OK, let me bring you up to date.

Temperatures have been soaring here in Cyprus, hottest on record since they began, or so the papers are telling us, many days reaching in to mid 40s. Now whilst that’s good for us, its not so good for the dogs, especially those in season, and those we wish to use at stud. It means 3am and 4am supervised matings when the temperatures have dropped to mid 30s, which in my opinion, and the dogs opinion looking at their performance is still too hot for a romantic evening between consenting adult Danes.

Diva came in to season and it was our intention to cover Diva with Turbo initially, then we had a change of heart thinking a Diva / Zac mating would be quite beneficial to the programme we had set out on, especially having lost Heidie as we did. Both Turbo and Zac are proven stud dogs, Diva and Odette are both maiden bitches, so either way, the combination was always going to be a first timer in the love bed for one or the other of the bitches.

Because Diva was an unexpected season having started some 4 months early, we were not really sure of her first day in order to calculate her most fertile period. Then of course we had the other 2 bitches following in her footsteps, both coming in to season only days apart, so calculations were up in the air as they were all giving different aromas of readiness. We presented Zac to Diva on day 9 and they just played about, he getting on top, trying to do his stuff and she thinking it was all a huge game, playing but not being aggressive or trying to fight him off. We presented twice on day 10, twice on day 11 and because I was not sure of her position, decided rather than miss the moment, see how Turbo got on, after all he had been her trusted companion since birth. Day 12 it was instant connection with Turbo. Now that could have been because she was actually ready on day 12, or it could have been that she did not fancy Zac or find him particularly attractive and was sticking out for a love match with Turbo. We then went on to have three ties over 2 days, each for 45 minutes a piece. We are firm believers of everything happens for a reason and our Turbo / Diva cover was just one of those moments when we believe it was meant to be, as had been our original plan.

At this point Tina is now in full flow having her first season very late at 14 months and having been brought on by Diva, Diva is still expressing her desire to be serviced again and we are trying to monitor the progress of Odettes season with all the different smells being given off and regulation of blood flow. Day 9 Odette was presented with Zac, twice on day 10 and twice on day 11. On day 11 I also presented Odette with Donny as equally he would have been a nice cover bringing back the Heidie lines combined with those of Zac. Each time and on each of the respective days there was lots of movement in the right direction from both dogs, but Odette was just thinking all this attention was just up her street to tease. Whilst she stood, cocked her tail, tempted and tantalised, she just would not stay still for a minute for either of them in their capacity as stud dogs to make their connection. They hit bulls eye a number of times, but Odette, well she wanted to give them a run for their money. I mean if this was to be her first time, if this is what all the fuss was about and this is what she had read about in all those doggie magazines, then at least she was going to make it last. Again needing a harlequin cover for Odette, it had to be a Zac or a Donny mating and as time was running out, my thoughts ran to A/I. (Artificial Insemination) I took Odette to the Vet, had her checked over, we had blood and swab tests done, only to be told our particular Vet did not do A/I. With the thoughts planted firmly in my head, time running out and no equipment available to do it myself, we located a Vet who did do A/I about 1hr 30 minutes away from where we live. So we got both Danes in separate cars and off we went, once in the evening and once early the following morning. They each have to go again on Monday (that is Zac & Odette), but in the meantime they have now both had a natural mating with a tie of 37 minutes. As our appointment is already booked for Monday I shall still travel over for one more A/I, but I will also let them try again today naturally. Fortunately the evening temperatures have dropped a little, there is a nice cooling breeze and love making on the mountain, under the stars with site of the Mediterranean sea in the distance once again becomes a little more enjoyable for the Danes that is and not myself you understand We had four A/I and one natural with Zac & Odette.

So the tiny patter of feet may be something we see in 63 days, or 8 weeks, which ever sounds the furthest away as I am sure when the time comes we will wonder what on earth we have done, mating 2 bitches at the same time, but then 2 lots of trouble are no more of a handful than 1 lot of trouble and if we are going to be up all night on puppy patrol, better it be done all in one session rather than extending it over the period of a year.

So if we have any friends wishing to visit, then may I suggest anytime between the 20th August and the 20th November as I am sure we can find a space on the baby calendar for distribution of duties.

Anybody interested in putting their name down for a puppy in advance and who have not already done so, please go to our Advance Purchase Registration form on our site, complete it fully and return it to us.

For Further information on Purchasing a Puppy please check out the separate pages on the right column, or click here. We have had a number of interested requests, but as our selection process is quite strict, we will consider each application on its own merit, both past and new, so if you have not yet completed your registration form, do not think it is too late.

Following a fantastic time at Crufts this year it has been a privilege to be featured in Cyprus’ first Pet magazine To read the article in larger format in either ENGLISH or GREEK please go to the links at the bottom of the feature.  ”Animal’s Frame”.

Click here for a larger Image in the english language.

Click here for a larger image in the greek language.

Article and Images courtesy of:

ANIMALS’ FRAME MAGAZINE
P.O. Box 45156, 7111 Aradippou-Larnaca
Website: www.animalsframe.com

We would like to thank Stavroula and her team for their constant support in our Danes and we hope to have many more features in the coming publications.

We would also like to congratulate all our friends who travelled to the World Dog Show in Sweden, first for their support to a show which grows time after time and second for the trophies they all managed to win. CONGRATULATIONS to you all and well done. Unfortunately we were unable to join you this year, as much as we would have loved to be there, but as three of our bitches were in season and we were mating two of them, our time was otherwise pre-occupied by ensuring both bitches mated well. The rest of our year will be devoted to the care, wellbeing and upbringing of any puppies we are blessed with and our hopefully expectant mums continued love and affection. Puppies would be due around the 20th August 2008, please contact if you are interested in putting your name forward for a puppy. (see link Planned Mating)

CYPRUS, APHRODITE WINNERS SHOW 17th & 18th MAY 2008

It has been a busy few weeks, what with Summer fast approaching, looking at the jobs you keep putting off and then starting with the season visitors before you know it. So Craig has been busy with the paint brush, the housekeepers have been busy Spring cleaning and as for myself, well I got the better job of travelling out to Egypt a couple of times, in search of a property we could buy and use in the winter months. Not that it ever gets so cold here in Cyprus, but it is just nice to have that facility to get away and enjoy a different location. I am afraid buying property is a weakness I have, it is to some as most women will identify, like buying a nice pair of shoes and putting them at the back of the shoe cupboard, just incase an occasion comes up to wear them. I have this same fetish, but unlike shoes, I get more for my money, we generally see nice capital appreciation and we have a choice of homes around the world in which we can spend lovely holidays, maybe spending three months in one, three months in another at the same time as taking in a few dog shows whilst we are travelling. I suppose your all wondering how we can fit it in when we have the responsibility of our babies !!!! Well, let me tell you before you all start worrying. Our babies are our number one priority, we put them first and foremost above all that we do, however there comes a point when even the hardiest dog person needs a break, otherwise you start to lose the passion and the love because it then becomes a chore. So we have homes in Thailand, UK, Egypt, Cyprus & Dubai, the idea being that when we are in need of a break, then our homes are our sanctuary, we have the luxury and comforts of having our own things around us and we do not have to travel with suitcases full of clothes.

My parents then came to visit for 5 weeks which is always lovely to share some quality time together and as we thought this was going to be Dads last visit due to his increased mobility problems, it was extra special knowing we had to make the most of the time we were together. As it was, we managed to get them over to Egypt for 10 days to see the property and we all had a really fantastic time. The weather was at its best, the journey was easy for Dad to manage and Mum was much in need of the rest because caring for somebody, no matter how much or how little, it is the carer that always gets forgotten. So it was time for Mum to be pampered, hair done, massages, facials and daily swims. To be honest I have never seen her looking so good, so the break really did the both of them, in fact the four of us the world of good.We only had a couple of days after getting back from Egypt to the long awaited show here in Cyprus. It was a double show weekend, the Saturday being the Cyprus International Show and Sunday being Aphrodite Winners Show, Crufts qualifier Show, as well as being an International Show with a different set of Judges from the previous day.

         

         

There was quite a bit of preparation as we had 6 Danes entered, transport that didn’t match our transport load and 6 Danes that needed putting through their paces in readiness for the show. Fortunately a dear friend had a much large van and offered it to us for the weekend. He did stress however that it was old and in need of some minor T.L.C, we on the other hand were just grateful for the solution to our problem of getting all those Danes from A to B without any hassle. We travelled to his home to collect the van and carefully we drove back to our villa to get packed with all our show crates so we did not have the job the following morning. All was going well and the van was packed ready for an early start. It always pays to get to the show early, as places for tent erection can sometimes be difficult, especially if you are trying to get by the side of your ring number. We actually travel down without the dogs the night before to set up our tent and make sure that at least we have one less job to deal with the next morning. Our early morning arrival is something we have worked out now to a fine art, crates out of the van, dogs in to crates, chairs set up, water bowls ready, running order established and show leads and numbers set up on each crate. Now all we have to do is watch in anticipation at the other entries filing in through the main gate, eye up the other dog competition and make sure our own dogs are calm and ready for action.         

We have had a number of changes recently within the body of our Cyprus Kennel Club, A new President has been elected and subsequently new board members to support the new President. It would seem that a huge hole has been left in the balance book and the new committee have inherited massive financial losses that are currently affecting the running of the club. I am led to believe that a large percentage of the members are either NOT paying their fees, or selling puppies without papers, reducing registration fees to less than half of the previous year and this is seriously affecting all those that are playing by the rules. As a GENTLE REMINDER, if you are reading this and you are one of the none paying offenders, then I would like to personally remind you that ultimately you will be the ones losing out. So dig deep in to your pockets, get your fees paid in to the club and let us all get behind them and make sure that the standard of our shows does not drop. Its very simple, it accounts to, if there is no money in the bank, then the club will have to close it’s doors like any business without a cash supply. We have already missed out on the Champion of Champions Show and I believe many more shows will be cancelled if support is not given, so to all our club members reading this, pass it on to your friends who are also members so they are all aware of the current circumstances. We can not expect to enjoy great shows and not pay our fees on time. At this point we would like to pass on our congratulations to the new President, Mr Erodotos Neophytou and all his team, who without question always manage to put on an excellent show weekend and this weekend was no exception. The venue is centrally located, so at least we all have fairly equal distances to travel and at least consideration has been given to those travelling that bit further as to the running and showing times of your dogs, so thanks to one and all for that care taken. There are excellent catering facilities and the food was truly scrumscious. The rings were nice and big, especially for the larger breeds and as this was our yearly special Aphrodite Winners Show combined with its very prestigious Crufts Qualification Show, extra events had been included such as Fairground rides for the children, bungee jumping, a military dog display and some very popular local and ballroom dancing displays by local professional dancers. It was a great idea and it was nice for the visiting International Judges to see our show in such a positive light, however these additional displays, as entertaining as they were, did make the days events extend a little and many of the visiting entries who had to leave on time for flights, possibly missed out the final judging due to time factors being extended. It’s all trial and error and maybe something that can be taken in to consideration for the next large show event Cyprus puts on. The only downfall of the day and it seems to happen at each venue we attend and that is the water in the toilets decided not to work anymore, which is always a problem, A) for drinking water for the dogs, and B) general toilet requirements. The toilet attendant did a very good job with a few buckets of water and a constant supply of bleach, so congratulations to her as without her I think there would have been a real hygiene problem.

         

         

Classes commenced at 0830hrs, Danes lucky to have a mid-morning slot at 1230hrs, good in as much as you have time to get organised, bad in as much as you are showing in the heat of the day, dogs tongues hanging out do not present their best profile and Judges and Stewards by that time are almost ready for lunch. This weekend was a particularly hot one for the time of year, really just ending Spring and starting with the Summer temperatures for the day on our thermometer hit 36C, so it was really a case of getting in the ring as quickly as possible, finding shade under the Judges tent to stack your dog and keeping your fingers crossed that your presentation was done with the dogs mouth closed and not as with the Dane, slobbering all over in desperation of a drink. A little trick we did learn whilst showing as we did in Australia was to take a slice of lemon in to the ring and occasionally rub it around the gums of your dog. I have to say, it works a treat and when the Judge checks the teeth they get a wonderful fresh clean smell, instead of those whiffy meat smells that often hang around.
       
  

As this was a special show weekend for Cyprus there were many new faces from overseas. Representation from lots of our European neighbours who like ourselves, take time, effort, energy and money to support other shows. So on behalf of all the dog breeders and show people in Cyprus, may we at APOLLODANE GREAT DANES salute you and thank you for your contribution in making this show a success and for your attendance, as we for one know just how difficult it is, moving dogs of any size from one country to another. I have said it before and I will say it again, for all those show people who never step foot outside their own country with their dogs and believe they are at the top of their game, then try dealing with all the protocol of overseas shows, hotels, flights, transportation, stiff competition that you may be competing with for the first time, Judges of the highest calibre and language barriers. This really is dog showing and those dogs that are fortunate enough to take titles and prizes are deserving of every trophy, every medal and every certificate. So once again to all our foreign visitors, it was a pleasure to act as host country to your deserved wins. You bring not only additional revenue to our club, but you bring added competition which is always a pleasure to see and it is time Cyprus saw more new faces and more new breeds taking centre stage and on the winners podium.       

It is difficult logistically showing 6 Danes with 2 people, but hey, this is show world and you get by no matter what. Our Judge for the day was Mr Dusan Paunovic from Serbia who we later realised was a no show. Apparently some visa confusion at the airport and he had to return unable to enter Cyprus. Not a good start to the day, but quickly resolved and to no determent of either the dogs or their handlers. We were moved to another ring (so much for us going the night before to set up, but at least we were still in view of what was going on) Our new Judge was Slukin Sergij from the Ukraine and for us it was important to visit his ring to see what it was he was looking for, how he liked to move his dogs and to pick up any tips that may help us.

         

First in is Apollodane Adonis (Donny) who takes his Junior class by storm. He is turning in to a real showman, glides around the ring like his father “ZAC” and hold his head high like he owns the stage. The judge after going over him made the following comments on his critique, Typical Format, Very Effective in the ring, Excellent Neck, Strong & Beautiful Top Line, Beautiful Broad Chest, Good Angulations, > A Little Narrow In Hind Quarters, but still developing, Needs training for the relief of Muscles but will come with maturity. EXCELLENT GRADE.  
     
  

Next in is Apollodane Athena (Tina) who is now starting to look quite elegant although still a little “dizzy” in her attitude. Mum Heidie was a late developer in the ring, as too was Odette, so we know she will come in to her own, just for the moment we have to allow her the freedom of her mental development and hope the Judge sees the long term potential., he wrote on her critique.       

Excellent Feminine Head, A Soft Top Line, but still growing and developing, Good Front Chest, Good Angulation, Nice Set Croup EXCELLENT GRADE.

         

Darrington Darius followed the Juniors, he was in Open Male. He is a powerful dog, lots of movement, lots of energy and it is Craig responsibility to hold him back and calm his excitement. Again he stands well, presents like he is loving every minute and the Judge wrote.         

Good Strong Dog, Excellent Deep Chest, Excellent Angulation, Good Top Line, Colour although not typical is excellent. EXCELLENT GRADE and he was awarded C.A.C.

Rorlyn Who Spilt The Paint (Diva) Much more compact in her frame than our other girls, but a nicely presented bitch with lovely movement and nice head. She takes to the ring and shows us why we love so much these lines we have adopted. Grace of movement looks so elegant whilst running around the ring and to see a dog, no matter what the breed move correctly is absolute heaven. The Judge critiques as follows.
Very beautiful and Elegant bitch, Typical in Type, Very Strong Neck and Beautiful Head, Strong Top Line, Good Broad Chest, Excellent Angulation, Free and Fluid in Movement, Beautiful eyes excellent in colour, Good Pigmentation. EXCELLENT GRADE, C.A.C / C.A.C.I.B. 
      

Rorlyn White Collar Worker (Turbo) having gained a few kilos since his arrival in Cyprus, he is now what I would say worthy of his place in the show ring. He stands proud, he looks impressive and once again he knows how to move. The Judge critiques as follows,Typical In Format, A strong and Powerful Dog, Strong Top Line, Excellent Broad Chest, Excellent Angulation, Beautiful in Movement. EXCELLENT GRADE, C.A.C / C.A.C.I.B       

Now this is where it gets totally confusing as we are now down to the finals and all our dogs have been placed eliminating all other Dane competition. At one point we are in the ring with four dogs for Best Male, needless to say Turbo wins on this occasion. We are in for Best Junior male and Donny takes this, Best Junior Bitch and Tina takes this and then B.O.B Junior which went to Donny. Best female and this goes to Diva and now with a little more calm, the other dogs put away, we enter the ring again for Best Of Breed. I decided to handle Diva as Craig was dressed in his show suit and we felt for sure from the line up it had to be Turbo. We presented our dogs and we managed to pull in some handling assistance for Donny who was representing Best Of Breed Junior in the overall B.O.B. Turbo was looking good, moving well and being handled to perfection. I followed with Diva, not looking at all showy in my summer shorts and I’m A Dane Dad t/shirt !!! well after all today I was the saliva towel boy and not the handler. Our friend who HATES handling but just happened to be at ring side was doing a great job with Donny. The judge ran us, he stopped us and asked us to stack and present, he looked and he looked again and for a moment I caught him glancing over at me. ” Oh No” I thought to myself, he must be thinking what is this man doing entering the show ring looking as though he is on holiday. I tried to hide my legs behind Diva and then suddenly the hand went up !!!!!!!! WHAT ???? we looked in total amazement as my dear little Diva took Best Of Breed and poor Craig looking so resplendent in his red show suit and impressive Mantle Dane came second with Donny third. It just goes to show, no matter what your own personal thoughts are on the day, it is the Judge who decides and on this occasion he commented that for him, Diva just had that little more presence and showmanship. That was it, Diva was going through to Groups and for today Turbo had reached his limit.

We sat under our tent, watching the other remaining classes and indulging in the soft twirly ice creams that were being sold from the visiting van. In no time we were in to the finals of the afternoon and first in was Donny for Best Junior In Show. I can only say, what a complete fiasco. I have NEVER in my life seen so many Juniors line up for Best Junior In Show. To try and make some order of asemblance from this many dogs was impossible, but this is show world once again folks and you just grit your teeth and get on with it. The entrants went three times around the ring, there were dogs in front of dogs, by the side of dogs, behind dogs and I am sure if the stewards would have had their way, they would have stacked them on top of dogs. In my opinion as a spectator, it was wholly impossible to judge them correctly and effectively. The judge tried to request some form of order, language restrictions appeared to add more confusion and it looked like a show circus. Walking swiftly round the chaos a line up was picked, some very good dogs were clearly overlooked, some poor dogs managed to get through the net.

Fortunately the Best Junior In Show went to the Central Asian Shepherd Dog which in my opinion was a worthy winner. The dog looks very impressive, it is a nice specimen, my only criticism is in which the way it is handled in the ring. With such a beautiful dog in the very early stages of it’s show career, more care needs to be taken in showing the dog off to it’s best potential. It is not the dogs first major win, infact it has taken Best Junior In Show before and again well deserved, but handling and presentation form a huge part of the dogs recognition when it gets this far in a competition, so it could find itself losing valuable points the older it gets, so to our friend Mr Danilicheva, you have a great dog, you have taken some great awards, now for me, I would like to see you enter the ring with a little more professional handling, keeping your dog on a much tighter control and stop it sticking its nose up the backsides of those who know how to present. I am sure as you visit our pages regularly, come to socialise at our tent, you will not see this as being rude or disrespectful, just advice on a positive note. I would be only to happy to share with you some of our show presentation tips on handling large breeds in the show ring, showing respect, not only for your fellow competitors, but for the Judges. Unfortunately we have to deal with other less respectful handlers, mostly Doberman type dogs or Bull Terriers who’s owners / handlers seem to feel the need to spend most of their time in the ring throwing toys on the floor, moving their dogs constantly in to another dogs space or shouting at the top of their voices from ring side. My opinion is, if you do not know how to present your dog in the ring, then do not present it at all, because all you do is distract away from those that do know how.

Groups followed soon after and group 2 always one of the bigger classes was beginning to collect around ring entrance. Another strange result as one would assume that with Central Asian Shepherd taking Best Junior In Show, it would at least feature in the short list. Well not today for the Central Asian which was quite a shock, what was even more of a shock was the fact that our Diva, not only was she short listed, but she took third place in Group 2. Doberman was first, Miniature Pinscher was second, Great Dane third and Shar Pei fourth

(SEE SHOW PHOTOS)

It was a perfect day in terms of results, we were more than happy with our places and for us the day was finished and time to head off home in the van which was already starting to be a little temperamental. With dogs all loaded, our tent area cleaned and ready for the next day we headed off home. An hour from the venue to our home, so taking it steady we travelled back along the motorway until Paphos was in sight. Dogs out, into their feeding areas, a nice long drink (the dogs and not us) and we all fell exhausted after a full and eventful day.

SUNDAY 18th MAY 2008, CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL SHOW, CRUFTS QUALIFIER AND APHRODITE WINNERS SHOW.

Another day, another show, another set of Judges, but the fun is the same as it always is. Yes another hot day and I think possibly having an effect on the attendance of spectators as it all appears a little thin on the ground, but then as the day gathers momentum, the crowds start to appear, the entries are high and once again the number of overseas visitors has exceeded all expectations. Our own day got off to a bit of a bad start as Craig decided to leave the home a little earlier in expectation of any van problems, at least we would have time to find a solution. Talk about tempting fate, he had been left the home about 45 minutes when I called him the get the all clear for me to leave. he said all was fine and it was OK for me to set off as there appeared to be no problems looming with the van. Oh how wrong was he going to be. Not 10 minutes later when I had already left and was on my way did I get a frantic call.

 

“where are you” Craig says

“I am out of the village heading towards the motorway, why, what is the problem”

“Its the exhaust, its dropped off, I am stuck on the motorway, it is blazing hot, I have all the dogs in the van and I am not very happy”

YIKES! Nothing worse than a vehicle drama to set the tone of the day. I knew there would be no talking to him, I could sense his anger in the tone of his voice, so why would I want to add to that by being practical and giving him advice. It was my idea to borrow the van, so Craig had the perfect person to blame. I telephoned the guy who owned the van, I explained the situation and asked if he would communicate with Craig as there was just no reasoning with him when he was upset. The matter had a temporary resolve, I continued with my journey arriving at the show ground to find Craig in a much better mood than I had anticipated. I cracked open our first bottle of Champagne which was initially for the Kennel Club staff and Stewards for all their hard work, but at this point I thought Craigís need was more and not being one to let him drink on his own, I joined him along with some other Bulldog friends to an early morning tipple. Well it was not quite early morning, it was 1100hrs and in less than 2 hours we would have our first class. The more he thought about his little predicament, the more he stewed on it and the more he stewed, the more stressed he became. His worry was how we were going to make it home that evening, it was a Sunday and he had visions of us being stuck with all the dogs and no way to get them from the show. Our friend assured him he would find a mechanic, but no, Craig was looking for somebody to blame, I was that person and he was not letting go until he had orchestrated his row.

Classes commenced and once again the Apollodane Danes performed to perfection. This time our Judge was Erwin Deutscher from Austria. We had over the 2 days managed to show under 2 very nice gentlemen and their styles were each quite different.

Today for Apollodane Adonis the Judge had written;

A Nice Young Body, Excellent Type, Correct colour and hair, Correct Bite, Eyes & Ears, now up to this point I thought he had been writing about myself, but then it went on to say, Testicles in correct position, now I know he was not talking about me. It went on to read, Young neck, nice and strong, Excellent Top Line, Excellent Chest, Correct Tail Set, Good Angulation, Excellent Movement, Very Good In Character, EXCELLENT GRADE.

Apollodane Athena he wrote,

Nice Young feminine Body, Nice Head, Correct Bite, Eyes & Ears, Correct Colour and Hair, Nice Young Neck, Chest, Angulation and top Line, Correct Tail Set, Excellent Movement, Very Good In Character, EXCELLENT GRADE.

Rorlyndane Who Spilt The Paint, the Judge wrote;

Very Nice Type and Body, Correct Head, Nice lips, Correct Ears, Eyes and Bite, Beautiful Neck & Top Line, Excellent Chest, Good Angulation, very Well In Movement, Excellent in Character, EXCELLENT GRADE.

Rorlyn White Collar Worker the Judge commented;

Excellent Type & Body, Strong Masculine Head, Correct Bite, Ears & Eyes, Wonderful Neck & Top Line, Good Chest, Excellent Angulation, very Well In Movement, Correct underline, Excellent Colour & Hair.

Today is not only special because it is an International Show combined with the Aphrodite Show, but it is also a little bit of a glory day for Apollodane as it was our hard work, efforts and contacts in the UK that managed to secure one of todays events “The Crufts Qualification Show” and an event that from speaking to some of the exhibitors is the only reason why they travelled by air land and sea to visit our beautiful island today. So on the basis that we have secured this very prestigious event now for the foreseeable future, we can only hope the word spreads and we see numbers increase year on year on year. After all, it was only through our very own struggles, travelling around Europe, chasing one venue after the other to qualify for Crufts that we realised there were many of our European neighbours closer to ourselves that would benefit from an event closer to home. So please, if you did not attend this year, then check our Kennel Clubs web site on www.cypruskennelclub.net
and under show news, you will see all the up and coming shows through until 2010. There is a list of hotels and if you require any further information, contact the Kennel Club direct or drop me a line and I will forward the message on for you.

So back to the show and we were now once again in finals for the running order, Donny takes Best Junior Dog once again, Tina takes Best Junior Bitch, Donny wins the day taking B.O,B Junior. Dive who sailed through her classes yesterday to take her place in the group line up today was happy to win her Champion Class and then go on to take Best Bitch. B.O.B today went to Turbo and now it was his turn to go through to groups. Lunch time break, the Judges went to eat and we sat in the tent, hiding from the sun and going in to round 2 of the broken exhaust. Was all this tension worth it I thought to myself, but no, Craig was not letting go, he was like a dog with a bone until he jumped up, said he was taking the dogs home in the small van and then coming back to collect me and the remaining dogs. Now how wrong did he think he was going to be with that statement. I had gone to a dog show to show my dogs, not to fight and row over something so trivial I was going to let it spoil the day. So off he went with 2 dogs in the small van, leaving me with the other 2 dogs and all the show equipment, oh yes and NO transport. I am sure many of you will know, when they start to have a tantrum, start to throw their toys out of the pram and their dummy becomes disengaged from their mouths, the best thing to do is let them get on with it and this I did.

Eventually it was time for afternoon classes to start, Donny was trying to tell me something by pawing his crate, so I kept opening the door to give him a drink of water, to which each time he was pushing his head against the crate door as if to get out. I prepared both Donny for Best Junior In Show and Turbo for his group line up, all the time fuming that Craig had still not returned, even though he had told me he was going home and not coming back. Its always a steel nerve that calls> their bluff, so I bid him farewell, told him to drive carefully as he had precious cargo on board and that I would endeavour to find my own way home later than night. A lady came to the tent to ask some questions about the purchase of Great Danes, I was at this point alone as Craig had now left and both dogs had been cleaned down for their final debut. The lady looked at me and said, Your dog has just done it’s toilet in its crate. I looked round and honestly you would have thought that dog had not emptied his bowels for a week, it was everywhere. Oh dear, what timing I thought to myself, but being the ever survivor, I got him quickly out of his crate, washed him down and hurried along to take my place in Best Junior In Show. It seemed to be a less frantic line up although still heavy in numbers, but sadly once again it was not the turn of Donny. So a quick run back to the tent to get Turbo for his Group and low and behold there was the returning prodigal son, Craig, still sulking, still not helping, but sitting with his chin down to his knees. I think it was a combination of early mornings, stress and to much sun. Anyway, off I went in to the group line up and a fine display of dogs it was, only this time as fine as they were, the Judge thought none finer than our Turbo for winner of group 2. Well how smug did I feel walking out of the ring and handing Turbo over to Craig. There you are I said, that’s your winner of Group 2, the dog you could not get to win B.O.B yesterday, maybe it is right what they say about the handler having as much impact as the dog. Oooooooooo he was green with envy and really eating humble pie now. His tantrum was now well and truly over and we were once again the best of friends forgetting the exhaust which had now been fixed as promised and getting ready for Best In Show line up. There were some really nice dogs in the Best In Show line up and for the most there were quite a few new faces which is always nice to see. The Afghan was very nice and although having had a major win the day before, looked set to win the day once again today. There was a beautiful Welsh Corgi, again a new face on our show stand and the most gorgeous Basset Hound which in my opinion was the winner for the day. We were all asked to leave the ring after we had presented to the Judge and there we must wait for the final result…

The announcements were in reverse order, Fourth place !!!! No, this was not the Dane, OK so we are still in with a chance, Third place was announced !!!! No, this was not the Dane, yes we are still in with a chance, Second place is !!!!!! No, this is still not the Dane and the remaining 7 quickly look around, the fanfare goes, the music kicks in and the announcement starts;

“AND THE WINNER OF THE APHRODITE 2008 CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL SHOW IS “BIG”, IT IS “VERY BIG” IT IS “BLACK AND WHITE”

…and there I am standing with the biggest dog left in the line up, the Great Dane and it could not have been more black and white as we were showing the Mantle so fulfilling all his announcements, the other contestants were looking at me telling me to move to the front of the show ring, some congratulating me as the announcement finished “IT IS THE AKITA” the announcer went on to complete. Talk about some VERY angry faces, not because we had not won, but because of the cruel announcement from the Master Of Ceremonies who clearly thought he was being funny trying to put them off the scent of the actual winner. The Akita who is actually owned by friends of our and is very beautiful, is neither, BIG, VERY BIG or BLACK and WHITE it was brown and white. Oh well, the stupid man on the microphone had ruffled a few feathers, but he did not spoil our weekend and what we had achieved was more than our expectation.

Our final call for the weekend was that we had made;

Turbo finished the weekend with Cyprus Champion to add to his already Australian Champion, he had become a Crufts qualifier and he had won Aphrodite Winner title, he was B.O.B (day two) and took 1st place in group line up.

Diva finished the weekend with Cyprus Champion to add to her already Australian Champion, she had become a Crufts qualifier and she had won Aphrodite Winner title, she was B.O.B (day one) and took 3rd place in group line up.

Donny finished the weekend with Cyprus Junior Champion, he had become a Crufts qualifier and he had won Junior Aphrodite Winner title and he took his place in the Best Junior In Show line up on both days following his B.O.B.Junior win.

Tina finished the weekend with Cyprus Junior Champion, she had become a Crufts qualifier and she had won Junior Aphrodite Winner title at the same time as taking Best Junior Bitch of Breed.

Polo finished the weekend with Cyprus Champion and he had won Aphrodite Winner title.

So finishing off 3 Champion Titles, 2 Junior Champion titles and taking 2 group places was for us more than we had expected. Our weekend was a huge success and we would like to thank all the Judges for their confidence in our dogs to put them through, to all the Kennel Club staff who work so hard to put these shows on and to the new President who’s first show this was in his new role.

We can now sit back a little as we have decided that this year we will concentrate our efforts on hopefully and successfully mating Odette who is expected in to season any day now. She will be covered with Zsacharias and advance registrations are already being taken to secure any future puppies they may have. We have a data base of names who have already expressed an interest, but for those reading that have not completed one of our Advance Registration forms you can do so here.

For those having already completed a form and who are still interested, please drop me a line to say, form already completed, we are still interested.

We have many more photos on our flickr site and you can get to the different sets by double clicking on any photo and it will take you straight there.

We hope you have enjoyed our update and show news. For those wishing to be removed from our list, please send a reply asking to be removed.

Many thanks and kind regards from all at APOLLODANE GREAT DANES.

LATEST BREAKING NEWS

The first bitch to come in to season on our expected mating is the beautiful CYPRUS CHAMPION / AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION / APHRODITE WINNER & CRUFTS QUALIFIER, Rorlyndane Who Spilt The Paint “DIVA” who you can see above or on the following link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apollodane/sets/72157605526917077/show/.

She will be covered in the next few days with the very famous “ZAC” who can be seen in full on the following link

 http://www.apollodane.com/blog/our-dogs/cyprus-best-dog-of-the-year-2006/ 

We would expect if all goes well, puppies to be born around the middle of August. We have already gathered from those interested, a number of advance registration forms completed on behalf of securing a future puppy. So could I please ask, to all those people who have kindly completed a form and for those who have not yet completed a form, if you are still interested in a puppy or would like to secure a puppy, could you please send an e-mail to info@apollodane.com with immediate effect. We understand many peoples circumstances change and we would just like to bring our details up to date so people are not let down, many thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

   

    

     

      

      

      

 

 

 

 

 

Not quite having taken breath since we landed 2 days ago, once again we are off on the show circuit, but this time fortunately I can say, here on our home turf in Cyprus. We have a double show, one Saturday and one Sunday and the forecast for the weather is as we expect of Cyprus, clear blue sky and a day full of sunshine.

We were only showing the three puppies, Donny, Darrian and Tina, Zac was resting and the others we had decided were just going to be to much of a handful so soon after getting back from the UK and our visit to Crufts.

Our class on Saturday was at 1035hrs, so this gave us time to drive to the show ground and set up our crates and get the tent organised. In no time we were ringside and putting the dogs through their paces. Darrian (the Mantle) has really blossomed and showing true signs of a star in the making. His coat is at its best and he is starting to fill out and turn in to a real rebel look a like. Donny a chip off his dads block knows what it is all about and looks forward to getting in the ring and showing them that he is the pup dad should be proud of. Me, well I am still not sure as all three of them appear to have what it takes and they really need to mature and reach those crucial terrible 2ís and threatening 3ís before we will really see there true form.

The Judge was Anita Whitmarsh from Sweden who quite coincidently had seen the ìYELLOW SUITî at Crufts the weekend before. Well one thing is for sure, at least she realised we were serious about our Dane showing. As she looked over the dogs her decision was without question, first place to Donny (Harlequin) but also delighted to have taken second place with Darrian.

Critique for Donny read;

Nice masculine dog

Good bones and good size

Well covered body

Excellent head

Excellent front of chest for a young dog

Good strong back

Excellent rear end

Slightly gay tail when presenting today (owner says needed toilet)

Good attitude

A very promising dog for the future

Tina now ready to enter sees more of a challenge. You see Tina is just like her mum Heidie & Auntieís Odette & Olympiah, nutty as a fruit cake, has more on her mind than presenting a good stack and if your lucky you may just get her to stand still long enough to catch a good photograph to present her as a half decent Dane. We know through Heidie that when the penny does eventually drop with Tina she will truly shine. Even so, she still came through and won her class with an excellent critique which read;

Lovely feminine bitch

Excellent bone

Well covered body

Parallel head with good reach of neck

Little bum high, but still developing

Excellent angulations

Excellent mover

Little narrow on chest and wild in attitude but still a young girl

Excellent pigmentation of colour

For the Best of Breed we were very fortunate to be given the place to Donny which now meant this was his first Best Of Breed Win at the age of 11 months. Donny was now through to the Groups and of course the all important, Best Junior In Show.

Best Junior in Show was a line up of 26 dogs, all of excellent quality and all making a good job of their time in the ring. Donny we are proud to announce took third place In the Best Junior in Show and went quickly in to his very first Group 2 line up. He really looked fantastic and no matter what, we were just so proud that he was there with dogs so much older and so much more qualified to be in that line up. Unfortunately for Donny he did not get a place, although he was picked out for the short list in readiness for selection and for us that was quite sufficient and totally accepted.

Day two was an earlier call, only by 30 minutes, but it seemed to make a much bigger difference when it came to getting set up on time. Today I was showing Darrian, Craig was showing Donny & Tina and the Judge was Elizabeth Chwalibog. Again all dogs presented extremely well and once again it was Donny who came through and eventually took Best of Breed on the day. Once more through to the Best Junior in Show which sadly today was not the turn of Donny and nor did he get placed in the group 2 line up. Now Group 2 I can fully appreciate as it is a difficult class anyway always attracting the most in the line up, but as for the Best Junior In Show, in terms of his efforts to show well and run beautifully, in my opinion and many of those standing around me, Donny was certainly worth of a place at some level. He looked amazing in his stack position and despite the distractions of the Rottweiller and Doberman double handling which in a Group line up should be disallowed in my opinion (we had one behind us in Best Junior in Show and the other behind us in Group 2) A lesson learned and never to be repeated. Actually, I think it is so totally disrespectful to those who spend time getting their dogs trained to stack naturally, for the screaming, shouting and throwing of toys to cause their dogs to look alert, to actually be permitted and the individual kennel clubs should start to clean up their act and take a stance and get this practise stopped at their shows. I suspect the revenue brought in from these breeds prevents certain clubs from making a stance, but I have to say, when we visited Crete they really were trying as much as possible to stop this going on, so credit due to them for at least trying. I have actually been at the point of walking out of a Group line up because I had a Doberman right up my dogís backside whilst its double handling companion was in my dogs face beating the floor with the dogs play toy. Two points of ring etiquette. First, do not get up the dogs backside in front of you. The rings are ample big enough to share the space and present your dog accordingly, if you need more room then move to another part of the ring where you can get it. Second, do not present in such a way that you need toys to be thrown in to the ring for its attention. This happened in the Best Junior In Show line up on Saturday and nobody challenged either the owner or the double handler and it just frustrates the remaining people in the line up who are presenting like professionals.

So for the weekend, we were more than happy with all the dogs performances, Donny, Darrian & Tina, they all got excellent critiques and for Donny to get a 3rd place in best Junior In Show and an opportunity to sample his first group 2 line up for us was a great weekend.

Thanks to the individual Limassol Canine Association for putting on a great show. We would like to compliment you on the venue and we look forward to supporting it again in the future.

Our next big show is in may and will be the Cyprus Kennel Club International Show CAC/CACIB to be held in Paphos on the 17th & 18th May 2008. this is also the Aphrodites Winners Show and the 2009 Crufts qualification show, so it would be very much appreciated for those Kennel Clubs reading this show news, to advertise the fact throughout its members so they can take advantage of all these elements in one show.

Following that the next big event will be the mating hopefully of our Multi Champion winning dog Zsacharias and his details can be viewed on

http://www.apollodane.com/blog/our-dogs/cyprus-best-dog-of-the-year-2006/

and our Multi Champion winning bitch Odette and her details can be viewed on

http://www.apollodane.com/blog/our-dogs/odette/

Providing Odette comes in to season at the expected time which is May 2008, we then expect that any puppies would be due to leave the home around October 2008, this is following the normal gestation period plus we like to keep the puppies until 10weeks old and having had their full set on vaccinations.

should you wish to view a sample of the puppies expected pedigree you can do so on the following link.

http://www.quintessa.net.au/cgi-bin/trial.pl?sire=67053&dam=66562&sirepattern=Hildydane+Zsacharias&dampattern=Hildydane+Odette&gens=7&db=Quintess.dbw&submit=Create+Now

For many people in the dog world, preparation for Crufts starts weeks before. For others it is a one off show visit to qualify their dogs and then they may never see another show until Crufts itself. For us, well we started our journey in winter 2006 and a visit to a Crufts qualifying show in Croatia. We then had to attend another qualifying show in the January of 2007 in Moscow to make sure our attendance was guaranteed. So for us, this was a journey of many months, many flying miles and many shows. We wanted to savour the whole experience, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy every minute we were there along with every hour of T.V coverage

To appear at the largest and most prestigious dog show in the world is every dog owners dream and like so many, we all hope our dog will shine on the day and bring home the recognition we as the owner think it deserves.

Although travelling with our Danes has become second nature, the UK poses a different set of guidelines to those we had become familiar with and used to whilst travelling around Europe. We are fully supportive of the strict quarantine restrictions as you just can not compromise on animal health issues. As for the rules on transportation, well I have to say it became a minefield of sizes, volumes, weights and height, combine this with the incredibly high prices being quoted, then you begin to wonders if the journey will ever take place at all.

We had researched the Judges in advance, we had weighed up our competition and despite numerous suggestions that our journey would be wasted, we decided that stiff competition was good & healthy competition and any suggestion that we would be better staying in Cyprus was like red rag to a bull, it made us all the more determined to attend the show and let them see what we were made of.

We had a fairly smooth and hassle free journey, Zac nicely crated in his oversized travel box and settled on his nice thick continental quilt for comfort. He really didnít care less where he was going, as long as he knew we were going to be at the other side to meet him. Arrival was quite late in the UK, but we are pleased to say that our friends had arranged for transportation from Gatwick to their home once all the cargo documentation had been completed. Zac is such a good boy; he really is no trouble what so ever when we travel and instinctively he knows that it is show time within a few days.

With Zac fed and watered and given a tour of his new home for the next few days, he settled down to sleep. We decided he had the best idea, so in hot pursuit we headed for our bed to make sure we were bright and alert the following day. Always surprising what a good nights sleep can give you, we woke to find a beautiful day surrounded by the most incredible back drop of acres of lush green fields, stables full of Danes and that morning chorus of ìcome and feed meî in various pitched levels of barking. The following couple of days were spent planning our journey to Birmingham, fitting in the grooming requirements and buying any last minute items we had forgotten or decided we would need.

Saturday was our show day, day three of a dog filled four days, so Friday night was sandwich making, filling the flasks with hot water and making sure we had adequate drinks for ourselves and visitors. Now at this point I was not sure if the purpose of our visit to the UK was to show our boy Zac at Crufts, or if it was to enter the Duke Of Edinburgh Awards for Industry. I say this because Craig made that many sandwiches, he really could have started a food chain, and so with this in mind, I thought maybe it was a small business start up grant he was hoping to secure. As we went to bed that night we were all made aware of our responsibilities and as a last reminder we were told to make sure the alarm clock was set for 0330hrs. I had fortunately remembered our alarm clock, so I took it out of our suitcase, set it for 0330hrs and then settled down for a few hours sleep as it was already approaching midnight. In no time at all the alarm clock was ringing its tiny little sides off, Craig was up and out of bed, in to the bathroom, shaved and showered before trying to raise me from my slumber. Not having much luck he decided to try his hand on the bedroom door of the remaining sleepy residents, only to be informed that the time was not 0330hrs, but in fact it was only 0130hrs !!!!!!! Whoops I thought to myself, seems like I left the clock on Cyprus time of 2 hours ahead of the UK, no wonder I still felt tired. For 2 hours I lay with my eyes open, listening to the outside sounds and afraid to fall asleep in case I did not wake on time !!!!!!!! Yes at the correct time of 0330hrs.

All dogs packed in their vans, our bags and show leads ready we all started our journey ready fro CRUFTS 2008. This was what it had all been about, this waiting time was now upon us and we were about to show Zac in the largest dog show in the world. A coffee stop at the motorway service station was almost about to put a stop to those dreams as Zac jumped out of the van and limped his way to the nearest tree to leave his calling card. Oh NO !!!!!! not a lame dog on the day of the greatest dog show in the world, this could not be happening to us. As we tried to put him through a few paces, his limp seemed to worsen, so we put him back in the van and decided to take him straight to the Vet when we arrived at the exhibition centre.

Arriving at the National Exhibition Centre was a feeling hard to describe. Beautifully groomed dogs in all directions, each one looking a winner and not one of them seemed in the least bit concerned at what the day had in store for them. We unpacked the car, filled our bags and followed the crowd. At this point it didn’t really matter which direction they were going, we were just so thrilled to be a part of the marching army. They walked and they disbursed, filtering off in to their own show arenas as we did the same. Handing in our tickets we soon found our bench, set out our blankets and went about locating the Vet. Before taking Zac to the Vet I wanted to see how bad he was with his limp, so I took him for a quick practice run in the ring before people started to fill the arena. Now I am not sure if it was the excitement of the ring or the other dogs his size pouring in, but for the moment Zac had lost his limp and was walking like a dream. A few rounds of the ring confirmed nothing more than a stiff joint that had clearly relaxed itself ready for action. It was now time to sit back, relax and enjoy the day, first watching all the other entrants arrive and set up their own bench whilst eyeing up the competition.

It is many years since I was a part of the show scene in the UK so I was interested to see how it had changed, progressed or expanded. My breed in those earlier years was the good old English Cocker Spaniel, although I have to say, most certainly not quite so heavily involved as we are today with our Danes. I think that the UK really set the scene for standards in showing and in breeding and many countries have the UK to thank and Crufts is still the pinnacle of any breeders dream. In my opinion though, and speaking purely from a Dane breederís perspective, I was surprised at how elitist many of the more established breeders were within their own breed and how difficult it was as a new comer to infiltrate such a tight nit club. We never have socialisation issues, we personally speak to anybody and everybody, nor do we let that sort of practise worry us or faze us, but it was clearly very obvious that some of the lesser established breeders and with some very beautiful Danes were just not being allowed in to take their share of the awards on offer at some of the smaller more local shows. I have never been a shrinking violet, the type to worry about another’s opinion or be intimidated by those thinking themselves holier than though or mightier than most. Actually I thrive on their insecurities and rise to the challenge, this was one of the reasons we had finally decided to attend Crufts 2008. You see many think that Europe is a distribution spot for Champion titles for dogs without class or distinction, quality or breeding. Now yes, I have to agree, many years ago this may have been the case, but NOT any more. You only have to look at the quality of dogs what ever breed you wish to cover and you find most of them, unlike years ago are not starting life in the UK. The quality dogs of today’s breeding pool are coming from European destinations and unless the breeders of the UK start to sit up and take notice, then I have to agree with many of the articles written in their very own dog papers, the breed will go in to decline.

I know personally of imports that are being sidelined because they have dared as breeders to import and they are told quite categorically that bringing in quality imports is not the route to obtaining a C.C that they must serve their time as the established breeders have done and only then will they start to be given credibility and recognition. It appears to me that a handful of those that have had years in the breed are closing ranks on those new kids on the block, when really they should be looking at the future of the breed and encouraging them to come on, bring in their new lines and develop the breed standard as it is written.

As a Harlequin breeder with a fraction of the years experience of many of the UK’s established breeders, I can honestly say I do not feel any less equipped to know a good Dane when I see one, nor am I less equipped to know the breeding patterns of the lines I am developing, but what I and many others like me do have, is a burning enthusiasm to take the breed forward and learn from those that are prepared to teach us. To those who close the doors, close rank and do not have the common courtesy to acknowledge another mans efforts when we are all striving for the same end, then I urge you to think of the future, look at where the breed has gone in the UK and start to relax the dictatorial approach that seems to be sweeping through at the higher levels in the breeding world.

There was a selection of what I personally would class as ‘GOOD DANES’ and I applaud those individuals who we actually took the time out to go over to and converse with and acknowledge their efforts. My own opinion was that the general standard of the Harlequin was far lower than those which we compete with in Europe, that we have shown against in Australia and that we have observed at the shows in America. I was disappointed that from a country who led the field in Harlequin breeding, that it had allowed its standard to drop so low. There needs to be a serious look at the colour of the Harlequin in the UK at the moment and although many would put confirmation over colour, it is the overall package that is the beauty of the beast. A couple stood out as being worthy winners, but if the truth were known, even these had come from imported lines, so the individual breeders had recognised that need for change and were doing something about it. It has been pointed out to me that getting a dog titled in the UK is far more difficult than in Europe, so to put the record straight, for those who have never stepped foot over the water to show, I can officially confirm that the European competition is far stronger, at this moment in time the Danes are far more attractive, especially coming from the Scandinavian countries, the colours are far more in line with what the breed standard suggests and the overall confirmation is how we expect our Danes to look. As for the Champion titles being easy to achieve, once again let me put the record straight. First of all, when showing under F.C.I rules we have to show with a dogs full dentition, something I know for sure some of the dogs in my Crufts open class would not be eligible for. We also have to show with a dog in tact showing both testicles, again something I know whilst sitting ring side the Judge pointed out to a couple of dogs handlers.

In 2007 we took a combined number of 42 separate flights with 2 adult Danes, we hit 16 different countries, encountered winters in Moscow, summers in Switzerland, stayed in 22 hotels, hired 18 vans, covered 42 shows and competed with numerous World Champions, European Champions, Mediterranean Champions and Grand Champions. We are not fortunate enough to be able to jump in the car, travel a few miles up the motorway and compete with a handful of UK Champions, NO !!!! Like many of our European colleagues, we have to put backbone and effort in to our presence at a dog show and when we do eventually arrive at our show destination, we compete based on the quality of our dogs and not on the favours we are owed. So in 2007 alone, to come out with Champion titles in 9 countries, Grand Champion in 2, European Champion, Mediterranean Champion, 30 Group Wins, 8 Best in Show, 3 Reserve Best In Show, Breed Champion 3 years running, Dog Of The Year and Champion of Champions for just one of our Danes ZAC I feel we have earned our stripes. To be given the frosty reception from some as we were is evident that the UK show scene in the Dane world has a lot to learn in order to bring it in line with the now very high standards of Europe.

European shows in my opinion at the moment are by far much warmer and more inviting and they actually go out of their way to congratulate you on your wins. Our experience has been most enjoyable to the point where we actively return year after year to support the overseas shows and I think a valuable lesson could be learned by many UK breeders not having experienced the warmth and hospitality of shows outside the UK to pay them a visit, check out the quality of the Danes and just see how tough it is to actually get placed under some of the strictest Judges on the circuit, never mind take a Champion title.

In Europe we encourage new blood, both in handlers and in our lines. When we enter overseas shows and take a good win, the first people to come and shake our hands are the locals. To be accepted in a country as a complete stranger means a great deal to us and we never dismiss it or ever take it for granted. I feel the UK Dane circuit in parts has lost this ability to see beyond their own closed circuit and there is a fear from new comers to actually enter shows or bring out their dogs which I feel is detrimental to the long term of the breed. Of course this is not all, it is a handful of breeders who have dominated the show scene for many years and who believe they are untouchable and unstoppable. We know it goes on in many countries, yet I have to say as a visitor it was very obvious to me and had I have been the type of character to let it upset me or offend me, then maybe I would think twice about going back. There were of course those who didn’t have this air of aloofness about them, clearly loved their breed and went to the shows, not only to show their dogs, but to make friends with new people.

The whole Crufts experience is awesome and for those reading from overseas and never having visited, it is a date for your diary you must take time out for. With over 25,000 dogs on show over 4 days, with every shopping experience catered for and with overseas entries now taking many of the top honours, it really is a dog show for people from all over the world. You need a good pair of walking shoes, a few pounds in your pocket and sufficient liquid refreshment to get you through the day.

As the Dane classes began, I took a seat ringside to see how the events unfolded. I wanted to get a closer look at the Judge Mrs J M Macdonald to see her style, to see what she was looking for and to see how she was placing her winners. As she worked her way through the classes it became obvious her style was more relaxed than had been anticipated. It is always nice to see a Judge sharing a few words with the handler and their dog, it makes life more relaxed and puts everyone at ease. I like the Harlequin and naturally they get my vote, but I have to say, there were some very impressive fawns who not only looked well, but who presented well. There were a couple of choices that again from a personal point of view I would have questioned, but this is about the Judges choice and not the exhibitors choice, so if that is what the Judge liked on the day, then I support her decision, after all that is what she has been invited to do.

It was soon time for our class, ‘OPEN DOG’ one of the more difficult classes of the day. In all over the day there were around 250 Danes entered in total, open dog and open bitch are the combination of the more experienced, more mature and more qualified in their field. Champions from all over the world come together in this class and it is the créme de la créme that go through and take the winning places.

I thought on this occasion my yellow show suit was most appropriate as red already seemed to dominate the show rings. What I had not planned for was a kidney infection which immediately saw my stomach bloat and combined with the extra few kilos I had gained in the winter months, getting in to the suit proved a little more difficult than had been on previous shows. I want to say that unfortunately it was not a case of Cinderella slipping in to the perfect fitting glass slipper, but more like one of her ugly sisters forcing her foot to win her Prince. Could I breathe in sufficiently enough to get the pants to meet in the middle, could I run around the ring without exhaling? and could I bend over my dog to place his feet if he did not walk in to his perfect stack. Well all this was a little late to start worrying about at this stage of the game, the pants were fastened and meeting in the middle, the last intake of air had been taken, enough to last me three times around the ring and the jacket was there to hide a multitude of sins, this was not about me I said to myself, this was about my dog. Who was I trying to kid, of course this was as much about me as it was about my dog, you see we come as a package and if the package was right then we stand more chance of a win. I am not one seen at the local shows in the UK, so how on earth would I get to stand out in a crowd already known to many. Well it was time to go out there all guns a blazing and let them see we were afraid of nothing and nobody.

The class was called, the dogs entered the ring and of all the 21 entries that filled out the ring completely, we focussed on nobody in particular. The Judge started to go over each dog with a fine tooth comb and slowly we moved around the ring taking up our place on each stop we made. All the time Zac was being given reassuring words to put him at ease and to pass away the time it took to get from initially entering the ring, to finding our time in front of the Judge. It took in total around 1 hour 15 minutes to go over all the dogs and as these were the top in their class, that extra time was so important. There was just one more dog and then it was our turn. Zac had been a perfect show dog, he had held his stack to perfection, he had not been bothered by any of the other dogs and his time in the ring and under the lights had not left him feeling like he does on a hot summers day show in Europe. Looking at me with dry mouth as if to say ìcome on dad, what are we still doing here, does anybody realise we are touching temperatures of 30Cî No here was Zac feeling very confident with himself and I could feel it coming through the lead. We moved slowly in to position in readiness for our call, I stacked Zac in a place I hoped we would not get moved from and I waited for the Judge to acknowledge we were next. As the Judge approached, she looked over Zac and then looked over the yellow suit. ìI like the suitî the Judge commented with a smile in her eyes ìwe can certainly see you coming and how old is the dogî She had a very warming approach to Zac, talking to him as she went over him. Zac turned his head knowing this lady had a kindness in her heart for the dogs on show, he looked up and planted a big sloppy kiss on her face almost as though it was staged. Thatís a good boy I thought to myself, you know the way to a womanís heart, a sloppy kiss works wonders every time. ìCould you move your dog for me, in to the corner, up to the top and then complete the triangleî Zac does as he always does and moves well. We were then asked to run up and down and once again Zac sticks to his routine. We were thanked and once again we took our place in the line until the remaining dogs had been seen. ìI am not going to place at this point, just going to pull a few outî I heard the Judge say to the steward. This was our time to stack and be ready for her to once again see how good he was if we were to get pulled out for the short list. Slowly the Judge went around the ring, going over every dog with a very keen eye and now the time had come for her to start selecting her short list. It seemed like a world away, the point in which she seemed to be making her selection and the point at which we were standing. So far only Fawns were making the selection and nothing of colour was getting through. Eventually her eyes focussed on Zac, she looked at the Black dog next to me, she cast her eyes back on to Zac and raised her hand in our direction for selection. WOW, I had hoped but had not planned for this. It now meant I had to extend the intake of air I had inhaled at the beginning of the class for another round of the ring, I had to keep my fingers crossed that the buttons on my pants would hold out and I looked at the T.V cameras and smiled politely as I thought if my mother is watching, the last thing I want is for her to worry I am getting to big for my pants. They do say T.V cameras put an extra 5 kilos on you, so there you go, what chance did I have, I was destined for a lifetime of ridicule of obesity in the show ring just by the fact that I was about to appear on national television. We all took our places once again as the Judge walked up and down. Now then, how would she move us, would it be round the ring or would it be up and down? As she walked behind the dogs it became evident we were going up and down, so our route was observed, we stood to attention and we waited for our time. It was a tense moment for some who took it rather more seriously than others, maybe because reputations were at stake. I got Zac in to position and off we went, down to the bottom of the ring, stop, turned around and then back. As we came back Zac lost his momentum for the moment, he had a shake of his head and a lapse in concentration. I stopped, turned around, walked back to the head of the ring and started him again in our time and not that expected of those left standing. ìThatís betterî the Judge commented when we got to the end ìnow we can see how you move properlyî She moved to the next dog as we stood to attention, perfect stack and now just awaiting the Judges decision. At this point I was more than happy with our position. We were in a short list line up, we had seen Champions from around the world being thrown out and we had seen dogs who we had admired from previous Crufts also being thrown out. Now we were left standing in a predominantly fawn line up, we were the ONLY Harlequin left standing and we were in what is seen to be the most difficult class of the day. Was I looking for a placing, well of course, we all like to think our dogs are worthy of a placing, but in such a line up, I was just happy to have seen some of the stiffest competition being thrown out leaving us in a chance position for a place, I was also happy to have proved that despite the negative comments received regarding European Champion titles and the fact that it was suggested we did not go to the trouble of making the journey to the UK to enter Crufts, here we were, standing with the ones who are taking the prizes and we were showing we had what it takes.

The moment was now very tense as the Judge went over the line up once again to make selection. Zac was doing me proud, he stood like he has never stood before and he knew all eyes were on the line up and more importantly on him as a visiting Dane. I could see out of the corner of my eye, all the people we knew and who had kindly travelled from all parts in the UK to watch us, so I would have loved to have had a place, if only to make their journey worth while. As the Judge moved to the end of the line up I could see Zacs ears starting to drop a little. Oh no, not now I thought to myself, please stay with me, keep your alert expression and keep those ears up. At that point the in-house loudspeaker system crackled on to make an announcement, Zac pushed back his head, his neck went long a lean and his ears gave him that perfect expression. There was a point when the Judge looked at us for what seemed like a life time, for a small moment I thought we were going to get first place, she then walked over and raised her arm at the ;

1st place, Fawn dog CH LOMONDANE GIES A BREAK JW ShCM (MRS C & MISS E CUNNINGHAM & ROBERTSON)

2nd place, Fawn dog CH GARSAK SIR ALFIE JW (MRS A, MR G & MR J HURST, HOOKER & LOCKEY)

3rd place, Harlequin dog, INT, GR & MULTI CH HILDYDANE ZSACHARIAS [ATC AJ00171CYP] (MR P BAINBRIDGE & MR C HULME)

Res Fawn dog, CH MYHALSTON MR MALACHI (MR O GREECHAN)

VHC Fawn dog, ROMULUS OF BACARDI [ATC AH00869HUN] (MISS TINA FIGENSCHAU)

So the final choice had been made and we had done what many thought we would not do. First of all we had been placed in the strongest line up of Crufts qualifying Great Danes, we had beaten Australian Champions, Irish Champions, International Champions, but the biggest surprise of all to many except ourselves was that we also beat the Top Winning Great Dane dog in the UK, most certainly for the past 2 years and I am also led to believe of all times, CH MYHALSTON MR MALACHI.

Our Zac had done it, he was now a Crufts winner to add to his list of impressive wins, he was automatically given life entry in to Crufts, but most importantly for us, he is entered in to the very prestigious Crufts Stud book.

What Honours Does a Stud Book Number Give a Dog?

Firstly it is an honour for a dog just to be entered into the stud book. An added bonus is that a dog never again needs to qualify for Crufts dog show, his stud book number is alone a good enough qualification to compete at this elite show. As soon as you enter the world of dog showing you will become aware of the words ’stud book’. The stud book will become an important part of your competition and with luck your own dog will one day have his own name in the Kennel Club’s stud book.

For us, this was the finishing touch to a great year. We had flown thousands of miles, we had been granted our dogs own frequent flyer card issued in conjunction with the Cyprus Kennel Club and Cyprus Airways, we had shown under some of the toughest Judges the show world as to offer and we had met some really wonderful people. To take a Crufts Winning place for us meant the world and we would like to take this opportunity of thanking the Judge, Mrs Macdonald for having the faith in our dog to place him in the winners line up. We would also like to thank all our friends & family who set off very early to make sure we had support in the ring at the time of our class. Special thanks also to all our overseas visitors, especially Kate from Athens ìCuidadoî who kindly gave up her time to stand ring side when her true passion is the Rottie.

With our part now over, we were able to sit back and watch the rest of the day’s events unfold and a full list of the winners can be viewed on the Crufts 2008 show result page. Craig set about attacking the army of sandwiches he made and fortunately we had something to offer our visiting guests what they arrived. With so much excitement we decided to travel North to visit my parents for the weekend as a surprise and when we knocked at their door they had just finished watching the class results on the T.V. She very kindly gave reassurances that despite the extra few kilos, the cameras had been very flattering to the yellow show suit and although it was not the choice of many conservative breeders and handlers, for us it did exactly what we wanted it to do and even today we are still taking calls from people who have become so familiar with the red and yellow show suits, that they were able to identify us on the T.V.

Sunday was a leisure day enjoying the traditional Sunday roast with my parents and Monday we took the opportunity of having the sperm of Zac frozen in readiness for any overseas interest we may get in the future. Unfortunately frozen semen is not something readily available in our part of the island of Cyprus, so after a long discussion with the gentleman who put Zac through his paces, we have decided to bring the system to Cyprus for all to enjoy in the future. We will first need to purchase all the equipment, we will need to complete the training and once all this has been done we can start to offer the service, not only in Cyprus, but I am told it can be transported to shows which we are in attendance at, so other destinations can also take advantage of the facility.

Following a few days shopping and stocking up with all those things you tend to miss and have grown up with, we headed back to our sunshine island of Cyprus, 7 days from when we first set out.

This coming weekend 15th & 16th March we have a double weekend show here in Cyprus and whilst Zac rests, it is now the turn of Donny & Tina to hopefully bring back some trophies. Harry is over in Latvia for the Winners Show and then over in Finland at his second show of the weekend so we wish him luck.

I have added over 100 photos to the Crufts photo link and if you double click on any of the photos it should automatically take you straight to the album [or click here]. Both Craig & I hope you enjoy looking through them, we hope you have enjoyed our own views and opinions of how the Crufts show was observed by us and we would like to thank all those who did find the time to come over, converse with us and make us feel very welcome.

Well….. this month was a very sad month for us here at Apollodane Great Danes, yet on the other hand it was a happy month. You see we said goodbye to our beautiful Mantle boy “APOLLODANE ASTRAEUS” HARRY being his pet name and at 10 months old was already showing signs of a beautiful champion Dane in the making.

He has gone to a completely different climate to that of our own long hot sunny days, 320 days of the year. Yes he has gone to live in Finland and we are pleased to welcome him to his new home of Mi’Havanna Kennels and his new parents, Anna-Mari & Janne Vuori with joint ownership with Marja Partanen, Kennel Ozaenas.

We have already had our first pictures of Harry sent to us playing with his 7 new friends in the snow. Once he has settled we are sure we will be seeing a lot of Harry in the show rings around Europe and both Craig and I are very proud that both Marja and Anna-Mari wanted to take Harry into their prize winning collection of Danes. We wish them lots of luck, our love and our very best wishes, from all at Apollodane Great Danes, Cyprus, www.apollodane.com

Now then, the very much and very eagerly awaited arrival of AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION Rorlyn Who Spilled the Paint “DIVA” for short and Rorlyn White Collar Worker, “TURBO” for short have at last arrived at the APOLLODANE KENNELS in Cyprus. We are proud and very privileged to become the new owners and we are looking forward to introducing them on to the European show circuit quite soon. Both Craig & I would like to take this opportunity of thanking both Lynnette and Rory for all the hard work and effort that has once again gone in to producing such beautiful Champions.

Turbo has become famous in his own right for becoming the FIRST Australian Mantle Champion to be awarded the title and his winning ways will hopefully be carried on as we continue his show career here in Europe.

Both Diva & Turbo sit perfectly in our future breeding plans as an excellent compliment to our existing winners, Zac, Odette, Star, Polo & Heidie pups.

We are now busy planning for future shows, the next being the very famous and very prestigious CRUFTS in a few days time over in the UK, so we would like to pass on our very best wishes and good fortunes to all our friends and colleagues who may also be entering, we wish you good luck and we hope to see some fantastic results achieved by all.

Apollodane Great Danes once again would like to thank you for your support and condolences on our recent loss, we found all your tributes to be very kind, thoughtful and warm. Over the years we have built up quite a following on our web pages, however there may be some who wish not to receive our show news, photos, film and updates and if you are one of those people, please return the e-mail with the words remove and we will happily delete you from our newsletter.

We look forward to seeing many of our friends old and new at the European shows we have previously visited and found to be extremely well organised. It is always a pleasure after having travelled many hours by flight to know the show you will attend has been organised with care and professionalism. In 2007 we just happened to fly to 12 countries in total and visit 42 shows over the year, so our thanks once again to all the show organisers for GETTING IT RIGHT and making it so enjoyable we wish to return IN 2008.

OUR 2007 SHOW NEWS AT A GLANCE

It is almost the close of the 2007 show calendar and Apollodane Great Danes have now hung up their show leads until 2008  in readiness for the Christmas season. Our Danes will rest and enjoy with us in our home the special treats in store. Lots of  toys, new doggie beds, special collars and leads and all the other things we can spoil them with.

On reflecting back through 2007 we can see just how busy life has been, remembering Cyprus is a beautiful island, but every show we attend is only accessible by flying, so you can imagine the traumas we have to go through first before we even  enter a show ring.

This year 2007 we have done 12 country’s, 42 shows, have been the winners of DOG OF THE YEAR, CHAMPION  OF CHAMPIONS and BREED CHAMPION. We have taken no less than 6 BEST IN SHOW WINS, 3 RESERVE BEST IN SHOW WINS, 30 GROUP WINS and 12 CHAMPION TITLES THROUGHOUT EUROPE in the past 12  months. We are also fortunate enough to have taken the TOP WINNING HARLEQUIN BITCH IN  EUROPE AT THE EuDDC IN SWITZERLAND.

FINAL AWARDS POSITION IN 2007 FOR ZSACHARIAS

Zac finished his year fathering a beautiful litter of 9 puppies, 5 of which are destined for the show ring and already showing  great promise, individually taking Best Puppy in their respective shows on alternate show dates.
Zac went on to finish his year with the following titles and has proved consistent in his performance in the ring.

CYPRUS GRAND CHAMPION, CYPRUS DOG OF THE YEAR 2006, CYPRUS BREED CHAMPION 2006,  CYPRUS BEST IN SHOW 2006 AND CYPRUS CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS 2006
Cyprus Grand Champion, Cyprus Multi Champion, 2 x Bulgarian Grand Champion, 2 x Cyprus Champion, 3 x Australian  Champion, 2 x Bulgarian Champion, 2 x Balkan Champion, Greek Champion, Croatian Champion, Slovenian Champion,  Russian Champion, Zagreb Winner, Aphroditeís Winner, 8 x Best In Show, 6 x Reserve Best In Show, 35 x Group Wins,  Crufts 2007 & 2008 Qualification.

FINAL AWARDS POSITION IN 2007 FOR HEIDIE

Heidie took to her role as a new mother with ease and confidence. She raised 9 beautiful puppies and then 16 weeks later  went on to take Best Bitch at the Mediterranean Winners Show in October, testament to her excellent condition following  her pregnancy.

INTERNATIONAL CHAMPION, CYPRUS GRAND CHAMPION, CYPRUS MULTI CHAMPION, 2 x  BULGARIAN GRAND CHAMPION, Cyprus Champion, 2 x Bulgarian Champion, 2 x Balkan Champion, Greek  Champion, Croatian Champion, Zagreb Winner, Aphroditeís Winner, Mediterranean Winner, Reserve Best In Show, Best  Great Dane Cyprus 2005.

FINAL AWARDS POSITION IN 2007 FOR ODETTE

Odette this year matured in to a beautiful young bitch with many highlights of the year. The first was her success in the  Large Breed Specialty Show in Slovenia when she was entered in to the intermediate class at just 18 months and managed  to scoop Best Bitch over the World Winning Harlequin bitch entered in to Champion class aged 3 years. Her next most  notable achievement was in Switzerland where she took the EuDDC Champion title for the top winning harlequin bitch.

Best Puppy N.S.W. Australia 2006. CYPRUS MULTI CHAMPION, EuDDC Champion, Russian Champion, Greek  Champion, Aphrodite Winner.

The New Year can see us hitting the show circuit in Europe with our new Mantle boy Turbo, our Harlequin bitch Athena  and our Harlequin boy Adonis. We have Crufts in March were we have Zsacharias, Heidie & Odette qualified to enter and  then in May we hope to continue with our breeding programme with a repeat mating for Zac & Heidie and a first mating for  Odette and Turbo.
Our Mantle puppy Apollodane Astraeus (God Of The Stars & Planets) will travel to Finland to take up home with Anne-Mari Vouri (Kennel Mi’havana) and Marja Partanen (Kennel Ozaenas) We are delighted and very happy that Marja and Anne-Mari will become the new owners and we are confident that Apollodane Astraeus (Harry) will prove to be successful for them in the ring as his father Zac has been for us here at Apollodane Great Danes.

So it only remains for both Craig and myself Paul, to thank all the Judges for having the faith in our Danes, by placing them  and recognising them for the titles they have achieved. We would also like to express our sincere thanks to all the show  organisers, Kennel Club Presidents, ring stewards, administration staff and airport officials who have made our European  Show adventure both possible and trouble free. Travelling with 2 adult Danes as we have has presented many obstacles, all I  have to say which we have overcome. Walking through the green section ” NOTHING TO DECLARE ” always raises an  eyebrow and to all those additionally such as Pet Transporters, Chauffeurs, Hoteliers, Pet food companies, travel agents and  facilitators we would also like to thank you for your help and assistance.

Our very best wishes to one and all for the Christmas season and we wish you all the very best for the forthcoming New Year 2008

Paul, Craig and our family of Danes which can be seen at www.apollodane.com

As always, we enjoy our visits to the Greek mainland, the hospitality, the warmth and the genuine appreciation of the Greek clubs sees us return, show after show. We feel there is a genuine understanding of how difficult it is moving LARGE breeds in and around Europe, not only with our own Danes, but with many of the other large breeds that travel to shows far and wide. The disadvantage of living on a beautiful island such as Cyprus is that EVERYWHERE is by flying, other such country’s have the luxury of jumping on a pre-arranged coach or in to their cars and making the journey, albeit longer in time, at a more relaxed pace. What can we do ????? if you have dogs and you want to show them, then this is the price you have to pay. For living, Cyprus is one of the most beautiful islands that I could ever think of wanting to spend my life, for showing dogs, it has improved tremendously over the years and now boasts one of the better show programmes in Europe, one which I would recommend if you have not visited then you really must give it a try, for visiting other country’s, then to be honest we may just as well reside on Alcatraz, because once you are here with your show dogs you really are limited as to where you can travel at a budget affordable to the average pocket. So most Cypriot breeders content themselves with the shows on offer on the island, who’s standards are good, who’s entrants are high and who’s quality of dogs are improving year on year. To travel overseas is a luxury many dream of and to bring back prizes is something most only read about in the papers. So!!!!!!! to travel as we do is not something we just take for granted. We feel very privileged to be able to finance such trips, we feel honoured to be accepted by other kennel clubs and we are truly grateful to be awarded titles in country’s where the competition with local bred dogs is tough and very difficult to compete with. To be given a place on the winners podium consistently as we are is something we know is a recognition to be VERY proud of and our special thanks to all the kennel club members, the Judges and the entrants who cheer us and support us. It makes us very proud to be a part of your individual organisations, for the day or for the weekend and the extended hospitality as is shown is something we are happy to share with our colleagues in the hope that they too will visit your shows and share the experience.

Travel time to Larnaca has now been refined to around 1hour 30 minutes door to door. Our routine has also been refined to ensure quick and smooth check in for us and our Danes. This particular weekend I have to report being better than any we have experienced. I just hit lucky with the correct administrative girls at check in, the dogs were processed, our luggage whisked through and it was smiles all around as I walked outside to inform Craig we were now free to enjoy a leisurely drink and something to eat in he executive lounge before take off.

As I walked across the departure lounge to the outside car park a familiar face to the show world here in Cyprus appeared in the crowded hall. Demitri, our strong competition with the Bichon Frise was standing in the line up waiting to check in. The first time he had actually checked in one of his dogs to the aircraft hold so he was understandably a little nervous. After much reassurance that all would be fine, he waved goodbye to his 2 adult Bichon and put the other 2 puppies he was taking to rendezvous with their new owners on his shoulder in their very luxurious carry on bag and for the moment we parted company. Demitri spent time with an old school friend he had bumped in to and we went off in to the direction of the exec lounge for a peaceful meal before we departed. Remember at this point that we are still in the middle of the busy tourist season and the airports are filled to capacity, so our exec lounge indulgence is more a way of maintaining sanity over the maddening crowds now building up in the departure lounge.

Now happily relaxed and reflecting on how smooth everything had gone we were conscious of an announcement over the tannoy system.
“Ladies and gentlemen, could we please have your attention. Would all Cyprus Airways passengers please report to the main reception desk”
Both Craig and I walked over to what was now a sea of people fighting to speak to the reception girl. We handed her our boarding cards, she looked at us and said in a most apologetic tone.
“Sir, I am sorry to have to tell you, Cyprus Airways Pilots have just called a walk out strike for the next 7 hours, this will mean a build up of flight traffic, there is no guarantee you flight will take off at all today. If you wish you can re-book for another day, you can cancel, or you can take a chance and see what happens later”
“Thank you I said, but we have a number of livestock on the flight and I would like to know what your provisions are for them during this time”
Horror drained through her face as she realised the announcement she had just made was for us not going to be as simple as the options given. We had by now been joined by our friend Demetris and collectively decided to continue with our journey, providing we could be re-united with our dogs as soon as possible.
We were taken back through the passport control in reverse, we had to pass through a security check going the return direction and we eventually were taken back in to the departures hall which was now FULL of angry passengers. Fortunately we had each other for support and left immediately the departure hall to return to our cars. Our own Zac climbed in to the 4×4 and immediately fell to sleep stretched out full length of the car, Odette climbed in to the back of the van and did the same, Demitri took his Bichon and swapped them over in to our very large travel crates and his puppies did the same. For all the dogs this was complete heaven, luxury beyond belief. For us, well we took three chairs from the local cafe bar, set them up in the car park by our vehicles and spent the next 7 hours talking about shows, future, past and present.
Eventually the time came for us to gather our things once again and go through the whole ordeal of boarding our dogs, getting them settled and hopefully this time the flight staff were over their walk out and ready to fly us to our destination.

We arrived now very late. What should have been a 1700hrs arrival was now a midnight arrival and we still had the journey to the hotel to make, another 30 minutes on top. Fortunately a phone call ahead made sure our room was still available, the dogs were walked and fed and like us just crashed fast asleep. For what seemed like only minutes the Nokia phone was now ringing in our ears telling us that we had now had our complete allocation of beauty sleep and it was time to get both dogs ready for the show.

The hotel Stefanakis, room 113 or 112 are perfect for our dogs. 2 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and fantastic sized balcony for each dog ensured that both Odette and Zac had a good nights sleep without the need for them sleeping in their crates. It is not the most luxurious of hotels, but when you travel with dogs you are grateful for a bed for the night, never mind creature comforts. The most important thing for us is that we are accepted with our dogs and we are not having to worry about the concerns of the management, as in this case I feel they appreciate we are all quite respectful and know that any accidents which may happen are immediately resolved, either financially or otherwise.

Both dogs walked and our own breakfast taken we waited for our Pet Taxi Nicos and his additional driver being his mum. The journey to the Markopoulos stadium takes about 30 minutes and you will see from the photographs it has actually got better in time as an Olympic venue, unlike some whose beauty has faded over the years. The weather was at it’s best and the sun shone down as the exhibitors registered their dogs and took up their places. Having been here last year we knew the procedure, we knew which way the sun was going to shine and we knew just where to go to make sure we were in the shade all of the day. Old friends we are always happy to see greeted us and welcomed us once again to the Greek mainland and a quick walk around to familiarise ourselves with the rings saw yet more familiar faces.

Our crates in place, our ring times sorted and our dogs ready for presentation we prepared ourselves for the day ahead. We had early show times so for us this was good. At least our dogs were well rested, they were not to hot from the mid-day sun and they had not become bored at all the hanging around. Show started prompt at 0900hrs and by 0915 we were in the ring with Zac who was just raring to go. We stood at ring side watching the other Danes in class go through their stuff and then it was the turn of Zac. Now I have to say at this point we had struggled keeping his attention as 16 days earlier both Odette and Heidie had chosen with precise and accurate timing, right in the middle of show season to come in to season. Yes here we are just as we embark on our 7 months of extensive travelling with 2 bitches re-enacting the sequel to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” They don’t do delicate and feminine seasons, no, not our Heidie and Odette, what they do is bleed by the bucket full until they decide they have had enough, which in some cases can extend in to three weeks of constant blood loss. We had watched eagerly awaiting the blood flow to stop so we could decide if it was safe to take her and if all would be OK at the show. By the time the show came all seemed safe, the blood flow had dried up and both bitches had returned to slight normality, nothing that a good strong bitch spray, some Vics vapour rub and a bit of good supervision wouldn’t resolve. Our normal travelling routine had to be slightly altered to make sure Zac stayed well away from Odette and under the circumstances we coped very well. That was until on day 2, Odette with possible reaction to the flying decided to switch on the blood flow again just after she had done her class. I tell you, I could have donated to a battle field and still had more left over. Fortunately our red doggie blankets hid most of our embarrassment and she had at least finished showing for the weekend, but never the less, this still meant that Zac, super stud, thought his services were required and at every given moment tried to mount anything in site, fortunately this did not include the judge.

So day one we came home with a Champion class win for Zac and then Best Dog win with CAC & CACIB and an Excellent critique which read;

BEAUTIFUL HARLEQUIN DOG, SOUND AND ELEGANT WITH GOOD REACH OF NECK, EXCELLENT HEAD AND EXPRESSION, CLEAN EYES, GOOD FRONT, FORE CHEST AND DEPTH OF CHEST, GOOD SET OF TAIL AND CROOP, CORRECT HIND ANGULATION, MOVES WELL AND PRESENTED VERY WELL.

For Odette we took Champion class win and Best Bitch. Understandably in her condition she was a little giddy and in the head to head Zac won over with BEST OF BREED. Odette took CAC 7 CACIB with an excellent critique which read;

EXCELLENT SHOW CONDITION BITCH, EXCELLENT MARKINGS, FEMININE HEAD, EXCELLENT FRONT AND BACK, EXCELLENT TOP LINE, GOOD MOVER AND EXCELLENT TEMPERAMENT. WELL PRESENTED.

Paolo Dondina was the Judge, very nice, knew his stuff and got on with the job in hand. He was very precise about his requirements and expectations of your role as handler and his comments on the critique I felt were exactly what he was being presented with by way of our dogs.

So for us, part one of our goal had been achieved, Zac had taken B.O.B and had qualified for a second Greek Champion title but more importantly, Odette had now completed her 12 month campaign and had qualified as GREEK CHAMPION. She now stands at CYPRUS MULTI CHAMPION, RUSSIAN CHAMPION, GREEK CHAMPION AND EUROPEAN DEUTCHE DOGGE CHAMPION and is still only just starting out, now aged 29months.

We had the rest of the day now at leisure until groups later in the afternoon, time to walk the dogs, enjoy the friends who had still yet to show, take lunch and then watch the show jumping of which Athena Onassis was in attendance showing off her amazing skills in the stadium next door.

The afternoon judging commenced around 1530hrs and it was not long before Groups were up and ready to show. I always like to get in to the ring first as Zac needs his space to show off his movement. It still surprises me how many ring stewards still let smaller dogs in first, for example the good old English Bulldog who looks so majestic when walking at his own pace around a ring suited to his size. How on earth can a Great Dane or a Newfoundland be expected to show at it’s best behind the English Bulldog going at his own pace. Come on ring stewards, wake up to the fact that you are there to do a job and order of entry has to be top of your priority list. So many times we have fallen victim to the small snappy dog bouncing off the heels of the larger breeds wanting to run his course. get the big boys in first and then let the little ones follow and take their place and then if they need only to walk at a slow pace, or if they need to complete only half the ring circuit, then at least they can do so without interference to others who have the ability to stride it out and go the course.

The group judge was that of our class, Mr Paolo Dondina. He asked to see the dogs he had not already judged move and he asked to see stacked those that he had already judged. Zac I have to say consistently shows well. Show after show after show he stacks to perfection and presents himself in such a way that you just can not help but want to place him. On occasions he can be a little sluggish with his movement, it all depends on the temperatures and the size of the ring, oh yes and if he just happens to have one of his girls in season.

Presentation now over and the judge made his way to the steward to offer his results. In third place was the only announcement I focussed on which was the Harlequin Great Dane. So we had done it again, we had made our place to the winners podium and we were more than happy with the result. It is the judges choice and today the judge had seen other qualities in other dogs he placed 2nd & 1st over Zac, but in terms of our goals, we had done what we set out to do and come away with more.

It is always a mad scramble once your place in the groups has been decided and for us it was time to pack our things, call the taxi and return to the hotel nice and early to shower, feed the dogs and wander down to the local restaurant for dinner. A whole day sitting in the fresh air is sufficient to draw you to your bed for an early night and by 2100hrs we were all tucked up, Zac snoring on one side, Craig on the other and Odette banished to the outside terrace so she could continue in peace with her season.

Sunday another hot and sunny day, Nicos outside waiting in the taxi and all the crates packed in advance. The morning sun coming up over the Markopoulo Olympic stadium is a sight not to be missed, truly awesome and one of those moments when you reflect on the fortunate position you find yourselves in at certain times in your life.

Registration is always an easy affair, one that many other shows could well learn some lessons from. Ring side information is in Greek and in English, great for visiting exhibitors and there are sufficient programmes to go round to each dog entered.
Our show time was the same as the day before, nice and early and before the heat of the day kicked in, however this time our judge was Zvi Kupferberg from Israel.

Once again we watched as the other Dane exhibitors entered the ring, always making sure that we were ready for the ring steward as he called our numbers. Today’s biggest change to plan was that Craig was handler for the day, a little competition rivalry, so he was really out to do a better result than my own the day before. He first entered with Zac and true to form he showed magnificently, that was Zac and not Craig by the way, although I have to say, for someone who four years ago would not be seen in the ring, he is really making up for things. Zac once again won his Champion class, going on to take Best Dog and coming away with a critique which read;

CORRECT SIZE WITH BEAUTIFUL HEAD, EXCELLENT BONE, CORRECT TOP LINE, CORRECT FRONT AND ANGULATION, EXCELLENT STRONG DEEP CHEST, CORRECT COLOUR, EXCELLENT MOVEMENT.
he took CAC & CACIB (excellent).

A quick change over and now the turn of Odette in her very own Champion class. She trots happily around as if to kick sand in the faces of all around her. She stacks to perfection and presents herself well as the judge writes;

CORRECT SIZE WITH BEAUTIFUL HEAD, EXCELLENT TOP LINE, CORRECT FRONT AND ANGULATION, CORRECT BITE, LOOSE ELBOWS, CORRECT CHEST, EXCELLENT MOVEMENT, she took CAC & CACIB(excellent)

Winning her class and then Best Bitch she came head to head with Zac for Best Of Breed. The sun was now starting to burn through, I was handling Zac who I had rushed in from his ring side crate and the judge pondered as he asked us to move our dogs once more around the ring. Now at this point Zac had managed to get the beautiful sweet smell of Odette in season, Odette was happily flirting her way around the ring, throwing her head back as she trotted along teasing all the way. Zac was now pulling his way like an old English Shire horse, desperate to make actual contact with her. For sure the pace was a good one and fortunately we both knew how to use the situation to our advantage. We halted at the judges request, stacked our dogs once more and presented them to him for final inspection. By now our friends from Cyprus had all gathered at ring side to watch the event and the judge turned and said;

BOTH DOGS ARE BEAUTIFUL, THE BITCH IN PARTICULAR HAS A STUNNING HEAD, ONE VERY SELDOM SEEN SO BEAUTIFUL IN BITCHES, SHE IS QUITE REMARKABLE, BUT ONLY FOR THE FACT THAT SHE STILL HAS A LITTLE MATURING TO DO AND IS STILL A LITTLE LOOSE I AM AWARDING BEST OF BREED TO THE DOG. He than said, WATCH OUT FOR THE BITCH TAKING BEST OF BREED VERY VERY SOON, SHE IS GOING TO MATURE VERY, VERY WELL.

So another great result, points for Zac as we had hoped, recognition for Odette and a place in the group line up once again.
The rest of the day was spent supporting our friends, Giannis from Thessaloniki who travelled without his dear wife Erine and for who we promised to cheer from the ring side to make him feel more relaxed. Demetris from Cyprus with his Champion Bichon and his friend who took B.O.B from him on day one. Stella & Pheytos who’s beautiful Akita bred by Julie & Carl Nicholls from the UK and who did so well on day 2, but again lost out on the group win to our friend Giannis with his impressive Siberian Husky. Stella Mimis, Secretary, Athens Canine Society who I have to say that the makeover has taken years off her and she looked fantastic. It is like an old school reunion when we visit Greece and so nice to see Elena & Elias from Crete and Sissi Adramitli with her beautiful Bulldogs and who always makes us welcome to the Greek shows and has great admiration for our Danes. Mind you I have to say, I think Craig has been working his magic as he too loves the British Bulldog and I think secretly has withdrawal symptoms when he is in their company.

The group 2 now being called and Craig looking like a movie star from the film “The Blues Brothers” moves to prime position to enable him to show Zac to full potential. He is first in with no scuffles at the entry point from any of the small dogs trying to get in the ring first. Consistently he moves like a true professional, the applause rings out and the whistles are evidence that Zac is a real favourite with the crowd. He stacks well and he takes note of what is behind in order to plan his next move. The judge once again moved the dogs not seen by him in the class and an almost instant decision was made and the result handed to the ring steward. Where would Zac be placed in this group, or would he be placed at all. The places are being announced in reverse order, the cameras are flashing and the cheering starts to whip the spectators in to real enjoyment. In second place we hear being announced, in second place, the harlequin Great Dane !!!!!!! A great finish to a great weekend and once again a place on the winners podium for Group 2 line up.

As far as our results were concerned, we came for a possible Greek Champion title being completed with Odette and we got it and we came hoping for B.O.B on both the Saturday and the Sunday and we got it. The 2 group places on the winners podium were over and above our expectations and we are delighted with the final achievement. It was just now time to pack our things once more and take the taxi back to the hotel for a celebratory drink.

Monday we ambled down to the water front, took in the scenery and reflected on our wonderful weekend in Greece. By 1330hrs we were sitting at the airport ready to board our flight and once again we have to compliment Cyprus Airways in Athens for their excellent service and compassion towards our dogs. Arrival in Larnaca in time for sun down and home just in time for dinner prepared by our dear housekeepers Lalyn & Connie.

To see the full selection of photographs from the Athens show, left double click on any of the photographs and this will take you to our photo album selection with over 5500 photographs broken down in to various sets for you to view. You then click on Athens or click on the full selection of Apollodane photos.

In conclusion and it goes without saying, a huge thank you to the Kennel Club for making us feel so welcome, thank you to the administrators for keeping us up to date with show news and thank you to the judges who are never taken for granted and whos service, knowledge and support is very much appreciated.

Courtesy of Elena at www.koh.gr