When I first decided I wanted to show dogs, I had fallen in love with Great Danes. I began my search for a show quality Great Dane and found that it was not going to be an easy quest. I had never shown dogs before and it was difficult finding a breeder who was interested in working with a novice.
My first show Dane was a disaster. At six months of age, he stopped growing, far short of the height for a Great Dane. Concerned, I took him to the vet. The reason he had stopped growing was that he was not a pure-bred Great Dane, but instead it appeared that there must have been an accidental breeding. I eventually ended up taking the breeder to court. Although I was never able to recover any of the money I spent on the dog, the entire litter did have its registration cancelled by the AKC and the breeder was suspended. I placed the dog in a loving pet home and continued my search for my first show dog.
I finally found a breeder who would work with me and acquried my first Great Dane, Bentley's Stratford. I started out showing Strat myself, a daunting task for a newcomer to show in the Dane ring. I was often the only owner-handler in the ring! Strat's breeder took Strat for a period of time and showed him for me. Strat was able to gain several points and a number of reserves during this time.
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| Strat's Best in Match win |
Strat's breeder moved away and I was once again back to showing Strat in the ring against the professionals. I finally came to the realization that the only way Strat would finish was to send him off with a handler. Strat is my beloved house dog and is quite a momma's boy. I decided that it was not in his best interest for me to continue showing him. He never enjoyed showing, I did not want to send him away with a handler and it looked like he would never finish his championship. One of the last times I showed Strat was at the Clemson Kennel Club match, when he went Best Adult in Match.
My first Am Staff, Byjac's The Big Show ("Andre"), arrived at my house as a three month-old puppy last year. He immediately became my pride and joy. Andre was a wonderful dog, both as a representative of his breed and as a household pet. I took Andre to several matches and he placed in the terrier group each time. All the times I showed Andre, I received many compliments on what a wonderful Am Staff he was. Ann was busy teaching me what I needed to know about showing and I was planning Andre's future.
One day while playing in the yard, Andre came in crying and holding a paw. I took him to the vet and discovered he had a severely broken elbow. The best prognosis was that he might be able to keep the leg. He was rushed to Alabama for emergency surgery. I was in the middle of a meeting at work when I received a call from the vet informing me that Andre had died on the operating table.
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| Teresa with Reba |
I was devastated by Andre's loss and considered getting out of dogs entirely. Andre's breeder said she would replace him and said I could have my pick of any of the puppies she currently had, or I could even have Reba. I chose Reba because her personality reminded me so of Andre.
While I was visiting Ann to pick up Reba, I became enchanted with her Miniature Pinschers. When I picked up Reba, she insisted I take a Min Pin puppy, Chewy, as well.
I have been involved in dogs for several years now and my husband has never really cared much about the dogs. He liked them, but they had always been "my" thing. That changed with the arrival of Chewy. He quickly became my husband's dog. Yes, after years of dogs and several different breeds, my husband had finally found the breed for him, Min Pins.
I am now looking forward to the future. After careful consideration, I have decided that my kennel will primarily focus on the Min Pins, in part because my husband once stated I could have as many of them as I wanted. I think he my now regret that comment, but our whole family remains enchanted with this breed. I have been very lucky to acquire some of the last BoMar dogs from Dr. Boshall's kennel. They will, in part, provide the foundation for my kennel.
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