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Dice
Dice as puppy
by experienced Ridgeback judges for her exceptional conformation and movement. When she moved up and down, she would not wobble even a centimeter on either side; her movement was completely true. Dice produced an outstanding progeny, including four top champions. To date, her son BIS, BISS, Crufts Winner MCH Villagedogs Hot Topic produced 13 champions all over the world. The search for my second foundation bitch took me all the way to the beautiful Honolulu island in Hawaii. Being a great believer in genetic versatility, I was looking for a well-bred bitch with lesser-known pedigree in Europe. Tom and Barbara Peach from Pupukearidge were planning a litter with Ikaika (MBIS BISS CH Pupukearidge Ikaika O Sprngvly) and Kela Sr. (CH Starridge Kela O Pupukea), a very good combination of American and old Australian bloodlines. One cold November morning, Pupukearidge Kela Kai O Villagedogs arrived in Belgium and begun her show career two weeks later. Although superbly built with lovely temperament, Kela had a handicap on the European show scene; her coat colour was light wheaten. The popularity of the dark coated Ridgeback was then at all time high, and in
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Villagedogs
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the show ring lineup, Kela would stick out like a sore thumb! Thankfully, many experienced judges focused on her confirmation instead. By the age of four, Kela won seven champion titles, several BISS wins together with junior and adult European Winner titles. For her first litter, she was bred to Nelson and produced MBISS MCH Villagedogs Ka Makana “Mak”. Mak is equally successful in the show ring. At three years old, Mak notched up six champion titles, several BISS wins and Best Junior at Crufts title. I consider my females as the most important part of my breeding. It is the stud dog that must complement my bitch, not the other way around. Maybe this is an obvious thing to say but too often, the prospective litter breeders choose the top-winning stud dog regardless of the scope of the contribution it may add to the planned litter. A good stud dog can help, but it is not the complete solution. If I ask about the faults that my chosen stud dog is carrying, I don’t mean ridgeless or excessive white. It is the width of the thigh, the sloping croup, and the weak pasterns that I am interested in. These are functional faults, not cosmetic. An anatomically correct dog will look and move beautifully and the slightly larger white patch on its chest will go unnoticed.