Meet ATZE II
vom Centralhof
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It
was Wednesday, November 28th 2007. We had arrived in Germany the day
before to spend some time with our friend, Michaela. We were sitting at
the table, relaxing after dinner, when her mobile rang. It was Werner
Rohe, head of our LG Westfalen ( our Landesgruppe or chapter, of the
VPP e.V.) Werner is one of those people who carries an encyclopedic
knowledge of pedigrees in his head. He was calling to say that the litter he was
expecting had been born.
To say this was a special litter is
the height of understatement. It was the culmination of a 25-year
breeding program. Werner's female was PPS WENKE vom Centralhof out of
PPS FLAX vom Grünen Weg, Michaela's dog. Wenke had been bred to PPS
MOGLI vom Orsoyer Land, also Michaela's dog, her special PP.
Now
to be awarded the title of PPS is a great honour and a feat of itself.
The dog must have passed all its tests with at or above a set of very
strict criteria. Just because a dog meets the criteria, it does not
mean that the dog will automatically become PPS - it is awarded from
the VPP. This litter could boast three such titled dogs in
their
immediate bloodlines, with both parents carrying the PPS before their
names.
Not only was there strong blood behind these pups, but
they were also the fourth generation to be bred where all the puppies
in the litters had full furnishings. Beards and furnishings are a
primary requirement for
breeding in Germany. Our Otter
is a smooth-coated PP. and
it seems, that smooth-coated gene is still making regular
appearances. Having said that, dogs without furnishings are
NO
less of a hunting dog - they are just not eligible for breeding.
Statistics in Germany give a pup a 50/50 chance of
having no beard. That said, over a litter, a breeder is bound to have
at least 1 pup without furnishings... to have 4 consecutive
generations with furnishings is a remarkable feat. This
litter of Werner's has
showed the great forethought needed to be a great breeder.