(plus) Ljubljana, Slovenia, A special CAC show for Molosser and big sized breeds, on January 13th 2007 presented by Slovenian Club for Molosser and Big Sized Dogs. Three shows over one weekend.

With the festive season way behind us and our waistlines way out in front, due to the excesses we have indulged in over Christmas, it is now time to turn our attention to the resolutions we made at the close of 2006, making sure we are some way on track to make things happen.

For us, reflecting on our 2006, we really could not have been any happier with what had been achieved. So what was for 2007? Well our none drinking, non smoking lifestyle threw two of the biggest New Year resolutions out of the window which meant at least we could concentrate on more adventurous goals. Yes OK, we could all manage to shed a few extra pounds, those home made mince pies and that delicious Christmas pudding adding inches to our waistline, but what we felt more appropriate, was a grater concentration on European Dog Show visits. So pledge we did, our solemn New Year’s declaration, our 2007 resolution, to fit in as many overseas shows as our calendar would allow was now set firmly in stone.

To kick start this New Year resolution, we had planned from October 2006 our first show of the New Year. The show was a triple show weekend taking in two International Shows, one on the Saturday, 13th January, the other on the Sunday, 14th January, both presented by the Kennel Club Of Slovenia. In addition to these two shows, the Slovenian Club for Molosser and Big Sized Dogs was holding a specialty show during the evening of the 13th January 2007.

We always enjoy the preparation, making sure the dogs are bathed, nails are clipped and all the grooming accessories are packed away ready for our journey to Larnaca airport. It has become second nature to us now and we each have our own specific functions by way of contribution to the participating of each show. Grace & Tony both help with bathing, Grace co-ordinates all the towels and blankets we take, Craig is on supervising the bathing, cleaning the ears, cutting and filing nails, organising the food we take along with any grooming products, and I stay well out of the way taking note of that old saying “To Many Cooks Spoil The Broth” I lock myself away in the office and make sure all Hotels are booked and fully confirmed, transport is going to be available upon arrival, that our show registrations have all been accepted and that all dogs paperwork, inoculations and Pet Passports are at the ready. All done, we set off on our journey, two adults, two dogs and two vehicles. It’s just easier that way, at least then we know the dogs will not be play fighting in the car getting dirty again, plus it gives us more room for the transportation of 2 giant Vari kennels.

Arrival at the airport saw a swift check in with Austrian Airlines, a lovely lady who also happened to have a second job working in a Veterinarians practice. Dogs weighed and the excess charge calculated at £cyp5.85 per kilo or around Euro11.50 per kilo which has to be paid in each direction, we handed over our credit card, paid our fees and awaited boarding instructions. With around 150kilos of excess weight you can appreciate this becomes rather an expensive love we have, but be that it may, we really have no other alternative if we want to enter shows in other countries. We so envy that of our colleagues who live over on the mainland and who can travel to each destination by car. It makes showing more accessible and certainly more frequent and with each one of our journey’s costing around Euro 8 to 10 thousand, we have to be certain that the shows we chose are the best for showcasing our Danes.

It was a smooth flight lasting about 2hours 45 minutes, a little cramped for passengers, but the dogs were well taken care of, warm and tucked nicely in the special section of the airline hold. Arrival in Vienna, Austria was perfect and in no time what so ever our Danes were through in to the arrivals hall and in our care. We secured the services of a Porter, loaded the dogs and crates on to the extra large transporter and headed through passport and custom control to our awaiting driver with specially adapted van. By now the time was around 2000hrs, it was a cold typical winters evening, the type we have all been led to imagine in our minds as a child of how Austria would be and we were not disappointed. Snow capped mountains, frost covered trees and a scene to compliment any “Sound Of Music” production, yes we were in Von Trapp territory and the HILLS were most certainly ALIVE as the song says. Introductions over, our driver Neso and co-driver set us on our journey giving us highlights and history as they drove us through the country side. We hired the services of a local company by the name of Transfer Services.

 

All I can say is how very convenient it was for us to employ these services, very similar to those taken in Croatia. It takes the stress completely out of the travelling; it allows us to enjoy the scenery and most of all it saves numerous arguments between Craig & me over who has navigated in the wrong direction and why we have ended up miles away from the destination we want to be in. So once again our sincere thanks and compliments to Neso who really made our trip much more enjoyable. He was there for us at the airport, he was available at 0630 in the morning to take us to shows and collect us again in the evening. He even suggested a couple of excursions which we took advantage of on our days off, which to be honest would have been sacrilege to go to such a lovely country and not see a little of the local culture.

The City Hotel was our chosen hotel for the duration. A large modern hotel in the centre of Ljubljana and as we like to do, we reserved one of their business suites to facilitate the fact that we had two large Danes and all our traveling luggage. Zac has a real snoring problem and either he goes without sleep or we go without sleep. With the facility of a suite, we can at least give each dog their own room which means we all get some sleep at the end of the day. Our bags unpacked, dogs fed and watered we head off to the local park to finish the routine before showering and falling in to bed. It was then we noticed our dear little Odette, possibly affected by her flight was now in full flow of her season. With absolute horror and panic, we wondered what we would do. Was Slovenia and it’s Kennel Club compassionate to the point of allowing bitches in season to still be shown, would our journey have been a pointless exercise and was our opportunity of showcasing Odette on her first overseas European trip all going to be thrown in to turmoil.

 

Day 1

Friday was a lovely fresh sunny day and following a lovely breakfast we wrapped sensibly for the cold fresh day that it was. The City was magical, still with many traces of Christmas on every street corner and in every shop window. With Odette and Zac by our sides off we went to explore the surrounding area. Ljubljana to me had many influences, Italian, Austrian; German, even Dutch with it’s waterways meandering through the City. Monumental bridges at various crossing points led to yet more history and culture, lovely shops and a packed market place selling all sorts of fresh produce. Harlequin Great Danes always cause interest when being walked in public, an impressive sight, majestic in their presence. I have never appeared on so many people’s holiday photographs as I have since investing in Danes, it’s the nearest thing to celebrity status I suspect.

The most impressive part of our day sightseeing was that of the famous Ljubljana Castle the most spectacular sight of Ljubljana. There is proven evidence that the hill on top of which it is situated was inhabited back in the 12th century BC Preserved from this early period of settlement are the remains of the Urn Tomb culture.

The first known fortification of considerable dimensions situated on top of the Castle Hill (Grad) was built in Illyrian and Celtic times. A stronghold was most probably located there also in Roman times. A document originating from the period between 1112 and 1125 mentions a medieval castle built in the 9th century, which served as the seat of the provincial rulers of the Spannheim family, who coined their own money in Ljubljana. In 1335 the castle became the hereditary property of the Hapsburg family and the centre of the Province of Carniola. In the second half of the 15th century a new, larger, circular castle was built by Duke Frederick III of Hapsburg, later crowned Roman German Emperor.

Ljubljana Castle is now a major tourist attraction and a picturesque venue of numerous cultural events including concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, congresses and official receptions, which add a special flavour to the lively pulse of life in Ljubljana. Having exhausted ourselves climbing the very steep hills and steps to get to the top, we marveled in the photo opportunities, a little flushed in the cheeks, we posed for the holiday dog show album. The views were incredible, rolling mountain scenery covered in snow and tinted with the afternoon sunshine. It was picture post card and my camera nearly collapsed due to the number of pictures I took. The dogs were in their element, fresh clean air, crisp and clear for them to run and enjoy. Forest, greenery and a landscape to die for all added to their excitement.

We were out walking for about 4 hours with the dogs before deciding to take them back to the hotel and let them rest before we set off once again to explore. We passed what appeared to be a very popular and quite famous Pizzeria and although not my most favourite dish of the day, the smell was enchanting. It wound its way through the streets catching you attention wherever you were and like the Pied Piper it led you cleverly in to its doorway. An early night followed, dogs and owners in a state of mental and physical exhaustion collapsed in to a heap on their respective beds. Odette on her many absorbing blankets due to the sudden onset of her coming in to season sporting “Young Child Size Pamper Pads”, a sight to be seen to appreciate the funny side. Zac on his special show blanket getting the occasional aroma of Odette and Craig and I with bedroom door firmly closed to soundproof us from Zacs heavy snoring. It was a lovely family gathering, one soon to be over as our start the next day was a very early 0600hrs in readiness for show registration.

Driver present and correct, van packed, dogs ready, it was off to the show for the first of our events. Check in was from 0700hrs and my first question to the officials was if they would allow Odette to be shown as she was in season. Fortunately and very much in our favour, the Kennel Club of Slovenia have an acceptable policy which meant great news for us. I know the FCI rules state that their own policy is to allow bitches in season to be shown, but at the end of the day, it really is down to the individual clubs. Here in Cyprus we are told this would not have been allowed, a situation I fully appreciate and am fully supportive of, however we were not in Cyprus, we were in Slovenia and under the circumstances I was happy for their over ruling on the matter. Thanks to them for having such a relaxed and open view on the matter.

We found our ring and then set ourselves up far enough away not to be hassled by all the activity, yet close enough to see what was going on. A few of the regular faces seen at other shows started to appear, visitors from Italy, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Netherlands, Finland to name but a few. It’s a real International Show and great to see some fantastic competition. It was also good to catch up with friends only previously communicated with via e-mail; our friend Slavi from Valvasorsland greeted us and welcomed us to her country.

A lively character, so full of energy, and a great passion for her breed. She wasn’t personally showing in the first show, but due to her very large following had collected an impressive 13 Danes to show in the Specialty show later that day. We exchanged news and updated each other on latest events and it was clear to see we had the same sense of humour. Slavi was most definitely a respected figure head in the community, a real authority on Danes and a support to all her puppy owners. Wherever Slavi went, her pup owners followed. Dog Shows, Dane picnics in the country, you name it and they were all there together. Lovely to see such camaraderie between like minded people and a great network to be a part of.

Dane classes started in earnest, nice and early and we were first to get the ball rolling. Judging was split in to colours with Damir Skok of Croatia taking the Judging for the first of the International Shows with almost 2000 entries.

As always in the individual classes we expect to perform and do well and this we did. Zac standing to attention winning his Champion class, Odette not quite sure why in her hormonal condition she was being made to stack to perfection for the judge. She did well and won her Intermediate Class so it looked like we were on to a good start. We then came to Best Dog line up and in my opinion there was no contest. Zac loves to show and he deserves to win and on this occasion the judge thought so too. So Zac was now through to B.O.B line up. Who would the Best Bitch be I wonder? Not a question I need to linger to long over as the line up took its place and there stood before us Ch Sun Della Baia Azzurra, the recently titled World Champion, owned by Silvanna Marcolina of Italy. This to those of you who have not yet familiarised yourself with our Zagreb Show news is the Harlequin bitch we were up against in Croatia. A two show weekend, were handled by a Croatian professional handler, we lost under a Croatian Judge, Igor Mioc. However under the German Judge, Hans Wiblishauser on day 1, we triumphed over the World Champion and took Best Of Breed.

So here we were again, same line up for B.O.B, our very own Multi Champion Zsacharias owned and handled by, yours truly Paul Bainbridge and the World Champion title holder, handled by professional Croatian handler under the Judge and President of the Croatian Kennel Club, Damir Skok !!!!!!!! Now then, let me consider the options !!!!!!! or do they need to be considered, Yes folks, you have guessed it and you have guessed it correct. The Croatian handled World Champion was awarded B.O.B by the Croatian Judge, a worthy winner in the eyes of the Croatian contingency and one up on the day to the Italians. Well done and our congratulations go out to them, but in the words of Dan Cook in his column in 1976 “The show is not over until the fat lady sings” we still had 2 more shows to go.

It seemed a long old wait until the evening show commenced but watching the large breeds pour in through the door was testament to the quality of dogs in and around this area. I have to add at this point the organisation so far had been perfect, right the way through from administration, registration and finally organisation. Credit due to all those involved, and congratulations for perfecting such an event. Catalogues in dual language, easy to understand announcements and a whole selection of multi lingual assistants available to point you in the right direction. Shops, stalls to buy your doggie bits and pieces and a selection of places to satisfy you hunger. Finally our wait was over and the time was now ready to enter the ring for the Speciality Molosser and Large Breed Show. Judging again was split between colours, Lisbeth Mach, Switzerland responsible for Black and Harlequin, Rajko Rotner, Slovenia responsible for all other colours. It was a very popular show with 81 dogs being judged between the two judges in their respective rings, eventually coming together for B.O.B. I had previously had the good fortune of showing under Rajko Rotner so knew his style and type. Lisbeth Mach however I had not shown under so this was a new experience. Earlier in the day I visited her class purely as an observer to get a feel of her likes and dislikes. It appeared from the comments coming out of the ring this lady held no punches, she was firm and fair and was not generous with her Excellent critiques. Now for me this sounded perfect, it seemed like here we had a lady who was not afraid of telling it as it was, not afraid of going against the grain of having to fall in to line and a lady who judged from her heart and her passion rather than politically or financially. So if a good dog was presented then it seemed Lisbeth Mach would be the first to recognise it and give credit were credit was due. All we had to do was hope that what we were presenting fell in to that category.

Our classes were presented and once again Zac showed to perfection. The first initial comments from Lisbeth Mach filled me with confidence and I was quietly confident that she liked him, although it never pays to be over confident as anything can happen in these shows as we know. Zac took his Champion Class which was one out of the way and now on to Best Dog. When Zac’s time came, he also took Best Dog and this was really starting to look quite promising. I was really nervous as I knew this lady was a perfectionist and her expectations were of the very highest standard.

Please Zac, don’t lose interest at this point I thought to myself, I need you to be on your best behaviour, this show is important in terms of your credibility, so stay focused and don’t let yourself down.

On to Odette and again she showed well and won her class, but I have to say her hormonal way affected her Best Bitch class and the winning bitch was our Italian contender and World Champion, Sun Della Baia Azzurra and it’s Croatian handler. Once again like an old re-run movie, our Zac and the World Champion were head to head. The tension was unbearable as Lisbeth Mach looked over once again the Best Dog & the Best Bitch. Beads of perspiration were collecting on my forehead and the palms of my hands were wet with anticipation. The World Champion does look rather impressive when presented in the ring in as much as it does stack well, credit due to Anti Lucin for his handling; however she is not a choice of bitch that I particularly rate in terms of overall appearance. It’s my own personal opinion, but I find her rather straight in front and lacking any depth in chest to take such coveted titles, but then I am not judging and each Judge has different qualities when expressing their expert opinions. We were asked to run round the ring, to complete the triangle and then to re-stack our dogs. You could really see the judge was taking in every aspect of our respective dogs and then the hand went up, the congratulations offered and YES, it was Hildydane Zsacharias for the Best Of Breed My goodness me, we had done it again, we had taken the number one spot from the World Champion and this time from a Judge with impartial opinions which made the win all the more appreciative. On leaving the ring the talk was how strict Lisbeth Mach had been and how her shortage of Excellent critiques was very apparent. My own opinion on that is TOP MARKS to a Judge who does not feel duty bound to give excellent critiques when an excellent is not a worthy observation of a dogs overall presentation and performance. Smug maybe of me to feel that way, as I understood upon leaving the ring, from the five excellent critiques given, we had been awarded two of them, so I have to say a great result and a great honour to show under a Judge with such high values and principles.

Our next event was Best In Show and I have to say the line up was mammoth. I have never seen a procession of such impressive dogs for such a long time, they seemed to be filing out forever. We all duly found our spot and went on to present as anyone would in the Best In Show line up. Best In Show Judge was once again Lisbeth Mach which in some respects can be good, but then on the other hand they are confronted with other spectacular dogs which have not previously been seen by them. All you can do is stand and hope that you are doing your best. The lights are intense, the crowds are big enough to rival any major Hollywood red carpet event and the dogs are first class. This lady who had been so impressed with Zac was now combing through her contestants with a very critical eye. She was what I class as one of the Grand Dames of Show Judges, the old school type who do things as they should be done regardless of who they upset. How refreshing to show under such a distinguished Judge and what a pleasure it was to know the decisions are going to be based on the quality of the dogs and not the number of favours that are owed. There was a run round, a final stack and then the announcement Reserve Best In Show !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to pass out at this point because Zac had done so well and we were so proud of him, it would have been the icing on the cake to be recognised at this very high level for some place on the winners stand, but then the standard was really of exceptional levels and just to be there was an honour and a privilege. “Reserve Best In Show” goes to !!! and this is when a good command of the local language comes in handy, “THE?.?.?.?.?.?” A voice behind me says, that’s you, "THE GREAT DANE “RESERVE BEST IN SHOW” wow !!!!!!! COULD WE BELIEVE OUR EARS, NO WAY. Here we are in a strange country with some of the very best in Large breed dogs being judged under such a strict eye and we had taken RESERVE BEST IN SHOW. The Best In Show went to the Hungarian owned Newfoundland; Ch Skippers Emperor King Of Helluland owned by Bela Siklosi which had previously taken second place at the World Dog Show in Poland and which had won this years European Show in Helsinki. So in view of it’s track record, I have to take my hat off to the result here in Ljubljana and can honestly say it was a fair and honest win and well done to them, but hey, what a fantastic dog to take second place to. So !!!!! What was it I was saying about the show not being over until the fat lady sings? We took a beautiful trophy presented by the President M’s Alenka Cerne, a wonderful glass Harlequin Dane Head presented by the Judge and a special wooden carving gift chosen personally by the Judge which added a very personal touch to the event.

Our day had been wonderful, the judging strict but fair and the results remarkable and our Italian World Champion contender was now on level pegging, out of 4 shows together, we had each won 2 Best Of Breeds, one of ours leading to Reserve Best In Show, both our own wins had been independent Judges away from the country we lived in, both the World Champions had been given by Croatian Judges with a Croatian handler. We had one show left for the weekend and how lovely it would have been if we could have made it 3 B.O.B show wins to 2 in our favour.

It was a very late finish and we didn’t get back to the hotel until after 2300hrs, so exhausted and tired were we dinner was the last thing on our minds. Once again dogs fed, watered and walked in the park, we did just manage to take in a take away to eat in our room. Bed soon followed and before long that all too familiar ring of the alarm clock was serenading us from the bed side table.

Day 2

The whole process begins again, same ring, different Judges and once again colours being separated in to different classes. Now today we had a British Judge by the name of Robin Searle. A gentleman of similar principles to those of Lisbeth Mach. A gentleman with a long history of Judging at some of the most prestigious Dog Shows around the world and I have to say again, although never having show under him previously, his reputation preceded him by way of his thorough eye for detail, his strict rule on presentation and his immense knowledge of the breeds he was judging. This really was going to be a challenge and immense fun, as I had heard so much about him; I was really looking forward to presenting under his watchful eye. His first classes were that of the Bulldog, a big group which I understand he has a wealth of knowledge being a breeder himself, and then he went on to the Danes. Harlequins were at the end of his judging day, by which time the competition was really starting to come through. I was trying to get an understanding of his preferred type, but it was very difficult as nerves always play the bigger part, especially when stood on the side lines watching your competition. Soon it was our turn to show and we entered the ring in Champion class with Zac. What can I say!!! What a lovely man with a manner so very calming on the dogs. He scrutinised with a very critical eye, he checked the teeth, he was very clear in his instruction to present and show and he was patient when external distractions took your dog’s eye off the ball. As I said, we were one of his latter classes, by which time the remainder of the arena was being prepared for agility classes with some of the smaller breeds already weaving their way through the tunnels and over the hurdles. Zac with the more experience knew to stand his corner and not be put off in his presentation and although occasionally thinking it was time to play, his ears stood upright and his attention followed these little critters as they did their stuff. From a show point of view, whilst his attentions were being diverted Zac really looked a picture to be framed. He stood to perfection and the little smile I saw from Mr Searle’s face as we ran around the ring made me think that he liked what he saw. Sure enough Zac won his Champion class going on to take Best Dog. It was now the turn of Odette, but just a quick recap here to remind you that hormonal bitches just wanting to be loved do not always make the best of their show potential. She entered the ring and I immediately explained why Odette may present herself with tail up. It’s a woman thing and when you’re looking for loooooooove you do what ever you can to attract attention. Mr Searle gave us our instructions and off we went on our way. Up and down twice, then round and round coming nicely to a very neat stack. Well, that was the instruction until she caught sight of the Jack Russell pounding up and down the slides, through the hoops and in and out of the tubes. What fun she thought to herself, I think I would like to do a bit of that was the thought now firmly in her head, and an about turn she did facing completely the opposite way to the way I had stacked her and being a real challenge. I tried to regain composure whilst Mr Searle checked over the other bitches, but NO, our Odette was having none of it, there was far more fun going on in rings 1,2 & 3 than in ours and if it was at all possible she was going to transform herself from the elegant Great Dane she was, to some hyper energetic Jack Russell that she wanted to be. Suddenly I caught sight of the way she was looking at these Jack Russell Terriers darting round the ring and I could not believe my eyes, she was PICTURE PERFECT just unfortunately facing the wrong way. Quick thinking on my part with a little instruction from Craig on the outside of the ring and I managed to manoeuvre her in to a position that actually allowed her to see what was going on in the other rings, yet at the same time present herself in a way acceptable to the Judge. Our cunning paid off and she went on to win her Intermediate Class going straight in to Best Bitch. Ahhhhhhhhhh Yes, Best Bitch and this strange feeling of Deja Vu suddenly overtakes me. Once more we find ourselves in the Best Bitch line up with our friend the Harlequin World Champion who so often goes head to head with Zac for Best Of Breed. How nice if we could triumph over her again today with Zac, how it would be the icing on the cake and how we could revel in his achievements. Odette now fixated on the Jack Russell stood proud, her top line was perfect, her angulations a credit to any Dane owner and her presentation was first class. Her movement to the edge of the ring was not her best, but her return was in keeping with her surrounding, that of the home of Lipizzaner horses. She trotted courageously through her movement, swishing her rear end as she went past the World Champion. “Go girl, go girl” I said to her as she stepped up her movement, “head up and show”. We ground to a halt, I faced towards the agility class for her to enjoy and the rest was up to Mr Searle. Sadly I have to say of our Zac and the World Champions impending head to head, this was not going to be the case, because TRIUMPHANTLY I am so HAPPY and PROUD to announce, after much deliberation from the expert Judge Mr Robin Searle, Hildydane Odette was titled BEST BITCH knocking the World Champion completely out of the show. Our 17month old Harlequin bitch in Intermediate Class had scored top honour over a three year old World Champion in Champion Class and there we were in a head to head with each other, Apollodane versus Apollodane, not something we had prepared for as Craig quickly threw his jacket to the side, grabbed hold of Odette and with a smile the size of a Cheshire cat famed in his moment of glory for Best Of Breed with our lovely boy Zac and our up and coming girl Odette. If ever there was a moment of triumph to be savoured it was this very moment, the moment when our young girl took top spot from a mature World Champion and her professional handler and when we then went on to take Best Of Breed with Zac. To add to our success of the weekend Zac also qualified under Lisbeth Mach as Slovenian Champion, so how happy were we ? I have to say, VERY HAPPY INDEED.

 

So our show results read as follows Intermediate Class Win for Odette in all three shows and a Best Bitch Win on day two. 3 C.A.C with excellent critiques and 2 C.A.C.I.B. giving her a nice start to the years results for 2007.

With Zsacharias we took Champion Class Wins at all three shows, we took 3 Best Dog Wins, 2 Best Of Breed Wins, a Reserve Best In Show, 3 C.A.C, 2C.A.C.I.B and the very well deserved title of Slovenian Champion.

He now reads CYPRUS, GREEK, AUSTRALIAN, BALKAN, CROATIAN, BULGARIAN & SLOVENIAN CHAMPION, BULGARIAN GRAND CHAMPION, APHRODITE WINNER, ZAGREB WINNER, 5 TIMES BEST IN SHOW, 3 TIMES RESERVE BEST IN SHOW & MULTI GROUP WINNER, HILDYDANE ZSACHARIAS.

Our special thanks are extended to the Slovenian Kennel Club for their expertise in putting on such a professional show weekend, for their administrative excellence prior to the commencement of the show and to their organisation on the days in question. We would also like to thank the President of the Molosser and Large Breeds club, M’s Alenka Cerne who initially advised us of the show taking place when she visited Cyprus in October 2006. Our appreciation is shown for her club allowing us to grace its pages as one of it’s winners and we value their confidence in our bloodline and the dogs we showcased to be given the title of Reserve Best In Show and Slovenian Champion. We would also like to take this opportunity of thanking the Judges on the day of which we were fortunate enough to show under, that of Mr Damir Skok, M’s Lisbeth Mach and Mr Robin Searle. Thank you to them for again seeing what we saw when we first identified these wonderful individuals to become part of our family. All that was left now was our own celebration; a nice relaxed evening meal and a reflection on the weekends events.

Sunday had been a great day for us, we had finished off the weekend with more than we set out to achieve and what’s more, to be given the recognition by such prestigious judges was testament in itself as to how good our Danes really are. We had also been fortunate to meet some very lovely people over the show weekend and our Croatian friends Kruno, Renea & Dominic took the time to come over and visit and although we didn’t get to long to spend with them, their interest and support was very much appreciated.

Monday was a leisure day so we decided it was a nice treat for both ourselves and the dogs to go and visit Lake Bled. What a spectacular day out, our dogs tucked nicely in their Vari Kennels in the back of the vehicle and us in front taking in all the breath taking scenery. We went up in to the Castle, we took lots of photographs and we were spellbound by it’s magical atmosphere.

We tried the well known Bled Crème Cake, well actually Craig found space for a second and on our return to the hotel we stopped off at Slavis home at her invitation to sample local cuisine, home made bread and a swim in her Olympic size pool back-dropped by snow capped mountains. (Slavi shares our joke with the pool comment).

She had a great set up for her Danes and was all ready for her impending arrival of three litters. We arrived back at the hotel with just time to pack our things and get in a few hours before setting off on our return journey to Vienna.

Once again Austrian Airlines were a delight to check in with, nothing was to much trouble and our dogs were with us until boarding commenced. 2hours 45 minutes later we were home in Cyprus to temperatures of 20C and sunny blue sky. Grace had prepared one of her delicious Sri Lankan curries to greet us upon our return and then informed us that at 1600hrs that afternoon, Heidie had come in to season also. So off in to the safe run, enclosed on all sides we now have Odette in season and Heidie in season, only this time they are both for real with no false alarms. It is our intention to cover Heidie with Zsacharias on or around the 25th January 2007 and retire Heidie for a while to hopefully enjoy motherhood to it’s full.

Our boy Polo has pulled muscles in his back end so is on steroid tablets to ease the inflammation. That’s what you get for trying to show you are top dog vocally and scale a fence to get to bitches in season that you have no hope in hell of getting over. Roxy our rescue Dane has just undergone a 2 hour operation on a damaged liver. We don’t know exactly what the final diagnosis is as we are awaiting the results coming back from the UK, but she really has gone through it these past few weeks poor girl. The unfortunate thing with a rescues is you don’t know what their history has been before you take them in to your home, so it’s a little like Russian Roulette. The only thing you can do is give them lots of T.L.C and keep your fingers crossed they pull through whatever makes them sick. Happy to say after five days under observation with the vet, she is now home and looking much better with a little glint in her eye.

We hope you have enjoyed our show news entries to date and we hope you continue to return for our blog, monthly newsletter and photos.

Best wishes for 2007 and all the very best to one and all.