It was 1990 when I was married and my husband was working 3rd shift. We had adopted a little mix breed puppy from the local shelter but as time went on, I wanted something that I could feel secure with being around at night for protection. I watched for listings and advertisements for what I beleived I wanted and came across an ad for puppy's from an imported German Line, Falk Seigfridzenhoff. I went to see them and fell in love. I took a female home with me and I named her Brittany.
She was a little on the nasty side when I brought her home. We'll that's an understatement, actually as my family would put it she was the puppy from hell. She was 12 weeks old with an attitude.
But I looked at this as a good challenge. I like challenges and she deffently was one.
But also my father was one of the original members of the Koehler dog training team at Car-dun-al, in Elgin, IL., so I learned alot from the age of 7 to 16 in going to matches and competitions and watching and assisting him train at home with his dog.
In the mean time I had purchased a male dog from an Oil Tanker line and named him Max.
He turned out to be my son's best buddy. Even went down the slide with him into the pool. Steve shown here at 2 1/2 years old and max 4 mos.
Brittany front and Max in back laying on the deck.
Brittany now was two yrs. old. We finished basic training, went into novice and we where working on our CD. She passed OFA and was what I had considered an excellect bitch. After carefull considertion, weighing out my odds as to what could all go wrong and the expences behind having puppies, I decided to breed Brittany, and go out and look for a good stud dog to breed her with. I looked everywhere and no one had anything I was looking for untill I came across a breeder in Woodstock who ended up becomming my best friend, Harold Gluff. He is pictured below holding onto a photo of one of his favorite dogs Ollle Bear.
One of his studs I felt complimented my bitch well and that was Cuno Vom Praxmarer.
This is Cuno V Praxmarer, please excuse, photo taken just after breeding! He was everything I was looking for in a male to breed with my bitch Brittany. He had Mussle, bone, good top line, excellent head and conformation, tight feet, short muzzle, dark markings and brains to boot.
Loved by many, hated by few. Mostly hated by the Old Bitties!! , you know who you are, and Harold hated them too!
Harold is a very dear friend of mine. I was very saddended with his passing. We worked well together and came up with some pretty impressive pups and ideas. Sure we had our arguments and dissagreements, but we also got along and agreed on many techniques and knew what we wanted in our puppies. With us both being I'll, having health problems we didn't know which one of us was going to go first. We had hoped neither, but alot of thing happen we wish never did, or that we have no controle of. Unfortunately Harold passed February 2000.
I miss you you Harold, You old fart!
May you rest in peace. I Love You Always !
This is Ike, he was the result of breeding Brittany with Cuno. Pictured above at 9 mos, sorry the photos aren't the best, but they were the only ones I could find at the time.
Just prior to earning my CD with Brittany she passed away from pyrometria and Ike, he died shortly after he turned two to blastomycosis. He had a wonderful personality, rather a clown, but ment business at training. His scores were high and so was his ego.
Alot of dogs were comming and going. Dogs I purchased out of my lines I found nothing but problems with. I had placed dogs that threw the wrong color being, beige, tan or wheat, no top lines when they reached close to adult hood, bowed legs, long ears, long faces or they were dysplastic, and I put them down if it was bad enough. They had to look like a Rottie. If I don't get more than 5 show prospects out of a litter I don't do that breeding again. Im very Picky!!!! And I feel alot of other breeders out there should be as well :) I don't put all this money into my dogs and care for them as I do to end up with junk! (That means dogs with alot of faults.)
In the meen time, To my Son Steve, he was still young and having a grand old time. The puppies to him were almost like a new toy. But he never got sick of all the puppies. His dog Max and the females puppies he is feeding in this photo, their mother Abby were altered and placed in pet homes.
It took me a while, but I learned that American style Rotties where not for me.
With trying to run a household by yourself and being somewhat disabled can sometimes be overwhelming. I have several arthragalities, but am looking forward to the day I get back into the ring for competition, working that is. I do not show! It is too political. The last few shows I went to the Labrador retreivers in the next ring over looked better than the Rotts showing. Some of Rotties were small (knee high) tan or wheat in color almost whippet like, no mussle mass or bone, gross looking, they should of been dismissed. To quote a fellow breeder/handler, if we could all go into the ring with bags on our heads, so our dogs are being Judged and not the handler then I'll participate in the ring for Rotts.
Abby and her Puppies
Above, Max the largest, with my females Anka as a puppy, Abby and Brittany.
