2011 in review
Best do the downs first. It was with great sadness that we saw the passing of 4 of our lovely dogs during the year. Cagn (Chilolo WD Cagn of the Wind) a very promising young dog co-owned with Derek Rankin and Katherine Aland, sadly passed away in December far too young. Our sincere condolences go to Derek and Katherine. Our 2 liver noses, Bandit and Becky left us in August. Bandit was 13 ½ years of age and Becky was 12. We miss them both. Also our gorgeous boy Chukkie (Ch Chilolo Alaska Blue) who lived with the Rudolph family passed over the rainbow bridge on 5th September and has left a big gap in the family. We will be using Chukkie semen this year.
Highlights of the year: Trio and Emma ended the year as:
National Number 13 All Breeds
National Number 2 Hound
National Number 1 Ridgeback for the second year
Trio won a total of 12 Best in Show awards which is amazing for a ridgeback and has never been done before in Australia. One of his highlights was being awarded Best in Show at the New South Wales Hound Club. We had 2 very exciting litters by imported American semen incorporating some of the most successful bloodlines in the US. We kept Image (Chilolo CBA Burning Image) a girl from Crisp and Barron (Am Ch Images In The Woods of Reddawg). We also wanted a girl from Shala and the stunning liver dog Am Ch Wyndrunhr Sunhawk Of Course, but unfortunately there was not a suitable girl in the litter so we will wait until we use his semen again this year. We have co-owned one beautiful male puppy, Ace (Chilolo SHHA Sharp Shooter) with Sam Howard and Alecia Marie Senior in Brisbane. Ace has already won Best Baby Puppy in Show and has a wonderful laid back temperament.
Overseas - we sent a very promising girl, Ruby (Chilolo Image of Fire Red Ruby - sister to our Image) to Leon and Ilse in Holland and we wish them the very best of luck with her in the years to come. And in the UK, our old boy, Sam (BIS/BISS Aust/Eng Ch Chilolo CJ Someday Sam) has been announced as Leading RR Sire for the third time. Sam turns 10 years of age this year and is a fantastic ambassador for the breed. We are very proud of him.
Other highlights include my fabulous trip overseas in October, November, December which included judging the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Show in Scotland and a variety of hound breeds in France -both appointments I consider a privilege. I was lucky enough to be invited to have lunch at the UK Kennel Club in London and also to go hunting for a day in southern England. I then met up with Emma in Johannesburg and we had a fantastic 10 days in South Africa and with my cousin in Zimbabwe. We have met some lovely people both in Australia and overseas - people who have given our puppies wonderful homes and we hope these relationships continue for years to come.
Now it is head first into 2012 and already Trio has taken out 2 x Best In Group awards and a Runner Up Best in Show. Ace has won Best Baby Puppy in Show and Image has taken out Challenge Bitch and Runner Up Best of Breed at the tender age of 6.5 months. I have several judging appointments through the year which I am looking forward to so hopefully it will be an exciting year for us and for all of our friends.
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