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Fancy Talk
Interview with Patricia & Luis Sosa Bandog Frenchies
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The Healthy Fancy The Skinny on Frenchie Skin Disorders, by Lori Hunt DVM
Fancy Judging World Dog Show 2014 French Bulldogs
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Fancy Tricks
Aggression in Frenchies part 2, by Anna Denisova
Remembering Romeo
A look back on Am/Can CH Robobull Fabelhaft Xcelsior
The Frenchie Fancy 2014 - The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, images, photographs or other materials. By accepting and publishing advertising the publisher in no way recommends, guarantees or endorses the quality of the services of products within those advertisments. The information contained in this online and print magazine is for general information purpose only. The information is provided by us and our collaborators, and while every efford is made to provide information which is both current and correct, we make no representations on warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliavility, suitability or availability with respect to the online magazine or the information, products, services or related graphics contained within the online magazine for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In no event will Frenchie Fancy be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loos or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising for loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this online and print magazine.
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WESTMINSTER ISSUE!
f ancy beginnings
Welcome to the seventh issue of the Frenchie Fancy, your source for all things Frenchie worldwide!
Another year, another FBDCA National Specialty. We can’t wait to share some of the most beautiful Frenchies that will be attending the American even this year! And of course, as always, some of the top Frenchies around the world as well. For this issue, we interviewed Patricia Sosa, AKC judge and French Bulldog breeder along with her husband Luis Sosa, from the known kennel Bandog. We also had a chat with James Dalton about the late Romeo, who has greatly influenced our breed in multiple continents. We also have coverage of French Bulldogs at the World Dog Show 2014 and the always informative articles on training and health by our friends and specialists Anna Denisova and Dr. Lori Hunt, DVM.
Toni Saira (Finland), Karen Cram (Canada), Daniela HofmeisterAkkad (Austria) and Mourning Chang (Taiwan). You will find them with limited copies of our issue at select shows, so reserve yours before they run out! Alternatively, you can order your copy online, or purchase a full year subscription with a special price! For more details, please access our website: www.FrenchieFancy.com Our next edition will be the pre Westminster, post FBDCA National Specialty, and first one of the new year, so reserve your ad pages. See you all in Massachusetts for the FBDCA National specialty! Lots of love from the Fancy Team,
Connecting breeders, handlers, judges and enthusiasts from all parts of the world, the Frenchie Fancy is a worldwide publication dedicated to all things French Bulldogs. We believe that there are no borders nowadays. Breeders are able to find ways to combine their efforts no matter the distance, and we encourage this collaboration. As always, we would like to acknowledge our friends that help our publication’s visibility around the world: Anna Denisova (Italy), Ana Jagtiani (Spain), Sarah Ventham (UK), Kelly McClelland (Australia), Bitten Oldereide (Norway), Magnus Berglin (Sweden), Jakko Broersma (The Netherlands), Tove Rasmussen (Denmark),
Fernanda Barlow, Matthew Dover, Vivianne Mello The Frenchie Fancy Team
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FRENCHIE FANCY Creative Director Vivianne Mello
Photography Lena Salmina
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Marketing Director Matthew Dover mkt@frenchiefancy.com
EUROPE
AUSTRALIA
Ana Jagtiani (Spain) Anna Denisova (Italy) Bitten Oldereide (Norway) Magnus Berglin (Sweden) Sarah Ventham (UK) Jakko Broersma (NL) Toni Saira (Finland) Daniela Akkad (Austria) Tove Rasmussen (Denmark) Mourning Chang (Taiwan)
Kelly McClelland
info@frenchiefancy.com
Advertising Director Fernanda Barlow
Distribution
Contributors Anna Denisova James Dalton Lori Hunt, DVM Luis & Patricia Sosa Matthew Dover Roger Barlow
BRAZIL / SOUTH AMERICA
Vivianne Mello UNITED STATES
Matthew Dover (East) Fernanda Barlow (West)
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FANCY advertisers BRASIL BORGES, Monik & Sérgio (HARAS CHEROKEE) ...... 44, 45 MENEZES, Claudia & Alexandre (DICAR) ................... 85 ROCHA, Alex & Ronny (NOVIZALA) ........................ 71, 80 SLAVIERO, Augusto (SLAVIEROBULL) ................... 100, 101 CANADA MCINTYRE, Anne (FOXMOOR) ..................................... 12 ROCKFORD, Richard (ARISTOCRAFTS) ........................... 7 STJOHN, Shelley (ROBOBULL) ................................ 92, 93 STOYKA, Dr. William (FOXMOOR) ............................... 12 CHINA LUO, Viva & Roy NG ............................................ 30, 31 COSTA RICA MIRANDA, Pedro (DEL MENTHON) ........................... 52 CROATIA MAGDIG, Sanja & Hrvoje (BLACK BETTY) ..................... 50 ECUADOR SOTOMAYOR, Juan Carlos (SECUTOR) .............. 71, 80-82 ENGLAND FRIEND, Natalie & Darren (KINGFRIEND) ...................... 38 FINLAND SAIRA, Toni & Noora (CARTE TRUFFÉ) ......................... 59 IRELAND CROARKIN, Kevin & Lisa (KESASONAS) ...................... 37 ITALY DENISOVA, Anna (HELLZAPOPPIN) ...................... 78, 79 JAPAN YAMANAKA, Kazumi (COCO VIALATTE) .............. 88, 89 PERU SANCHEZ, Miguel (SANSIMONBULLS) ................... 90 RUSSIA KHOMASURIDZE, Revaz (A’VIGDORS) ................... 60-63 KOZHEVNIKOVA, Elena (IZ PALEVYH BULDOGOV) ........ 72 SALMIN, Elena (WILA HOGS) .................................... 91
THAILAND PHRUKWATTHANAKUL, Viruch (NAPACHAI) ... 10, 11, 66, 67 UNITED STATES BERREY, Dave (HOMEWOOD) ................................ 12-15 BERRY, Pat (PETITE CHERIE) ................................ 12-15 BROTT, Karen (CHAMBORD) ................................ 46, 47 BUTTERFIELD, Shannon (FANTASIA) .................... 28-31 COVALUCCI, Billy (CAMPCOVO) ............................. 48, 49 DALTON, James (FABELHAFT) ....................... 64, 92, 93 DENNY, Nicole & James (PINNACLE) ................. 64, 65 DOVER, Matthew (BELLA LUNA) ............................ 48, 49 DYKES, Calvin & Sharon (TRÉS BEAU) .................... 16, 17 ELLIS, Paula (XANNA DU) ......................................... 99 FAGIN, Teddy ............................................................. 36 GOLDEN, Gale & Tom (MORGAN MANOR) ................. 77 HAMMAN, Blake (LA BÊTE) .................................... 54, 55 HILSMAN, Roxanne (HILSMAN) ............................ 15, 53 HUNT, Lori (ASSISI) ............................................. 42, 43 IHDE, Terra ................................................................ 33 JOHNSON, Carol (IMAGINE) .................................... 73 JORDAN, Landon & Jennifer ..................... 8, 9, 102, 103 KAUFMAN, Paula (MIRADON) ................................... 51 MCCARTHY, Barbara (BANYAN) .................... 26, 27, 86, 87 MILLER, Stephen (PÉCHÉ MIGNON) .......................... 32, 33 NORTON, Toni ........................................................ 34, 35 NOWICKI, S.John (ADORE) ......................................... 70 ORBAN-STAGLE, Suzanne (JUSTUS) ..................... 34, 35 PATTON, Kevin (DAMARI) ............................................ 70 PHOTOS, Peter (LA BÊTE) .................................... 54, 55 RAMOS, Jennifer (DOLCE) ................................... 68, 69 RICE, Kimberly ........................................................... 34 SCHOTT, Monica (HOTSCHOTT) .............................. 41 SHAW, Nancy (TXSTARS) ......................... 19, Back Cover SHAW, Patricia Hearst (DIVA) ............. Cover, 2, 3, 54, 55 SIEGMAN, Elena (ROCKYDELL) ............................ 13, 14 SMITH, Robert (PÉCHÉ MIGNON) .......................... 32, 33 SOSA, Luis & Patricia (BANDOG) ......................... 18, 19 WHITON, D’Ann (CAROUSEL) ......................................... 83 WOLFINGER, Linda (LWOLFRANCH) ........................... 84 VENEZUELA ARRAEZ, Luis Armando (DE COMBRAY) .............. 26, 27
this issue’s stats - 17 countries. 104 pages.
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CH Bandog’s Earnin’ Respect
the ancy talk interview with luis & patricia sosa from the american kennel bandog Luis and Patricia Sosa have been involved with the French Bulldog breed for a few decades and have helped shape the breed in North America. They have also had the opportunity to judge dogs in many parts of the world, and their Bandog Frenchies have gathered many Championships and honors throughout the years. But for a succesful breeding program, there needs to be a lot of planning and studying. Now you have the chance to see what is behind the Bandog French Bulldogs name as Patty shares with us a bit of their past, present and future. 20 frenchiefancy.com
First we’d like to find out about your start in the breed. How long have you been breeding frenchies? Luis got his first Frenchie in 1975 from Terrett-Hampton lines. I got my first Frenchie from Louise Sanders (Bandog Bullmastiffs) in the mid 1980’s as a gift for my son to show in Juniors. I’ve been breeding Frenchies pretty much since then, and stopped breeding Bullmastiffs shortly after Luis and I were married.
What dogs were relevant back then and how would they compare in type to today’s french bulldogs? Ch. Smiths Bon Mot, a lovely brindle dog was being shown at the time that Luis started in Frenchies, he was the grand-sire of Ch. Adams’ Unique Physique (Rocky), probably the single most important dog behind our line. Rocky was the sire of Herschel Cox’s Ace and Andy (Ch. Cox’s Goodtime Ace in the Hole and Ch. Cox’s Goodtime Dandy Andy) litermates out of Ch. Cox’s Goodtime Dorene.
CH BANDOG’S ONE IN A MILLION “GAMBIT”
Who were your greatest influences in the breed in the beginning? Can you name mentors and their dogs that truly impressed you? My greatest influence was Louise Sanders who taught me about dogs and how to breed them. If there is a single individual to whom I owe my success, it would be Louise. As far as Frenchies go, Janis Hampton, Suzzie Segal, Bud Niles and Ed Bingham, were all great folks to discuss the breed, which we did often. I have a huge amount of respect for them all, and tried hard to study the dogs of their breeding. I must also say, that reading the French Bullytin and studying Frenchies every weekend at dog shows, were my greatest learning tool.
In your noted successes at the beginning of your involvement, what is a dog that you owned or bred that you felt best fit your idea of the standard? My first big winner was Ch. Bandog’s Earnin’ Respect. From the time he was 4 weeks of age, I knew he was destined for greatness. Looking back, I was just lucky, for as we know, at 4 weeks they are all cute. Back then, the gene pool was very small and fewer number of Frenchies were shown. Many of the Group and BIS winners of the time were brindle, and Ernie was one of the first cream Group winners since the Ralanda dogs of Mrs. Amanda West. Earnie opened the door for me in the dog world to be taken seriously. A huge thanks really had to go to Ms Dorothy D. Nickels, for having the eye and strength, to promoted both of us. Dorothy gave Ernie his first Best in Show and his first FBDCA National Specialty. She said she always admired the fact that I was a breeder-owner-handler. We stayed close friends until her passing.
CH BANDOG’S EARNIN’ RESPECT
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FANCY TALK - Patricia Sosa “BANDOG”
What dog was the most influential in your breeding program back then and why? Probably our Ch. Bandog’s One In A Million (Gambit). He produced 50 Champion get in very limited breeding as he was not at public stud. He was sired by one of the two males I bought from Herschel Cox, Ch. K N D Foxy Joe of Cox’s Goodtime, who in turn was sired by Ch. Cox’s Goodtime Ace in the Hole out of Unique Physique. Gambit was a single puppy litter and was born after his father had died, so he was very special to me. Gambit could be pretty much bred to anything and he threw himself. While saying this, and looking back at my old pedigrees, I do realize the best Frenchie I ever bred or owned was our Ch Bandog’s Joy to The World, Tia. She was Gambit’s dam. She was a Fearless and Gambler of Linewood granddaughter. She had such strength on both her sire’s and dam’s side. She also had a 1/8 out cross that went to the Von Zuylenstede line. I had the good fortune to buy Ch Balihai Roxie Sasha from Bud Niles and Ed Bingham. Unfortunately, he was never collected or frozen, as I was going through a divorce. Looking back that was a mistake as he had so much to offer the breed. Tia unfortunately only had 2 litters. The vet suggested cleaning her teeth, and she never made it out of the anesthesia. I have never had a Frenchie’s teeth cleaned since.
CH BANDOG’S JUMP FOR JOY (TOP PICTURES) CH BANDOG’S GARDIEN ANGEL (LEFT - TOP) CH BANDOG’S A MILLION WISHES (LEFT - BOTTOM)
What dog do you consider to be your most “famous” dog from the past and why? It would be a tie between Ch Bandog’s Jump for Joy, and Ch. Bandog’s Ernin’ Respect, but for different reasons. Ernie won the Breed at three National Specialties, his last one from the Veteran’s Class as well as 11 All-Breed Best in Shows, his last Best again as a Veteran. Joy was a born show dog, and she reminded so many judges of Amanda West’s Francine. She was only the second Frenchie, ever to hold the title of Number 1 Non-Sporting Dog in 2004, forty years after Francine. She went on to winning a National Best of Breed, a BOS an Independent Specialty BOS from the Veteran’s Class, and 20 All-Breed Best In Shows. I feel she was an incredible ambassador for the breed. 22 frenchiefancy.com
CH BaliHai Quad
How long were you in the breed before you focused on line breeding? Was this something you were shown to yield success in the past or something you were trying for yourselves?
CH BANDOG’S PRINCESS WARRIOR (TOP) CH LEBULL ADAMS DINA OF RAGTIME CH BANDOG GARDIEN CAPEDCRUSADER
Coming from showing and breeding Bullmastiffs, and as a breeder/owner/handler, breeding was always my first and foremost interest. My mentor, Louise Sanders was a very strong believer in close line breedings, and explained that it was the only way to get consistency in a litter. Keep in mind she always said, you first must know what is behind the breeding, because the bad comes through as well as the good. That was one reason we have been so hard on our dogs in making the decision of which dogs to keep not only depended on the virtues they had to offer but also their pedigree. I feel strongly that coming from a Working breed, I not only expected typey dog’s, but ones that could also move. The Sport of Dogs, whether you like it or not, it’s a tiered sport. Once you win the breed, if you are only a pretty face, you will not climb much further up the ladder. I also studied successful breeders, of other breeds, and spoke with them about their breeding practices. One thing they all had in common were that they line bred. I took what was a common denominator and went forward from that point.
How has line breeding served you with success? What would you say have been the negatives to line breeding? We pretty much only line breed as that is the only way to maintain type. We outcross to bring new dogs into the breeding pool and when we are getting too closely line bred. You have to bring in new blood from time to time to keep from having health issues. The most important thing to keep in mind is to line breed on quality. Line bred mediocrity produces the same. The only negative we’ve had to deal with is finding other line-bred dogs when we need to outcross. October 2014
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Very close line breedings/inbreeding is rarely done in our breed. What is the closest line breedings you have done and what success has that produced for you?
“Bulldoggers” have a formula of “line breed, line breed, outcross”. Do you feel this is a theory that translates to our breed as well?
We typically do not inbreed though one bitch that we sold was bred back to her sire and we did get a puppy back that finished easily. That particular bitch was out of a total outcross and not out of our line. We mostly do half siblings breedings and breeding back to a grandsire.
I don’t think that there is a “formula” since breeding is much more of an art than a science. We typically try to line breed with around a ¼ outcross. That however is not a hard fast rule. You must always take into account the strengths and weaknesses of the dogs you are considering in the breeding, as well as knowing what they’ve produced in the past. Sometimes we do full outcrosses since there are not too many line-bred dogs out there that we want to incorporate into our line.
Once again looking back at some of our top winning and best producing dogs, the common denominator is all were half brother/sister breeding, on the sire.
In more recent years it has been noted that you have imported dogs to introduce into your lines. What was the purpose behind the lines you chose and has incorporating them produced what you hoped for? The main reason we imported dogs from Russia was to try to bring “brindle” back into our line as some of our dogs were getting very dark. We also felt our dogs needed more bone. The Russian dogs go back to European dogs very quickly-one or two generations back. Of those imports, we only kept two dogs and two bitches to incorporate into our breeding program. Most people who import dogs are looking for their next Special. That is totally unrealistic since many foreign dogs are sold quite young. We were looking for healthy sound dogs with a similar “look” to our dogs that we could breed with our line-bred dogs. By owning them, we could do health screening and see how they produced, what their strengths and weaknesses were and what they threw. Our best two bitches right now are out of the same brindle sire, our Ch A’vigdors Code D’Honneur of Bandog’s. He is not linebred at all, but the dogs in his pedigree have beautiful type. He has blended well with our girls, who are very tightly bred. He is the sweetest dog alive, very sound, extremely healthy, and easy on the eyes. When I was in Russia judging I was taken to the homes where many the dogs lived. I fell in love with Ch Leiboll’s Aud Amonestar. I had judged her littermate, Leiboll’s Alfa Alfa, and found him also very beautiful. I purchased an Alfa Alfa daughter, and I have a daughter of his sister, out of the beautiful Aud Amonester. You see what’s coming, and you are right. Half brother half sister is right around the corner. I now have my beautiful pied, Apple, a Grandaughter of Aud Amonestar, and a beautiful brindle boy grandson of Alfa Alfa. Both have Bandog’s Feel The Magic as their grandsire and great grandsire. And that’s how it goes. Always have a plan. A breeding is never done without a future. Did I get what I wanted?? Yes and more. Then I can take what I have coming up with from my out crosses, and I can work them back to my heavily line bred dogs.
It is said that there are varying “types” out being shown in today’s breed ring. Do you feel this is true? What do you feel is the contributor to this? We feel that there are good typey Frenchies and then there’s everything else. I think it’s pretty easy to figure out what we like by looking at our dogs over the past 30 years. Many are pictured on our website. Certainly some have been better than others (and some downright awful), but I think we’ve maintained a certain “look” to our dogs over the years. We as breeders interpret the standard with putting strengths in different priorities. One thing I do see with breeding is it is often done for convenience, cost restrictions, or breeding with your heart not your head, or without a plan. What I mean by breeding with your heart is you have a dog that lives with you and love very much. Everyday you look at them, and no matter the faults you start to overlook them since they tug at your Ch A’VIGDORS CODE D’HONNEUR OF BANDOG’S
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: CH BAYHILL CELEBRATE! CH DAULOKKE’S NORDIQUE HAUT COUTURE CH DAULOKKE’S CLAUDE MONET
Of your breeding what is a current dog you feel really embodies the standard and why?
heart. So much dog showing is obvious; we show what we have. No dog is perfect, and much depends on what the competition is in your area, as to how much success you will have. Just because you win does not make your dog a great representative of the breed.
Our Ch. Bandog’s Now UCIT at Tx Star, a double Joy Great granddaughter. She’s a beautiful brindle bitch who is our house dog. She is compact with a magnificent head, topline and movement. She is as close to perfection as we have bred.
How can we collectively as breeders get on the same page as to our correct breed type?
You have bred and shown top dogs as well as judged around the world, what is a goal that you have left to fulfill?
Breed to the Standard as approved by the French Bulldog Club of America and the AKC. We often wonder what standard some “breeders” are breeding to! Many foreign dogs are now being used and shown in this country. The fact that it’s foreign bred doesn’t in itself make it good, and they’re often bred to a different standard from ours. If every dog were a cookie cutter in all breeds would we keep trying for breeding that perfect dog???
Judging the breed in England, and at the Garden. We’re also working on developing a line of pieds with a similar look to the rest of our dogs. I really have my goal set at winning a national and All-breed Best in Show with a pied. CH BANDOG’S HEART OF A LION
What dogs historically not of your own breeding do you feel are standout dogs to the standard? Ch. Terrette’s Tourbillon, Ch. Balihai’s Quad, Ch. Adam’s Unique Physique, Ch. Ralanda Ami Pierre, Ch. Hampton’s Chevalier, Ch Colonel Trusardi De La Parure, Ch Taurustrail Fearless, and last but not least, one of my favorite bitches, Ch Daulokke’s Nordique Haut Couture.
What dog in current times not of your breeding catches your eye? Daulokke’s Claude Monet, Ch. Bayhill’s Celebrate!, Ch A’Vigdors Ramasseur Des Compliments; a brindle, a cream and a pied! October 2014
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the healthy ancy The Skinny on Frenchie Skin Disorders
by Lori Hunt, DVM & French Bulldog Breeder
We have all seen, owned, or known a frenchie with “bad skin”. They are itchy, crusty and otherwise uncomfortable. Unfortunately for our beloved French bulldogs, skin disease is a very real concern in this breed. Several types of underlying diseases can cause skin issues. Some of these are atopic (allergic) dermatitis, bacterial or fungal infections, hypothyroidism and other endocrine problems, such as Cushing’s syndrome. When talking about dermatologic disorders, we must be careful to specify with which one we are dealing. Most of these conditions are heritable, meaning they can be passed from generation to generation by the inheritance of genes that predispose the dog to developing these issues. For this article, I will define these dermatologic conditions in the following sections.
ATOPIC DERMATITIS Atopic dermatitis is also referred to as allergic dermatitis or atopy. Atopy is an inherited predisposition to develop allergic symptoms to an otherwise harmless substance, or “allergen”. The kinds of things that cause us to have runny noses and eyes (pollen, dust, dander, etc.) most often cause dogs to develop skin problems. Also, foods can become allergens to some dogs. Certain protein sources, grains, vegetables, and many others can also cause a dog to exhibit allergic symptoms. These symptoms develop after repeated exposure to this allergen, rendering the dog “allergic” to it. Symptoms most often arise in animals 1-5 years of age. This helps explain why, all of a sudden, a dog that showed no signs early
on, is now allergic after repeated exposure. The incidence of atopy is increasing in both animals and humans, and is most common in purebred dogs due to its inherited nature. Intradermal skin testing and/or blood testing is used to diagnose atopy. Often times, when it is thought that a food may be the cause of the atopy, a food trial or elimination diet is tried for 6-8 weeks to see if symptoms resolve. If so, this can be considered diagnostic for a food allergy. October 2014
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THE HEALTHY FANCY - The Skinny on Frenchie Skin Disorders
BACTERIAL OR FUNGAL INFECTIONS Pyoderma, also known as bacterial folliculitis, is the most common type of bacterial skin infection in the dog. It is characterized by a multitude of symptoms such as skin fold infections in the face, between the toes, around the vulva in the bitch, external ear canal infections, chin acne, pustules, crusts, etc. The most common bacterium isolated from cultures of these dogs is Staphylococcus intermedius. This is actually a normal resident bacterium of canine skin, but under certain circumstances it can take over and cause infection of the skin in some dogs. If a dog is itchy due to atopy, and scratches, it can break the skin which then can allow microorganisms to enter and cause an infection. Usually pyodermas are secondary to underlying abnormalities of the metabolic or immune systems, i.e. allergies, skin parasites (mites, fleas) and endocrine diseases, like hypothyroidism. There is, however, also an idiopathic primary bacterial folliculitis most common in shorthaired dogs. Idiopathic means a folliculitis of spontaneous origin without an underlying abnormality. Pyodermas are not limited to bacterial origin, but can also erupt with a fungal component, such as yeast or ringworm. It is important to get to the source of the infection, particularly with recurrent infections.
ENDOCRINE DISORDERS Endocrine diseases such as hypothyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s syndrome) can also result in dermatologic issues in the canine. Hypothyroidism is perhaps the most common and notable endocrine issue in the dog, and for the matter of brevity, it will be my focus here. Hypothyroidism has an inherited form as well as a form from an unknown/ undetermined origin. According to some researchers, there are dogs that inherit a genetic susceptibility to disease that attacks their own immune systems. The presence of autoantibodies in the thyroid test is considered by some researchers and breeders to be a forecaster of autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis, the inherited form of the disease. Breeding dogs should have their thyroid function assessed.
SKIN ISSUES AND OUR FRENCHIES There has always existed a debate amongst French bulldog breeders that light colored dogs more often suffer from skin allergies. I, too, have seen the creams and fawns with chronic moth eaten coats, but I have seen it just as often in brindles, pieds, and even black masked fawns. I have seen it in cream dogs born from 2 cream parents, AND I have seen it in brindle dogs born from 2 brindle parents. As a veterinarian and fellow breeder, I have NOT found evidence to support a higher incidence in “lighter” coated dogs. 40 frenchiefancy.com
It appears that the skin issues we are seeing in French bulldogs are not, in fact, color sensitive, but instead are related to genetics and environment. Instead, I have found it to be inherited in certain lines and/or environments, and completely color blind. This common feeling that lighter coats are more often involved may be because lesions are easier to see on the lighter coat colors. But so this article is not based on my opinion only, I interviewed a renowned veterinary dermatologist to get her feedback on the skin issues that she sees in our breed. Alice Jeromin, DVM, Dipl. ACVD, is a board certified dermatologist who practices in Cleveland, OH, and is greatly respected in the veterinary world. She is a published author on many dermatologic topics as well as a speaker at multiple veterinary conferences around the country. I questioned her with regard to coat color and French bulldog skin issues, heritability of skin issues, as well as several other factors, such as intact vs. altered, young vs. old, import vs. American bred, etc. I did ask her to broaden her answers to other breeds as well if she felt it was necessary. She sees a moderately sized French bulldog practice, and she states, “the atopics I see are both fawn and black {brindle} and white.” In regard to inheritance of atopy, Dr. Jeromin states, “the only study of atopy as far as inheritance was done in golden retrievers and 50% were found to be genetic and 50% found to be environmental.” She also had a few interesting observations in that “atopic French bulldogs seem to have a lot of bacterial pyoderma as an accompanying secondary problem” and that while most of the French bulldogs she sees are altered, she did witness “flare ups while in heat”. Lastly, Dr. Jeromin mentioned “the latest findings in atopics are that they can become spontaneously food allergic so I always prefer my atopic patients to be on hypoallergenic diet as well.” It appears that the skin issues we are seeing in French bulldogs are not, in fact, color sensitive, but instead are related to genetics and environment. If we truly look at genetics and study pedigrees of affected dogs, I think many will be surprised at the commonality of lines and/or environmental factors in these dogs, which goes way beyond coat color in this breed.
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f ancy judging
2014 WORLD DOG SHOW - FRENCH BULLDOGS June 20, 2014 - Helsinki - Finland
pictures courtesy of DOGXPRESS / PETRI ORLING, KATJA RAUSSI, SATU PELLIKAINEN & PING-PING PANDA
Best of Breed - CACIB dog, MV-14
A’VIGDORS RAMASSEUR DES COMPLIMENTS (Nikulina A, Moscow)
Best of Opposite Sex - CACIB bitch, MV-14
A’VIGDORS CACHAREL AMOR AMOR ELIXIR PASSION (Tygunova Olga, Moscow)
Best of Breed - Veteran, MVV-14 ZON MIREKL ROKET BOMB (Tygunova Olga, Moscow)
Best of Opposite Sex - Veteran, MVV-14 FRENCH AFFAIR’S WOODY WOTAN (Ihalainen-Saira Noora)
Junior Dog, JMV-14
DAULØKKE´S CLAUDE MONET (Rasmussen Tove, Søndersø)
Best of Breed - Puppy SORMADI MUREY (Sorokina D., Moscow)
Best of Opposite Sex - Puppy
IGL MEDGIK SAMBUCA (Gladyshevskaya Irina, MURMANSK)
Best of Breed - Breeder CARTE TRUFFÉ (Ihalainen-Saira Noora)
Best of Breed - Brace
Junior Bitch, JMV-14
IACTA ALEA EST DE LA BÊTE (Hearst Shaw Patricia)
CARTE TRUFFÉ PRINCE COCO VIALATTE CARTE TRUFFÉ PRETTY COCO VIALATTE (Saira Toni)
World Dog Show - French Bulldogs - August 2014
I
t was a great honor and pleasure to judge the French Bulldog males and Best of Breed at the magnificent WDS 2014 in Helsinki. As I write this three weeks have passed after the event where I had 84 Frenchies in my ring. This major canine event was a huge success, now it is perfect to go through this experience and judging appointment as the strongest emotions are already stabilized and I have my feet strongly on the ground again. The general quality was a positive surprise. The breed has become very – even too – popular in many countries and I am used to see very mixed quality in the rings. Most of the dogs presented to me were sound Frenchies without exaggerated details, breathing in a normal way and moving like they should move. The dogs placed among the four best in every class had in common beautiful heads, typical faces and wonderful expressions, as well as easy free movements. All of them presented strong champion quality, also all the dogs shortlisted for the competition for placements. The dogs were mostly handled well. I never allow in any breed handling with tight leashes or too fast running and this was something I had to tell to several handlers. All of them corrected their style immediately and were perfectly able to show the dogs in an excellent way without forcing them to unnatural gait. In my ring I saw only fair and respectful treatment of the dog which is extremely important to me.
JUDGED BY MRS. KIRSI TEVALIN The most common fault in proportions was too long body often combined with low legs. There were a couple of too short bodies as well. In the latter cases, the movements were rather stiff with no reach. The toplines were more or less excellent or very good, no exaggerated roaches, and a few straight toplines though. The size of the French Bulldog is getting quite big. I would like to have scales in the ring just to see how much they really weigh. I’m sure that many of the dogs presented to me were close to 14 kg, a little over or under. My winners were not of the smallest size, but they all represent such a great quality with sound and typical details that the large size does not matter. To combine power and small size is tricky; there is a challenge to the breeders. The atmosphere by the ringside was great showing true sportsmanship. It was wonderful that the very international crowd gave a big hand in each and every competition class regardless the nationalities of the dogs competing for the placements or the titles. Thank you for that! The day was gorgeous, and the icing on the cake was the choice of the Best of Breed among the six super Frenchies. The BOB winner’s quality and charisma was overwhelming and unique. He is absolutely one of the most beautiful French Bulldogs I have ever seen.
-- Kirsi Tevalin
The head types were mostly excellent. They were broad and square with appropriate wrinkles, short but not exaggeratedly short muzzles. In some dogs the base of the muzzle could have been fuller or better padded. Only a few dogs had too narrow nostrils. In general the lower jaws curved beautifully but quite often they should have been a bit more broad and square. The ears were mostly correctly placed to “ten to two”, but many dogs had rather large ears. Mostly the dogs were able to breathe very normally. In a few cases I wanted to keep the dog a bit longer on the table to observe his breathing and when the dog was on the floor I stayed near him for a longer period of time, just to check how the breathing turned to normal after running around. The nostrils are really not the crucial factor when evaluating sound breathing; respiratory problems can be seen in the whole dog’s body. I had to punish only a couple of dogs because of somehow heavy breathing by dropping the quality from excellent to very good, fortunately there were no abnormalities like constantly snoring dogs that would have resulted disqualification. October 2014
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f ancy tricks
r. mike nichols, “Lilly & Blanca” Transparent Watercolor - website: mnico.weebly.com
AGGRESSION IN FRENCH BULLDOGS, part 2
by Anna Denisova, CTC & French Bulldog breeder & Exhibitor - Hellzapoppin Frenchies
After the release of our previous issue I received quite a number of letters that inspired me to go forward with this topic. I’d like to thank everyone for the feedback. I am glad that the material is useful to some of you. For those (of you), who hadn’t read the first part of the article, I’d like to reaffirm the main points. We talked about aggression as a normal and necessary behavior in all animals including French Bulldogs. Two typical issues of Frenchie behavior were discussed: “bulling” (meant as inappropriate playing skills and/or inability to read other dogs body language) and dog-dog resource guarding (or protecting and competing for the valuable resources such as food toys or attention). At the end of the article I added a reading list for those willing to understand this complex issue in depth.
This time two other kinds of aggression in Frenchies will be discussed: sibling rivalry and barrier frustration. When two or more dogs in the same household fight regularly, it is called “sibling rivalry” or “intra-household dog-dog aggression”. These are usually the most difficult and stressful cases for both dog trainers and the owners. Sibling rivalry may involve two or more dogs of different breeds, sizes and ages, but it is reported that the worst cases often occur between female dogs not related in any way. “Sibling rivalry” always occurs between dogs living together for the large part of their lives. The “forced group” they are put into will affect the individual behavior of each single dog. This is where each dog’s personal
Aggression in French Bulldogs II - by Anna Denisova
“issues” come on the scene and determine the general balance of the group. In cases where the issue goes on for a longer period of time, it is possiblee that one of the dogs becomes overwhelmed and feels constantly under threat. Because of this, aggressive behaviors happen more often and it’s easier to trigger it. There could be many reasons why it happens, but the main reason is competing over the resources such as limited space or attention. This is especially true when talking about a breeder’s home where most of the dogs are intact and reproduce. Therefore, not only do they compete for the standard package of goodies available, but also for the reproduction possibilities. GENERAL GUIDELINES TO KEEP EVERYONE AT PEACE
- Start early general training. Teach every dog good manners from the very start. Teach impulse control exercises like sit, stay, down, and stay and wait before passing doors. Work first with each single dog and than with a group. - Implement a “Nothing Is Free” system, where the dog has to earn stuff to get it. - Teach you dogs to relax. It’s essential your Frenchies know and love to chill in their crates. - Teach the dogs from early days to enjoy each other’s company. (When Buddy is here, I get a great treat. I love Buddy). WHEN PROBLEMS ARISE, DON’T LOSE YOUR COOL
- Get help from a competent behavioral counselor at the earliest signs of trouble. - Early identification and intervention are critical to preventing conflicts. This requires good observational skills as well as correct interpretation of behaviors and their intentions. - Manage your dogs. Separate dogs in conflict right away. Use pens or baby-gates for safety. Observe carefully all of the interactions and guide them into the right direction by a previously developed action plan. It is a essential to avoid every possibility of conflict between the dogs. - Remove all the triggers and keep general arousal level low - Know how to stop the dog fight. And have tools ready.
Since human attention is a very valuable resource to fight over, owners of multiple Frenchie groups must be very conscious of her/his own actions: - Avoid putting on morality glasses when evaluating behavior. What I mean here is that contrary to traditional beliefs, aggression is not a trait of a bad dog that should be punished. Aggression is always a sign that your Frenchie has difficulty dealing with something and he/she needs your help. - Humans being “alpha” in the pack is also potentially damaging when we need to deal with sibling rivalry issues. Some owners happen to think that showing a dog “who commands” by using very physical and even abusive methods can help, but in reality it only creates adversarial owner-pet relationship and adds more stress to already tense household. Physically punishing your French Bulldog may scare them, but it will not teach them an alternative behavior. - It is very important to always try to have equal and fair relationships with each dog in your home. As a breeder I do think it’s very tricky to do. Sometimes having an important winning dog can bring us to give more attention to them, other times our need of a true companion puts one dog before the others in the house life, or else a long-waited new entry can conquer all the attentionn. This kind of understandable preferences can put peace and balance under threat. Even if the dog never felt the need to protect his/her possessions (place close to the Mom, for example), he or she very probably will. Sibling rivalry is a very difficult problem to live with. It takes knowledge, hard work, and commitment to modify the dog’s approach and behavior. Aggression can never be treated 100%, so there is always a risk of future incidents. The best way to deal with the issue is prevention and careful selection of the dogs living in the kennel (and used in breeding programs). When bad behavior is already present strict management is always a good choice. But remember, management never resolves the issue, it only helps the immediate need to keep everyone safe. The last kind of “angry” Frenchie issues is Barrier Frustration. Barrier frustration is the aggressive response of the dog (often whining, barking, growling, and lunging) at the object of desire (often a dog or a person passing by). Bright examples of barrier frustration are dogs
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barking at the fence or a window, dogs barking in the crate or on leash when other dogs approach. What actually happens is this: initially all of the dogs and puppies have an instinct to, let say, greet the other dog or a person, but there is something, like a leash or a fence, that prevents the dog to act like a dog and makes it feel frustrated. Over some time this situation is repeated and learning occurs. The dog long ago associate what is supposed to be a pleasant stimuli (another dog) with a very bad feeling of frustration. The only way the dog has to get rid of the stress is to bark it out loud. This kind of behavior is self-rewarding, so it can be tricky to modify.
the last time to underline that this behavior is nothing more but the temporary emotional response to the combination of threats, resources and behavioral options in a dog. It could be that the dog is genetically predisposed to act this way, or maybe he or she learned through past experiences that being aggressive is the only way to act in certain situations. If your French Bulldog is aggressive, I am sure there is always a way to help. Do not give up! This time here is my special recommended video list on a topic + one great article: Dr. Suzanne Hetts’s video, Canine Body Language
The number one rule here is prevention. Try to organize your life so your dog doesn’t get upset. This can be done by using a full brick wall instead of chain link fences. Use plastic crates at the show and enclose them with a curtain so the Frenchie doesn’t need to look out for what’s going on.
CANINE FEAR, AGGRESSION AND PLAY DVD by Jean Donaldson
If you face the issue on-leash there are a lot of excellent tricks proposed in the “Reactive Rover” program (and book) by Kim Moeller. One of them is trying to distract the dog by giving excellent treats while the other dog is passing. If it looks like the other dog also doesn’t have a good impulse control on leash and may engage in aggressive behavior, just cross the street and go the other direction. Always try to avoid potential stress for your own dog, especially at the puppy age.
CALMING SIGNALS - WHAT YOUR DOG TELLS YOU DVD
I often see barrier frustration issues worsen because of non-collaboration from strangers. For example all of my neighbors were stopping at my gate to communicate with my dogs, trying to introduce them (through the gate) with their ,often not very well-mannered, dogs and kids. My solution to the problem was inviting people to come in for a play and socialization session instead of staying outside. It doesn’t work with everyone, but with most it actually does. Sure, barrier frustration is not the worst problem a person may have with a dog. Constant barking may result annoying the other dogs as well as provoke a high-arousal state and lead to aggression. That is why if the issue exists at your home, I would advise to evaluate the possible incorporation of behavioral management and modification to your daily routine. To close the aggression argument, I would like for
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FIGHTING DOMINANCE IN A DOG WHISPERING WORLD DVD by Jean Donaldson and Ian Dunbar by Turid Rugaas DOG AGGRESSION 2-VOL. DVD SET: BITING & FIGHTING by Ian Dunbar SKILLS FOR HANDLING YOUR REACTIVE OR HYPERACTIVE DOG: A WORKSHOP FOR DEVELOPING FOCUS AND IMPULSE CONTROL -PART 2: THE NEXT STEP FOR A PLEASANT WALK DVD
by Sophia Yin MULTIPLE DOG HOUSEHOLDS DVD by Sue Sternberg A TRAINER’S GUIDE TO TEACHING REACTIVE ROVER CLASSES DVD by Kim Moeller FEELING OUTNUMBERED? - HOW TO MANAGE & ENJOY A MULTI-DOG HOUSEHOLD DVD by Patricia McConnell Sibling Rivalry: The Intra-Dog/Intra-House Problems Daphne Robert-Hamilton with Terry Long, Published in Two Parts, January/April 2006 See you next issue,
Anna Denisova
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the outstanding ancy REMEMBERING ROMEO - AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES DALTON AM/CAN CH ROBOBULL FABELHAFT XCELSIOR (2001 - 2014) How did it happen that Romeo would come into your life? Call me old fashioned (as Dame Edna would say!) but I am a great believer in fate…! Over the last forty years that I have bred and exhibited Top winning dogs many have come to me unexpectedly or without much effort on my part. I feel like they “found” me as opposed to me finding them. I believe it was spring of 2000 that I first saw two lovely puppies bred by Shelley St. John and owned by Karen Cram. They were sired by Can. Champion Comepatabulls Ready to Rumble who was the first French Bulldog owned by Shelley and Dr. Kim St. John and out of the lovely CH. Xclusive De la Parure the foundation bitch for ROBOBULL. In the fall of that year I was attending the American and Canadian French Bulldog National Specialty shows which were held back to back on both sides of the border in Niagara Falls. Shelley came for the Canadian Specialty and we were introduced and chatted briefly about her puppies. It was a casual encounter. About a year later while perusing a Frenchie magazine over a cup of coffee I came across an advertisement Shelley had placed for the repeat breeding of her first babies. Although I was at that time working primarily with American bloodlines I had admired some of the European dogs and
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was thinking of incorporating some new blood into my already successful breeding program. Although I hadn’t spoken to Shelley since our brief meeting the previous year I picked up the phone and called her. Although we did not know it at the time that phone call would change both of our lives forever! Of course I had my heart set on a bitch but Shelley informed me that none of the girls were available and that the pick bitch would of course remain at ROBOBULL. However during the course of the conversation Shelley casually mentioned that she still had the pick male and had not decided whether to keep him or not. I asked how soon I could come to see him and two days later after an eight hour drive to Canada I arrived at the beautiful home of Dr. Kim and Shelley St. John in Welland, Canada. I will never forget seeing Romeo for the first time !...I think I may have elicited a tiny gay gasp!..(a sound many of you who know me will have heard before!).He was simply so beautiful. On that summer day in that tranquil setting his black coat shining his beautiful face looking up and those fat little tree trunk legs I was in love! After some discussion Shelley opened a good bottle of chardonnay and we celebrated what was to become the beginning of a lifelong friendship and one of the most successful partnerships the breed has ever known.
TOP - Romeo’s son, ROOK (BIS CH Daulokke’s Nordique Crouton), with Romeo himself. BOTTOM - BPIS Multi Group Can CH Fabelhaft Robobull Tresor le Noir, Multi CH Daulokke’s Nordique Haut-Couture and BIS CH Celestial Whereforarthou
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How was Romeo as a pet and a show dog? What were some of his greatest and for you most memorable wins?
We have limited frozen semen on Romeo so hopefully his legacy will continue to grow in time and we will see his influence continue for future generations.
Romeo was a wonderful companion… As sweet and loving on the inside as he was beautiful on the outside. He loved and enjoyed life and his Frenchie friends at FABELHAFT. Everyone who met him adored him and for several years he went to the office with Dr. John where he enjoyed greeting the children (who were not allergic to dogs). Even today some children ask when he is coming back. We never had any problems with him and were blessed he lived such a long and happy life. He liked the show ring and loved people but I don’t know that he would have enjoyed the campaign trail although he certainly could have been a top contender. He completed his American championship in just a few shows and his Canadian title in just one weekend starting at the French Bulldog Fanciers of Canada National Specialty with Best in Sweepstakes under breeder judge Roseanne Dehring (Rosewood) followed by Winners Dog and BOW under English Breeder judge Charles Satchell (Merrowlea and Tenafly).He completed his title the following day winning Best of breed from the classes and then Group One under Canadian breeder judge Dr. John Reeves Newson (Kishniga).He was always appreciated by breeder judges. I rarely showed him in the USA after his title but he was First award of Merit at the FBDCA National Specialty in 2003(before they had Select) in top competition under Barbara Dempsey Aldermann. That was a lovely win. He was very European in his look and at that time in the USA he looked different from many of the American dogs.
Are there specific dogs in his pedigree that you feel contributed to his quality and type, and also to his prowess as a producer?
It’s unquestionable that Romeo has been a tremendous producer in this breed and carries a legacy with his get and great get. Why do you feel he has been such a great producer? Good question! I feel he has been a great producer for three main reasons. 1. His Pedigree… Although at first glance his pedigree many appear to be an outcross further study will reveal many common denominators on both sides which combine beautifully. 2. His Phenotype… He had many outstanding qualities and the illusive ability to reproduce those qualities when bred to a wide variety of different pedigrees. 3. Carefully approved breedings… Although not used widely because we believe in quality rather than quantity he has made such an indelible mark on the breed worldwide. Our dogs have never been at public stud and we refuse more than we accept we are always willing to consider requests from SERIOUS breeders with quality bitches. 96 frenchiefancy.com
Well of course I think that all of the dogs in his pedigree have contributed in some way but his mother CH Xclusive de la Parure and many of the old beautiful De la Parure dogs I would say have contributed the most.
Of his fantastic children, what are some of the breedings that you feel were his greatest achievements as a stud dog? Gosh… This is difficult because I feel all of his breedings were successful and even with limited use he produced many outstanding children. One of his first and ultimately most famous breedings came when our friend Tove Rasmussen (Daulokke) sent the lovely Leibolls Praline to the USA where she stayed with us for several weeks. The resulting offspring of this fabulous litter included BIS CH. Daulokkes Nordique Crouton owned by Donna Cron, Kathy Mantych and myself. BIS Can.CH Daulokkes Nordique Moustique owned by Fabelhaft Robobull, Multi CH Daulokkes Nordique Haut Couture and CH Daulokkes Nordique Truffe owned by Daulokke. A dream litter for sure. Another early breeding to CH Shann’s Goodtime Celeste produced the lovely brothers Multi Group and FBDCA Top Twenty winner CH Celestial Whereforarthou owned by Casey Fletcher and CH Shann’s Goodtime in Hollywood, FBDCA Platinum ROM and OFA champion of health owned by Allen Weinberg and Derek Kowata. ROMEO’S GRANDSON - BISS GCH DEVINE’S LA CONFIDENTIAL
MULTIPLE GROUP & SPECIALTY WINNING AM/CAN CH
ROBOBULL FABELHAFT XCELSIOR 2001-2014 Bred by: Shelley St.John Owned by: James Dalton, Dr. John Turjoman, Shelley St.John
Sire: AM/CAN CH. COMEPATABULL’S READY TO RUMBLE
Dam: AM CH. XCLUSIVE DE LA PARURE
MULTI CH KARENDON’S JOYAU DE FRANCE COMEPATABULL’S KISHNIGA NICOLE
UNIC DE LA PARURE
UNBARA DE LA PARURE
AM/CAN CH KISHNIGA’S BENVENUTO AM/CAN CH MONITAPS ANGEL CAN CH ROBB ISLE EVAHAN POCKET CHANG’ KISHNIGA’S SHOWBIZ CHELSEA MULTI CH EGOISTE DE LA PARURE JACQUELLA OURAGAN HONNORE-TAMINO DE LA CHAMPETRE YSATIS DE LA PARURE
A complete version of Romeo’s Pedigree can be found online on: HTTP://INGRUS.NET/FRBULL/EN/DETAILS.PHP?ID=1181
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Most recently we were thrilled when his son we exported to Kelly McClelland in Australia after finishing his American championship undefeated in four consecutive shows Multi BIS BISS Am/Aus CH Fabelhaft Robobull Smokin’ Hot became the Number One French bulldog in Australia and another young son Am/Can CH Fabelhaft Robobull Rembrandt is a Group winner in South Korea for owner Hyeoncheol Kim. His influence continues generation after generation through his grandchildren and great grandchildren including FBDCA National Specialty and Top Twenty Winner BISS GCH Devine’s LA Confidential owned by breeder Mary Devine, Allen Weinberg and Derek Kowata.
photo by ALLEN WEINBERG
Two more gorgeous siblings sired by Romeo were from the beautiful Robobull Fabelhaft Eternal Flame (litter sister to History making BIS FBDCA National Specialty and Top Twenty winning Gold GCH Robobull Fabelhaft I’m on Fire) FBDCA National Specialty Winning GCH Robobull Fabelhaft Boomboompow has made her mark in Venuzuela for owner Diego Celis while her beautiful brother GCH.Robobull Fabelhaft Will-I-am has done the same his owners Billy Covalucci and Matthew Dover.
CH SHANN’S GOODTIME IN HOLLYWOOD CGC, ROM GCH ROBOBULL FABELHAFT WILL-I-AM
The 2014 Westminster BOB and FBDCA Top Twenty winner GCH Lionheart Fortune Five Hundred bred and owned by Jana and Milan Miklos and yet another BIS, BISS and FBDCA National Specialty and Top Twenty winner Jap/Am Platinum GCH Coco Vialatte Robobull Hot Flash bred and owned by Kazumi Yamanaka. Of course there are too many more to mention, but these are a few of the ones who stand out.
How does Romeo himself compare to your many other top winning dogs in type and as a producer? I think Romeo compares very well with any of our top winning dogs and producers. He himself was an outstanding dog of exquisite breed type with bone and substance. He had a magnificent head and ears with a beautiful expression and
excellent movement. Those of you who saw him win the veteran dog class at nationals in 2010 when he was ten years old can attest to that. He also had gorgeous tight feet…which may be a small detail to some but is something we are losing in the breed. I think his record as a producer speaks for itself. ShelIey St.John, Dr.John Turjoman and I would like to thank our friends at Frenchie Fancy for giving us this opportunity to share with your readers just a few of our many memories of our beloved Romeo. Truly a once in a lifetime dog… and also thank the breeders, handlers and owners whose dedication and hard have contributed to his legacy. In spite of his accomplishments and fame around the world my two greatest memories of Romeo will always be the first time I saw him at ten weeks old and holding him my arms as he took his last breath the day he left us almost thirteen years later. Thank you all.
GCH ROBOBULL FABELHAFT BOOMBOOMPOW
-- James Dalton - FABELHAFT
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