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KERRY BLUE TERRIERS IN SPAIN: THE HISTORY
Concerning the Kerry Blue Terriers in Spain, I’ll try to remember the best dogs I’ve seen in the last twenty five years: it´s a general view where we find excellent dogs imported mainly from Great Britain and Ireland, and some others bred here in a high level of quality too, tested by the best judges from all around the world, even in the most important shows held in Europe every year. Probably I´ll forget some dog or owner, but it´s not my intention. I knew the breed for the first time here in the beginning of the eighties. Some of the veteran breeders tell me about some import in the middle of the 70´s, but showed in a limited shows, and without relevant progeny. I would like to refer to the KBT scene dividing the article in two great chapters: the world of Kerries before the foundation of the Club, in 1997, and the status of the breed in those last ten years.
THE EIGHTIES AND THE NINETIES It’s difficult to talk about the Kerry Blues in Spain without mentioning those fanciers who deicated a magnificent effort to know the best dogs in the moment outside our frontiers, and to import and exhibit excellent dogs in the beginning of the eighties. Certainly, they are the origins of the brilliant development of the breed in this country. Maybe I could say it were romantic times for all terrier fanciers in those years: people who loved in a special way their favourites breeds and tried to learn all about it laping up British dog newspapers and the best American magazines, or travelling to another countries to attend the most important shows. Of course, Cruft´s was the appointment marked in red in the calendar every year. As all of you can imagine, it were times where it was very difficult to obtain information and that situation kept sometimes the breeders apart from the rest ones in other countries. In the present moment, every newcomer can surf in the net and learn a lot about the breed and breeders, shows results, even to buy a puppy, all around the world. Internet is information, and information gives you now a lot of possibilities. An outstanding group of dogs and bitches were showed in a regular basis in the beginning of the decade; majority of them were imported from some of the best British and Irish breeders at this time. I remember specially four bitches and four dogs. Regarding bitches, the American import Ch. Kernwood´s Sugar Blues (Ch. Wedgewood´S Sugar Grant x Ch. Kernwood´s Killarnoch Killeen), Ch. Louisburgh Clairseach (Emprise Edmundo x Louisbourgh Siofra), both of them owned by Ivonne Visser (Kennel Cervantes); the other two bitches, bred by the late Malachy Mc Geown and his wife Bridget, Ch. Granemore Shergar (Ch. Garrymore West Wind Wonder Of Granemore x Granemore Crusheen), owned by Jorge DÃez, and World Winner Ch. Granemore Louise (Tawlai Trevallin of Granemore x Ch. Granemore Shanrath), owned by the doctor veterinarian Antonio Vázquez. In the group of dogs, two of them from the kennels of Mrs. Lisa Attwood Parker, Ch. Binate Les Franc Juges (Ch. Binate Plantagenet x Binate Gossmore Tessa), owned by Jorge DÃez, and Borja Uriarte’s Ch. Binate Thunderer (Binate Dreadnaught x Binate Silken Ladder). The other two ones are Vicente Mora’s Ch. Clogherheads Dona Carney (Ch. Garrymore West Wind Wonder of Granemore x Clogherheads Conne Maria), and Ch. Hallsblu Chieftain of Granemore (Ch. Downrite That´ll Be All Right x Sownrite Super Dooper), owned by Jorge Diez.
Certainly, the Kerry Blue Terrier is not a popular breed in any country; in Spain, the numbers of the breed never made us to say something different, so only a few of the great dogs and bitches I named had a vast progeny. The most consistent breeder in the eighties was Ivonne Visser (Cervantes), with an important presence in the rings, achieving a lot of titles and several BIS winnings in the Annual Championship Show held by the Spanish Terrier Club. She worked on a solid basis: the two females imported from Kernwood and Louisburgh Kennels gave her an excellent result as brood bitches, and she obtained outstanding results in second and third generations too. In the beginning of nineties she knew the world of Agility and all her efforts were aimed to that sport; in a parallel way, her activity in the breeding felt to low numbers. Names from that kennel in a main place in the history of the breed in Spain are the champions Mago, Duende, Tim Doughy, Azar and Gremlin. In the last years of the decade arrived Madrid a dog who made dramatic impact in the breed and in the full Spanish circuit: Ch. Master Rathlin van Daelenbroek (Ch. Louisburgh Souvenir x Ch. Angel Shadow v. Daelenbroek), from the kennels of Mieke and Jan Heemels of Dutchland. It was Luis Cayola (Ibiut’s) who brought Rathlin to Spain. He was involved in the breed for years previously; together with another of the best groomers and handlers, he took Granemore Louise (mentioned above) to her crown. He kept a bitch from a Louise litter, named Arika, as his foundation bitch. His kennel remained small and intimate over twenty years, but he produced more than 18 champions. Rathlin was a dog made for the ring: Luis won all what an exhibitor can win with a dog during the next years: 18 BIS, 5 RBIS, 27 group first (tÃtulos mundiales) . Really, it was fantastic to see them in action: Rathlin was a very elegant dog with a superb temperament who loved shows and he formed a perfect synergie with Luis, who trimmed and handled him to the perfection. Curiously, in the KBT Club of Spain Annual Championship show ’05, the BIS winner and the RBIS had both of them as great grandsire Rathlin. Probably, Luis opened a new road to the breed, that took another dimension for the fanciers, and majority of the new breeders and exhibitors of the next years knew the breed and begun to love it through Luis and Rathlin. In the beginning of the nineties begun their proyect Francisco Lazaro and Rafael Sánchez (Costa D´or). Francisco kept the affix from his father, who was German Sheperd Dog breeder in the seventies. They dedicated a generous effort to purchase outstanding Kerries, and that task took them to create a enormous influence in the breed in the next years. Their first import was the British Champion and Cruft´s BOB Brookbanks Boy Wonder. They begun a strong relationship with Malachy McGeown and his wife Bridget. In fact, they came to Spain in 1992 and Malachy handled Sam in the World Championship dog show held in Valencia; Sam was World Winner. Later, the Mc Geowns sent them another male: Toristan Last Shilling (Ch. Fermoy Knight O’ Terra x Lady Cassandra of Toristan). That dog was a consistent winner in Spain and in shows across Europe. Three bitches more, Granemore Cassca, Granemore Mellisuga and Granemore Lisalle, to conclude an impressive foundation stock. The two ones achieved the Spanish title easily. Francisco and Rafael dissapeared of the scene as quickly as they entered in.
FROM THE CLUB FOUNDATION TO THE PRESENTТ The Club Español de Terriers was working since the last of the seventies for all of the terrier breeds, less the Yorkshire Terrier. The different Committees did an excellent task during the years but a small group of Kerry Blue fanciers had another inquietudes : the breed needed a Club formed by Kerry people to be promoted properly. There were a few meetings where Luis Cayola (Ibiut´s), Miguel A. GarcÃa and Maribel de Luna (La Cadiera), Pedro Quesada and Rosana GarcÃa (Chapeau), Ivonne Viser (Cervantes), Luis de Castro (Lukitorris) and Manuel MartÃnez decided to create the basis of the Club to begin to work in some parcels of the breed. The task was very difficult because certain statement in the Spanish dog scene was in dissagreement with the new proyect, but the strong faith of the Kerry people obtained the endorsement of the Spanish Kennel Club in 1997. Some veteran breeders, and some other new to work in a nice challenge: newcomers needed to learn a lot of things about the breed, grooming, foreign breeders, breeding lines, handling, and the exhibitors needed to show their dogs under a true breed specialist at least once per year. The first aim was to publish a bulletin three or four times a year, where all members can find useful info about the breed, show results, interviews with the best breeders all around the world, to keep a basic knowledge to grow. Trimming courses were a must for the Committee, due to the obvious characteristics of the breed. Moreover, the annual show had to count with a judge of prestige who indicates the breeders if the road was the correct. Really, we are very proud in the fact of judges like Una Rigney, Pat Munro, Ron Ramsay, Sean Delmar or Margaret Möller-Sieber have accepted our invitations to judge in Spain. The Club has a short history, and some dissagreements, personal confrontations, but I suppose that it succeeds in all the Clubs everywhere. Some members left the challenge, but there are new fanciers with good intentions to keep alive the aims. I don´t know about the future of the Club, but the work of the breeders and exhibitors is in a fantastic moment. In fact, Spanish dogs are achieving excellent results at international events in the last years and in the present moment.
In this second chapter of the article I must to refer the breeders with an important presence in the Spanish scene since the middle of the nineties. There are four great kennels if we think in numbers and success in the last years: Chelines, Chapeau, La Cadiera and Besaya, not named in order of importance, and a group of smaller kennels leaded by Yonsabalene, Kircowan, Irisfingel and Saraoz. Chelines is the affix of Alberto Velasco, a famous Wire Fox Terrier breeder since the seventies and an international prestigious judge of all Terrier group. He has bred a lot of breeds and he had an outstanding success with all of it. In Kerry Blues, he decided to begin the adventure around ten years ago, and until the present moment he imported dogs like Torum´s Rosepark Santiago or bitches like Lescareiot Blue Chelnilla; he took part in the purchasing of Graylay Zafronic and Graylay Intrepidity, but the dogs that gave him success beared his affix: Luigi, Blue Legend, Blue Viagra, In Blue, Crazy for blue, Maestro Rantamplán or Joe Benedeto, all of them champions. He used stud dogs like Ch. Toristan Last Shilling, Ch. Arigna Oskar or Ch. Aran Ardpatrik. Alberto has a superb partner in the breed in Cesar Alonso (Jalapeños Kennel), an excellent groomer and handler, unconditional Kerry fancier and one of the persons with a vaster knowledge of the breed in Spain. Cesar is taking some of the bitches bred by Alberto to the title. Chapeau Terriers Kennel of Pedro Quesada and Rosana GarcÃa, begun with wire Fox Terriers, and they still keep activity with them. They felt in love with Kerries in the beginning of nineties; their first Kerry was Water Resistant Pelandruska (Ch. Master Rathlin v. Daelenbroek x Costa D´or Adelaide) and their first litter was ex Costa D´or Dimelo Tú. Later, they imported Ch. Armshead Leader of the Pack (dog), Arranshire Hot Sand (bitch), Rollick´s Vanilla Sky (bitch) and the dog who made a strong influence in their breeding: Ch. Fensi Vul Ask Me Why (Ch. August Strong Sensibility x Ch. Obshesen´s Uolla) from Russia. No dude the best dog they have bred is Ch. El Tukan Azul, winner of several groups and BIS, Spanish Club BIS and International Champion, Best Terrier of the Year 2000 . Another famous dog from that kennel is Opus, European winner, Spanish and Portuguese Champion who was sent to Rollick´s Kennel of Charlotta Mellin in Sweden to attach a large number of titles to his curriculum. Another names are Ch. Raymond, Ch. Lorca, Ch. La Claveles or the new favourite one Ch. El Rojo de la Mari G. This Kennel is a consistent winner in the international events every year. La Cadiera is owned by Miguel A. GarcÃa and Maribel de Luna. They begun in the breed with Costa D´or Dreamtime ( Ch. Toristan Last Shilling x Ch. Granemore Mellisuga), and soon they met Una Rigney of Arigna Kennels in Dublin. Una sent Arigna Oskar (Ch. Louisburgh Pure True x Arigna She´s Got It) when he was a young dog. He have been the reference and centre of the breeding programme of this kennel; certainly, he’s the sire of a lot of champions, mainly with Ch. Ibiut´s Prays Blue (Ch. Chelines Maestro Rantamplan x Granemore Melottie), the chosen brood bitch for majority (4) of Oskar´s litters in the kennel. La Cadiera is a very productive kennel (more than 30 litters in 11 years); I can name a lot of champions, Ch. Kiko Veneno, winner of several BIS and group first placings, Int.Ch. Vaya Tela ( Interra winner), Ch. Don Mendo (Euro junior winner, RCC in Cruft’s), Ch. Scarlett O´Hara, twice BIS in the Club Annual Show, but the dog with better target is Ch. El Virginiano (Piri); he was sent to their friend Una Rigney and she made him Irish and British Champion. Piri was in Finland some years before and he did it well there. Some imports are the bitches Arigna Danu, Arranshire Early Bird and the dogs Amit de Futuro Box, from Cuba, or Head Hunter Byzantine Blue from the ex Yugoslavia, or Ch. Olido v. Landsberg at stud season in the kennel for around one year. Del Besaya Kennel, owned by the late Javier Natividad, and now by his family, begun with La Cadiera bitches as foundation stock, but it’s suffering an evolution looking for crosses to achieve another style, so dogs used in their proyect have been Perrisblu Come Uppance from Torum (Ch. Torum´s Tunde Bayou x Ch. Perrisblu Royal Fern), who was in Spain for around one year, or Edbrios Twist n´Shout (Edbrios Bohemian Ivanhoe x Ch. Glenfitor Clodagh at Edbrios), owned by the French Kennels Harpoy D´houzan of Sebastian Bats Recently, they incorporated a new dog to the stock, Olido iz Goluboi Legendy (Ch. Shyloch First Edition x Ch. Carina iz Goluboi Legendy), from the kennel of Marina Beliatseva in Moscow. Some of the dogs and bitches most important in the kennel history are Ch. Azul Aries, Ch. Azul Relámpago, Ch. Azul Acuario or Ch. Azul Tormenta. Kircowan is owned by Juan Carlos Rodriguez and Sergio Rodriguez. They begun with another bitch from Costa D´or, Bianca. Soon they imported the first Kerry from Torum, Miss Electra (Ch. Arranshire Pioneer x Torum´s Mons Meg). Soon, she finished the Spanish Championship, winning BIS in the Club Español de Terriers Annual Show. Ron Ramsay sent them a young dog: Torum´s Tino Orsini (Ch. Balboa el Cid x Torum’s Chase the Ace), who achieve the title quickly, giving to owners the second BIS in the CET Show. After his career in Spain, Dino was sent to the States and other countries where he increased his curriculum. Perrisblu Come Uppance from Torum (Ch. Torum’s Tunde Bayou x Ch. Perrisblu Royal Fern) was in Spain for around one year, conquering the title too. Kircowan bred several litters, with some champion. Montse Sánchez and Carlos DÃaz are breeding under the Irisfingel affix. In their short adventure they have bred two litters with the same bitch, Ch. Aran Feeny (Ch. Lescareiot Georgeous George x Ch. Aran Enniskerry), imported from the famous Aran Kennels of Graziano Menotti and Maria PÃa in Italy. The sire is the same in both litters: Ch. Aran Enniskeen (Ch. Louisburgh Tur Ceatha x Ch. Aran Bailebrigin); although the progeny is very young, they are doing very well in the American, French and, of course, Spanish rings. In fact, Aroma of Erinn had an excellent result in Cruft’s ’07 at Post Graduate Class and Aengus the Protector won his open class and Award of Merit in the USKBTC National Specialty ’07 in Montgomery. I can´t forget the dog that conquered Montse ande Carlos hearts, and gave them a great success in shows: Ch. Night de Maloa. Finally, I would like to name another affixes that , in a limited breeding basis, had certain prominence in the Spanish scene. Yonsabalene, of Ana Arana, who had her most representative kennelmate in the champion Corbeta. I remember an import from Spelga and another champion in the hands of Luis Cayola, Catamarán. FrenesÃ, of Esperanza MartÃnez; she bred an outstanding bitch, Ch. Atomica, who won the BIS in the KBT Club show. Maloa is a kennel who works with different breeds: the most succesful Kerry Blue is the champion Night. Silouir had a minimum presence in the scene, but the bitch Ch. Goes for Gold gave fame to name in the hands of Gina Llorens and Ivan Voltas ( Arterriers), who took her to the BOB in the European Dog Show held in Tulln in 2005, or the BIS in the Spanish Club annual show, apart from another titles. Ivan and Gina are now dedicated to the career of their new boy Irisfingel Aroma of Erinn, named above. Sonia Araoz is breeding under the Saraoz affix, based in La Cadiera dogs; she is the owner of Ch. Don Mendo de la Cadiera. Another names are Canara, Sonrisa Polar, Blaunit, Patas Largas or Lukitorris. Really, all of them have contributed to a certain fact: Kerry Blues are a breed with a solid status in Spain, recognized breeding level, and a well stablished Club who works for the basic aims that marked the founders members.
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