Current
Breeding Lines 1969 - 1984
by Jonathan Jeffrey Kimes In any breed there is an ever present need to review and
define the most influential lines of the day. Unfortunately, to date we have not yet
devised a satisfactory method of singling out those lines and individuals which are likely
to have a major influence on the breed in the future. The current, utterly tiresome method
is to praise dogs on their "top ten" ratings or signal them as "top
producers" by the numbers of champions they have sired. While it is reasonable to
assume the top winners are among those dogs that are heavily campaigned and the top
producers are among these dogs heavily used for breeding, it does not follow that the best
dogs are necessarily campaigned or that the best producers are heavily used. Since dog
showing and breeding must conform to the participant's interests and lifestyle, we cannot
just assume all the best dogs will be campaigned or the best producers will be recognized
and used by more than the home kennel. At the present state of consciousness, the terms
"best" and "quantity" are far too synonymous. Being a diehard in
believing dogs should be judged on their merits and not their owner's enthusiasm, I wish
to present a terribly simplistic but mildly satisfying record of breed progress over the
last fifteen odd years, but a record compiled by judgements made of specimens in an
academic environment. Certainly a founding backbone of the American Cardigan
scene was the great Ch. Lord Jim's Lucky Domino. He and his sons were largely responsible
for the overriding popularity of tricolors in the 1960's. His son, Ch. Springdale
Droednoeth won the BB award in 1969, 1972 and 1973. Droed went on to BIS in 1972 after
winning the specialty at Rubber City KC. Best in Sweeps and WD in 1969 was the Droednoeth
son, Hillsborough Kelly. WB was the Lucky Domino daughter Swansea Pick-A-Dilly. BOS in
1969 was a red bitch, Ch. Domino's Miss Busy of Brymore whose sire, Ch. Domino's Beau
Jester, was a littermate to Droednoeth Beau Jester was BB in 1971. Ch. Lord Jim's Lucky
Domino was BB winner of five National Specialties in the 60's! Ch. Springdale Droednoeth was little used, but made a
lasting contribution in producing Ch, Wicklewood Watersprite. Watersprite was a foundation
bitch for Twinroc Kennels and produced Twinroc Roman Rocket, a red who was WD in 1974.
Roman Racket's son, Cardrew Scotch on the Rocket, a tri, was WD in 1976. When Watersprite
was put to Ch. Halmor Caesar as a double up on Ch. Lord Jim's Lucky Domino, they kept true
to form and produced Ch. Twinroc Caesar's Cadet, one of the cornerstones of a true dynasty
in Cardigans. Widely used by the Winsdown Kennel was a blue merle dog,
Winsdown Brymore Carbon Blue, who never earned a single point in the ring but became a
most influential producer. RWB in 1972 went to a daughter, Glenjoy Black Dian; WD in 1973
to his brindle son, Winsdown Becmar Monarch; WB in 1970 to his blue daughter, Winsdown
Blue Bernadette; and RWD in 1975 to his blue son, Winsdown Blue Max of Rogue. Carbon's
tricolor daughter, Ch. Winsdown Black Diamond, produced the tricolor Ch. Eastwyn
Hildegarde, BOS in 1973, and her sister, the sensational red bitch Ch. Eastwyn Miss
Friendly. Miss Friendly really showed the boys how the game was played by going Best in
Sweeps and BOS in 1974, BB in 1977, 1978 and 1980! When Miss Friendly wasn't bringing home
the silverware, she was in the nest producing more winners. Owned by the Slaboda's Twinroc
establishment, Miss Friendly was put to Ch. Twinroc Caesar's Cadet to produce the red
Twinroc Eastwyn Joy, Best in Sweeps in 1976, and Twinroc Ebony Gem, a tri, RWB in 1976.
Ebony Gem produced Ch. Twinroc Trapper John, Sire of Buck Creek's Bit O'Biscuit, Best
opposite Sex in Sweeps and WB in 1984. Another of the Caesar's Cadet-Miss Friendly
offspring was a tri dog Ch. Twinroc Wam-Bam-Thank-U-M'am. Out of a Caesar's Cadet
daughter, Ch Twinroc Tinkerbelle, Wam-Bam sired Foxfyre Red Baron, Best Opposite Sex in
Sweeps in 1980; Foxfyre Spirit of Sprite, BW in 1978 and BOS in 1982; Foxfyre R'mont Joint
Venture, Best in Sweeps and WB in 1981; and Ch. Foxfyre Red Flame, producer of Ch. Foxfyre
Flame, a brindle ptd. black and white despite his name, RWD in 1980 and BB in 1981, and
Checkmate Treasure, a red, Best in Sweeps and BW in 1980. Spirit of Sprite's daughter,
Robmont Checkmate Caraway, was Best Opposite Sex in Sweeps in 1932. Flame, Treasure and
Caraway are all by the Caesar's Cadet son Ch. Checkmate Bounty Hunter. Bounty Hunter also
sired Checkmate Celeste of Oaklea, Best in Sweeps in 1979, Vestavia's Crowning Touch, RWB
in 1982. As if that isn't enough, Ch. Twinroc
Caesar's Cadet also sired Ch. Cardrew Christopher Watched, BB in 1981; Cardrew Reddy
Teddy, WD in 1977; and Ch. Twinroc Joker's Wild, the sire of Twinroc Highland Cavalier,
Best Opposite Sex in Sweeps in 1978. Pantyblaidd, a Welsh kennel owned by Oliver Jones, began
to have a noticeable influence in the early seventies. Pantyblaidd Bambi was Best in
Sweeps and BW in 1970. In 1971, Pantyblaidd Piper was WD and went onto BB in 1974. Bambi's
younger brother, Pantyblaidd Beano, was RWD in 1971. Piper, bred to another import of the
"B" breeding, Ch. Beat, produced the notable Brymore's Taliesin, Best in Sweeps
in 1972 and BB in 1975 and 1976. Taliesin also won two all-breed best in shows. Taliesin
got little use at stud, but managed to produce Dean's Petunia of Tamerlane, RWB in 1978.
Taliesin's sister, Ch. Brymore's Ceridwyn, produced the handsome red dog, Brymore's
Wildfire, RWD in both 1978 and 1979; and his brindle brother, Brymore's Tobi of Tamerlane,
WD in 1978. Still another of the Pantyblaidd B's, Ch. Bun, produced HR Lucky Bun's Miar,
Best Opposite Sex in Sweeps in 1973. Bambi was bred to Ch. Winsdown Brymore Cat Ballou
(dam of Black Diamond and Black Dian to produce Winsdown Zephyr, WD in 1972. Zephyr
produced Falstaff's Frolic of Brymore, WB in 1974 and Beaujangle Believes 'n Trolls, Best
of Opposite Sex in Sweeps in 1974. Ch. Parmel Dictator was imported from England by Brymore
Kennels in the early '60's. Dictator was a brother to English Ch. Parmel Digger, the top
winning Cardigan in England throughout the sixties and first half of the '70's. A brindle,
Dictator produced Ch. Winsdown Brymore Cat Ballou, whom we just met, Carias yr Brymore,
RWB in 1969; Ch. Brymore's Cymmie, BOS in 1970 and Brymore's Beau Geste, Best in Sweeps in
1968. Beau Geste sired Raglan's Miss Abigail, RWB in 1977, and was the grandsire of the
red Rollingwood's Miss Muffin, Best Opposite in Sweeps in 1975. Bred to a bitch on lease,
Beau Geste produced the brothers Rollingwood Gee Whiz and his tri brother Rolingwood
Midnite Gambler. Gee Whiz went Best Opposite in Sweeps and RWD in 1976, BOS in 1977, 1978
and 1980 and BB in 1983. Midnite Gambler produced well siring Davenitch Little Bit Jaimie,
RWB in 1979, and Davenitch Black Ace, WD in 1980, in one of his first litters. Also to
Gambler's credit are the red dog, Greenshade Windsor of Megwyn, RWD in 1983, and the
brindle Davenitch Megwyn Curigwen WB and BW in 1983. The Gladstone's Aragorn kennel was off to a bang start in
1977 when their foundation bitch, Aragorn's Swansea Galadriel, went Best Opposite in
Sweeps and WB. In 1984 she was awarded BOS. Her blue merle daughter, Ch. Aragorn's
Oklahoma Blue Elf CD, proved herself to be a producer, giving us the tricolor Aragorn's
Tri-Umph of Foxfyre, RWB in 1980; Aragorn Sarum Blue Bishop, Best Opposite in Sweeps in
1982; Aragorn's Blue Ingenue, RWB in 1983; and Ch. Aragorn's Out of the Blue, dam of
Aragorn's Silver Streak, WB in 1982. Margaret Sullivan imported two Robgwen bred dogs in the
early 70's, Ch. Robgwen Destiny, a brindle bitch royally bred by the great Ch. Parmel
Digger out of another English great, English Ch. Robgwen Black Beauty, and a brindle
pointed tri dog, Ch, Robgwen Nice Fella, by English and American Ch. Winsdown Blue Disk of
Robgwen, who was bred by Winsdown here in America by Carbon Blue, and exported to Great
Britain where he became top stud in 1975. Bred together, the result was Ch. Talbot's Pilot
Programme, sire of Kennebec Ice Anchor (who combines Halmor Caesar with Pilot Programme)
Sweeps winner and BW in 1984. Of course, Pilot Programme also sired Ch. Pendragon
Lineleader, multiple BIS winner. Pilot Programme's brother, Ch. Talbot's Blackstone
Magician sired Ch. Westwyn Blackstone Amethyst, BOS in 1983 and is the grandsire of
Dyerwood's Sparkle Plenty, RWB in 1984. Widely used by the Rhydowen Kennels, Ch. Swansea Good Nite
has produced Rhydowen Lil' Colonel the Pooh, Best in Sweeps in 1978 and Miru's Knight
Rider, WD in 1983. Another owned by this kennel, the Blue Merle Swansea Blue Diana, had a
spectacular win of BB from the classes in 1979 and BOS in 1981. Her grandson, Rhydowen
Chase the Wind, was Best in Sweeps in 1983. An inbred dog, Ch. Brymore's Jon of Metromedia was by the
imported Ch. Parmel Bryn out of a Bryn bitch. Jon sired Brymore's Tammi Ap Jon, RWB in
1971 and BOS in 1975, and Brymore's Joanna, RWB in 1973. Jon is also the grandsire of
Dean's Petunia of Tamerlane, RWB in 1978. It is entirely possible that I have overlooked some family
connections or chose to ignore them for the sake of simplicity, but I feel the foregoing
reflects well the major influences in the breed. From Ch, Lord Jim's Lucky Domino to his
grandson Ch. Halmor Caesar we see a major strong line in the breed. Combined with the
influence of Winsdown Brymore Carbon Blue's and Ch. Parmel Dictator's descendants through
Ch, Eastwyn Miss Friendly, we see a coming together of two powerful lines that have nearly
eclipsed other lines in specialty competition. The Pantyblaidd lines are still around,
though quietly so. The Robgwen lines through Ch. Talbot's Pilot Programme and Ch. Talbot's
Blackstone Magician seem to be on the rise, especially when combined with the proven
Halmor Caesar lines. We can learn many things from an overview such as this.
Firstly, even a simpleton will immediately recognize that the top winners are very much in
the same few lines time and time again, even despite their residence in various kennels.
This should indicate that quality cannot be "wished" in, it must be obtained
from breeding with the most successful bloodlines. You will undoubtedly notice the
conspicuous absence of some bloodlines that have been bred for many generations in this
country. That alone should tell you something. I suppose the most important thing in breeding good dogs,
even more so than being knowledgeable or studious, is to breed from the most influential
lines; to breed from lines that have generation after generation produced the most
outstanding winners and producers. We're only on this planet a short time. No sense in
fooling with the in-betweens. Published in the CWCCA Bulletin, Vol. 18, 1984 Reproduced with the kind permission of the author. |