3 X National BIS
CH ROLIN RIDGE'S FOURTEEN KARAT
CGC HIC CD HOF ROM
BSD-737 HIPS - Excellent BSD-199 CERF (last at 11yrs)-normal MSU Thyroid-Normal @ 2 & 7yrs. VWD-Clear
Elbows and heart were not commonly tested as at that time as they were not considered a problems of the breed.
Ch. Celte de la Pouroffe, CD, ROM x BISS CH. Endymion's Charisma, CD, ROM
HISTORY:
Midas was born from a litter of ten. He was from my "F" litter. Since I already had an older male, I was keeping a female. Just before he was born, there were rumors circulating about the litter's sire having produced HD. No mention was made that the female that was bred to him had not been hip certified. In any case the rumors were bad enough to quell any inquiries from show/breeding homes and the entire litter minus one were sold into pet homes.
Back to Midas' story. At three weeks of age, a male pup was continually demanding my attention even when I wanted to pay more attention to the girls. This behavior continued. When other pups were off playing, he'd be entertaining me. As time proceeded, he stood out as the best of the males. I'd chosen a beautiful female from the litter. The pups went on to their new homes but I decided to hold on to the male until I got a show home.
Finally, at five months of age, a show home appeared. I made arrangements to ship him and at the last minute, I couldn't do it; I'd fallen in love and had'nt realized it till then. From there it was only a matter of time till I placed the sister. I just had reached the limit of our zoning laws and couldn't keep both.
Many people have asked me if I knew what he'd turn out to be and the answer is: no. I knew he was a nice puppy but that was all. He was extremely slow maturing, never had that huge puppy coat, went through the uglies and the ganglies but the basics were always there. I began to realize what I had at age two, when Tervuren breeders and in particular, Fay Dickens, Bonheur, had much interest in him and always supported us.
The rest, as they say, is history.
ABOUT MIDAS:
He was a calm, biddable and serious puppy; wise beyond his years. I believe he was mostly a one-woman dog. He was 100% sound; no noise sensitivities, no shyness, not reactive and no dog agression. With strangers he was watchful and took his cues from me. He was an easy dog but not a soft dog. He was very protective of me and my property but he was level headed about it. For today's society he was perhaps a liability. The only bad habit he had was jumping straight up in the face to greet you if he knew you well. This sometimes would scare some folks. He loved to work with me and learn new things. I wish there had been more opportunities in performance venues then . As it was, my budget and spare time was limited to conformation.
SHOW DOG:
It seems unreal now but I never kept track of his national rankings! He was shown on average of 15 weekends a year. I'm very sure he would have gone much further with a handler but that was not an option. He won every regional Specialty in which he was entered. He won many Group 1's. He was the first ever Belgian Sheepdog to place in the Group (Group 3) at Westminster Kennel Club. He is the only Belgian Sheepdog to have won three National Specialties. He was always breeder-owner-handled. He was pictured in the AKC Book of Dogs for 12 years. He was the male representative in the first ever AKC breed video. His photos are in many books including "The Belgian Sheepdog".
SIRE:
When we began this part of his career, little was known about "Frequent Sire Syndrome", and the possible repercussions. It was commonplace to use and heavily line breed and occasionally inbreed on the most popular sires. He was in heavy demand. Hindsight is something we all wish we had. He never produced a male better than himself in my opinion, but he did produce beautiful bitches. Great males are hard to come by. At last count, he had 118 titled offspring including two generations of National Specialty BOB's and is the grandsire of the all-time top winning female of the breed. He, in my opinion and according to records gave his get excellent working ability and his kids and grandkids have achieved the OTCH, HCH, MACH titles.
I Loved You Best
So this is where we part, My Friend,
and you'll run on, around the bend,
gone from sight, but not from mind,
new pleasures there you'll surely find.
I will go on, I'll find the strength,
life measures quality, not its length.
One long embrace before you leave,
share one last look, before I grieve.
There are others, that much is true,
but they be they, and they aren't you.
And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought,
will remember well all you've taught.
Your place I'll hold, you will be missed,
the fur I stroked, the nose I kissed.
And as you journey to your final rest,
take with you this...I loved you best.