Archive for cyprus
Press: Animals’ Frame Magazine Article - Our Crufts 2008 Write Up
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)
17th & 18th May 2008, Cyprus International - Aphrodite Winner and Crufts Qualifier Show - Episkopi, Cyprus
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
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.
Cyprus, National Show - 15th & 16th March 2008
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.
No comments yet, click here to add your own! »
Turbo & Diva arrival, 27th February 2008
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.
No comments yet, click here to add your own! »
Pool Party, August 2007.
Well as we all know, the Dane is not really noted for being a water babe, infact many shy away rather than even test out the possibilities. Here at Apollodane Great Danes we feel water exercise is by far the best option for our Danes from puppy through to adult, all really enjoying their days in the pool. We start them as young as 6 weeks old, just slowly getting used to the water until they are happy to go it alone. Then what we get is the bold steps taken as shown in the video and we hope you like it.
Apollodane Official Award Certification Granted
We are proud to announce that on Friday the 13th July 2007 Apollodane Great Danes of Cyprus received certificate confirmation from the Cyprus Kennel Club that we are one of the first breeders to be awarded and recognised with; MULTI CHAMPION & GRAND CHAMPION TITLES OF CYPRUS for HILDYDANE ZACHARAIS & HILDYDANE HILDAS HEIDIE, also we are pleased to announce that our very own HILDYDANE ODETTE has just today been awarded MULTI CHAMPION OF CYPRUS at just 2 years of age.
Whilst being one of the first breeders overall here in Cyprus to be awarded the recognition of Multi Champion & Grand Champions titles for three of our dogs, this is the very first Great Dane recognition at such a level, so we are very honoured and privileged to be the first to carry this standard forward for all future Danes.
We have had a great 12 months taking many BEST IN SHOW AWARDS, GROUP WINS and of course not forgetting the very prestigious and current holder of DOG OF THE YEAR & CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS with Zsacharias.
Our very sincere thanks to all the judges who felt our Danes worthy of recognition in all the shows here in Cyprus since they arrived from Australia, thanks to all at the Cyprus Kennel Club for the hard work and effort they put in to the shows and to Hildegard Schliefert our guide and mentor for making it all possible. We hope to continue with our success and look forward to seeing you all quite soon at up and coming shows with not only our existing Grand Champions, but our very new and soon to be showcased, Apollodane Athena, Apollodane Astraeus, Apollodane Asclepius and Apollodane Adonis, born to Grand Champion Hildydane Hildas Heidie & Grand Champion Hildydane Zsacharias, photos which can be seen on our puppy news web page.
New Pups on the Block!
We would like to inform all our friends that our Grand Champion Bitch Heidie and our Grand Champion Dog Zsacharias have produced their first gorgeous litter on the 1st april 2007. View the Pedigree Chart here.
In the litter we have 10 beautiful puppies all fit and well and the proud mother is taking to her role with ease.
We have in the litter:
- 3 Mantle puppies (2 dogs and 1 bitch)
- 7 Harlequin puppies (3 dogs and 4 bitch)
If you are still interested in any of the pups and have not yet completed the online registration form. Please do so here.
Please do so in order to allow us to make the necessary selection process, ensuring that any dog which is sold is going to the correct home and environment for the puppy’s best interests.
Find the permanent new litter page here.
Hildydane Zsacharias Wins Cyprus Best Dog of the Year 2006 & Winner of the Title Champion Of Champions!
Some late night news to anyone visiting late this Saturday evening;
Hildydane Zsacharias Wins Cyprus Best Dog of the Year 2006 & Winner of the Title Champion Of Champions!
Click the link for further information.
Winter in Cyprus
Today, a cold winters day in Cyprus. I think it got as low as 28 degrees today by the pool. We didn’t actually swim today, but we had swimsuits on and took in a few sun tanning rays ready for the Christmas photo’s.
Dogs were really enjoying themselves. Zac and Star were excluded for obvious reasons but they have been up on the mountain today for a good run individually. We love to get them all together as often as we can as it just breaks up their bonds with their kennel partners so as not to get to territorial. Heidie & Odette as so bossy with Polo as you can see from the photos, they really give him the old rough and tumble.
No comments yet, click here to add your own! »
