & Blake Hamman Owners: Alexandra Geremia, Blake Hamman & Peter Photos Agent: Jenny Wornall Rangel

Is it time to start fighting for our sport?

Written by Ante Lucin

It seems I started to be somewhat lacking inspiration but I manage to pull myself together only once a year to write an article for our favourite magazine. Considering my mood and thoughts on the current situation in the dog world I sometimes think even one article per year is one too many.

Last year I was writing how sad and disappointed I was by many things, and this year has brought us so many great wins and so many fantastic memories with great dogs and people, but also it made me very frustrated and I think frustration is one of the worst feelings one can experience. Being frustrated means you see the things around you going in a bad direction and yet feel you can’t do anything about it.

But, let’s be honest, of course there is always something that can be done to improve things.

For example I always thought honesty was the best way to succeed in life. I thought people will like when you tell them to their face what you think, not going around and trashing them behind their back and then being extra sweet when you meet them.

But how wrong I was! If I learned anything during the last year it is that people hate honesty. They hate it if you don’t agree with them and you dare to tell them so. They hate that you tell them what you think. And yes, this is why the world is going crazy as everyone thinks we should play politics and be diplomatic, pretend and lie, and not to be honest by any means. But the more I think about it, the more I feel I don’t want to be one of those bad losers who 160

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talk bad around. I have done enough in my life that I can stand straight in front of everyone and say what I think, not being afraid if someone will not like that.

So, after I wrote a long article with my impressions on the European and World dog show and few other things, I felt it was not good enough or it was not what I wanted to write about and I deleted it all. Instead I decided to share with all of you my frustrations, hoping that some of you will become frustrated too and we will finally start to do something to help ourselves.

First, it was another year where we were blamed for breeding purebred dogs and not helping the dogs in the shelters. So, here is what I think.

Why it is bad to say that the purebred dogs were bred to fit the needs of people and their life style?

Why it is bad to say that I want to buy a dog from a respected breeder, to know who are his mother and father, to know how big he will grow, what type of coat he will have and how is the temperament in his breed? Why is it bad to say that I am a dog lover but that taking a dog from a shelter is always a big risk as these poor animals are in many cases full of traumas, difficult to train and many times rehomed a few times as people get something they can’t deal with? Is it so wrong to say that politically-correct animal “lovers” are too keen to rehome dogs with the most unsuitable owner, just to say they have been rehomed, whereas in truth they will probably need rehoming a few months later when their well-meaning new owners just cannot cope with a dog they

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should never have been given in the first place?

Why is it bad to say that purebred dogs from the serious breeders hardly ever end up in the shelters?

Breeders of purebred dogs are investing lately a lot of money in genetic tests, trying to breed not only beautiful but also healthy dogs. Why is it that we are - because of that - blamed for breeding sick dogs and not praised for trying to breed healthy dogs? Are all these tests and information at the end going to be used against us, proving that our dogs are genetically ill? Is it OK to say that much research done with purebred dogs helped also research into human genetic problems? It seems so contradictory that when conscientious breeders acknowledge and recognise that they have health issues in their dogs and try to address them that outside critics blame them for breeding unhealthy dogs.

Why did we agree on the cropping and docking ban? Why didn’t we fight against it? How did the Americans manage to explain that cropping and docking has it reasons which are not only aesthetic? Why did we agree on blaming us to be cruel to our own pets but in the same time agreed it is ok to dock the tails of the hunting breeds? We all know in many countries hunting dogs are kept in horrible conditions and we also know most of the puppies are docked but they never ever go to hunt. Why it is ok for them and not for other breeds?

What about the standards that say that the breed should have natural tail and ears but still cropped and docked dogs are normally being shown? What about all the gluing of the ears and taping of the tails on the small puppies as these breeds were cropped and docked for such a long time that no one knows which lines are bringing which kinds of natural ears and tails? Why don’t we say clearly that cropping and docking bans have only increased the number of illegal ear and tail fixing in most of the breeds? Why don’t we say that the cropping and docking ban has in some countries completely destroyed some breeds? In the countries where you can show cropped and docked dogs you can have huge entries in Dobermanns, Dogo Argentino, Cane Corsos or Amstaffs but where it is not allowed the breeds almost don’t exist anymore.

In Croatia for example from the last year it is forbidden by the law to show cropped and docked dogs.

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Why if I buy a legally cropped and docked dog from the country where it is allowed can’t I show it?

Why it is that for example Shih Tzus are so different in type as half of the world is breeding low to ground dogs with lots of chest and big heads as the FCI standard asks for but half of the world breeds lighter built dogs, with lots of neck, tiny heads, short backs and incorrect coats? But still the breed clubs and some judges seem to be over obsessed if there is bow on the head or not? Where is the priority here?

Why do we not change the standards for the breeds that are asked to have lots of hair up like Poodles when we do not allow hair spray anymore? Does anyone really think that the top winning dogs wherever they are shown don’t have all kind of things in their coat put in the hotel room to be able to keep the coat up and to look pretty? Or we think hair spray is bad but teasing the coat for an hour is a great pleasure?

How many show dogs have died or were injured because they were kept on the table with the grooming arm? Or it is about the time to say that keeping the dog on the table with the arm, always supervised of course, is much safer than trying to groom him without it?

Don’t we know that hand trimming is painful especially when the dogs have a soft coat and the standard asks for a harsh coat? Or is there a reason why some breeds need to be trimmed and then people don’t have hair all over the apartments and the harsh coat protects them better than the soft coat? Is that the reason why in some countries you cannot trim the dog at the show? Because we need to be afraid that someone will again say we do not love our dogs and we should in public pretend that the harsh coat on Fox Terriers or Schnauzers grows by a miracle of God?

Why for example at the WDS in Germany couldn’t we use puppy pens, fences, dryers or scissors? Is it because people should not see that the grooming of the Kerry for example is done by scissoring or someone will think scissoring hurts? Is it normal that we can’t explain that for the dogs it is much nicer to be stretching the legs for an hour in a pen or for them to lie on a soft blanket in the pen than to be mostly in the crate? Or we can-

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not explain that we spend thousands of Euros and months of preparation to have our dogs perfect for the WDS and that if outside it is raining like hell but we can’t dry the dogs after their walk … not only they will look like shit but also their health will be at risk?

Is it not frustrating that so many people decided at the end not to go to the European show because you needed blood tests done in time, certificates from the Government vet of your country and the Ukrainian certificates to go back home and then no one ever asked to see any of these documents?

Why do we accept having at big and important events far too many times too small rings, slippery floors and judges who are not at all into the breeds they are invited to judge or even the group from which the breed is coming from? Or why do we agree on having the same judges for one breed every two years at the World and European shows?

Why when many times there are top quality judges for groups at the big events but they judge groups in which they have never bred or shown a dog? Why not have them judge the group in which they have the greatest experience and knowledge?

Why do so many important dog people publish on Facebook which one of their own or homebred dogs will go to which show, and by whom it will be shown, but in the same time the exhibitors are bad losers if they sometimes criticise the judging? Sorry to mention it, but judges are the ones who are lately more and more criticising publically the work of their colleagues and sorry to say but some judging should be publically criticised.

Judging dogs is a public thing, people pay for it and some things should not be tolerated. I suppose you all understand I am not just talking about stupid examples of my dog is better, the judge is a friend of the handler and many other stupidities that are regularly seen on the social media.

How did we come to that ridiculous thing that the WDS and EDS judging will be done without written critiques? Is it not that we were going to bring our dogs under judges to get their opinion?

Is it a criticism of the anticipated grading opinion?

Or is it value for the entry fee we pay? When you consider how much money and effort we spend 164

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to come to the big show, getting a piece of paper without one single word being written about our dog … is this looking after the customer? Why then are we considered rude if we go later and ask why the dog was Third or not placed? How do we know that the judge prepared himself for judging a big entry of a breed when no one except him knows what and why he did? How will the new people in the sport learn anything if they pay to have their dog judged and they don’t get anything for it?

Why are judges not to share on Facebook photos of their winners and their comments on the breed quality in general? Why are all the polemics always done in some closed Facebook groups where judges are talking among themselves about the breeds but successful breeders who are not judges do not have the possibility to share with them their knowledge and experience?

Why are there shows where not only for the money of the entry fee we do not get the judge’s opinion but also if our dog wins the group or the BIS the trophies are ugly, small or they do not even exist? I am not a big trophy lover, but I must say it bothers me after so many kilometres and sleepless nights to receive a 3cms high cup that was paid 1 EURO for. It shows that the organizer has no respect for the money he received from the exhibitors. Or are our dog shows just seen as moneymaking machines for the owners of the club?

Why do we want to have Lhasas or Maltese for example with the long straight coat but we are in some countries not allowed to iron the coat at the show? Or we can’t have the brushes and combs in the ring? Is there anyone who thinks that any long coated breed can be presented in the top condition without being regularly brushed or that the coat can be prepared for the show ring without ironing?

What about photos? Shouldn’t every respectful show have an official photographer so that we can all see who was winning? Or do we all need to bring our own cameras and smartphones if we want to have a memory from the show?

Why in some countries can’t you use chain collars?

Does anyone think that one Amstaff or Middle Asian or Caucasian Shepherd or any other strong tempered breed that was bred for years to protect

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people and houses can be controlled by a harness?

Who is the person who decided that these dogs should be kept among other dogs and visitors on the shows on soft collars that are not giving you as the handler of the dog any control of him? And whose fault is it when something disastrous happens?

Let’s be clear. Dog shows are beauty contests. Animals presented should be beautiful and in super condition. That is also a way to prove how much of time and energy we invested in our dogs.

In training, socialization, good food, and the best coat and skin care. We can all have different ideas of what is good or what is bad but I can guarantee that 90 % of show dogs live a better life than many people in the world. Sad but true. Nobody needs to protect our own dogs from us. As not one of us brings to the shows dogs with fleas, or sick, or skinny, or afraid. We love and care for our dogs. If they want to fight against someone I can give them a huge list of puppy millers who are breeding dogs in horrible conditions, mating the bitches on every season, selling sick dogs with counterfeit papers and making money by exploiting the poor animals.

Or they can fight illegal hunters, or people organizing dog fights, or whoever. I think it is enough of this witch hunt of show dog lovers and purebred dog breeders. We are not criminals. We are dog lovers and specialists in our love for the purebred.

All in all, yes I am frustrated. And I hate it. The Split shows last year were a great success, throughout the year we bred three all breeds Best in Show winners and we won with clients’ dogs over 30 adult all breeds Bests in Show, numerous Junior Bests in Show and BIS placements, World and European Winners, BIS at the Eukanuba World Challenge and so on. So maybe I should listen to the people who are telling me I should smile, say nothing and keep on with my work. Or maybe I should continue to listen to my heart which tells me if we don’t start to speak honestly about things soon there will be no Split shows, Bests in Show or joys of breeding pure bred dogs. I hope we can find the courage and the strength to try to protect the sport we love. It saddens me that many people who have earned the love and respect of the serious dog fancier are retiring, and not always through old 166

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age or ill health, but often saying “We have seen the best of it, and we do not want to be part of the modern dog world.” If we could change much of this new dog world maybe they would be persuaded to stay and share for longer their great knowledge and experience.

I do hope we can bring back the joy and happiness, knowledge and fair play to the shows.

I know that our sport is different; I know that not everyone (or most of the people) can understand what we do and why we do it. Many people from the outside think we are – at worse – crazy – or – at best – rather eccentric. But let me share a quote from a great movie I saw recently and which made me think so much - The Greatest Showman “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else!”

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Best in Show Magazine

Best in Show Magazine

Best in Show Magazine

Best in Show Magazine

Best in Show Magazine

Best in Show Magazine

Best in Show Magazine

BEST IN SHOW • SOUTH EAST ASIA • SHOW 1, JUDGED BY GUY JEAVONS (Canada) POMSADMIRER’S PREMIUM LIMITED EDITION Pomeranian, Ow. TANYA BANGYEEKHAN

DOUBLE DNICOLS SCRAPPI KOKO Dobermann, Ow. R. F. NATIVIDAD, E. CHUA, L. UY & L. KINTANAR-CHUA

FALAMANDUS REMASTERED EDITION Tibetan Terrier, Ow. SABINE & KATJA RAUHUT

BEST IN SHOW • ASIA PACIFIC • SHOW 2, JUDGED BY PEERAPONG PISITWUTTINAN (Thailand) POMSADMIRER’S PREMIUM LIMITED EDITION Pomeranian, Ow. TANYA BANGYEEKHAN

LORAL’S HOLD ON TIGHT Rottweiler, JEDY DAVID KRIST N CHUA

OCEAN PALACE’S THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE Golden Retriever, Ow. JAE-YOUNG CHOI

BEST IN SHOW • FCI • SHOW 3, JUDGED BY DAMIR SKOK (Croatia) ART SELECTION JP LA CHOU-CHOU Dobermann, Ow. ERIKO SUDO

JASON OF FREE GHOST ART HOLE Borzoi, Ow. HUN SUK LEE

NUMINA KICKING THE SHOW OF JIA JIA KENNE

Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. YANG XI

J. BEST IN SHOW • SOUTH EAST ASIA • SHOW 1, JUDGED BY WATSON SHAUN BELAXE KENNEL TOP MODEL Basenji, Ow. ANTONIO HERNANDES DE ALMEIDA

REGINA BICHON MY ADVENTURER Bichon Frise, Ow. WIDJAJA SANTOSO

CH HIGH STREET XACTO Labrador Retriever, Ow. N. SARCOL & W. G

J. BEST IN SHOW • ASIA PACIFIC • SHOW 2, JUDGED BY ATTILA CZEGLEDI (Hungary) BREAKOUT BLAZING ALMON Beagle, Ow. M. AGNE, L. MONTELIBANO & ENGR VERNON P. ARANE

KESASONAS LITTLE WOODY French Bulldog, Ow. FREDERICK O TAN

TOP-K RED ADMIRAL Dachshund Miniature W.H., Ow. L. HON YEUNG

J. BEST IN SHOW •FCI • SHOW 3, JUDGED BY MONIKA SKOK (Croatia) TOP-K RED ADMIRAL Dachshund Mini Wire, Ow. LEE HON YEUNG

CIRCLE LEGEND MONKEY ZICO Affenpinscher, Ow. JI-SUNG KOO

KOPOFIDOW-TAIWANFCI Taiwan Dog, Ow YANG KHUH CHIH

BEST IN SHOW • SOUTH EAST ASIA • SHOW 4, JUDGED BY CINDY VOGELS (USA) OCEAN PALACE’S THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE Golden Retriever, Ow. JAE-YOUNG CHOI

NUMINA KICKING THE SHOW OF JIA JIA KE Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. YANG XI

FALAMANDUS REMASTERED EDITION Tibetan Terrier, Ow. SABINE & KATJA RAUHUT

BEST IN SHOW • ASIA PACIFIC • SHOW 5, JUDGED BY LESLEY CHALMERS (New Zealand) GERTA CHARLIE ANGELS OF DYNASTY RC KENNEL

Siberian Husky, Ow. TANG XU WEN

NUMINA KICKING THE SHOW OF JIA JIA KE Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. YANG XI

RAYDACHS RIDE MY DUCATI Dachshund Standard Wire Haired Ow. A. & M. PETERSON

BEST IN SHOW • FCI / PHILIPPINE DERBY WINNER • SHOW 3, JUDGED BY JORGE NALLEM (Uruguay) POMSADMIRER’S PREMIUM LIMITED EDITION Pomeranian, Ow. TANYA BANGYEEKHAN

DIAQUIRIS ON THE EDGE OF FAME Pekingese, Ow. L. M. MACEDO DELGADO

NUMINA KICKING THE SHOW OF JIA JIA KENNE

Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. YANG XI

J. BEST IN SHOW • SOUTH EAST ASIA • SHOW 4, JUDGED BY ANNUKA PALOHEIMO (Finland) CIRCLE LEGEND MONKEY ZIC Affenpinscher, Ow. JI-SUNG KOO ALMEIDA

TAURO SAKKO Bichon Frise, Ow. TAUTVYDAS CINELIS

SUNSHADOW CHESTER ROWS Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. M. WIMALASEKERE

J. BEST IN SHOW • ASIA PACIFIC • SHOW 5, JUDGED BY GUY JEAVONS (USA) BREAKOUT BLAZING ALMON Beagle, Ow. M. AGNE, L. MONTELIBANO & ENGR VERNON P. ARANE

CIRCLE LEGEND MONKEY ZIC Affenpinscher, Ow. JI-SUNG KOO ALMEIDA

OCEAN PALACE’S THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE Golden Retriever, Ow. JAE-YOUNG CHOI

J. BEST IN SHOW • FCI / PHILIPPINE DERBY WINNER • SHOW 3, JUDGED BY LEIF HERMANN WILBERG (Norway) CIRCLE LEGEND MONKEY ZIC Affenpinscher, Ow. JI-SUNG KOO ALMEIDA

TAURO SAKKO Bichon Frise, Ow. TAUTVYDAS CINELIS

SUNSHADOW CHESTER ROWS Welsh Corgi Pemrboke, Ow. M. WIMALASEKERE

BEST IN SHOW • SOUTH EAST ASIA • SHOW 7, JUDGED BY KIMBERLY MEREDITH CAVANNA (USA) GERTA CHARLIE ANGELS OF DYNASTY RC KENNEL

Siberian Husky, Ow. TANG XU WEN

DOUBLE DNICOLS SCRAPPI KOKO Dobermann, Ow. R. F. NATIVIDAD, E. CHUA, L. UY & L. KINTANAR-CHUA

AMMO IRIGA Dachshund Standard Short Haired Ow. DENNIS G., GINA & RAINIER AMPONGANCHOI

BEST IN SHOW • ASIA PACIFIC • SHOW 8, JUDGED BY GOPI KRISHNAN (Malaysia) GERTA CHARLIE ANGELS OF DYNASTY RC KENNEL

Siberian Husky, Ow. TANG XU WEN

DIAQUIRIS ON THE EDGE OF FAME Pekingese, Ow. L. M. MACEDO DELGADO

SHADO-LANS SECRET IDENTITY Kerry Blue Terrier, Ow. FRANKI C K LEUNG

BEST IN SHOW • FCI • SHOW 9, JUDGED BY LUIS CATALAN (Portugal) NUMINA KICKING THE SHOW OF JIA JIA KENNE

Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. YANG XI

DIAQUIRIS ON THE EDGE OF FAME Pekingese, Ow. L. M. MACEDO DELGADO

DOUBLE DNICOLS SCRAPPI KOKO Dobermann, Ow. R. F. NATIVIDAD, E. CHUA,

J. BEST IN SHOW • SOUTH EAST ASIA • SHOW 7, JUDGED BY SATOSHI BESSHO (Japan) EMERALD-CIRCLE SUPERIOR COOKIE’N CREAM Bulldog, Ow. CHUNYEOB LEE & STEPHANIE HARRIET

KESASONAS LITTLE WOODY French Bulldog, Ow. FREDERICK O TAN

OCEAN PALACE’S THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE Golden Retriever, Ow. JAE-YOUNG CHOI

J. BEST IN SHOW • ASIA PACIFIC • SHOW 8, JUDGED BY JEFFREY PEPPER (USA) KESASONAS LITTLE WOODY French Bulldog, Ow. FREDERICK O TAN

CIRCLE LEGEND MONKEY ZIC Affenpinscher, Ow. JI-SUNG KOO ALMEIDA

KO P OF I DOW-TAIWAN Taiwan Dog, Ow. YANG KUNG-CHIH

J. BEST IN SHOW • FCI • SHOW 9, JUDGED BY LESLEY CHALMERS (New Zealand) SUNSHADOW CHESTER ROWS Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. M. WIMALASEKERE

ASAWOOD’S ELFIN SAMURAIGIRL Dacshund Mini W.H., Ow. C. & K. KIN MANCILLA & GRACE K M TAN

BELAXE KENNEL TOP GUN Basenji, Ow. A. HERNANDES DE ALMEIDA

BEST IN SHOW • SOUTH EAST ASIA • SHOW 10, JUDGED BY ANNUKA PALOHEIMO (Finland) THAI SILK GONNA MAKE ME SWEAT Pomeranian, Ow. WILLIAM THIO

DIAQUIRIS ON THE EDGE OF FAME Pekingese, Ow. L. M. MACEDO DELGADO

NUMINA KICKING THE SHOW OF JIA JIA KENNE

Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. YANG XI

BEST IN SHOW • ASIA PACIFIC • SHOW 11, JUDGED BY SATOSHI BESSHO (Japan) PARAGON’S ABSOLUTELY ENTERTAINING Siberian Husky, Ow. S. OSHAROW, K. & C BROW

DOUBLE DNICOLS SCRAPPI KOKO Dobermann, Ow. R. F. NATIVIDAD, E. CHUA, L. UY & L. KINTANAR-CHUA

RAYDACHS RIDE MY DUCATI Dacshund Standard Wire Haired, Ow. A. PETERSON & M. PETERSON

BEST IN SHOW • FCI • SHOW 12, JUDGED BY LEIF HERMAN WILBERG (Norway) NUMINA KICKING THE SHOW OF JIA JIA KENNE

Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. YANG XI

DIAQUIRIS ON THE EDGE OF FAME Pekingese, Ow. L. M. MACEDO DELGADO

RAYDACHS RIDE MY DUCATI Dacshund Standard Wire Haired, Ow. A. PETERSON & M. PETERSON

J. BEST IN SHOW • SOUTH EAST ASIA • SHOW 10, JUDGED BY CINDY VOGELS CIRCLE LEGEND MONKEY ZIC Affenpinscher, Ow. JI-SUNG KOO ALMEIDA

CHAUCER SCANDALOUS BYTE Beagle, Ow. LEILANI AYALA-VILLORENTE

GRANLASCO BELAMAX A BEAUTIFUL SUNHAVEN

Jack Russell Terrier, Ow. JOSE PAOLO MALVAR

J. BEST IN SHOW • ASIA PACIFIC • SHOW 11, JUDGED BY LUIS CATALAN (Portugal) BELAXE KENNEL TOP GUN

CIRCLE LEGEND MONKEY ZIC

Basenji, Ow. A. HERNANDES DE ALMEIDA

Affenpinscher, Ow. JI-SUNG KOO ALMEIDA

SUNSHADOW CHESTER ROWS Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Ow. M. WIMALASEKERE

J. BEST IN SHOW • FCI • SHOW 12, JUDGED BY MICHAEL LEONARD (Ireland) TACANA CHARLIZE

KESASONAS LITTLE WOODY

Boxer, Ow. BARBARA G TAN

French Bulldog, Ow. FREDERICK O TAN

OCEAN PALACE’S A WHOLE NEW WORLD Golden Retriever, Ow. SANG-HO KANG

BRUNO Bruno del Gotha

JUNIOR WORLD WINNER

BASSOTTI del

GOTHA Bred & Owned by Lucia Terruzzi del Gotha Kennel Home of World and European Winners

Before fourteenth months of age he became: • Multi Junior Champion • Multi Junior Best in Show Winner • Multiple Group Winner • Specialty Best in Show Winner • Junior Best of Breed and Jr Group 2 at WDS Leipzig 2017

Looking over my shoulder Written by Pekka Hannula I think that life is determined by coincidences. If I had not lived in the same neighbourhood with people who had - in my mind - the best dogs I had ever seen, who knows. Would I have had another breed? Maybe! But a dog anyway!

So I became a racist – when it comes to dogs. I have never despised any other breed, but for me German shepherd dogs stood for the best in the dog; wisdom, loyalty, obedience and beautiful movements.

My second dog was a home run! It had a perfect mentality and it won three times a row our main show speciality. The last time was demanded that the dogs should pass a test of courage with the figure. With a breeder we didn’t know anything about it so we had just one practice before the show. But on a test the dog acted perfectly. It was wiser than the owner and the breeder. This dog – Fennican Eciton – died tragically in a fire, when the men of the district came to melt the pipes while we were studying at the University. I went to a shock! Life had shown its’ dark side.

Also my career as a breeder started, when the breeder of Eciton loaned me his dam. I was a rookie, so the easiest thing was to repeat that combination. The litter was good, but the bitch had much more potential. There were no stars as I was hoping.

I made the same mistake later! To repeat a combination successfully demands a good knowledge of the families on both sides of the pedigree and also that the dogs fit together as types. A top breeder in Germany repeated the same combination four times and this way he broadend up his breeding material. He knew what he was doing! But otherwise repeating doesn’t bring anything new and it’s 206

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less interesting than a new combination.

I could say that my breeding was good, but not like the breeders I interviewed for my book, Keys to Top Breeding! I based it on two things; intuition, and which kind of dogs would be good for each other as types, I also was lucky enough to get a top bitch from the original country of the breed.

But I also made mistakes! I often believed in young stud dogs, which didn’t have offspring. And sometimes that makes sense! But often the older studs may carry a burden of “faults”. When excited about some young stud, we easily forget that they could inherit faults too. So it’s more about the hope than the knowledge! Instead we should look at the older studs and their potential to our breeding! What could they give us?

I mated often in Germany, Sweden or Norway. To the last mentioned had been brought a top male from Germany. Way to go! The litter was over even the expectations, which already were high. So I decided to repeat the combination – this time for a reason. But the male died before that. We had his son in Finland – but only of medium quality. I used it and again – success. After having seen my litter about used the male. Just rubbish – nothing! So the blood is important or/and was a great one!

The innovation brought also some real stars! I saw in one of the German speciality shows a male, which was in his class graded to a place 32. But I didn’t care about that. The dog moved beautifully, I checked his background and decided to use him.

A dog called Makros East was born. It became a three time winner in our main speciality. I still remember the last of those three. We had a significant rival, who had a hired hand on the other end of the

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leash. It was almost funny that when the judge gave his critiques, people gathered as a crowd to hear what he would say of the both of them. And they had a bet which one would be the “Sieger”. But the best memory of all is when the best breeder and judge from Sweden gave his critiques in the Kennel Club show. I have framed that to my wall!

Can you like all the dogs you have or had have as much? They are different, but still – some are favourites. I have treated all dogs with respect, but I have four which are special: Eciton, East, the dam Belinda v Fiemereck and Triumphs Clyde. There is not a better dog than Clyde was in his mental abilities. He reacted just the right way depending on the situation.

My friend had a five year old Down syndrome child who jumped from the car straight onto Clydes’ neck.

Nothing happened! But when my partner was followed by a strange man in the dark, the dog turned around, baked loudly and then the guy fell onto his butt and started to run! There are good people in the world who we wish wouldn’t die – but there are such dogs too!

When I look at my breeders’ career over my shoul208

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der, I see a lot of good, even great dogs, but also surprises. Heredity can be difficult! But the dangers can be avoided a bit more with some tricks. First – get yourself as good a foundation bitch as you can.

Not just an individual, but such which gets support from her family, sisters, brothers and her background over the generations. And be honest to yourself! If you have rubbish in your hand, it doesn’t get any better by imagining it is better. When choosing a male to your bitch, I’d like to quote Espen Engh: “find a male who is not too bad where your bitch is good but who can improve on traits where you bitch is not so good.”

Stepwise my motivation declined. I thought I had seen much of it already. Also, the breed started to have many kind of problems. Money started to spoil it! GSD is the most popular breed in the world and people are ready to pay hundreds of thousands Euros to get an ornament for their homes. This leads to misusing the dogs! Could one trust to a pedigree or the health statistics of a dog? Afterwards I got to know that I had used a totally wrong male what comes to its’ pedigree.

As a breeder I’d started to become disappointed!

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It’s all about the pedigree and how to recognize good stud dog

by Juha Kares Pedigree dogs are all about pedigree. Unfortunately it seems that fewer and fewer people know the pedigree of their own dogs, and they don’t seem to understand it’s value. Your pedigree is something you should know inside out, it is not something that is in your computer or on piece of paper. If you are a breeder, the pedigree and all the information it includes should be in your brains. Pedigree is a key in breeding.

As a breeder I use that massive key as a code all the time. What to breed with what?

Thousands of pieces of information must get into some kind of order in the creative process. This is how a pedigree turns out to be a code, an abbreviation which you can use to think rationally. Dog breeding is unique.

You should use the left and right side of the brain to work with the same massive piece of information which is the pedigree. Everything is there: what to expect and what to be afraid of. Only by taking control of the pedigree and doing it your way, can you create dominant type.

The first thing every breeder should know inside out is the pedigree of their bitch. It is not just list of names in paper, every name in the pedigree should give you vibes.

These vibes are good and bad. Every single pedigree and every single name in the pedigree includes stories and information, like an intuitive mindmap of your dog.

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In every pedigree there are also negative issues and things you should be careful with.

So start studing the pedigree of your bitch.

Ask, study and be creative. Do your homework and soon this pedigree should be in your mind. The next generation is easy. It is your bitch mixed with the best possible male you can find. Study and learn that ideal male pedigree as well. Try to create smarter and smarter pedigrees generation after generations. Reach out and look for a certain type of dog.

Every single pedigree carries risks or potential illnesses too. There is no 100 % healthy pedigree. Only a stupid breeder can say my dogs or these pedigrees do not include any risks. Unfortunately, you still meet breeders in 2017 who say this. I have news for you, that is not possible. Breeders count the risks and do out crossing when needed. The main thing is that breeders try to produce as healthy & good looking dogs with nice temperaments as they possibly can.

Over the years a breeder begins to have massive amount of information in their brains. I often forget the name of people since so much space is loaded with pedigrees and all the information those hundreds and hundreds of pedigrees include.

I remember Freda McGregor stories about Löwchens born in the early 1970´s. I have

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not seen them but Cluneen Obviously Olivia of Littlecourt is a name in the pedigree that for me includes a lot of information. It is so much easier later on to remember the names and dogs you breed yourself. It is really sad. How very little many breeders ask and know about the dogs in their dogs’ pedigree. If they do not know or ask, they will never learn. That sort of breeding is like playing bingo.

Pedigrees are about generations and generations of important information: names, pictures, stories, strength, weakness and much more. Study the dogs before your time by asking older breeders and mentors.

Visit them and spend inspirational time. The very best information comes as you touch the dogs themselves or hear the stories mouth to mouth. That is the real way of getting there. Internet can´t do it for you.

Search for pictures and information. Study and learn about your dogs’ pedigree. That is how to breed great pedigrees and great dogs also in the future. There are no short cuts or easy ways out. It is hard work. It is about studying, asking, reading, travelling and learning to know what pedigrees that you work with really are all about.

There are no short cuts. Learn and study your dogs pedigree if you want to breed good dogs and create clever pedigrees.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE A GOOD STUD DOG 1.

This dog will give you vibes. He has that special something……He is a king of his breed. The very best ones gives you goosebumps.

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2.

Real stud dogs should come from a big and healthy litter.

3.

The very best stud dogs have a mother that has been a great producer herself.

4.

A real stud dog is a stallion alike dog.

He should be a handful. The very best stud dogs are often not easy to have. Their vitality often means mental & physical power.

5.

A real stud dog loves to mate and he knows how to do it himself. Not much outside help is needed.

6.

The very best stud dogs are often dogs that leave no one indifferent. There are people who love him and people who may hate him. The main thing is that they talk about him. There will be people who never bred anything good themselves but they sure know the stories about him.

7.

Because of it – there will be gossips and rumors. Every top stud dog may have also one or two terrible puppies. “And they love it……”

8.

A real stud dog has or will have some really stunning and vital puppies.

9.

The type is there. You can see his silhouette and type even if you close your eyes.

The carriage is there.

10.

The owner of a real stud dog is not importance. You must want to use him no matter where he lives and who owns him.

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national dog shows in the area and for British exhibitors it is probably the best known show on the continent and that certainly has to do with the great hospitality they experience here. There were 180 entries from the United Kingdom and 17 from Ireland.

Mr. Ronny Doedijns was the Best In Show judge. Best In Show was a British win. German Wire-haired Pointing Dog “CHARMER VAN DE TUINDERSHOF” is a 3 year old boy, bred by Verheught Meijer and adopted by Nicki Johnston to go and live in the United Kingdom.

LOVANIUMTROFEE 2017 The Lovaniumtrofee is without any doubt one of the more popular shows in Belgium. Again this year it was a CACIB show and that brings always more entries. However there was a slight decrease this year from 1884 to 1771 this year. Best In Show judge was Mr.Georges Shogol who was invited from Georgia. Best In Show is another product of Rony and Dieny Demunter-Uiterwijk. Remember his worldfamous kennel mate “Kingarthur van Foliny Home”?

Well this is “Open Fire Van Foliny Home”.

GENK LKV SHOW 2017 A CAC show that outruns most CACIB’s! Last year the CACIB version was good for almost 2000 entries notwithstanding it was at the very same weekend as Crufts.

Without any doubt, this is a very popular show as again this year they broke another record, the most successful CAC show ever in Belgium. 2005 Entries was a real “whaw” record! Saturday was announced as a very icy day. On Saturday about 200 dogs didn’t show up. Next year it will be in the summer again. Saturday evening there was an extra Champion of Champions show, along with a Gala dinner. About 40 champions were in competition. There were several British dogs, including the BIS. KORTRIJK EURODOGSHOW 2017 Best In Show judge was Mr. Pinto Teixeira Costog is a faA little less British entries but a lot more British wins, mous dog, multi Champion and was BIS in Brussels 2015 that’s what we could say in a couple of words about this and now LKV BIS winner of the Grand Prix of Limburg.

53rd edition. With 3264 entries there was a very slight increase. Welcoming dogs from 22 different countries makes the Eurodogshow of Kortrijk one of the most inter-

of this Russian born Open class winning male Tchiorny Terrier, proudly owned by Mrs. Natalya Thiebaut.

MOUSCRON 2017 This year there were 2043 entries. Dogs from 16 different countries are present. 97 Entries came from overseas, 88 from the UK and 9 from Ireland. Also here the UK is ranking high and one of the countries to be taken into account. The BIS judge was Mrs. Kelveri-Phillipou from Cyprus. In Mouscron only one dog is placed for Best In Show. She had many good dogs to chose from but it was the English Bulldog, winner of Group II that was judged on Saturday by Mrs.Shenashenko, that catched her eye in particular. Mencey De Taknara Arehucas is his name, a Bulldog, and he is owned by Mr. Daniel Diaz Guzman from Belgium.

WEELDE 2017 The KKK of Belgium is not the Ku Klux Klan but the Koninklijk Kempische Kynologenclub and they have their seat in Turnhout. For many years they were the organizers of the show of Hoogstraten. For the first time Weelde hosted the show in a former NAVO basis with 17 large halls where the jets were stored. Two of these halls were sufficient to host 2083 dogs for the show. The possibilities are enormous, enough parking facilities and halls to organize a gigantic World Dog Show! The “Schaal der Kempen”, as the show is called, has a bright future ahead. It seems clear that Irish Judges are very popular over here, they were good for 974 entries! Imagine! Best In Show judge was Mrs. Rita Reyniers Best In Show went to France. “Evgeniy Onegin S Zolotog Grada” is the complicated name

BRABO 2017 It looks like the organizers of the Antwerp dog show, called, Brabo dogshow, decided no longer to compose the judges panel with a minimum of 50% Belgian judges.

Last year the number of entries dramatically dropped to little over 1600 dogs. Something had to be done, something needed to change. This year 27 judges were invited of which only 6 from Belgium, the rest coming from 15 other countries. It looks like it worked, the number of entries rose again to 2152 dogs. This year there was no live view on internet. In my opinion it is better to share teasers on the internet, because live views takes away the visitors and that in turn affects the success of the trade stands. 53 UK dogs came over, hoping to take away a title or trophy to England. Mrs. Monique Van Brempt from Belgium, was supposed to judge Best In Show but due to her absence it was Mrs. Diane Degryze who took over from her. As Mrs. Degryze is a Poodle person, it adds to the honor to win BIS, as the winning dog was a black Medium Sized Poodle, “Curlfinch Jakira” is his name, owned by KroesVink Corrie.

WIEZE 2017 Best In Show judge was Mr. Roger Vanhoenacker. The Best In Show title went to the Irish Setter “Harko Dekellefleur” a male owned by Mrs. Ilse Vermeiren.

LOMMEL 2017 1169 Dogs were entered to celebrate this small but popular show’s 40th edition. Lommel is always one of the sunniest shows in Belgium and there was no difference this year. Mr.Karsten Birk was the Best In Show judge.

Mr.Alain Alaerts was exceptionally pleased when he heard that his dog was chosen BIS with his Basenji “Faraoland On A Bed of Roses” didn’t. A great small show this is, and I remember the nice speakers team most of all. I hope that lots of other shows will follow this example.

AMBIORIX TROFEE GENK 2017 Mr. Norman Deschuymere was the BIS judge. It was the Saluki “Amal Hayati Orayah Za’nyah Al Sahra”, bred and owned by Mr. Elen Sven. As Sven is a club member and uses BRIT/Carnilove petfood, the Sponsor of this show, the whole club was fond of joy.

LIÈGE 2017 Double CACIB and Crufts Qualifier! The Syndicat d’Elevage Canin, the organizing committee, celebrates its 80th birthday and for that the Royal Society in Brussels, granted them the possibility to organize a double show and if this was not enough, the Golden dog trophy was chosen as Crufts qualifier, at least the show of Saturday.

There were 1721 entries on Saturday and 1620 on Sunday, or 3341 dogs in competition. About a thousand dogs were entered for both days, so, in fact there were about 2300 different dogs over the weekend, about the same number as last year. This show is one of our most international shows, along with Brussels and Kortrijk. On both days 21 nationalities were present. 79 Entries were from the UK and, surprisingly there were 22 Irish entries. As all 10 Groups had to be judged in the main ring every day, along with the regular other items like Junior handling, couples and Breed groups, it took much too long before the show ended. On Saturday Mrs.Gavrilova was the BIS judge. Her BIS came from Russia, the Pomeranian Thai Silk Gonne Make Me Sweet” owned by Mrs.Mironenko.

On Sunday it was Mr.Cochetti from Italy who was the Best In Show judge. This time the winner was the Gordon Setter “Perfect Thunder van de Mergelhoeve” owned by Beckers Kim from the Netherlands.

MECHELEN 2017 Best In Show judge on Saturday was Mr. Petr Rehanek. It was the Chien de Saint Hubert “Napoleon Bonaparte Of Lufon Royal Pride”, owned by Mr. Fonny Devadder from Belgium that he awarded BIS. On Sunday it was Mr. Leenen who was the Best In Show judge. The Best In Show title went to the Afgan Hound “El Roalito Easygoing” of Cornelia Schellenberg from Germany.

CINEY 2017 Best in Show judge was Mrs. Liliane Stojkovicz. She proved the most popular judge with 206 dogs in total entered for her and if that was not enough, she was also the Best In Show judge. The Best in Show was for the Tervueren “Nordic Fairytales Giant” owned by Cindy Donkers from Belgium and bred by Unni Lilleskjaeret from Norway. Next year there will be no Green Dog Show, at least not in Ciney.

CHARLEROI 2017 This will be the last edition of this show to be held in Charleroi. The building will get a complete make-over as it dates back from end of the fifties and was hardly refurbished over the years. From next year on everything moves to La Louvière, and probably for many years, unless...unless the refurbished expo halls of Charleroi will be affordable and the club wants to come home again. 1444 Dogs were entered, good for 18 different nationalities.

The UK had 30 dogs in competition. Mr.Hans Grüttner from Germany was asked to judge Best In Show. The Best In Show went to a dog from France, a Basenji, “Lord Invictus de la Triby Val’Elsy” as is his name and lives with Alexandre Valerie. For the British exhibitors La Louvière is probably also better situated.

LEUVEN LOVANIUM TROPHY 2017 Best In Show judge was Mrs. Malgorzata Wieremiejczyk.

The wire haired Kaninchen Dachshund “Prisme Des Supers Supers” was entered in Junior Class and Mr. Petr Rehanek was his judge. Mr. Kulesa Aleksandra met him in the main ring for the Best Junior of Sunday competition and placed him second. But being Best of Breed, Prisme was allowed to compete with the adults for Best of Group 4, judged again by Mr. Rehanek and won it. That is a proof that judging dogs is no exact science. And for the very same reason we saw this little soldier run through the ring behind his master Mr.Vanaken from Belgium.

RIJEKA 25th of February 2017 At the International show in Rijeka 25th of February, Best in Show Winner was White Swiss Shepherd- DOUX OF ICE WINE, owned by Nikita Kofelort. Reserve Best in Show was Cotton de Tulear - NICOLASS SNEZENKY Z MADAGASKARU, owned by Misela Poljanec Ponjan and 3rd placed was English Cocker Spaniel - DELLA FIUMANA HOLY MOLY, owned by Daila Rocchi.

RIJEKA 26th of February 2017 At the International show in Rijeka 26st of February, Best in Show Winner was Whippet - CELEBRIAN GALADRIEL, owned by Ilaria Benetazzo. Reserve Best in Show was Australian Cattle Dog - BANANA BENDER THE GOVERNOR, owned by Paolo & Simona Coletta and 3rd placed was Dachshund Standard Wire Haired - LUX DEL PLATINO OCEAN DEEP, owned by Annaluce Saletti.

ZADAR 28th of April At the first International show in Zadar 28 of April, Best in Show Winner was Lhasa Apso - SHUT UP AND KISS ME DELL’ALBERICO, owned by Stefano Paolantoni. Reserve Best in Show was Rhodesian Ridgeback - NDOKI GENTLE GEORGE, owned by Petra & Michael Bossard and 3rd Dachshund Standard Wire Haired - LUX DEL PALATINO OCEAN DEEP, owned by Annaluce Saletti.

ZADAR 29th of April At the second International show in Zadar 29 of April, Best in Show Winner was Standard Black Poodle - HUFFISH DANCING IN THE DARK, owned by Mirko Matkovic and Charlotte Sandell. Rhodesian Ridgeback - NDOKI GENTLE GEORGE, owned by Petra & Michael Bossard and 3rd was Pyrinean Mountain Dog - ECHO DE’CHIEN ESCUDA POUR GARCON, owned by Susanna Virtanen.

ZADAR 30th of April At the third International show in Zadar 30 of April, Best in Show Winner was Standard Black Poodle - HUFFISH DANCING IN THE DARK, owned by Mirko Matkovic and Charlotte Sandell. Reserve Best in Show was Borzoi - CHYERDAK KASHMIR, owned by Soete Deborah and 3rd Rhodesian Ridgeback - NDOKI GENTLE GEORGE, owned by Petra & Michael Bossard .

ZADAR 1st of May At the fourth International show in Zadar 1st of May, Best in Show Winner was West Highland White Terrier - WHITE VILLAN KING OF HEARTS, owned by Martina Kanasova.

Reserve Best in Show was Pekingese - EL’MAMBEE’S COLD PLAY, owned by Brit Varghaug and 3rd was Dachshund Standard Wire Haired - LUX DEL PALATINO OCEAN DEEP, owned by Annaluce Saletti.

VARAZDIN 13th of May At the International show in Varazdin 13th of May, Best in Show Winner was Old English Sheepdog - BOTTOM SHAKER ZEPHYR DREAM, owned by Jozef Koroknai. Reserve Best in Show was Dobermann - CHAYENNE BEST OF ISLAND, owned by Berislav Lankas and 3rd was Golden Retriever - BLONDILEX BRAVEHEART, owned by Dijana Tomic Tomasegovic.

VARAZDIN 14th of May At the International show in Varazdin 13th of May, Best in Show Winner was Old English Sheepdog - BOTTOM SHAKER ZEPHYR DREAM, owned by Jozef Koroknai. Reserve Best in Show was Dobermann - CHAYENNE BEST OF ISLAND, owned by Berislav Lankas and 3rd was Peruvian Hairless Dog Medium - OCRE HUATUNTUPAQ, owned by Lidija Klemencic and Marula Furlan.

OSIJEK 23rd of September At the International show in Osijek 23rd of September, Best in Show Winner was Medium Black Poodle - NICE STEPS FOR ME ONLY, owned by Nad Julia. Reserve Best in Show was Smooth Fox Terrier - AGRIA ZIP CODE, owned by Korozs-Papp Judith and 3rd was Alaskan Malamute - THE MAGICIAN SEAN CONERY, owned by Copetti Ilenia and The Magician Kennel.

OSIJEK 24th of September At the International show in Osijek 24th of September, Best in Show Winner was Medium Black Poodle - NICE STEPS FOR ME ONLY, owned by Nad Julia. Reserve Best in Show was Borzoi - GO GO BOLSHOI MYTHOS, owned by Andrea Berzene Laskai and 3rd was Black Miniature Schnauzer - AIDANTE EMOTION IN MOTION, owned by Ante Lucin and Javier Gonzalez Mendikote.

CAC SPLIT 27th of July At the National show in Split 27th of July, Best in Show Winner was Newfoundlander - URSINUS VELUTUS ZESTY GUY, owned by Oton Fantur. Reserve Best in Show was American Cocker Spaniel - VERY VIGIE LATE NIGHT SHOW/, owned by Sanna Vartiainen and 3rd placed was American Akita - NATIVEBEAR ZEND AVESTA, owned by Natalia Levina.

CACIB SPLIT 28th of July At the International show in Split 28th of July, Best in Show Winner was Short Coated Chihuahua - DARTAN THE VALIANT ALADAR, owned by Sandra Ludmir. Reserve Best in Show was Basset - TRADEWIND’S ANDROS, owned

by Livia Lakatos and 3rd placed was Wire Fox Terrier GOLDWING V.D. SCHÖNEN BERGEN, owned by F.W. Schoneberg.

SPLIT 29th of July At the second National show in Split 29th of July, Best in Show Winner was Basset - TRADEWIND’S ANDROS, owned by Livia Lakatos. Reserve Best in Show was Dachshund Kaninchen Smooth Haired - PICOLLO TECKEL IDEA FIX, owned by Mihai Suciu Dan and Ekaterina Pikul and 3rd was White Puli - HUNGARY PULI DOKI, owned by Rusz Bodil.

SPLIT 30th of July At the second International show in Split 30th of July, Best in Show Winner was Wire Fox Terrier - GOLDWING V.D. SCHÖNEN BERGEN, owned by F.W. Schoneberg.. Reserve Best in Show was White Puli - HUNGARY PULI DOKI, owned by Rusz Bodil and 3rd Dachshund Kaninchen Smooth Haired - PICOLLO TECKEL IDEA FIX, owned by Mihai Suciu Dan and Ekaterina Pikul

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS Among 361 dogs at the Champion of Champion 7th of January , first place took Czudarligethy Juhász Dávid – Puli, owned by Buzsáki Istvánné. Second placed was Karballido Staffs Mambo Golden Legend - American Staffordshire Terrier, owned by Andres Carballido Jose Ignacio and third place was Bottom Shaker Zéphyr Dream - Old English Sheepdog, owned by Koroknai József.

PRESIDENT CUP II At the President Cup 8th of January , Best in Show Winner was Bottom Shaker Zephyr Dream - Old English Sheepdog, owned by Koroknai Jozsef, second was Amore America Big City Life - English Cocker Spaniel, owned by Luk·cs NÛra and CzeglÈdi Attila, and third placed was SzÈphegyi-Szimat Oliver - Beagle, owned by BaraksÛ Bertalan. Best in Show judge was KorÛzs Andr·s.

FEHOVA WINTER DOG SHOW 1. DAY At the Winter Dog Show 16th of February Best in Show Winner was Amore America Big City Life - English Cocker Spaniel, owned by Lukacs Nora & Czegledi Attila. Best in Show was judged by David Al. Alexander (USA).

Junior Best in Show was judged by C.V. Sudarsan (IND) and winner was Mini Golf Barka - Smooth-Haired Miniature Dachshund, owned by dr. Jakkel Tamas.

FEHOVA WINTER DOG SHOW 2 DAY At the Winter Dog Show 17th of February, Best in Show Winner was Khaos D Aram - Afghan Hound, owned by Saori Wohlin. Best in Show was judged by Martin Baskaran.

Junior Best in Show was judged by Lokodi Csaba Zsolt and winner was White-Amstaff Goes To Hollywood american staffordshire terrier, owned by Kádár János, Hajdú Ágnes.

FEHOVA WINTER DOG SHOW 3. DAY At the Winter Dog Show 19th of February, Best in Show Winner was Idesüss Elnök - Wire-Haired Dachshund, owned by Vertes Luca. Best in Show was judged by Ricky Lochs-Romans (NL).

Junior Best in Show was judged by Carolyn I. Alexander (USA) and winner was Baileys Europica Varietas - Russian Black Terrier, owned by Deline Juhász Mónika.

BUDAPEST GRAND PRIX CACIB 1. DAY At the Budapest Grand Prix CACIB 29th of April, Best in Show Winner was Black Majesty Hall Of Fame - Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, owned by Elizaveta Balova, Zaderenko Tatiana. Best in Show was judged by dr. Zafra Sirik. Junior Best in Show was judged by dr. Balogh Zsuzsanna and winner was Silver Dream Aussie’s Winner Takes It All - Australian Shepherd, owned by Korózs-Papp Judit and Wiechner Boglárka.

BUDAPEST GRAND PRIX CACIB 2. DAY At the Budapest Grand Prix CACIB 30th, Best in Show Winner was Ambrosial Allegra Big City Life - English Cocker Spaniel, owned by Lukacs Nora & Czegledi Attila.

Junior Best in Show was judged by Jeff Horswell. Junior Best in Show was judged by dr. Jakkel Tamás and winner was Frosyna of Xantharpyia - Great Dane, owned by Harmat Bernadet & Harmat Norbert.

BUDAPEST GRAND PRIX CACIB 3. DAY At the Budapest Grand Prix CACIB 1st of May, Best in Show Winner was Czudarligethy Juhász Dávid - Black Puli, owned by Buzsáki Istvánné. Best in Show was judged by dr Eugene Yerusalimsky (RUS).

Junior Best in Show was judged by Refet Hadzic (BIH) and winner was Equator Szczesliwy Slon - Golden Retriever, owned by Ana Radovanovic Cvorkov.

KOMAROM CACIB 1. DAY At the Komárom CACIB 20th of October, Best in Show Winner was Pilisi-Kócos Jóbarát - Pumi, owned by Mesterné Spányik Andrea & Holdampf Dóra. Best in Show was judged by dr. Jakkel Tamás.

Junior Best in Show was judged by Korózs András and winner was Aidante Extreme Pleasure - Miniature Schnauzer Black, owned by Chie Ejima.

KOMAROM CACIB 2. DAY At the Komárom CACIB 21th of October, Best in Show Winner was Shut Up And Kiss Me Dell’ Alberico - Lhasa Apso, owned by Stafano Paolantoni. Best in Show was judged by Rafael de Santiago.

Junior Best in Show was judged by Paula Heikkinen-Lehkonen and winner was Sonderwol Legend Zone - Xoloitzcuintle Standard, owned by M Sopko & S. Yulia.

Review from

INDONESIA Photo credits: Ferdinal Chandra

Number 1 is Pekingese Ch. Sw’s Machette, owned by Handoko S. Basuki & Lily M.

Number 4 is Shih Tzu Ch. La’Verne Love Letter, owned by Trisnawati & Gunadi.

Number 2 is Golden Retriever Ch. Hocus Pocus Gold Legend, owned by Viony Lionardo.

Number 5 is Jack Russell Terrier Ch. Sandy Diamond’s Arishem The Judge, owned by Antony Wijaya.

Number 3 is Dobermann Ch. Harmonic Eye Of Garuda Bintang, owned by Dr. Andy Hudono.

Number 6 is Pomeranian Ch. Queen Zamoranno Shanghai Knights, owned by Kiking Hendrajana Gunawan.

ENCI, the Italian Kennel Club, was founded in 1882, when some “gentlemen” decided to bring to life a “Society for the improvement of dog breeds in Italy”. A long road has been travelled since then, considering that in Italy 2017 has been a year full of events. Exhibitors, breeders and handler had the opportunity to show their dogs in 76 international competitions, 52 nationals and in many Club and Speciality Shows that has become the reference point for the Italian Zootechnical checks.

This large number of shows has been criticized by many people, who claim it would be more useful to reduce the numbers, to favour a higher quality of events, keeping the high standard, considering that in some International and National Shows entries have dropped. On the other hand, others argue that the competition between the various organizing committees is a stimulus to increase the qualitative level of offer to breeders, handlers and owners by improving the facilities dedicated to the event, which play a role of attraction towards the public with services dedicated, and by calling judges that are a real point of reference for the breed. Why that? It is not known. Due to my experience in different roles (photographer, breeder and exhibitor) I can say that a good quality can be provided in large events supported by huge economic investments and sponsors, as much as in smaller gatherings organized thanks to the teamwork and passion of many volunteers that, if well guided, can compensate for economic deficiencies. We must never forget that in these events the lead actor must be the dog and everything must rotate around him.

Throughout the year there have been many dogs of the highest quality in the podiums of the events, many also from abroad. It’s extremely difficult to list them all. Certainly, though, Samarcanda The Italian Lover “Marte” (Samarcanda kennel), owned by Lorena Merati and handled by Sonia Merati, and Thor del Wanhelsing “Thor” (Wanhelsing kennel) owned by Debora Silvestro and handled by Gabriel Pascarella were those that chased far and wide our peninsula providing an exciting challenge with shots of BIS to the ultimate goal of the conquest of the Cajelli award. Both these young handlers proved us that it is possible to sustain a heated challenge, always keeping a smile on the face. In the greatest respect of both, congratulations. It was a great lesson in sport, which is nowadays rare. The Cajelli trophy is an award that is given in Italy taking into account the achiviements of the BIS and Group of each dog throughout the year. At this time there isn’t an official ranking yet, but in unofficially it seems that Marte has won the Cajelli award with 13 BIS and 9 resBIS, followed by Thor who won 8 BIS and 8 resBIS.

The ENCI WINNER 2017, held in Milan between

June 15th and 17th, made live three unforgettable days of cinofilia together with the TOP DOG FARMINA 2016 semi-final and final competitions. Joining together two events of great interest has fostered a large influx of competitors and audiences contributing to their achievement. Due to the success of the show since its first edition, it is safe to think that it might become the point of reference of the Dog Shows for Italians and foreign exhibitors.

The TOP DOG FARMINA 2016 final was judged by Claudio De Giuliani (I), Guido Vandoni (I) and Rafael De Santiago (PRC) 1st TOP DOG 2016: Standard Poodle Samarcanda Italian Lover owner and handler Sonia Merati, breeder Samarcanda by Lorena Merati 2nd TOP DOG: Dachshund miniature wire-haired Caro Marzio del Wanhelsing owner, breeder and handler Gabriel Pascarella Wanhelsing kennel 3rd TOP DOG : Samoiedo Cabaka’s Bobbie of Storm Cat owner Barbara Moreschi, breeder Gitte Morell 1st JUNIOR TOP DOG: Saluki Rachelzoe Del Borghino breeder owner and handler Galliano Leonardo Del Borghino Kennel 2nd JUNIOR TOP DOG : Golden retriever Pinkerly it doesn’t matter breeder owner and handler Valentina Zanini, Pinkerly kennel 3rd JUNIOR TOP DOG: Bearded collie Unforgettable del Cuore Impavido breeder owner and handler Ripoli Filippo, Del Cuore Impavido kennel

At the end of the year it was a great thrill to see the Great Dane Quinnie Eye-F del Castel Levante, owned by Patrizia Maria Vidano (Del Castel Levante kennel) and handled by Nicola Salierno, climbing the highest step of the World Dog Show 2017 at the Best in Show in Leipzig, under the Judge Horst Kliebenstein (D).

MEDITERRANEAN WINNER 17th of June At the second International show in Milano, Best in Show winner was Dachshund Kaninchen Wire Haired - THOR DEL WANHELSING, owned by Silvestro Debora. Reserve Best in Show Labrador Retriever - NORA ICEFLOWER OF FINNWOODS, owned by Franco Barbieri and 3rd placed was Pomeranian - CH. TOKIE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, owned by Chaivat Tangkaravakun.

MONTICHIARI 8-9th of April At the International show in Montichiari, Best in Show winner was Black Standard Poodle - SAMARCANDA ITALIAN LOVER, owned by Sonia Merati. Reserve Best in Show Dachshund Kaninchen Wire Haired - THOR DEL WANHELSING, owned by Silvestro Debora and 3rd placed was Alaskan Malamute - STARLIGHT EXPRESS DEL BIAGIO, owned by Del Biago kennel.

MILANO 16th of June At the first International show in Milano, Best in Show winner was Lhasa Apso - STANDING ROOM ONLY DELL’ALBERICO, owned by D’Amore Lara. Reserve Best in Show American Cocker - LOBO DEIGINI, owned by Deigini kennel and 3rd placed was Dachshund Kaninchen Wire Haired - THOR DEL WANHELSING, owned by Silvestro Debora

ENCI WINNER 18th of June At the third International show in Milano, Best in Show winner was Pomeranian - CH. TOKIE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, owned by Chaivat Tangkaravakun.. Reserve Best in Show Black Standard Poodle - SAMARCANDA ITALIAN LOVER, owned by Sonia Merati and 3rd placed was Greyhound - SOBERS XTRAVAGANZA, owned by Sobers kennel.

PISA 4th of June At the International show in Pisa, Best in Show winner was Kerry Blue Terrier - BALBOA SALADIN, owned by Francesca Cassin. Reserve Best in Show English Cocker Spaniel - FRANCINI’S ENIGMA, owned by Angela Francini and 3rd placed was Standard Poodle Black - SAMARCANDA ITALIAN LOVER, owned by Sonia Merati.

SUPRME IN PISA At the International shows in Pisa, Supreme Best in Show winner was Standard Poodle Black - SAMARCANDA ITALIAN LOVER, owned by Sonia Merati.

FERMO 16th of July At the International show in Fermo, Best in Show winner was Bracco Italiano - POLCEVERA’S PONENTE, owned

by Maurizio Turci.

MONDOVI 30th of July At the International show in Mondovi, Best in Show winner was Dachshund Kaninchen Wire Haired - THOR DEL WANHELSING, owned by Silvestro Debora. Reserve Best in Show Kerry Blue Terrier - BALBOA CLAIM TO FAIM, owned by Vincenzo Carella and 3rd placed was Saluki - RACHELZOE DEL BORGHINO, owned by Leonardo Galliano.

TRIESTE 13th of August At the International show in Trieste, Best in Show winner was Siberian Husky - DAY OF FUTURE PAST DELLA VANISELLA, owned by Della Vanisella di Drioli and Rizzetto.

Reserve Best in Show Pyrinean Mountain Dog - ECHO DE’CHIEN ESCUDA POUR GARCON, owned by Virtanen Susanna, and 3rd placed was Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen - SOLETRADER NOBLE KINSMEN, owned by Malvar Paolo Jose.

DESIO 2nd of November At the International show in Desio, Best in Show winner was Lhasa Apso - SHUT UP AND KISS ME DELL’ALBERICO, owned by Stefano Paolantoni. Reserve Best in Show Kerry Blue Terrier - BALBOA SALADIN, owned by Francesca Cassin and 3rd placed was Dachshund Kaninchen WIre Haired - THOR DEL WANHELSING , owned by Silvestro Debora.

SEDRIANO 3rd of November At the International show in Sedriano, Best in Show winner was Affenpincher - PEPE LE PEW V. TANI KAZARI, owned

by Mieke Coojmans and Lucienne Miodonski . Reserve Best in Show Yorkshire Terrier - MINI SHOP SHARMAN II, owned by Smirnova Natalia, and 3rd placed was American Akita - ESTAVA RAIN REBEL HEART, owned by Elena Gorozhankina.

GRADISCA D’ISONZO 14th of August At the International show in Gradisca D’Isonzo, Best in Show winner was Boston Terrier - PRIMO CAVALIERE I MILLION, owned by Pantani Elena. Reserve Best in Show Siberian Husky - DAY OF FUTURE PAST DELLA VANISELLA, owned by Della Vanisella di Drioli and Rizzetto, and 3rd placed was Nova Scotia Duck Tolling - JAVAHILL REDHOT SHOWOFF DEL VECCHIO MULINO, owned by Whymark’s kennel.

BUSTO ARSIZIO 4th of November At the International show in Busto Arsizio, Best in Show winner was Affenpincher - PEPE LE PEW V. TANI KAZARI, owned by Mieke Coojmans and Lucienne Miodonski .

Reserve Best in Show Black Standard Poodle - SAMARCANDA ITALIAN LOVER, owned by Sonia Merati, and 3rd placed was Labrador Retriever - LOCH MOR BANOFEE, owned by Beniamino Pittarello.

VARESE 5th of November At the International show in Varese, Best in Show winner was Labrador Retriever - LOCH MOR BANOFEE, owned by Beniamino Pittarello. Reserve Best in Show Dachshund Kaninchen WIre Haired - THOR DEL WANHELSING, owned by Silvestro Debora, and 3rd placed was Chihuahua Short Coated - DARTAN THE VALIANT ALADAR, owned by Sandra Ludmir.

GENOVA 17th of November At the International show in Genova, Best in Show winner was Bracco Italiano - POLCEVERA’S PONENTE, owned by Maurizio Turci. Reserve Best in Show Dachshund Kaninchen WIre Haired - THOR DEL WANHELSING, owned by Silvestro Debora, and 3rd placed was Greyhound - SOBERS CASSIUS, owned by Paolo Salmistraro.

SAN REMO 19th of November At the International show in San Remo, Best in Show winner was American Akita - ESTAVA RAIN REBEL HEART, owned by Elena Gorozhankina. Reserve Best in Show Italian Greyhound - LADY GODIVA DEI RAGGI DI LUNA, owned by Dei Raggi Di Luna kennel, and 3rd placed was Rhodesian Ridgeback - HARMAKHIS WISDOM AURORA FLOYD, owned by Flavio Monza.

VERONA 9th of December At the International show in Verona, Best in Show winner was Old English Sheepdog - BOTTOM SHAKER ZEPHYR DREAM, owned by Koroknai Jozef. Reserve Best in Show Black Standard Poodle - SAMARCANDA ITALIAN LOVER, owned by Sonia Merati, and 3rd placed was Dachshund Kaninchen Wire Haired - THOR DEL WANHELSING, owned by Silvestro Debor

ERBA 19th of December At the International show in Erba, Best in Show winner was Great Dane - QUEENIE EYE-F DEL CASTEL LEVANTE, owned by Patrizia Maria Vidano. Reserve Best in Show Black Standard Poodle - SAMARCANDA ITALIAN LOVER, owned by Sonia Merati, and 3rd placed was Irish Red Setter - GWENDARIFF GETS CARRY’D AWAY, owned by Castoldi Sabrina. Multi Bis & Multi Ch Samarcanda the Italian Lover “Marte” owned and handled by Sonia Merati and bred by Lorenna Merati . He is pictured here at the exact moment when Sonia realized she had reached the score necessary to win the Cajelli tropy with a Reserve BIS at Erba International Show.

Multi Bis & Multi Ch Samarcanda the Italian Lover “Marte” owned and handled by Sonia Merati and bred

by Lorenna Merati . He is pictured here at the exact moment when Sonia realized she had reached the score necessary to win the Cajelli tropy with a Reserve BIS at Erba International Show.

Japan is now a major player on the global dog show world. Japan, now has many well-known breeders and handlers. The Japanese dog people, have faced the regulations and rules of the old JKC which state that we cannot show foreign titled dogs, or FCI international champion dogs bred in a foreign country at the local club shows. In Japan, breeders have made enormous efforts to breed outstanding dogs and show them in Japan locally.

The JAPAN KENNEL CLUB is now under the new and very smart Presidency of Satoshi Bessho, who is a true dog man who used to be a professional handler, and knows about the dog world as both exhibitor and judge. This big change in perspective in Japan is so evident since Mr Bessho’s election since he has such a strong desire to improve dogshows, and the dog world in Japan. He is trying to change the Japanese dog world with great effort, and we, the dog people can feel his passion.

One example was the largest FCI International dogshow in Tokyo on April,2017. He walked around checking the handler and exhibitors set up venue for electricity supply, do the people have the enough space, are the people well-taken care of by the Kennel club? We saw him running all around the huge convention center from the early in the morning to the end of the day. This is the kind of leader we had been longing for!

The show had a really good atmosphere and the judges enjoyed themselves, meeting the dogs and watching the presentations.

Mr. Bessho tried to change the atmosphere and presentation of the BEST IN SHOW ring to make it more entertaining for the Spectators around the ring. The winning King and Queen returned to great applause and took up positions in the spotlights with great music. It makes the “Highlight moment” more precious. Mr.Andrew Brace from the U.K choose the Pembroke Corgi to be a KING and a Whippet for the Queen. In the end,,the King and the Queen competed with each other for the BEST IN SHOW. (The Japanese Kennel club rule, we have a male group winner and a female group winner.

The one who won the KING and the one who won the Queen will compete with each other for the Best in show title).

Mr. Andrew Brace made a beautiful speech of appreciation to the Kennel Club, other judges, and the ring stewards and the exhibitors.

Then his Best in Show went to the Pembroke Corgi shown by Hiroshi Tsuyuki. Mr. Bill Shelton gave him a Best of breed over 70 entries of Pembroke Corgis, then Mr.Sigurd Wilburg gave him Hearding group1st. The moment of the Best in show at the FCI Japan International dogshow was a totally blessed and unforgettable moment for all of us. It gave us the feeling that “JKC is changing”!!!

It was the highest highlight of the Japanese dogshow in 2017. And the number of entries was the largest in recent years. We, the dog people in Japan, keep believing that Mr. Bessho will make the JKC great again. While Mr. Bessho is trying to improve the JKC in many ways, we, the breeders keep working for top quality dogs in the world.

Many of the dogs which were bred in Japan are now competing in the dogshow scene all over the world.

The Yorkshire Terrier bred in Japan was the Toy Group1st at Crufts 2017 under Zena Thone Andrews.

The first year of the Jack Russell Terrier at the Crufts, the best dog was also bred in Japan.

The Toy Poodle bred in Japan wins everywhere in the world including Poodle Club of America.

The Borzoi bred in Japan was the Top hound in USA 2017.

And so on…

Under the greatest leader Mr. Bessho, we the breeders and exhibitors in Japan breed the greatest dogs and aspire to be the top of the world.

LUXEMBOURG SPRING 2017

LUXEMBOURG AUTUMN 2017

With almost the very same number of entries the show of Luxembourg seems to remain high on the list of everyone who wants to start a champion career for their dog. Last year this edition counted 4560 entries, this year it was 4551. Exhibitors from the United Kingdom have also found the way to Luxembourg since many years, I counted 132.

There were even 17 from Ireland. The main ring program started from 14h30 on and on Saturday it lasted till 19h and on Sunday even till 19h30. That is very, very long!

Many spectators leave around six with their family as they want to go home for supper and the children need to go to school the next day. When the ultimate winners are crowned the hall is as good as empty only because the main ring program is overloaded and takes much too long. Best In Show judge was one Mrs. Liliane De RidderOnghena from Belgium. The Chihuahua short haired , “Dartan the Valiant Aladar”, a 4 year old little prince from Spain, climbed the highest podium without a problem and received the delicate flower, the new precious BIS trophy, to hand it to his owner Mrs.Ludmir Sandra before going back to Spain.

The committee of Luxembourg offers live streaming of the main ring. Near the entrance of the dogs is a big screen and around the ring and in the pre-judging ring are cameras installed. A professional team of video editors are monitoring everything and it’s very nicely done. All dogs that are entered have their number plus a barcode. This barcode is scanned before a dog is entered and on the screen we can see the dogs number and breed name.

The results are handled almost in real time also via this barcode. A very nice system and very informative for the spectators. The show itself was again as successful as could have been expected. Compared to last year’s edition there was a considerable increase of entries from 3387 to 3647. Best in Show judge was Mr. Otto Schimph from Austria. What a start for his career! Miniature Spitzes are one of the most popular breeds for the moment and they come in big numbers. “Permanent Call to Humble” was one entered by Anuwat Tadtivong and Svetlana Mironenko from Russia. One of the smallest dogs of the show ended on the biggest podium of the show.

BELGRADE At the International show in Belgrade 5 of March, Best in Show Winner was American Staffordshire Terrier - Top Gun Long Step, owned by Darko Zivanovic. Reserve Best in Show was Srpski trobojni gonic Laki-Drugi, owned by Milan Bulija and 3rd placed was Toy Poodle - Bhanyanan L’Ami De Mon Amie, owned by Carita Lund. Best in Show judge was Dr. Mahmud Al Dagistani.

JAGODINA At the International show in Jagodina 1st of April, Best in Show Winner was Rottweiler - Aron Ri Mobby Dick, owned by Stefan Arsic. Reserve Best in Show was Samoyed - Winter Blizzard Creme Caramel, owned by Lavinia Buda and 3rd placed was Kerry Blue Terrier - Edbrios Viking, owned by Aleksandra Chaberska-Czerwinska.

Best in Show judge was Dr. Mahmud Al Dagistani.

BOGATIC At the International show in Bogatic 25th of May, Best in Show Winner was Maltese - So Magical Bianco Baby Angel of Eden, owned by Gordana Rakocevic. Reserve Best in Show was Golden Retriever - Equator Szczesliwy Slon, owned by Ana Cvorkov and 3rd placed was Bull Terrier - Amy Montenegrobulls, owned by Ekrem Mrkulic.

Best in Show judge was Dr. Mahmud Al Dagistani.

STARA PAZOVA At the International show in Stara Pazova 2nd of May, Best in Show Winner was Maltese - So Magical Bianco Baby Angel of Eden, owned by Gordana Rakocevic. Reserve Best in Show was Labrador Retriever - Farvist Gold Shon Melvin Kevin Elmer, owned by Anna Maksimova and 3rd placed was Magyar Agrar - Illa Berek Aroma, owned by Weronika Mladozeniec. Best in Show judge was Dr. Mahmud Al Dagistani.

SUBOTICA At the International show in Subotica 21st of May, Best in Show Winner was Wire Fox Terrier - Travella Strike The Deal, owned by Minjon Milanovic. Reserve Best in Show was Toy Poodle - Bhanyanan L’amie De Mon Amie, owned by Carita Lund and 3rd placed was Pomeranian Sunryze Poms C’Est La Vie, owned by Dragana Vulic. Best in Show judge was Dr. Mahmud Al Dagistani.

SMEDEREVO At the International show in Smederevo 19th of August, Best in Show Winner was Dobermann - Teodor Giddy Blossom, owned by Aleksandar Ristovic. Reserve Best in Show was American Akita - Dr Wolf from Bosnia with Love, owned by Savas Hasbolat and 3rd placed was Labrador Retriever - Gustav Blackrock Siscia, owned by Ivica Blaskovic & Mirjana Stojimirovic.

Best in Show judge was Dr. Mahmud Al Dagistani.

JAGODINA At the International show in Jagodina 30th of September, Best in Show Winner was Yorkshire Terrier - Elettra Marconi Galibar’s Monchichi, owned by Linda Derezic.

Reserve Best in Show was Sarplaninac - Vargas Bull Helia, owned by Istvan Varga and 3rd placed was American Akita - Asmita Aventador, owned by Zoltan Hajdu. Best in Show judge was Mrs. Evica Misic.

Best In Show at the International Show in Talavera, on 2nd of April, was Chow Chow King of Egypt de los Perros de Bigo, 2nd was English Bulldog Destiny De Oro Graso and third placed was Dachshund Miniature Wire haired Almarxils Quintin.

Best In Show at the International Show in Madrid, on 2728 of April, under judge Mr. Boris Chapiro from France, was Chow Chow King of Egypt de los Perros de Bigo, 2nd the Bracco Italiano Bice and 3rd placed was English Cocker Spaniel Haradwater Night In Heaven.

Best In Show at the International Show in Portugalete, on 9 of July, was Short Haired Chihuahua Dartan The Valiant Aladar, owned by Jose Luis Santiago Pier, 2nd was Samoyed Nortisk Archibald Moore, owned by M. Paula Chavez Collazos and 3rd was Whippet Castelbudría Emperatriz Beatriz, owned by Javier Budría and Luis Castelar.

Best In Show at the International Show in Bilbao, on 3 of September, was Shih Tzu Igartxune Hoy Puede Ser un Gran Día, owned by Igartxune Cabello, 2nd was Lakeland Terrier Chelines in Excelsis, owned by Alberto Velasco and 3rd was English Setter El Dorado de Los Vitorones, owned by Jon Joseba Arizmendi.

Best In Show at the International Show in Leon, on 24 of September, was Standard Black Poodle Dando de Valverde de la Virgen, owned by Montserrat Hernández Miranda, 2nd was Golden Retriever Valar Morghulis de Bosque del Trasgu, owned by Jorge Sánchez Vicente and 3rd was Siberian Husky Zaltana Mr Grey, owned by Jose Domingo Justo Rodríguez.

Best In Show at the National Show in Santiago de Campostela, on 28 of October, was Long Haired Chihuahua La Prohibida Malkanorah, owned by Jose Luis Santiago.

2nd was Alaskan Malamute El Lobo Ártico Sweete Toffe, owned by Conchi Caamaño Creo and 3rd was Australian Shepherd Bayouland’s Bread N Butter At Loretta, owned by J. Francisco Carbonell.

Best In Show at the International Show in Santiago de Campostela, on 29 of October, was Alaskan Malamute El Lobo Ártico Sweete Toffe, owned by Conchi Caamaño Creo, 2nd was American Staffordshire Terrier Karballido Staffs Rainbow Fire, owned by J. Ignacion Andrés Carballido and 3rd was Long Haired Chihuahua La Prohibida Malkanorah, owned by Jose Luis Santiago.

NSW ROYAL CANIN SPRING FAIR 2017 At the NSW Royal Canin Spring Fair Best in Show was Great Dane CH. CHERAN DAYDREAMBELIEVE, owned

by Tracey Coyle.

Best in Show judge was Mrs. Turie Okkola from Finland.

HOBART ROYAL 2017 At the Hobart Royal Best in Show was Pharaoh Hound CH. CALETTO FLY HIGH, owned by R. & D. Besoff & M .

Viirsalu Best in Show judge was Mr. Joy McFarlane from South Africa.

CANBERRA ROYAL 2017 At the Canberra Royal Best in Show was Border Terrier CH. BOHUNT FALLEN ANGLE, owned and bred by Gaela Whyte.

Best in Show judge was Mr. Boris Spoljaric from Croatia.

NORTH OF THE HARBOUR 2017 At the North of the Harbour Friday and Sunday Best in Show winner was Pekingese CH. FRAWAI HEAR ME ROAR, owned by Marie Patten & Frances Wickens.

Best in Show judge was Christopher Lee.

8. – 10. 6. 2018 show grounds Agrokomplex Nitra

3 × CACIB & WORLD SPECIAL SHOW OF SLOVAK NATIONAL BREEDS IN ONE WEEKEND 8. 6. 2018

CACIB • PRESIDENT CUP 2018 & WORLD SPECIAL SHOW OF SLOVAK NATIONAL BREEDS CAJC, CAC, CACIB, PRESIDENT CUP WINNER ´18 Slovak national breeds: CAJC, 2x CAC, CACIB, WORLD SPECIAL MINOR PUPPY WINNER ´18, WORLD SPECIAL PUPPY WINNER ´18, WORLD SPECIAL JUNIOR WINNER ´18, WORLD SPECIAL WINNER ´18, WORLD SPECIAL VETERAN WINNER ´18

9. 6. 2018

CACIB • GRAND PRIX SLOVAKIA WINNER SHOW 2018 CAJC, CAC, CACIB, GRAND PRIX SLOVAKIA MINOR PUPPY WINNER ´18, GRAND PRIX SLOVAKIA PUPPY WINNER 18, GRAND PRIX SLOVAKIA JUNIOR WINNER 18, GRAND PRIX SLOVAKIA WINNER ´18, GRAND PRIX SLOVAKIA VETERAN WINNER ´18

10. 6. 2018

CACIB • DERBY WINNER SHOW 2018 CAJC, CAC, CACIB, DERBY WINNER ´18 & CRUFT´S QUALIFICATION

SK PUPPY CHAMPION, SK JUNIOR CHAMPION, SK GRAND CHAMPION & SK VETERAN CHAMPION in one weekend.

www.nitracacib.sk Generálny partner

QUALIFICATION 10. 6. 2018

SHOWS WITH PRESTIGIOUS TITLES & GREAT ATMOSPHERE

BIS & Hound Group J U D G E D B Y M R S VA L E R I E F O S S

SO LETR ADER M AG IC M IK E P ETIT BAS S ET GR IFFO N V ENDEEN O W N E D BY S A R A R O B E R TS O N

Manchester Championship Show

by Anna Szabo Manchester Championship Show, held at Staffordshire County Showground in Stafford, was yet another smoothly run affair, thanks to Manchester Dog Show Society Secretary Paul Harding and his ever dedicated team. Indeed, Mr Harding was seen running up and down, and back and forth throughout the four days of the event, to ensure everything went according to plan.

The show is one of the UK’s largest gatherings of dogs, and the last general Championship show before Crufts - as well as the year’s last qualifying show for Crufts. This year’s Best in Show judge was the Society’s President, the highly esteemed Mrs Valerie Foss. This was her 15th Best in Show appointment at a general Championship shows in the UK, including Crufts 2010.

She awarded Best in Show to one Great Britain’s most prominent show dogs of the past few years,

BIS UK.Ch. Soletrader Magic Mike, the two and a half years old Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen male, bred by Gavin & Sara Robertson in partnership with Martin & Wendy Doherty (Canada), owned by Sara and Wendy, and handled by Sara. ‘Mike’ has championed several Best in Shows a championship show level, won Best of Breed at Crufts 2017 and was the UK’s Top Hound last year.

Reserve Best in Show was the 2,5 years old Pug male, UK.Ch Rhodenash Kotten Klyde JW, bred and owned by Kath Storey. ‘Klyde’ has several CC’s with BOB wins on his account, won Group-2 at Windsor Championship Show last year and is the sire of the UK’s youngest ever Pug to gain her crown and Top Puppy 2017.

r.BIS & Toy Group M R S VA L E R I E F O S S

R H O D E N A S H KOT T E N K LY D E PUG B R E D & O W N E D B Y K AT H S TO R E Y

Gundog Group J U D G E D B Y M R TO M M AT H E R

TELURN ALREADY IN TROUBLE AT FLATCH AR M F L AT C O AT E D R E T R I E V E R O W N E D BY D . & K . U T N E R

Pastoral Group J U D G E D BY M R S S U E GA R N E R

CH VISKALYS MY WAY OR NO WAY TO CHANDLIMORE P Y R E N E A N M O U N TA I N O W N E D B Y TA N N A G R E C H A , P ER NIL LA SANDSTR ÖM AND I N G E L A M AT T I S S O N - S A N D S T R Ö M ’ S

Working Group J U D G E D BY D R R O N A L D J A M ES

CH NANDOBEARS IM WHAT IM CAMNOIRE NEW FO UNDLAND V O W N E D BY J . C A M E R O N

Utility Group J U D G E D B Y M R E R N I E PAT E R S O N

CH VCHARNEY PRECIOUS GIFT FOR KUMIKO

J A PA N E S E S P I T Z O W N E D B Y R . A S TO N & K . B R A D L E Y & A . B O W E N

Terrier Group J U D G E D B Y M R PA U L W I L K I N S O N

CH HAMPTON COURT’S MONTE CRISTO W IR E F OX TER R IER

O W N E D B Y V I C TO R J R M A L ZO N I

ZIRUS - The Legend Written by Rade Dakic

I think it was May or June of 1986 when I saw Zirus for the first time, at a CACIB dog show that was held in Belgrade. He was very young, maybe only 9 or 10 months old, barely old enough to take a part in the dog exhibition. He had beautiful red color with whiteness on his neck, legs and head, and his hair shone and glistened on a sunny June day.When he got out of his box, he immediately caught the attention of all the people standing around the ring with the Amstaffs . Not without reason. Zirus was imported into Yugoslavia from one of the most famous kennels of that time, from the famous “Simba Camp” kennel from Germany. He had an incredibly noble appearance and distinguished himself from other dogs that were at the show that day. He was a class .

It was a long time ago, when this breed had just begun to appear in dog exhibitions in our country. Those first owners knew almost nothing about American Staffordshire Terriers, the dog breed they owned. They were often identified with Pit Bull Terriers, a breed developed for dog fighting, which is completely false.

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Zirus’ owner was just one of them, a wellknown Podgorica citizen, who gave a great deal of money for Zirus.

Zirus was an attraction in Podgorica (then Titograd), capitol city of Montenegro. Almost no one had a dog of that breed in all of Montenegro and everyone wanted to see him, touch him, make photos ....

Instead of admiring that dog in a true and honest manner, his pure breed and a noble pedigree, instead of seeing him as a beautiful animal, many have beset Zurus’ owner day by day begging him to let Zirus fight another dog, only because they heard somewhere it was a breed of outstanding fighters, of course, confusing Zirus and American Staffordshire Terriers with Pit Bull Terriers.

Days were passing by and Zirus’ owner simply could not dispose of such request. He couldn’t take Zirus for a walk without listening to proposals for dog fighting, and there were also those who set their dogs on Zirus, wanting the fight to take place immediately (if possible) on the main Podgorica promenade.

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Zirus’ owner defended himself as much as he could, refusing crazy suggestions, but then the challengers switched tactics, insulting Zirus’ owner that he was a coward and chicken hearted himself, telling him he was not “a man of dignity, but a sissy”, etc., etc., in the recognizable Montenegrin manner.

Of course, they knew which chord to strike and it was only a matter of time when Zirus’ owner would accept a bet and show that he was not a coward, but “a real Montenegrin, a man of honor.”

It, sadly, happened.

The fight was scheduled. The match. The news spread all over Montenegro. Everyone eagerly awaited that day, as if Muhammad Ali was going to box. Everybody was caught by the fighting fever ahead of the match. Everyone just talked about it, commented, gave prognoses ......

It was Sunday noon, in the Podgorica neighbourhood called Zabjelo. Since early morning cars began to arrive in streams, as if there were a soccer game. There was no parking space available. Neighbours thought it was a wedding, or a birth celebration or, God forbid, a funeral.

Something strange was going on in their neighbourhood. Everything was boiling. A small makeshift ring was made of planks, ropes and wires in a spacious garden, in a private yard. An old, worn-out carpet was spread out.

One could barely move through the masses of people who gathered to see this unseen clash.

Zirus’ rival was a huge Sarplaninac (Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog), with woolly hair, himself a poor fellow, who had been tied to a dilapidated cottage throughout his life, and who, because of his ill-fated and unfortunate life, as well as because of his own nature and character, was so angry and aggressive that no one dared to peek and step into the his owner’s yard. Several people had already been bitten and the dog was known all over the city as a huge, dangerous and aggressive dog. Everyone was confident that he would only by his size send chills up Zirus’ spine and that the fight would be finished very quickly in his favor. Indeed, those who bet on Zurus on that day were rare.

The Sarplaninac had already been in the ring when the owner brought Zirus. Zirus was not aware of what awaited him, nor could he have guessed 302

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what was coming and what was expected of him.

He only saw the crowd around the ring that yelled and screamed and made an unbearable noise. It made him a bit nervous.

The owner barely curbed the Sarplaninac not to attack Zirus immediately.

The referee’s signal was expected. The first attack was fierce and Zirus immediately found himself on the ground, in the jaws of the large hairy beast.

The crowd was already in delirium from the very beginning of the fight. They shouted aloud, cheering for Sarplaninac, and their eyes avidly expected Zirus’ end. In the first few minutes Sarplaninac simply toyed with Zirus throwing his body from one side of the ring to another, venting his anger on Zirus. He was superior, which was not surprising, because he was more than double the weight of Zirus.

But this relation of power did not last for a long time. Zirus’ instinct of survival emerged and dormant genes of a dog fighter awoke.

The fight had already lasted several minutes, the bleeding wounds opened up, while the dogs were grasping one another at the leg, ear, neck. The Sarplaninac breathed heavily and with every passing second he had less stamina to continue the fight. Simply, he did not have the strength.

Slowly but surely Zirus took the initiative and soon he was on the opponent, who found himself on the back. Now it was time for Zirus’ fans to rejoice, they shouted and were so thrilled that the whole Podgorica could hear them. Nobody believed in that turn of events. The Sarplaninac was that dominant and superior in the beginning.

As the seconds passed, Zirus was becoming more and more dangerous, demonstrating to be in excellent shape. His owner prepared him well for the fight. Zirus’ every muscle was taut. Wherever he caught the Sarplaninac, he opened a wound.

After one strong grip, the Sarplaninac whined loudly. His tail was between his legs. It was obvious that he felt great fear. He began avoiding the fight and only looked at how to get away from the ring.

It was clear to everyone that Zirus was an undisputed winner. Owner of the Sarplaninac reluctantly extended his hand and gave up the fighting to save his dog. The audience applauded. It was Zirus’ first victory.

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Thus he became a great hero and most popular and a favorite of all in the city. All were just talking about him. They were delighted with his brave heart and endurance. Unfortunately, this caused new troubles. Zirus became an idol who had to prove himself even more in new fights. Everyone wanted to defeat Zirus The Legend. The fights followed one after another. Who knows how many there were.

His body, especially his head, had countless fight scars. His hair lost its former glow. However, on the other hand, he became as fast as lightning.

He had fantastic reflexes. He possessed extraordinary intelligence and was able to read his opponent and his intentions. He became a real, experienced gladiator, who knew all the fighting tricks.

From every battle he came out as a winner. He had no equal. He still adored his owner and did not miss any opportunity to nestle next to his owner and cuddle. He did not like to fight, but he had no other choice. Fighting has been imposed on him. His owner demanded that.

And then, after a few long and exhausting years, a new fighter appeared in the city. It was a real, purebred Pit Bull Terrier, imported from America, just because of Zirus.

Of course, the fight was inevitable, but this time with a poor outcome for Zirus. After so many victories, he suffered his first defeat.He lost the fight, and therefore the throne. He was no longer the strongest dog in Montenegro. Everyone turned to the new winner, the new hero, and Zirus was forgotten by everyone, even by his own owner. Zirus was not interesting to him anymore. Zirus was a loser. His owner only expected Zirus to win and nothing else. He was disappointed. He was no longer in the center of attention, but someone instead... It was not long before he took Zirus to his parents who lived in the country. He did not even want to look at him, nor touch him, nor take him to walk. He gave up on Zirus.

Around the same time, a young, promising dog of mine who won several strong exhibitions died. I was very sad and depressed and wanted to buy a new dog as soon as possible. And then I heard from some acquaintances about Zirus’ fate.

I grew fond of him from the very first moment I saw him , and when I heard that the owner might wish to 304

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sell him, I knew he will be mine.

I could hardly wait for the morning, I think I hadn’t slept. Of course, I immediately called Podgorica and went to pick Zirus the same night. I remember as if it were yesterday, it was a very hot summer and journey to Podgorica was dragging as never before. It seemed I was never getting there. I was incredibly excited.

When I went with Zirus’ owner to his parents, Zirus met us at the gate. Again I had the same feeling as when I first saw him. He was of incredibly noble appearance and several months in the countryside, with good food and a lot of lying and sleeping, completely recovered him from exhausting struggles. The only memories of the gladiatorial fights were the scars caused by teeth of his opponents. He greeted us cheerfully, wagging his tail.

He probably craved for company. He did not even imagine that I would be his new owner.

I returned to Belgrade by train.

Again a sleepless night.

But it was not hard for me.

Zirus’ head was sleeping in my arms. I was caressing him all night, scratching him behind his ear, talking to him. I still did not believe that I managed to get such an impressive , and above all, a worthy dog.

His former owner did not know how much Zirus was worth. He saw only a fighting machine in him, not his appearance, pedigree, nature.

And I was interested in completely other things.

Although he came to me in his more mature years, I wanted Zirus compete in dog shows in the beauty.

I knew he had qualities and therefore great chances. He was a descendant of the top show dogs in the world and I knew that Zirus had much to offer to all those who were interested in dog breeding, appearance and beauty.

I immediately “polished” him, bathed, cleaned of fleas, gave him all possible vitamins, bought products for hair shine, cleaned his wounds, put on St. John’s wort oil and showered him with love all the time. We used to go for a walk regularly and soon we became friends. He responded to my love hundredfold. He was extremely possessive, probably in fear that he might lose me.

He was great towards people, children, puppies and female dogs, but he was still aggres-

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sive towards other males, recalling the time when he had fought in the ring. I had to be very careful when other males were nearby, because Zirus always thought he should fight.

He triumphantly won almost all the exhibitions I took him to, and soon became a legend again, but in another field. Everyone admired his beauty and noble appearance. No other dog was alike. He was something special. He won all the strongest exhibitions in Yugoslavia, in the strongest competitions. Everyone knew him and respected him.

It was not long before dog owners started to come from all over Yugoslavia and brought their female dogs to breed with Zirus. They even came from Slovenia capitol – Ljubljana, which is far away from my home.

He was a subject of talks in all of Russia even. So much has been heard about Zirus. Many wanted to touch him, to take photos of him and cuddle him.

He was on television, in dog magazines. He had a lot of mating, and produced a lot of beautiful puppies that even further spread good image about him. His name has become synonymous with quality.

For the class. Zirus had contributed greatly to many dog breeders to improve the quality of the Amstaffs in Yugoslavia. But. he gave the most to me through companionship and his great love.

He was a great friend. And incredibly intelligent.

One could talk with him.

His illness caught me unprepared. He had never shown any sign of something hurting him. Yes, he was already well advanced in years, but he looked vibrant. Then he began to wither. He was weak, he didn’t have that strength anymore. I felt I was losing him. He turned grey, his steps were small. He withdrew into himself, mostly spending time in his kennel. He did not want to go out much. As if he was ashamed of himself. He used to be a great fighter and gladiator, and now? Somehow he made it through the winter with the help of a veterinarian and then the long-awaited spring came. Everything was in blossom, with signs of new life and awakening. He did not feel better. He was nearing his end.

One Sunday morning, we went to the Danube.

The barges were sailing, lovers were holding hands, the seagulls were croaking loudly. He was there, moving around, even running slowly…. There, in the 306

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middle of the Danube river, the fishermen were pulling a big fish out. Many people gathered to watch that spectacle. It was interesting. I was intrigued to see it, too. I turned left, then right, but he wasn’t with me.I got scared.

I called him “Zirus, Zirus, ...” - he did not respond.

I did not know what to do. I went to look for him upstream. He was not there. I called him again. I panicked. There was only silence. And then, behind a bush, not far from me, I saw him curled. He looked as if he were sleeping. He died quietly and silently, disturbing no one. Here, on the bank of the Danube, I buried him. I did not mark his grave, but I know where it lies.

Only me.

Even today, and that will stay so forever, whenever I pass by that place I remember that wonderful dog who had so much to offer and whom I helped to live a safe old age after all the ugly things that happened in his life. He became a legend in his lifetime because he never gave up and he always went to the end and gave his maximum.

Both, when it’s necesery to die and when is necesery to love.

It occurred to me a thousand times that I wanted to be like my Zirus, never to surrender through the life, to know how to fight and to know how to love, but as soon as I face a serious problem, I would realize that is reserved only for the great, for the brave .

For the Legends.

Man or dogs , no matters.

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The Literary Dog “DOMESTICATED�

Richard Francis Interviewed by Anne Tureen

The dog world is comprised of humans who love, live with and in some cases get our living from, dogs. Have you ever stopped to wonder how dogs came to be part of the human daily life? When did we meet? Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Anthropology and Archeology are the tools used by Richard Francis to answer this question on a large scale. Only chapter three specifically addresses the question of dogs. Here he considers their evolution, and how man and wolf/dog came to meet and develop together. Other chapters concern cats, rats, horses, reindeer, and many others; in fact, the final chapter discusses the idea that humans have domesticated themselves.

Domestication is closely connected to the lowering of the stress factor. Wild wolves do not live with humans and when we meet, tensions rise and the result is either flee or attack.

This is the result of stress, a form of intense anxiety preventing various species living together.

Some species have somehow evolved with a lower stress response to humans enabling us to

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live with them, sometimes to the benefit of the animal, but most of the time, to their detriment.

Cows and pigs probably would rather have remained wild in the forests and fields than their current breeding farms and slaughterhouses.

As Francis points out in his chapter on dogs, though some are pampered pets (and showdogs) in other cases, still today, their destiny is not different from that of other livestock. In some countries, primarily in Asia, dogs are a source of meat, and this was true of many European and American countries until recently in our history. The western world has learned to value dogs for their abilities and collaboration in important survival activities such as hunting, and shepherding, and for modern social needs such as drug detection, pet therapy, and unconditional loving companionship. These active roles have distinguished dogs from livestock and in many cases; they are beloved components of our family. The memories of dogs we have loved can warm our hearts for a lifetime.

When someone loses a dog, they can experience a true deep grieving period.

Richard Francis explores the evolution of dogs and all the other animals in our lives with humor but also with plenty of scientific information. He bases his assertions solidly on research. The humor is a bit lost in the audio book version read

by Eric Martin (Audible) which seems to be styled on the character of Smith (the computer) played by Hugo Weaving in the 1999 film Matrix. Otherwise, it is a great book to put in your smartphone and listen to while grooming.

This is a thought provoking work, on many points. The dog world, which is looking toward the 2019 appointment of China for the WDS can use this as an opportunity to broaden our knowledge of some of the Eastern countries where dogs are still part of the livestock category, as well as of the practices of our own livestock industry. Is there an absolute right and wrong concerning animals as a food source? Is there a cultural difference? Is it acceptable to

eat pigs but not dogs, is it all right to eat dogs, or maybe we should elevate pigs, cows and chickens to the level of dogs? (In India, cows are sacred) If, as Ghandi famously stated, ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’ Did he mean pets, or all animals, and how does that reflect on our own meat industry?

The Literary Dog has invited no less than three eminent figures to discuss these and other related questions.

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Palgrave Macmillan). Other publications have concerned the grief of owners when a pet dies, behavior problems in dogs, and several studies of attacks by dogs on humans, especially in Australia.

ANTHONY PODBERSCEK

Dr Podberscek studied veterinary science (PhD in animal behavior and human-animal relations) at the University of Queensland in Australia and worked for many years as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge, UK. He is currently an affiliate of the Sydney School of Veterinary Science and is based at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Australia. He is editor-in-chief of Anthrozoös, a journal focused on human¬–animal relations research and is a Fellow and board member of the International Society for Anthrozoology. He has published extensively and broadly within his area of expertise, including studies of the practice of consuming dog and cat meat in Asia (Podberscek, A. L. 2007. Dogs and cats as food in Asia. In Encyclopedia of Human–Animal Relationships, Vol. 1, 24-34, ed. M. Bekoff. Portsmouth, NH: Greenwood Press.), and specifically in Korea (Podberscek, A. L. 2009. Good to pet and eat: The keeping and consuming of dogs and cats in South Korea. Journal of Social Issues 65(3): 615–632) and Vietnam (Podberscek, A. L. (2016). An appetite for dogs: Consuming and loving them in Vietnam. In Companion Animals in Everyday Life, ed. M. Pregowski. London: 316

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BIS: Dr Podberscek, what are the fundamental differences between most of the western cultures where people would be horrified at the thought of eating a dog or cat, and some of the Asian cultures where this is an accepted practice?

AP: Well I suppose we ought to look at that historically to begin with. While people did eat dogs in parts of Europe until a 100 or more years ago, that no longer occurs, with the possible exception of the war years in specific critical areas, while in Asia the continuity of the practice has never been interrupted. They consume pork, beef, fish and chicken as well, much more than dog meat, but it is part of the diet still today. They think nothing of this just as we think nothing of going into a butchers and asking for something we eat only occasionally or even rarely, for example turkey or rabbit. There have been reports that dog meat is still sometimes eaten today in the remote mountain regions of central Europe, but I have never looked into that first hand.

BIS: Can we conclude that a culture that consumes dog meat does not love dogs? In fact what do we mean when we say that we ‘love’ our pet?

AP: Keep in mind that in many areas of Asia the keeping of pet dogs is quite new. Pets are a luxury item, and in fact, where you find affluence in Asia, purebred dogs appear. I would say this is a growing trend as China has been moving forward in recent years.

Loving a pet means different things to different people. Some people humanize their pet

animals and establish a relationship with them almost on a par with their human relationships, even going to the extent of dressing their animals in clothes - though the prevalence of this is not high. Of course, dogs can’t have a conversation with us, but that doesn’t seem to make a difference. Humans move on, children leave their parent’s house at a certain age, and society is mobile, but dogs/cats stay with us all the time, generally until their death. The grieving process for a deceased animal is comparable to that of the loss of a human friend or family member.

BIS: Why do we choose dogs and cats as pets rather than pigs which are highly intelligent and some of which are small and cute like the character Babe in the 1995 film, or chickens, which are small, fluffy, and trainable?

AP: Dogs were the first domesticated species, so we have a long history with them. They have been our partners, hunting, herding, and thus gained value in our society. Dogs also have great communication skills. Their facial expressions mimic our own and they show by their behavior that they understand and want to be understood, so that creates a huge connection between people and dogs.

of attitude from another country. It is always best to go easy when evaluating another country’s way of life. In this case, China is over a quarter of the world’s population, and the margin of economic superiority of the west is quickly narrowing. Soon it may be China setting the trends.

BIS: I don’t know if you have read the New York Times best seller Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. In this work, Foer (Princeton University graduate and recently teaching at Yale and NYU) looks at the industry of meat processing and contemplates our extreme love of pets compared to our indifference to other animals. He is quoted in Wikipedia as saying, “stories about food are stories about us―our history and our values.” The film Okja foto (2017, Golden Palm award) addresses much the same theme. Do these messages bring western reality closer to that of the East in contrast to our perception of ourselves?

AP: Slaughter is never a pretty sight. Our own slaughterhouses are removed from our urban areas, out of our view, and all consumers see is attractively packaged meat in the supermarket. This contrasts to a traditional market place in Asia where live animals are present, some slaughtered on site, and carcasses are left hanging for sale. A westerner is not prepared to accept that easily, but we have to admit it comes down to the same thing in the end.

BIS: Can the practice of consuming dog meat be in any way interpreted as an indication of ‘primitiveness’ or ‘savagery’?

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PROF PETER LI

Prof li Peter J. Li was born in China and studied foreign service there. He later earned his degree at Syracuse University with a Masters in International Relations. His PHD is in Comparative Politics, and he is currently an associate professor at the University of Houston-Downtown where he teaches courses on the US government, international relations, Foreign and domestic policy in China and animal rights politics. He has published on animal welfare and animal protection issues. He has also served as Humane Society International’s China Policy Advisor for the last 10 years. Dr. Li is dedicated to improving animal welfare in East Asia and the world at large.

BIS: From the information you shared in the interview published on the World Animal Protection site, (https://www.globalanimalnetwork.org/ interview-dr-peter-li ) China is quickly becoming a modern state, and unlike the stereotypical model of communism that comes to mind.

P.L.: China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and its history and development goes beyond stereotypes in every way. In 1949 the communist party took over with Mao Zedong as the founding father. He ruled China with an 318

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iron fist allowing no freedom and certain lifestyle choices such as pet keeping and flower gardening, were hobbies considered anti-socialist and bourgeois. Mao’s China (1949-1976) was one of widespread poverty where human suffering was staggering. Chinese society at that time had no political, ideological and economic conditions for compassion towards nonhuman animals. People were suffering from perennial hunger due to Mao’s mismanagement of the Chinese economy.

This is in contrast to the Chinese tradition of compassion for the natural world and nonhuman animals. Imperial China was gentle and compassionate in its approach to the natural world. The imperial family was vegetarian, and this established a meat free diet as the model for others. In fact, compassion was considered a great virtue in ancient China. Compassionate acts such as a meatless diet were considered respectable virtues, often inscribed on the tombstones of the persons concerned. People would sometimes buy animals that had been bred for food or caught from the wild then go release them in a particular pond or back to the wild. This was considered an act of ‘mercy’.

Pet ownership was common in ancient China as well, and in some ways more advanced than today. During the Tang dynasty, if a dog bit someone, the dog was spared and the owner punished. Dog meat consumption was no longer an accepted eating habit in Tang dynasty.

Dog meat was considered “dirty meat” because it came from stolen dogs. Compassion was promoted as a state policy. “Slaughter suspension” was pursued by the imperial courts of many dynasties following the Tang. Slaughter was suspended when the imperial family was celebrating a birth or a wedding or when the nation was experiencing a natural disaster. The idea was that no livestock animals should be sacrificed when the nation was happy or was

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mourning the loss of their families.

Getting back to modern history, China ended Mao’s policies in 1978. The following four-decade economic reform has changed the Chinese nation beyond recognition. From being one of the poorest nations on earth in 1978, China is today the world’s 2nd largest economy. From $130 per person GDP in 1978, it stands at $8806 in 2018. The Chinese people have greater disposable income, allowing them luxuries they were denied in the past. They travel in great number around the world and they are starting to have companion animals in their homes. An increasingly affluent society has also introduced its own problems; consuming meat is one of these. China overtook the United States in meat production in 1990. A people that was formerly modest in meat (and fish) consumption is now extremely carnivorous. The older generations especially seem to be desirous of making up for lost meat in their early years. Interestingly there are trends among younger generations towards vegetarianism, our virtuous heritage.

These people are also passionate defenders of animal welfare in general in the rapidly changing world around them. They are the least tolerant to animal cruelty.

BIS: It is never easy for any entity, individual or collective, domestic or foreign, to approach a state government. What efforts are being made to support animal welfare legislation in China and what is the response?

P.L.: Facilitating policy change in favor of animal protection is not an easy task in China. When they started the economic reform program in 1978, the government encouraged the peasants to engage in different kinds of economic activities to lift themselves out of poverty. The dog meat trade, a source of conflict in today’s China, was started by some of the newly liberated peasants. To animal loving people in 320

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China, the dog meat trade is ugly and cruel. To the peasants employed in the trade, it is their livelihood. The Chinese government has been pulled in two opposite directions on this contentious issue. The people engaging in this trade today are the same or the first descendants of those who began it, and most likely will be the last. I have met these people and they know that their children do not intend to continue the trade. At about 50 years of age, they have no other recourse, and the government has nothing to offer them. In this light, we can estimate that the trade in dog meat will die out in another 20 or so years of its own accord.

None of us wants to wait for 20 years for the cruelty to play out, and animal welfare organizations have encouraged the government to pass specific legislation and to enforce existing laws and regulations that, if enforced, would severely cripple the dog meat industry. Public pressure has successfully convinced the government to abolish the ivory trade as of 1 January 2018, so change is possible. Chinese legal scholars and experts continue lobbying the Chinese government to start animal protection legislation. In 2009 and 2010 they presented two legislative proposals on outlawing animal cruelty and for animal protection. The Chinese government has yet to place animal protection legislation on the law-making agenda. But, the Chinese scholars and experts and animal people as a whole will continue to call for a legislative breakthrough in law making for animal protection.

BIS: Some of the major concerns surrounding dog meat consumption and the Yulin festival are sanitary and humanitarian, is that correct?

P.L.: The most important point concerning the Yulin festival is that it is a recent event. It is essentially a marketing strategy invented by the traders to increase their business. Dog meat is

not part of the mainstream Chinese food culture. Only a fraction of the Chinese population consumes dog meat on an irregular basis. China produced 84 million tons of livestock meat in 2013. However, only 97,000 tons of dog meat was consumed in the same year in China. Promoting dog meat sale through the making of a “dog meat festival” was the work of the dog meat traders in Yulin. Because of bad publicity, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival has become a huge public relations disaster for the Chinese authorities. I am convinced that the government of China would be happy to see it disappear.

The dog meat trade in China has several horrifying elements besides animal cruelty. Firstly, the dogs are of undocumented provenance, this meat source is not government regulated and quite simply, the animals are stolen pets or owned village dogs. The dogs are captured with small poisoned arrows or strangled with metal rings then stuffed into small wire cages.

They rapidly descend into a diseased condition; sometimes they have been dead several days when they are unpacked and sold as food. The live ones are slaughtered in the open market often in front of other dogs and in front of young children. Moreover, there are thousands of cases of rabies registered in China. Transportation and slaughter of a large number of the dogs from unknown sources and with unknown illnesses exposes the traders to a high risk of rabies infection.

LD The FCI has chosen China as their location for the 2019 WDS as a gesture of support to the CKU and the government of China to improve the condition of dogs there. Do you believe the FCI or any other organization can make a meaningful impact towards humanitarian legislation for dogs in the People’s Republic of China?

PL My hope is that such an event would win

over the hearts of the public and also help pure-bred dog lovers understand that all dogs and other nonhuman animals need their love and attention. If a person who was formerly indifferent to dogs sees a beautiful Setter in motion at the WDS, could that be the beginning for him of compassion for dogs of all sorts and the love of nature? This love is one of the finest qualities of humanity, and China has valued it for centuries.

I hope people will not come with the tolerant idea of ‘respecting’ the ‘Chinese tradition of Yulin’ – that is NOT a Chinese tradition, it is an atrocity. The dog meat traders in China, in Yulin in particular, have held Chinese culture hostage. I am not sure if the FCI or 2019 WDS would help promote animal protection legislation in China. I do hope that the 2019 WDS sends several messages to dog lovers around the world that all dogs, big or small, “good looking” or “poor looking,” all deserve our love! Also, that criticizing the Yulin Dog Meat Festival is not anti-China because the Chinese themselves are the strongest critics of this ugly event. Criticizing China’s dog meat consumption is not an act of cultural imperialism since dog meat consumption was first opposed by the Chinese people in ancient times. China will be a greater country when cruelty to dogs and to all other nonhuman animals is stopped by law.

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KARI JÄRVINEN

Mr. Kari Järvinen was extensively introduced in the last edition (issue 17) of The Literary Dog where he was interviewed for ‘Dogs In Motion’. When he learned that this edition concerned ‘Domestication’ and the closely related subject of the proposed 2019 World Dog Show in China, he expressed a desire to comment on this upcoming show. Such a respected and active member of the dog world in Europe (KC Finland, FCI organization, WDS committee) uniquely qualifies Mr. Jarvinen to reflect on the central issues regarding this decision and the concerns of all of us.

BIS: Can you give us a brief history of the WDS? When did it begin and which have been some of the locations of the WDS in the past?

K.J.: The WDS was launched by the FCI in 1971, so in three years it will celebrate its 50th birthday! Generally, the event is held in a European country because that is the heart of the FCI and its members, but you must remember that it different from the EDS. The first WDS was held in Budapest, and the second in Brazil, other destinations have been Morocco (1975), Tokyo (1982), Mexico (1984), Israel (1987), Peru (1988), and so many others, truly around the world.

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BIS: Why do we attend the WDS, and what does it represent for the exhibitors?

K.J.: The WDS is more than a title, it is an opportunity to expand our knowledge of dogs and dog breeds across the world. Foto Every WDS is unique; there is always a special introduction of the national breeds some of which can rarely be seen in our home countries, so for a dog lover, that is exciting. Exhibitors have the opportunity to meet colleagues in their breed whom they may have only contacted on social networking. You get to experiment the food and language and culture while visiting, and then there are all the stands with supplies and materials you may never have seen before. Often there is some sort of reception or dinner for various breeds organized by the hosting country breed clubs and this is how we forge a worldwide dog community. It goes way beyond the prize, or even networking with new friends and colleagues, it is a huge gathering of likeminded people. When you at the WDS you are at the center of your world, the dog world.

BIS: How and when did the nomination of China as a WDS candidate location begin?

K.J.: Every year a future WDS is organized. A few countries make a proposal to the general assembly and the nominations are put in order 1,2,3. The countries each cast their votes. For 2019, China came forward and made an excellent proposal. They were perfectly frank about the situation of dogs in their country, not just the Yulin festival, but for dogs and purebred dogs as a whole. This issue, as you can well imagine, is terribly important to the China Kennel Union (CKU). They are committed to improved legislation and social awareness in their country. They asked for our support, each country consulted their own conscience and China won the bid!

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Best in Show at the World Dog Show in Marocco 1975 BIS Ch. SUGAR RIVER FOXFIRE Owned by Gloria Urbani Lago Degli Orsi kennel Bred by Jerry Winder, Sugar River kennel USA

Ch. “TIGRE”, Best in Show WDS 1983 Handler Carlos Salas • Photo by Navascúes

Catalogue cover for Budapest show 1971

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BIS.: What are the advantages of attending this WDS in China, are there any special reasons we should make the effort and undertake the expense?

K.J.: I can only answer this on a personal level. I attended the general assembly when the CKU made its proposal, and I appreciated their position. I weighed that against a WDS that would almost certainly have fewer entries due to the logistics, more importantly a proposal that could potentially fracture what is currently a very strong international group supporting the culture of purebred dogs and quality of life for dogs in general, their health, beauty and welfare. This ‘group’ of course refers to all of the FCI and affiliated partner organizations.

The more I thought about this, the more faith I had in our community, from the various kennel clubs all the way down to our passionate breeders, handlers and judges. Every one of them that spends about €2000.00 to attend the 2019 WDS is casting a vote in favor of dog welfare. I think most of this fantastic community would want to do even more than that. Every day there are stories from the dog world about individuals rescuing dogs from unthinkable situations. The last WDS in Russia had over 19,000 entries, think what a statement such an entry in 2019 would be to the government of China- the whole world would be on its doorstep in favor of dog welfare!

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The Pomeranian OUTLINE Text and drawings by Christine Heartz This is part of a series of articles on Judging the Pomeranian called “A Closer Look” published by the American Pomeranian Club

Christine Heartz, has been breeding Pomeranians since the mid 70’s and with her husband John continue the Chriscendo Prefix today with a small kennel of Top winning and producing dogs. Having won over 200 BIS on many different Pomeranians as well as sharing dogs with other breeders who have gone on to top honors in countries such as, Australia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Sweden The US and Canada.

When judging the Pomeranian, whether at home or in a ring, you need to have a criteria of important breed characteristics to keep in mind. Obviously this article can not go into depth on every breed detail, but will deal here with your first, initial impression, as he stands before you. When looking at the Pomeranian he must first resemble the breed, then on the table you examine the details.

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If I can stress nothing else about the Pomeranian please try to remember: “The Pomeranian is a square dog, his outline fits into a circle and he should hold that shape as he moves around the ring.”

Styles of trimming and presentation change, but you should always be aware of this phrase as you scan a class of Poms, first as they stand before you, then as you watch the dogs move around the ring. A dog that holds that circular, compact shape as he moves, is the essence of the breed.

Any decent handler can put a dog’s legs in the proper position and make him look as if he is built properly when standing still. But when moving, the true test of the dog’s construction shows.

There are several things that make the Pom hold his shape when moving.

The first is correct structure. The standard calls

for a squarely built, moderate dog. He is not a German shepherd and is not required to go all day at a trot, therefore 45 degree angles are not required. A Pomeranian is first of all a Spitz and as such, derived from breeds whose job it was to pull loads for their masters. A Keehond, Siberian, Samoyed all require balanced, moderate angulation because they are pulling breeds. Balance is key.

The second thing that helps to gives a correct outline, is the tail set. The tail is required to be “set high and carried flat on the back”.

Unlike his larger cousins, the Pom’s tail is not a curve, or curl over the back, it is sitting high on the back and lying straight and flat. You can check the set of the tail by placing your hand flat against the pin bones. The bone of the tail

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should not press into your hand.

Some dogs, uncomfortable on the table, may drop their tail enough that you are unable to evaluate it properly. Then when the dog is back on the floor, note where the tail is sitting, it should be forward of the rear legs as if you were to draw a line straight down from the set on of the tail through the body and through the stifle.

Body balance would be the third, (moderate angulation) allows the dog to move smoothly and freely around the ring. Soundness is important, but a longer dog will often be sound just by its nature and a more angulated rear and a steeper shoulder assembly absorbs the unbalance as it moves around. So you need the balance of a moderate front and rear to achieve that smooth, effortless movement.

And lastly, is Neck Set. The Pomeranian Standard is almost every country in the world asks for “a short, well set on neck”. While this may be an anomaly in a dog show world that rewards dogs with necks like giraffes, the Pom outline needs that short neck, set well into the withers to give it that very cobby appearance which makes the head/neck set into the big ruff around the head giving that very, fit together appearance. While you may not notice it standing, on the move A Pomeranian that dunks its head, or sticks it out (goose necked), breaks that round appearance and is therefore incorrect.

The next time you have before you a group of Poms, watch for the squarely built dog that fits into a circle, who carries his tail straight, flat and set high on his back, with a short neck, set into a big ruff. A dog who moves with moderate angulation, with his head carried held high. Then you have in your mind, and hopefully before you, a beautiful Pom.

Chriscendo Pomeranians

by Chris and John Heartz, Canada Interviewed by Milla Kanninen

BIS: Firstly, can you please give us some background on yourself? How old were you and how did it all come about?

C.H.: I bought my first Pom in 1970, with my first pay check, bred my first litter in 1977 and in 1978 I married my husband, John, who was a very successful All Breed Handler.

BIS: Why did you choose Pomeranians as your own breed? What made you fall in love with them?

C.H.: Friends bought the cutest puppy I had ever seen, I bought the litter mate. That puppy choked on a piece of ham 2 weeks later, the breeder let me purchase another dog who I trained in Obedience and lost at 2 years old when he was attacked by a much larger dog and killed. So after a rocky start and learning by my mistakes I was still determined to breed Pomeranians. Pomeranians are addictive. I love their zest for life, their intelligence and their demeanor. But I also love the challenge of try-

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ing to breed my “ideal” dog, the picture of the perfect Pom lives in my mind and I have spent the better part of my life trying to make a real, living breathing animal.

BIS: When was your kennel founded? When did you breed your first litter? And how many litters have you bred so far?

C.H.: The Chriscendo name was approved as my kennel name in 1977. I originally started in Obedience but soon became bitten by the show bug. Over my first 7 years involved in Poms, I bought a series of “show dogs” from various breeders, finished them in Canada but always felt they always fell short of my ideal.

Because I lived at home I had to place each in a pet home once she was finished and would search for another. It was not until I was able to purchase a puppy from a Millamor female, sired by a Bonner male that I finally had the bloodline I wanted. This female when she grew up, gave us our first puppy, who became our

first BIS winner. She never produced a puppy herself but won well in the ring, with numerous BIS wins, BOS at two US Specialties. I then realized that even the best bitches also need to have puppies if you want to have a breeding program. So our start was a slow one. We worked closely with the Millers (Millamor) and slowly added a couple of females and for the first 10 years or so just bred an occasional litter.

We also bought Ch. Millamor’s Rock Medallion who was a multiple BIS winner, finished in Canada, the US and Bermuda, was our foundation sire and our “bed dog”. So I spent those first 10 years showing Medallion and working for John.

Today we generally have 8-12 litters a year.

In Poms that could easily translate to 8-12 puppies. But we raise them in our home, and truly enjoy the few litters we have.

BIS: Do you prefer keeping your stud dogs for your own breeding program or do you also give them for outside service?

C.H.: We generally keep 4 stud dogs and in a kennel of 5 -8 females, that is more than adequate, but we believe in sharing our stud dogs and have done so for many years. We live in an area that is hard to ship to, so we lease our Stud dogs to people we know well and trust to help in making the dogs more accessible to breeders closer to them. We feel that this is a big part of our contribution to the breed because buying a dog from us is so difficult, with so few dogs, we breed mainly for ourselves.

BIS: What are your thoughts about breeding?

Do you prefer inbreeding, linebreeding or outcrossing?

C.H.: At Chriscendo, we tend to breed within a family of dogs descended from our original foundation lines, with an occasional infusion of “new” blood. Over the years we have been very fortunate to have bred several outstand342

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ing dogs that have impacted the breed. These dogs have played a significant part in the breeding programs of other breeders, worldwide. We believe strongly in working together to incorporate dogs whom we have shared in the past, only to be brought back into our breeding program, several years (or generations) later. This allows us to have a larger number of dogs to draw upon, while maintaining a relatively small group of dogs ourselves. We borrow stud dogs from other breeders but also share dogs with fellow breeders around

of what the breed should look like.

I can certainly appreciate and understand that not everyone wants to produce my ideal of the breed, each person has to carry a picture of their ideal dog in their mind.

What we are looking for, even between ourselves, may differ slightly and that allows again for personal preference, but we want a Pom that combines type, balance, soundness and good health. A dog who stands in the ring, on four sound legs, with a short back, a neck well set into a full ruff of standoff harsh coat, a pretty face consisting of a wedge shaped muzzle with small oblique set eyes and tiny ears, on top of his head. Then who moves effortlessly around the ring holding that same “picture” he presented standing still.

BIS: What three qualities do you think are the most important when you look at a Pomeranian?

C.H.: A Pom is first of all a Spitz. He is a breed of No’s, No Back, No Ears and No Toes. He is a smaller version of his larger cousins, with the same short back, full tail over his back, and harsh coat.

BIS: Which faults would you not tolerate in your breed?

C.H.: Unsoundness and lack of type. Long back, short legs and any other dwarf characteristics such as round eyes and heavy bone.

BIS: Is the Black Skin Disease common in Pomeranian breeders?

C.H.: I believe the issue has been addressed but not eliminated. I think that people are more conscious of what type of coats are problematic, ie; puppies with soft, fluffy, grey coats, which may be considered worrisome but until over a year, there is no way to be sure. We still need genetic testing and we can not breed those Best in Show Magazine

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the world. Within the last few years we have dogs in Russia, Hong Kong and the US, Brazil, Indonesia and England and they are available to breeders in those countries. We have also been fortunate over the years to have several breed icons visiting us and made them available while they are here. We firmly believe that that working together is to everyone’s advantage.

Regarding inbreeding, line breeding, we have tried inbreeding in the past but because we are still dealing with BSD, we tend to sty away from close breedings because we feel that the problem could be a simple recessive. We tend to breed mainly Grandfather to granddaughter breedings and use older dogs who have matured showing no outward signs of BSD and have not exhibited a tendency to produce it.

We do occasionally outcross when there is a dog we admire for his similarity in type to what we breed and a pedigree we think may introduce new blood.

BIS: Is your kennel a one man show, or do you believe in team work and if so how many people do you have in your team?

C.H.: My husband and I totally work together, from planning breedings to evaluating what we keep. John is an expert at raising puppies, I generally show the dogs, while John is at home with the kennel, but he is totally involved in every aspect.

BIS: How do you interpret the standard? Do you accept that other breeders have different point of views as to what the Pomeranians should look like, or is there just one correct type?

C.H.: I think everyone interprets the standard for themselves. But I feel that you should always breed the dogs for yourself. You can not raise and enjoy someone else’s interpretation 344

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animals that are affected. By learning to work with the clear and not eliminating the carriers we can, and I believe we will, will overcome the problem, but it will take an intelligent approach.

DNA testing, discovery of Genetic Markers and careful to not eliminate the genetic diversity that does still exist in the breed today.

BIS: Do Pomeranians have a problem with size?

C.H.: I believe a slightly larger Pom, and I don’t mean huge, but a 4 1/2 -6 lb dog is health and soundness wise, better for the breed. Often, (not always) the very tiny dogs lack soundness and have more dwarf tendencies which are hard to breed out.

BIS: What is the main difference between AKC and FCI Pomeranian Standard?

C.H.: In our Country, Canada, the standard remains very close to the English and FCI standards. In the US the Standard has been changed considerably. In North America there are very, very few breeder judges, so we feel that soundness is very important as we mainly are showing to All rounders week in and out.

To be competitive in the Group and BIS the dogs must also be sound to be considered, so we also place a lot of importance on coming and going and side gait. I do see that in North America, teeth means a scissors bite. In Europe, they generally require 6x6 and sometimes full dentition. This was a shock to me when I had a European judge go over my dogs and say that of the 12 or 15 dogs we had, only one had teeth beyond the premolars. As I said, we are breeding for a scissors bite, not until we started exchanging dogs outside of North America did it even occur to us (or probably anyone) that the dogs were bred elsewhere with mouths like Dobermans.

This is something that we could put in our package to improve, as generally Toys have terrible teeth.

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BIS: How do you think the breed has changed over the year? Are the changes positive or negative? How has your own breeding changed?

C.H.: The breed has definitely changed over the more than 40 years we have been involved.

Years ago it was all about coat but that hid bad fronts, shoulder assemblies, bad rears, long backs and foxier faces. I feel that the soundness has improved dramatically in our breed over that time and that is a positive thing. There have certainly been and to some extent still exist, issues in our breed but as we work toward finding DNA markers and better understanding of inherited characteristics we will be able to produce sound and healthy dogs for generations to come. Breeders are working to understand structure, function and have established a more consistent type than in previous years.

For Poms to compete in the BIS ring they must have it all, soundness, coat and showmanship.

Our own breeding program has changed as well, as we pursue our ideal picture and work toward greater consistency generation after generation. There is always more to do.

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BIS: How important do you think dog shows are for Pomeranian breeders? Do you attend more or less shows as the years gone by?

C.H.: I love dog shows, and the camaraderie that is our Dog Show Family. Some of my best friends are not Pom People but the lessons learned from understanding other breeds and their problems and the approach to problem solving can help as those problems become our own. It is this knowledge of other breeds that comes from friendships outside our own breeds that will help us going forward. I think we attend about the same number of shows depending on whether we are finishing or campaigning dogs, our focus may be different from one year to the next. We do about 50-75 shows a year in our own country, about 10-12 in the US and attend without dogs at least a week or two of foreign ( outside North America) shows a year.

BIS: What is the importance of health testing in your breed? Do you do health tests on all the dogs you use for breeding?

C.H.: We rely on our interaction with veterinary team to monitor each and every puppy at their 8, 12 and 16 week evaluations. We have had the same vets through most of our breeding career and the input and objectivity makes out vets another partner in our progress.

BIS: What has been your greatest achievement as a breeder so far?

C.H.: That is a hard question to answer. As my lifelong goal is to Win BOB at the American National. But is often just watching a group of upcoming puppies playing on the lawn, watching the way they use themselves, their structure and attitudes. Sometimes it is winning in the ring, the personal achievement, of someone you respect awarding you the ultimate honor of BIS or Best in Specialty. But it is also working together

with other breeders to accomplish a common goal, producing the next, better generation.

BIS: If you could pinpoint a highlight in your dog career, what would it be?

C.H.: Other than what we already mentioned, the biggest satisfaction today is to see how much impact our dogs have had on the breed.

Sharing our own dogs with people who admire them and watching their successes is a reward in itself for this is the future of the breed.

BIS: Please name 3 your all time favourite winners bred by you and 3 not owned nor bred by you?

C.H.: Ch. Chriscendo Calvin Klein, Ch. Chriscendo Connoisseur and our Black and Tan bitch Ch. Chriscendo Colour Picture.

Ch. Millamor’s Moon Rock, Ch, Great Elms Prince Charming, and Ch. HHH Texas Two Step are three of the dogs we have admired but there are so many more!

foundation sire for us and it would be interesting to be able to bring him closer in our pedigrees today.

BIS: What advice would you give to someone passionate who is starting in the breed now?

C.H.: Pomeranians are a difficult breed. The low conception rate, high mortality rate can mean you feel you are not advancing, but slipping behind and loosing valuable time and resources. “No man is an island” is never truer than in breeding Pomeranians. The objectivity of another set of eyes, strength and encouragement from friends will help us stay focused on what you want to accomplish.

BIS: Which dog from the past would you like to use for breeding if possible?

C.H.: We would probably choose Moon Rock, he was a dog ahead of his time, but he was a

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Hadleigh Pomeranians

by Kaz Igarashi, Japan Interviewed by Kao Miichi

It was the great era of the Hadleigh which build the “Style of Pomeranian”.. By the 1960’s, Mrs. Dyke had won Best in show with several different Pomeranians in the U.K, her Ch.Pixietown Serenade of Hadleigh was Reserve Best in show at Crufts. The Hadleigh kennel had influenced the style of the “Foxy and Elegant Pomeranian” all over the world, but especially Asia where the Pomeranians are among the most popular breeds. People called her “God’s eyes” or “the sixth sense of the breeder’s eyes” because she had an incredible ability to pick the puppy which had the potential to go to the top. Her Hadleigh Pomeraninans enjoyed great success all over the world, in fact Mrs. Dyke made up over 140 Champion Pomeranians.

Toward the end of her life, Mrs.Dyke of Hadleigh (we can call her Mrs.Pomeranian) transferred her kennel prefix of “Hadleigh” to her most passionate student, Kaz Igarashi from Japan, who has continued to keep the kennel name of “Hadleigh” on the world stage. Mrs. Dyke regarded him as her heir and gave her most important Hadleigh dogs to him to con348

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tinue her lines. Ammong these dogs was one of her masterpieces, Hadleigh Shining Star.

Kaz still has the same passion for the breed as when he met them first time at the Hadleigh Kennel in the U.K. We had a chance to interview Kaz Igarashi of Hadleigh, to speak about the breed and the future of Pomeranians.

BIS: When and how did you met with Pomeranians?

K.I.: When I was a teenager I had a scholarship to study in the UK. One day I visited the Hadleigh kennel, I was just curious. That was the moment! I had met the most beautiful creature in the whole world. When I visited Mrs. Dyke at Hadleigh, there were the Pomeranians and they were walking as if they were “Living Art”.

How elegant they were! How tiny they were, and so full of life! I was most impressed by the beautiful dense coat.

After that, I visited England over 10 times to visit these Pomeranians. This creature had dominated whole my life and soul.

by Hadleigh but the sire of this dog was Hadleigh Pompadour.

I did not have any experience handling dogs, and it was the first time I showed a dog in the U.K, and I got the Crufts qualified ticket. So she asked me to show this dog at Crufts, and we WON! I won the Best of breed, and then I won the Toy Group 1st, it was my very first experience of Crufts. It was the highlight of my life forever, and I was just … over the moon.

This experience made me even more crazy about the breed. The funny thing, was that I beat the Great “Silver Gem of Hadleigh” which people said was a ‘once in a lifetime’ dog.

Mrs. Dyke asked me to bring Sweet dreams of Arum back to Japan with me so as not to compete against her Silver Gem in U.K.- of course it was with bit of joking and wit.

BIS: How would you describe a Pomeranian?

K.I.: Well as I said earlier, it is a “Living Art” or “moving art”.

They must be elegant, foxy, and all in one package, a little ball, which must be the symbol of beauty, activeness, intelligence and elegance.

They must be balanced, moderate and, let me repeat myself, elegant.

BIS: Tell us more about when you were in the U.K. K.I.: It had started in the 1960’s. After visiting Mrs.Dyke several times, she asked me to show one of her Hadleigh Pomeranian at a Crufts qualifying dogshow. It was the dog named Sweet dreams of Aurum. This dog wasn’t bred 350

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BIS: What is your priority breeding Pomeranians?

K.I.: Once again, Pomeranians should be the small spitz breed. As a member of FCI Group 5, they must be healthy and sound. As a breeder, the happiest moment is to see the tiny healthy Pomeranian puppies running around and they look like little fur balls, so active and full of life.

BIS: Which dog is your unforgettable one?

K.I.: Since many people know about the great Hadleigh Shining Star, I would like to speak about Hadleigh One and Only. He had a beautiful foxy head, the ideal silhouette, and

the ideal dense coat, which is not cotton, not fluffy, a double coat. (Nowadays many dogs loose the under coat but it should have the undercoat). The undercoat can be soft and fluffy but the outer coat must be perfectly straight, Harsh in texture.(Harsh is very important).

BIS: What is your opinion of current Pom trends and quality in world?

K.I.: To be honest, we see many “top winning” Pomeranians that look like a little Chow Chow.

The head and expression must be Foxy. I know it looks cute to be more rounded, but that is not correct. Also, it is very sad that people trim their Pomeranians like a poodle.A Pomeranian should be a “natural beauty” and they should not be trimmed with the scissors and sculptured.

Please remember that they must have the texture of Harsh coat and double coat. Now the breed is becoming so “Chowish” instead of “foxy and elegant” and this is the wrong direction for the breed.

BIS: A message to the younger generations of the Pomeranian breeders over the world?

K.I.: First of all, the Breed Standard. Read the breed standard again and again, read between the lines. Imagine how the breed should look. Don’t be fooled by fashions or trends.

Open your eyes, read the breed standard and try to find the spirit of the breed.

BIS: In addition, to those who want to become a breeder.

K.I.: Breeding dogs has both joy and sadness. I recommend not to keeping too many dogs.

More dogs, less quality! If you start from 4 foundation dogs, it is easy to have 40 dogs in a few years if you keep all of the dogs you bred. DO NOT KEEP TOO MANY. Each one needs individual attention. It is very important to devote all of your attention to breeding your

ideal dogs, but do not loose yourself in it. You probably have your job, family, and life. Keep your life balanced in order to keep breeding dogs over time. Try to look at the beautiful things on your life and keep your eyes fresh to find the beauty of elegance.

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TOKIE Pomeranians

by Chaivat Tangakaravakun, Thailand Interviewed by Milla Kanninen & Mihaela Kosic

BIS: Firstly, can you please give us some background on yourself? How old were you and how did it all come about?

C.T.: My name is Chaivat Tangkaravakun, everyone calls me Toby. My kennel name is Tokie Pomeranians. It all started 21 years ago in 1997 when I only wanted a pet pom. My faith seemed to lead me the way I am today when I met Dr. Dome Kasemsanta of Pak Dome Pomeranians, the most famous Pomeranian breeder in Thailand. My first pom was acquired from him.

I was lucky to have Th.Ch. Pak Dome’s Johnny Raptor, the son of the famous Ch. Pak Dome’s Everytime, Mayom. Johnny didn’t win all the time, and that made me wonder why, therefore, I studied more about the dog shows and dogs breeding. The more I learned about the breed, the more excited I became. There is no perfect dog, and we can never stop learning, so dog breeding has been very challenging because there is always something to improve and learn.

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BIS: Why did you choose Pomeranians as your own breed? What made you fall in love with them?

C.T.: During 21 years involved in this sport, I have bred, owned and shown a few other breeds, such as Bichon Frise, Miniature Schnauzers, German Shorthaired Pointer, and Whippets. However, Pomeranian is just an amazing breed. They are cute in their own ways. They think they are big dogs, they fear nothing. They do not require high maintenance, in terms of coat care. However, they are a fragile breed, routine check-ups and daily care is a must, preventing bad things from happening, like ear mites, hypoglycemia, etc. However, being a breeder is not an easy task. It is challenging to raise a litter of Pomeranians.

BIS: When was your kennel founded? When did you breed your first litter? And how many litters have you bred so far?

C.T.: Tokie Pomeranians started in 1997, 21 years ago when I acquired my first show dog. I bred my first litter in 1998. I breed an average of 5-6 litters per year, but sometimes only one litter in a year.

BIS: Do you prefer keeping your stud dogs for your own breeding program or do you also give them for outside service?

C.T.: As I always tell new comers, “ if you want the best dog you could have, the best way is to breed them “ As a breeder, I breed for myself and share only a few with others. I do not 354

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breed a lot and everybody knows how hard this breed is, so I do not get many puppies to share. I mostly keep the first pick puppy for myself, and share others with some breeders who need improvement in attributes my dogs are strong in. As I mentioned earlier, there is no perfect dog, and I get a new set of faults when I incorporate a new stud or a new bitch. Therefore, there is always something to work on. My dogs’ faults may be the strongest attributes of other breeders and that would be perfect for them to have my dogs in their breeding programs, especially when they need to improve something my dogs have. We can not work alone, we need many good breeders to work together. After careful selective breedings, we then can trade the end results to improve on what we now have or lack.

It would be very difficult for one breeder to work alone for the reasons I mentioned. I am eagerly trying to help new comers and other good breeders with a mind set similar to mine. I find Pomeranians to be a heartbreaking breed.

Breeding them is teaching me to be always cautious of what could be happening. Strong puppies don’t always turn out to be lively, pretty puppies sometimes fall apart.

I breed according to the breed standard as I interpret it. However, we all interpret it in many different ways. For example, “fox-like expression” many people wrongly interpret this as foxy face, but I interpret it as “alert”. Short neck with good head carriage is called for in a standard, but I see many judges award a long-neck one like a Shih Tzu or a Maltese. Therefore, it is hard for us to work together. However, I try to organize classes to teach new comers about the breed. And the most important thing is to share, sharing my dogs and offering stud services to some other breeders with similar thoughts, and guide them to the right direction.

Sharing is crucial in developing the breed in

general, I would not be here now if someone did not share their dogs with me.

BIS: What are your thoughts about breeding?

Do you prefer inbreeding, linebreeding or outcrossing?

C.T.: I am a firm believer in linebreeding. I have only one ideal Pomeranian in my mind and that is what I have been working toward. I always have that type in breeding and selecting the dogs to be included in my breeding program.

This way, my dogs will be stamped with this look and in hope that people will notice that it is a Tokie Pomeranian.

However, once in a while, I have to do an outcross to bring in a new set of traits that my dogs lack. I would prefer that a dog or bitch I use to outcross be the result of a successful line breeding program. This will help make sure that they produce the traits I am looking for. Then I will breed the results back to my line.

BIS: Is your kennel a one man show, or do you believe in teamwork and if so how many people do you have in your team?

C.T.: Definitely, we can not do this sport all alone, we all need each other. There are many routines in the kennel, such as, planning, breeding, daily care, training, grooming, etc.

However, I believe in being a breeder/owner/ handler. I try to excel in these three important departments.

BIS: How do you interpret the standard? Do you accept that other breeders have different points of view as to what the Pomeranians should look like, or is there just one correct type?

C.T.: It would be ideal if there were ONE breed standard worldwide and people, both breeders and judges interpret and agree as ONE. However, we all interpret one breed standard

in many different ways. Moreover, we have FCI, AKC, CKC, ANKC, UK, etc breed standards, and therefore, different breed standard interpretations that can not be avoided. I can not say or convince other people to agree with my own interpretation, however, I am doing what I believe in hopes of improving the breed in type, soundness, health, and temperament.

BIS: What three qualities do you think are the most important when you look at a Pomeranian?

C.T.: When looking at a Pomeranian, the first thing I always evaluate is the outline, the silhouette of the dog. Then the head; even though I am not a head hunter, but who would not fall in love with a Pomeranian with an adorable head. And I will look at their legs, I love a Pomeranian to move like a big breed, fly around the ring as it should be.

BIS: Which faults would you not tolerate in your breed?

C.T.: If I have to name faults I can not tolerate in my poms, the first thing to come into my mind is bad coat, we would not have a beautiful outline if the dog does not have a good coat.

Patella Luxation is also on the top of the list as they would not be able to move as good with bad patellas.

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little of it. A pom with no harsh coat would not complete the outline of the pom I am working towards.

BIS: Do Pomeranians have a problem with getting bigger in size?

C.T.: I do not believe that we have a size problem worldwide. However, some countries prefer smaller and some prefer bigger. With the height restriction in FCI breed standard, 20CM plus or minus 2 CM, it is hard to show a bigger size pom, the AKC standard has the weight restriction. I believe that if we could combine in height and weight, then the standard of the size would be more precise.

BIS: Is the Black Skin Disease common among Pomeranian breeders?

C.T.: I think the Black Skin Disease problem was and still is common. However, as we are aware of the problem and many good breeders are working so hard trying to get rid of the problem by simply not using a stud dog with the problem.

There are many causes of coat loss. If we can identify what causes the coat loss, then it may not be Black Skin Disease, other options are Sex Hormone, Thyroid, or skin fungus, this must be determined. If we desex or treat thyroid or skin problems, and the coat and skin is better, then it’s not Black Skin Disease. If we can not find any causes, then it’s the BSD. That’s what the name “Alopecia X” came from because it means we do not know what the cause is, and there is no cure.

Another coat problem that I think it is as bad as BSD is the adult Pomeranian having only a cotton coat with no harsh guard hair or very 356

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BIS: What is the main difference between AKC and FCI Pomeranian Standards?

C.T.: I would love to see ONE look in a Pomeranian with ONE breed standard worldwide, even though I think that is unlikely to happen.

Currently, I see the breed in all sizes from small to big, short legs to long legs, short neck to long neck, short back to long back. The muzzle seems to be controversial in the breed as well, from wedge-shaped muzzle, to one too fine, and teddy bear muzzles. The Pomeranian is still a Spitz breed. The FCI standard includes 5 breeds of dogs, and there’s too much variety in each breed, they are Wolfspitz or Keeshound, Giant Spitz, Medium Sized Spitz, Miniature Spitz, and Pomeranian. These 5 breeds have one breed standard differentiated by only their heights. I believe it’s almost impossible to have one breed standard for 5 breeds.

BIS: How do you think the breed has changed over the years? Are the changes positive or negative? How has your own breeding changed?

C.T.: I think the breed in general has not changed over the years. My ideal dog, May-

om would still be very competitive today if he was still alive. Many other dogs 20-30 years ago were way ahead of their times. I do not like to see my breeding change in type. As I mentioned earlier, I have only one IDEAL Pomeranian and that is my goal, so if my ideal dog has not changed, then my breeding program should not be different.

BIS: How important do you think dog shows are for Pomeranian breeders? Do you attend more or less shows as the years go by?

C.T.: Well, I think dog shows are very important for every breed. We must not forget the original purpose of why dog shows were created.

Dog shows are the place where you bring your breeding stock to be evaluated by judges, to

see if they are worthy enough to keep and use in a breeding program.

I usually go to several major dog shows each year, depending on the countries and judges panel.

BIS: What is the importance of health testing in your breed? Do you do health tests on all the dogs you use for breeding?

C.T.: I sometimes do heart testing as poms tend to develop heart problems. I am able to do patella luxation levels myself, so I test all my dogs.

The test that I would like to do is BSD testing.

However, we do not have any tests to identify the problem carriers yet. There are several organizations that have been working to identify the causes and cures, also trying to identify the genetic markers.

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BIS: What has been your greatest achievement as a breeder so far?

C.T.: My greatest achievement as a breeder is to put the right dog with the right family. I am always happy to know that my dogs are in the good hands, either as a house pet or as a show dog or as a stud dog or as a brood bitch. To know that they do well at what they are supposed to is the biggest accomplishment I could feel.

Guiding new comers and observing their success is the task that I feel I have accomplished my goals. It means that there is one more person helping to improve the breed.

BIS: If you could pinpoint a highlight in your dog career, what would it be?

C.T.: There are many memorable moments to highlight. The first big win has always been special. Winning at the Westminster Dog Show in 2006 is just a dream, but winning both BOB and BOS in the same year and sired by the same dog is beyond words. All other winnings either big or small, they are all special in their own way. I often still feel the moments and cherish them.

BIS: Please name 3 of your all time favorite winners bred by you and 3 not owned nor bred by you?

C.T.: 3 of my all time favorite winners bred by me are: • BIS Th.Am.Ch. Tokie’s Mercury. Mickey is definitely on the top of my list. He started all the poms history from Asia. He was the first pom ever from Asia to finish American Champion in 2004. He also sired BOB and BOS winners at the Westminster KC in 2006. He was the foundation stud at TOKIE. • BIS Th.Grand Am.Can.Ch. Tokie The Legend Continues. Dutchy was the first dog I’ve special in the US, and he’s the only dog I did as a mat358

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ter of fact. He was one of the top dogs in the US in 2006. Dutchy was the first pom from Asia to win BOB at the Westminster KC in 2006.

• BIS Th.Grand Am.Can.APAC. Int. Chn. Ukr. Ch. Tokie Too Good To be True. Goody has done so much winning, with 20+ BIS wins and still counting! His wins include many major dog shows worldwide, Supreme BIS Winner at ENCI Winner Shows in Italy, Group Winner at the European Dog Show in Ukraine, BIS Owner-handled in Orlando, USA. 3 of my all time favorite dogs not owned or bred by me are: • BIS Th.Ch. Pak Dome’s Every time. Mayom was way ahead of his time. He was the sire of my foundation stud dog, Mickey. He was and still is my ideal type of poms. I still have his look in my mind every time I breed or select my puppies to keep in my breeding program.

• BIS Am.Ch. Rock N Tradition of Oakridge.

Jake was the first dog that impressed me in his producing ability. I had read about prepotent sires, but never known one until I knew him.

Jake was a prepotent sire who seems to click with any types of bitches and still produced consistently.

• BIS Am.Th.Ch. Pufprides Sweet Dreams. Parker was so well known that nobody wouldn’t recognize him. He excelled in his show career and his producing ability.

BIS: Which dog from the past would you like to use for breeding if possible?

C.T.: If I had to choose one dog that I think is the closest to the breed standard, I unhesitatingly have to say Mayom, Ch.Pak Dome’s Everytime.

I fell in love with him when I first saw him 21 years ago, and after I learned more and more about the breed, he still fit the breed standard perfectly. He was cobby, alert, sound, typey with an amazing show attitude.

BIS: As a breeder judge, what message would you like to send out to colleague judges about the breed to help them make the right choices?

C.T.: I always keep this process in mind when selecting breeding stock and when judging. I first look at the outline, the type of all the dogs, then place the soundest dogs of the group. If you look at the legs first, you will get lost in the pom types and your selection would be all over the place. I think it’s so easy to do fault judging, anybody can, but not many people can look at the outstanding qualities of the dogs before looking at their faults. Be consistent in the type of dogs; I love it when I can follow the judging, whether it is my placements or not.

BIS: What advice would you give to someone passionate who is starting in the breed now?

C.T.: Find the right mentor for yourself. No matter how much you read, nothing can beat hands-on experience. Be honest and be open to your mentor. Listen, listen, and listen.

A good breeding program is one that produces dogs with similar looks that will make other breeders recognize that it is your dog. To establish a good breeding program, you need to have a goal first. The goal, in this case, I am not talking about what wins you want to achieve, or how many champions you want to produce, but this goal should be the ideal Pomeranian you want to produce in the future. I myself have only ONE ideal Pomeranian that has been set in my mind for 21 years, and that is Ch. Pak Dome’s Everytime, Mayom. He had all the type and attributes I want in my Pomeranians. He was how the breed standard as I interpret it in a real dog. This ideal Pomeranian of yours should not be changed from time to time, otherwise, you would end up having many types of Pomeranian in your breeding program.

Although Mayom is gone, I still use his progeny in my breeding program and incorporate other

dogs with similar looks and attributes Mayom had.

Everyone says a good producing bitch is a backbone to any good breeding program. I totally agree with this statement. But I want to add that a good breeding program should be able to reproduce that bitch when she is gone.

Pedigree planning and planned breeding is very important in recreating her. A male line in a breeding program is equally important to me.

The stud dog you choose to breed to should not be any stud dog with a good pedigree or with a good win record. They should be prepotent sires who have the ability to produce outstanding puppies.

Another important task for new comers is to develop their eye for good dogs. With a good knowledge of the breed, you should be able to define one. You should be able to choose a stud dog to breed to or a foundation bitch to start with. In doing so, you will have to do this selectively.

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Moxiepoms Pomeranians

by Nantawan Tair Panpruet Interviewed by Milla Kanninen

BIS: Firstly, can you please give us some background on yourself? How old were you and how did it all come about?

N.T.P: Nantawan Tair Panpruet is my name. I am known as Tair to my family and friends. My previous career was as a supervisor of Cabin Attendants for Japan Airlines. I met my husband, Suebpong Mo Panpruet, Mo for short, during one of his business trips that he used to fly every week. The time I met him, he was going to Tokyo. Usually I supervised Economy Section but this time my senior asked me to attend the Business Class. And that was that, the whole romance started. I am telling you this because my husband is the one who introduced me to pure breed dogs and Pomeranians. My husband is a real dog lover. He has many other breeds just as house pets, namely a Labrador and a Miniature Dachshund. Before that he had an English Cocker, Boxer and English Bull Dog. After we got married, Mo asked me to resign from JAL. While we were searching for my new

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hobbies /career. We came across Pomeranians.

This was a long while after I resigned. I wanted to own a restaurant at first, so I attended Thai Cooking and got a Diploma from Dusit Culinary Hotel Cooking School. Not to stop at Thai food, I also attended Cordon Bleu Culinary School for French Cuisine. I graduated in the Top Ten of the class, many of them are famous Chef and TV Cooking Show Chefs now, namely Phol Tonstein.

Not being blessed with a career in culinary arts, I did not start any restaurant. I started a Pomeranian Kennel instead in 2010. We registered the Kennel name of “Moxiepoms”with the Thailand Kennel Association that year. The Kennel name came from “Mo”his name plus “xie”. Together they become Moxiepoms. Moxie which supposed to mean “ force of character“ or “determination”. So Moxiepoms as my husband always jokes, means “Mo is determined to be successful in breeding Poms”

to the US for meetings at his US Head Quarters.

By the way, Mo was Vice President of Sales in Asia for Black& Decker. Obviously America is the biggest market for poms and so we had many kennels to choose from. So now our approach was different, this time we wanted to buy only American Champions. We do like the late “Parker” owned by Dianne Finch. We bought many of her poms but only one stands out and later become our foundation dog: Finch Lookin at a Lucky Dream aka Lucky.

Later Lucky went on to win Best of Breed at World Dog Show 2013, Hungary. Lucky also has so many titles from so many different countries but one title is very important for him, which is Number Pomeranian in Thailand 2012.

With the success of Lucky, we were pulled more and more into breeding and showing Pomeranians, mainly in Thailand and the USA, occasionally in other Asian and European countries.

We started to contact Thai breeders first, but none were very helpful, even to sell us puppies.

We, like many other new comers, were fooled into buying poor quality poms. We wasted a ton of money on buying our first batch. Later we found out none of them were good for shows or even breeding. No names mentioned here of those famous Kennels. We have no grudges against them, some of them are our good friends today.

You may want to know what happened to the first lot and how the second lot came about. We gave all of them away to family and friends.

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BIS: Why did you choose Pomeranians as your own breed? What made you fall in love with them?

N.T.P: My reasons for falling in love with this breed are due to the fact that they are a very elegant breed. Their coat is beautiful when looked after correctly. They are very loyal to their owners and not afraid of bigger dogs.

Their heart is bigger than their size. In terms of choosing Pomeranians as our breed, apart from the reasons mentioned above, the Pomeranian is a very popular breed in Thailand.

But pure breed dogs are limited to a handful of kennels. They are mostly very well to do, so they don’t care much about new comers, or want to educate you on the breed or even sell you their puppies. An example of this kind of attitude is “We have a year long wait list” or “ Breeding Pom is very difficult and expensive” With the negative attitude from the established kennels, we were determined to be successful

no matter what. So we started investing in buying great/good/bad poms from America. We spent a lot of money buying our poms. We always say to ourselves “ there is no such thing as a free lunch”. We were just hoping we would get the return that we were waiting for. The determination to show the established kennels that we can be as successful as they are, or better, was another reason for choosing Pommeranians, we were not going to be deterred from our breed because of direct competition!

BIS: When was your kennel founded? When did you breed your first litter? And how many litters have you bred so far?

N.T.P: Officially registered in 2010 but not until late 2012 and 2013 did we seriously start breeding. Our first litter was around late 2012.

BIS: Do you prefer keeping your stud dogs for your own breeding program or do you also give them for outside service?

N.T.P: We do share our stud dogs for outside

services but we would like to know the background of the owner and study the pedigree of the bitch. We use AI for all outside bitches to prevent any possibility catching brucellosis.

BIS: What are your thoughts about breeding?

Do you prefer inbreeding, linebreeding or outcrossing?

N.T.P: I do prefer line breeding with occasional outcrossing to bring in a new set of genes. Then the outcross puppies will be bred back to the main line.

BIS: Is your kennel a one man show, or do you believe in team work and if so how many people do you have in your team?

N.T.P: We believe in Team Work as evidenced by “ Team Max”. This is a group of friends in America who provided all forms of support to Pamela Campbell, our great friend and great handler, and Moxiepoms Max in his weekly shows. The support ranges from stand in for Pam Best in Show Magazine

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to published results in their Face Book pages. At home we have another team, 3 full time helpers, to look after the well being of our poms, of course, not counting my husband and I. My husband does not get involved with the day to day chores but he would be happy to drive a pregnant girl to see our vet or running to Thai Kennel Association to do the paper work and of course he paid for all the expenses for the Kennel and costs associated with shows.

BIS: How do you interpret the standard? Do you accept that other breeders have different point of views as to what the Pomeranians should look like, or is there just one correct type?

N.T.P: I do place an importance on the breed standard. However, in Thailand there is a lot of confusion here. Let me try to explain. Our poms are from America thus based on the American standard. However, Thai Kennel Association belongs to teh FCI so logically Thailand should follow the FCI standard. However, judges that we are showing to are from both the FCI and AKC. There is a huge difference in interpretation of standard. For example, FCI European judge may measure the height of a Pom with a ruler to be no more than 22 cm. But American/ Australian/Asia judges look at the proportion of that Pom rather than strictly measuring the height. I looked up the American Standard, just to make sure that I don’ t make a fool of myself, it is stated “that weight and proportion is more important than size “ http://www.americanpomeranianclub.org/standard.htm I don’t know what is right or wrong but it is confusing, especially for the new comer into the breed.

More importantly, there has not been any attempt to get breed standard education ( either FCI or AKC or both) for Pom Breeders, especially new ones. This responsibility should be undertaken by The Thai Pomeranian Club.

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BIS: What three qualities do you think are the most important when you look at a Pomeranians?

N.T.P: Structure, Temperament , Movementthese are the most important.

BIS: Which faults would you not tolerate in your breed?

N.T.P: None are perfect but I don’t like small Poms. So I would say incorrect proportion in their structure. Low tail set is also another major issue for me.

BIS: Is the Black Skin Disease common in Pomeranian breeders?

N.T.P: BSD is disguised in all lines. It may occur to any breeder. We don’t ever use BSD effected dogs or bitches in our breeding programs.

We neutered them as soon as we realized they were affected and give them away to family with kindness to look after them. It is not an illness, it is a cosmetic problem. I wish Breeders would stop using BSD dogs in their breeding.

BIS: Do Pomeranians have a problem with getting bigger in size?

N.T.P: I don’t see any issue in Poms getting bigger in size. In fact, line breeding or inbreeding, does produce smaller poms. And to my knowledge, here in Thailand, poms are getting smaller and smaller, not bigger.

BIS: What is the main difference between AKC and FCI Pomeranian Standard?

N.T.P: If I understand correctly, FCI does strictly follow the written standard with a little variation of interpretation by judges. The AKC is more flexible and leaves it to the judge to make their own interpretation. Sometimes, I do wonder, when was the last revision of the FCI standard? Standards should change with the times.

BIS: How do you think the breed has changed over the years? Are the changes positive or negative? How has your own breeding changed?

N.T.P: The Pommeranian is a breed that is getting into a trap. It is being plagued with coat issues. As a breeder who focuses on shows I see the number of poms is in decline each year.

We see new breeders coming from many countries such as Korea, China and Vietnam. These new breeders bring excitement to the breed as they will try to get top winning quality poms.

I do wonder once they started breeding and beginning to get into coat issues or other issues, would they have moved on to other breeds without the coat issue?

BIS: How important do you think dog shows are for Pomeranian breeders? Do you attend more or less shows as the years go by?

N.T.P: Dog shows are an important part of being good Pom breeders. Each show, wether you win or lose, makes you want to breed an even better Pom. However, selecting bad judges are the main reason that makes me wants to leave off shows. For example, selecting judges on the basis of traveling costs rather how good the judges are?

BIS: What is the importance of health testing in your breed? Do you do health tests on all the dogs you use for breeding?

N.T.P: We do health checks for our studs and foundation bitches at least every 6 months and others once a year or if needed.

BIS: What has been your greatest achievement as a breeder so far?

N.T.P: Number 1 Pom in America 2016& 2017( Breed and All Breed System) Best of Breed Winner at American Pommera-

nian Club National 2016&2017 Best of Breed Winner at American Pomeranian Club Summer National 2016&2017 Best of Breed Winner at Westminster Dog Club 2017 Best of Breed Winner at Royal Canin America Kennel Club National Championship.

Awarded Platinum medal for American Grand Champion.

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BIS: If you could pinpoint a highlight in your dog career, what would it be?

N.T.P: Winning a Best of Breed back to back at the American Pommeranian Club 2016&2017 BIS: Please name 3 of your all time favorite winners bred by you and 3 not owned nor bred by you?

N.T.P: My own breeding: Am Gch Platinum Th Kr Can Ch Moxiepoms Max Schmeling Am Gch Gold Th Ch Moxiepoms Diego Gabriel Chavez Th Ch Chi Ch Moxiepoms Harry Harris My favorites: Am Ch Th Ch Puffpride Sweet Dream 366

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Am Can Ch Finch’you’re so Special N BLK Am Can Th Ch CR Tuff Guy Of Isabella BIS: Which dog from the past would you like to use for breeding if possible?

N.T.P: Am Ch Th Ch Puffpride Sweet Dream Am Can Ch Finch’you’re so Special N BLK Am Can Th Ch CR Tuff Guy Of Isabella BIS: What advice would you give to someone passionate who is starting in the breed now?

N.T.P: Take time to study the breed, prospective breeder/breeders that you would like buy from, never buy from looking at pictures and video or social media, see the Pom yourself or get your Handler friend to assess for you.

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Admirer Pomeranians

by Tanya Holding Bangyeekhan, Thailand Interviewed by Milla Kanninen

BIS: Firstly, can you please give us some background on yourself? How old were you and how did it all come about?

T.H.: My name is Tanya Holding Bangyeekhan and I am 47 years old. I was born in Bangkok, Thailand . I grew up and was educated in Bangkok. After completing my education, I have led an adventurous life and experienced many interesting and exciting things. I have lived in several different countries. These include Denmark (where I met my English husband); USA (North Carolina); and France (Lyon). I am currently based in Thailand, and my Pomeranian kennel is in Pattaya - Poms Admirer.

I am an energetic, passionate, professional, loyal and warm person. I enjoy life and have a lively sense of humour .

Whenever I develop an interest in something, I am totally committed. I value family and friends above all else.

How it all came about is due to a visit I made to a dog show in NC approximately 14 years ago.

It was there that I first saw and fell in love with the Pomeranian breed. At the time, we owned a black Labrador Retriever (Tyson) and adored him - and soon after my attention was drawn 368

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to the smaller and fluffier breed, namely the Pomeranian. I fell instantly in love with these dogs as soon as I saw them.

BIS: Why did you choose Pomeranians as your own breed? What made you fall in love with them?

T.H.: There are many reasons and I could talk for a long time about it! To keep it short, I find them simply adorable in a way that no other breed of dog can match. To me, most dogs are friendly and intelligent. Some are energetic about it - for example, Tyson was in a large and hyperactive way; but Pomeranians are different. They are as friendly and energetic as Tyson; but are smaller and much easier to accommodate. They are more fluffy, gentle and cuddly than a bigger dog. They are also quite energetic, friendly and intelligent - and I love the way that they bounce when they run around! Above all, they are incredibly affectionate. No matter how many of these Pomeranians I have, I never regret it and, if anything, would like to have even more.

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BIS: When was your kennel founded? When did you breed your first litter? And how many litters have you bred so far?

T.H.: I bought my first pom as a pet in 2005.

In2008, I started buying a few foundation dogs, male and female. Breeding started in 2010. Since then I have bred more than 30 litters.

BIS: Do you prefer keeping your stud dogs for your own breeding program or do you also give them for outside service?

T.H.: I am a firm believer that dog breeding should be part of a community of similarly interested people. Therefore, I regularly provide my stud dogs to others and have done this many times.

BIS: Is your kennel a one man show, or do you believe in team work and if so how many people do you have in your team?

T.H.: I believe wholeheartedly in teamwork. I would not have achieved what I have without the support of family and friends outside of the Pomeranian community; and of friends and professionals within it. I do not have a fixed “team� as such, although there is a small group of good friends and professionals within the Pomeranian community who help me with certain things. These include: difficult births; treating sick puppies; training; handling; and general medication - So yes, I have a team; but the personnel are not permanently employed as such; and it is a small number of 4-5 people, to whom I am intensely loyal.

BIS: What are your thoughts about breeding?

Do you prefer inbreeding, linebreeding or outcrossing?

T.H.: I have a strong preference for outcrossing. and enjoy trying to breed a better and healthier Pomeranians. Regardless of the appearance of the Pomeranians that I breed, my main objective is to ensure that they are healthy and happy..

BIS: How do you interpret the standard? Do you accept that other breeders have different point of views as to what the Pomeranians should look like, or is there just one correct type?

T.H.: Firstly, I should state that I breed in accordance with the FCI standard. That said, I totally accept that other breeders have different viewpoints on the appearance of Pomeranians,

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of course. So, with regards to “the standard”, As stated, I breed my dogs in accordance with “the standard” but above all else I try to ensure that they are healthy and happy - and to eliminate BSD and other health risks.

BIS: What three qualities do you think are the most important when you look at a Pomeranian?

T.H.: Structure; movement; and coat texture.

BIS: Which faults would you not tolerate in your breed?

T.H.: BSD; Patella.

BIS: Is the Black Skin Disease common in Pomeranian breeders?

T.H.: Yes and No. YES where some breeders continue to use those bsd stud dogs; and NO to all the great breeders that care most about their dogs. But It is an issue that is always in my mind and I focus a lot on trying to avoid it in my own kennel - because once it happens then it is extremely difficult to remove. Now we are into an area where my interpretation of “the standard” might differ from that of other breeders. Regardless of the desired outcome of my breeding, it is paramount for me to avoid BSD and I do whatever i can to avoid it.

BIS: Do Pomeranians have a problem with getting bigger in size?

T.H.: I have learnt that as long as one is careful about the choice of stud dog and bitch then it is not an issue.

BIS: What is the main difference between AKC and FCI Pomeranian Standard?

T.H.: I breed according to the FCI standard, although I find that they are more or less the same.

BIS: How do you think the breed has changed over the years? Are the changes positive or negative? How has your own breeding changed?

T.H.: A lot of changes have occurred and I view them with a positive mind-set. My breeding is based on trying to adapt to - and accommodate - the positive changes; and ensure that my dogs reflect them.

BIS: How important do you think dog shows are for Pomeranian breeders? Do you attend more or less shows as the years go by?

T.H.: I think that showing dogs at recognized events is essential. So I attend more and more dog shows as the years go by - both home and abroad.

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---The # 1 Pomeranian in Thailand 2017.

---The #1 Best Local Bred In Thailand 2017 ---The #2 All Breed System In Thailand 2017 --- In total, more than 30 BIS awards BIS: If you could pinpoint a highlight in your dog career, what would it be?

T.H.: Becoming the one and only breeder to have bred both father and son and which both became the #1 Pomeranian in Thailand (2015 and 2017 respectively)

BIS: What is the importance of health testing in your breed? Do you do health tests on all the dogs you use for breeding?

T.H.: Health testing is absolutely essential - so of course I get the dogs I use for breeding tested on a regular basis.

BIS: What has been your greatest achievement as a breeder so far?

T.H.:I have bred 5 dogs which are happy, healthy and a source of pride to me. They became: ---The #1 Pomeranian in Thailand 2015 ---The #1 Pomeranian in India 2015 ---The #1 Male Pomeranian in Argentina 2015 ---The #1 Pomeranian in Vietnam 2016 ---The #1 Pomeranian in Vietname 2017

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BIS: Please name 3 your all time favorite winners bred by you and 3 not owned nor bred by you?

T.H.: 1 Multi Bis Biss Th.Grand.Ch PomsAdmirer Precious Stone winning the Best In Show Specialty at the biggest dog show in Thailand 2015 2 Multi Bis Biss Am.Grand.Ch Th.Grand Ch Th.Ch Phil.Ch PomsAdmirer Premium Limited Edition winning Best In Show All Breed with the Trophy from our beloved Queen SiriKit 3 Multi Bis Arg.Grand.Ch PomsAdmirer Pick Me if you Dare winning in South America which is the First pom from Thailand to have achieved that BIS: Which dog from the past would you like to use for breeding if possible?

T.H.: Marcho-- Bis Biss Am.Th.Can.Ch Cr Tuff Guy Of Isabella ROMX. He is the Pom of my dreams.

BIS: What advice would you give to someone passionate who is starting in the breed now?

T.H.: Study the standard carefully and seek experts to give you the best and recognised advice before considering purchasing any foundation dogs for your kennel.

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Chaio Li Ya Pomeranians

by Frank Hsieh Interviewed by Milla Kanninen & Mihaela Kosic

BIS: Firstly, can you please give us some background on yourself? How old were you when you started and how did it all come about?

F.H.: I was born in 1960, and this year is the 32nd year of my efforts put into white pom breeding. I was a police officer and started my breeding while I was working.

1980, won RBIS, the 1st mileage of my breeding, and push me forward to this further.

BIS: Why did you choose Pomeranians as your own breed? What made you fall in love with them?

F.H.: I started with golden poms. I loved their movement and expression, very elegant, just like a nice ballet dancer in a beautiful performance. It started when I won a prize to travel to Japan. I was struck by the use of the symbolic color, white, in Japan, and I came home with the idea that I wanted to breed white poms.

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BIS: When was your kennel founded? When did you breed your first litter? And how many litters have you bred so far?

F.H.: Founded in 1987. Before 1987, I already had a few breeds with poms.

Today I can count almost 6000 litters.

BIS: Do you prefer keeping your stud dogs for your own breeding program or do you also give them for outside service?

F.H.: Frankly, before a new line is created and not yet stable, I keep my studs in my kennel.

Once the new line is stable regarding the gene pool, I share it with my partners.

Except for my direct partner, I do not offer stud service since I cannot make sure that in other lines the gene pools are stable enough and that might create dispute.

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BIS: What three qualities do you think are the most important when you look at a Pomeranian?

F.H.: a. movement and combination of expression b. sweet looking and thick coat c. stability of gene pools that could ensure what is passed on to the next generation BIS: Which faults would you not tolerate in your breed?

F.H.: Wrong ankles (patella) of rear legs is zero tolerated.

BIS: What are your thoughts about breeding?

Do you prefer inbreeding, linebreeding or outcrossing?

F.H.: I only do systematic breeding, by 3 x 4 x 5, I never do 1 x 2 x 3 close mating.

In order to create new lines, I occasionally introduce lines outside my kennel. However, this will take me at least 3-4 generations to stabilize the whole gene pool once again.

BIS: Is your kennel a one man show, or do you believe in teamwork and if so how many people do you have in your team?

F.H.: I personally control my breed projects.

However I have a workforce to help me clean, and feed, and there is my direct partner who has 100% Chiao Li Ya lines. Those are my team players.

BIS: How do you interpret the standard? Do you accept that other breeders have different points of view as to what the Pomeranians should look like, or is there just one correct type?

F.H.: I set up criteria on the movement standard by referring to German shepherds. Plus typical pom looks and gait. Also, I refer to FCI judge’s comments and requirements.

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BIS: Is Black Skin Disease common in Pomeranian breeders?

F.H.: 20-30 years ago it was very common.

However, every breeder is working hard to avoid those dogs in breeding, so nowadays it is getting quite rare.

BSD should be excluded from breeding, that is my own thought and procedure.

BIS: Do Pomeranians have a problem with size?

F.H.: Never. Except in a mixed mating.

Breeding to get bigger and smaller are all defected, that indicates that the line is not stable enough.

BIS: What is the main difference between the AKC and FCI Pomeranian Standards?

F.H.: Quite frankly, there is not much difference.

Only that the AKC allows a bigger size to show, but never the FCI. The stricter regulations are a greater benefit to breeders.

BIS: How do you think the breed has changed over the year? Are the changes positive or negative? How has your own breeding changed?

F.H.: In the past, people focused on creating

new lines but there was a lack of improvement.

The result of close mating dogs, was poor leg angles. To improve the poor angled legs, it takes at least 5 generation. I think that all the pom lovers and breeders need to recognize the issue and take actions to improve with integrity.

BIS: How important do you think dog shows are for Pomeranian breeders? Do you attend more or less shows as the years go by?

F.H.: Regarding dog shows, when the breed project runs well and is approved by awards, I am very proud to be a breeder who is involved with so much effort.

So far, I regularly show once every month, not too many not too little, just average.

BIS: What is the importance of health testing in your breed? Do you do health tests on all the dogs you use for breeding?

F.H.: I do not regularly do health testing for the dogs I use in breeding. Instead, I focus on management of daily food, every day they get exercise and they get a sun bath: a clean and healthy kennel, those elements are the keys to a healthy dog.

BIS: Please name 3 of your all time favorite winners bred by you and 3 not owned nor bred by you?

F.H.: a. Eng. Ch. Hadleigh of Shining Star b. Eng. Ch. Derronills of Maxomillion c. Aurum of DAKE secret BIS: Which dog from the past would you like to use for breeding if possible?

F.H.: If possible, those who won the most champions and rewarded by most judges, I want them so badly!

BIS: As a breeder judge, what message would you like to send out to colleague judges about the breed to help them make the right choices?

F.H.: After looking at coat, and body shape, please also focus on movement and rear leg angles, this could help all breeders.

BIS: What advice would you give to someone passionate who is starting in the breed now?

F.H.: Search for the specific lines you like, and focus on improvement, no shortcuts, never. Zero tolerance on close mating. The quickest way of breeding always brings the most damage to the kennel.

BIS: What has been your greatest achievement as a breeder so far?

F:H.: : To offer the best breed of white poms to pom lovers worldwide who win champion medals and pride for those pom lovers, that is for sure my greatest pleasure and achievement.

BIS: If you could pinpoint a highlight in your dog career, what would it be?

F.H.: When I started, everyone looked down me most of time for quite a few years. From the moment, my white poms begin to collect champion medals from every corner of the world, that was the highlight.

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Thai Silk Pomeranians

by Svetlana Mironenko Interviewed by Milla Kanninen

BIS: Firstly, can you please give us some background on yourself? How old were you and how did it all come about?

S.M.: My name Svetlana Mironenko, 47 year old and I’m living in Moscow, Russia. I have been living with dogs since my childhood so dogs were always in our family. I had my first show dog when I was 10 and it was Collie, then I have been breeding Shar Peis but 2005 I got my first Pomeranian and since then I fall in love with this breed.

BIS: Why did you choose Pomeranians as your own breed? What made you fall in love with them?

S.M.: I fall in love with Pomeranians 2005 when I have been visiting Thailand. Friend of mine had beautiful bitch and I immediately decided I want to have girl like she was. After my Princess I knew Pomeranians will be my love forever.

And why I fall in love with them... well because they are smart, funny, foxy and showy.

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BIS: When was your kennel founded? When did you breed your first litter? And how many litters have you bred so far?

S.M.: I had my first littler 2007 and since then I had around 300 litters.

BIS: Do you prefer keeping your stud dogs for your own breeding program or do you also give them for outside service?

S.M.: I prefer keep my stud dogs with me and my spesial owner of my dogs. I didn’t breed my stud dogs to outside service. My kennel close for another kennel, only for my friends.

BIS: What are your thoughts about breeding?

Do you prefer inbreeding, linebreeding or outcrossing?

S.M.: In my kennel I prefer line breeding, I don’t like to use close inbreeding, and sometimes I use outcrossing, but it’s so difficult in our breed.

Even I don’t have a big team, I do believe in team work. Our Thai Silk team has 5-6 mem-

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bers at dog shows but I do also have a lot of people around world who are owners of Thai Silk dogs and I would say they are members of our team as well.

BIS: How do you interpret the standard? Do you accept that other breeders have different point of views as to what the Pomeranians should look like, or is there just one correct type?

S.M.: . Standard is standard and it is very important to follow it. It doesn’t metter what is fashionable or popular, we all have to follow standard. It’s keeping our breed safe from many problems we could have in breeding.

I believe many people are thinking differently but I am sure breeders like that will never have success in breeding.

BIS: What three qualities do you think are the most important when you look at a Pomeranians?

S.M.: . First what I do is check the pedigree, than look to type of dog, his silhouette, movement and dog head.

BIS: Which faults would you not tolerate in your breed?

S.M.: I would not tolerate absence of silhouette and dog without movement.

BIS: Is the Black Skin Disease common in Pomeranian breeders?

S.M.: Maybe some breeder have BSD problem, but it never happened in my breeding.

BIS: What is the main difference between AKC and FCI Pomeranian Standard?

S.M.: Nothing is really different between this standards and neither of them say that dog can be dissable.

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BIS: How do you think the breed has changed over the years? Are the changes positive or negative? How has your own breeding changed?

S.M.: Breed is almost changing during the life and I think those changes are positive. I hope my breeding is one of the proofs. This is important thing for me and my breeding.

BIS: How important do you think dog shows are for Pomeranian breeders? Do you attend more or less shows as the years go by?

S.M.: Dog shows are very important for dogs and for kennels. I would say that show dogs are born to be show dogs.

I have a feeling that I am attending more shows each year, even I think from time to time to reduce showing but feelings on shows are pushing me to attend them more each time.

BIS: What is the importance of health testing in your breed? Do you do health tests on all the dogs you use for breeding?

S.M.: Some tests are really important, but some in my opinion we do not need to do. You easy can see in your kennel who is healthy and who is not. I do test my dogs when I see and feel something can be wrong.

BIS: What has been your greatest achievement as a breeder so far?

S.M.: There are many things my dogs have accomplished through years such as : World and European Champions, Juniors World and European Champions, Champions of America without any American Handlers, Champions Of Thailand, A lot of Best in Show winners around the world the world.

At the moment I am showing my little girl and she is making me proud winning Best in Shows in countries all over the Europe such as Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg, Russia, and her biggest

win in World show -2017 Germany, Leipzig. where she won Best of Breed, Best in Group and she was short cut in the Junior Best in Show as well, and she is only 1 year old.

BIS: Please name 3 of your all time favorite winners bred by you and 3 not owned nor bred by you?

S.M.: My favourite dogs bred by me are: Thai Silk Unique Perspective, Thai Silk Code of Success, Thai Silk Zone Of Perfect.

My favourite dogs not bred or owned by me are: Chriscendo Conqustador, Unbeaten Premiera, Fon’s First Of June.

BIS: Which dog from the past would you like to use for breeding if possible?

S.M.: I would use Thai Silk Always and Forever.

BIS: What advice would you give to someone passionate who is starting in the breed now?

S.M.: Before you buy a dog try to study about the breed and give more attention to pedigree and type of the dog.

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