The
2005 Season
Two
Thousand Five (2005) was a year of great accomplishment for dogs
from this kennel, as well as stud fee pups born out of Ahmahr
Nahr’s stock.
Ahmahr Nahr’s Jake Jamal, JC, known to his friends as "The
Gambling Man" set about earning his American Kennel Club (AKC)
title in short order by showing at shows in Palm Springs,
Scottsdale, and then finishing his majors in Washington and
Oklahoma. The Washington weekend was a wild weekend at Mt. Baker
Kennel Club as Jake showed Friday in Vancouver to group 1 under the
CKC system, Saturday at Mt. Baker Kennel Club, to a major win and
Best of Breed, all to have to run back across the border to win
again in Vancouver on the same day. This death defying feat was a
little bit too much to repeat on Sunday, so we decided to give Larry
Clark, his handler, a new performance experience in Shawnee,
Oklahoma, a little later in the year. We went to Shawnee, Oklahoma
in May, and Jake finished his title there, as well as earned his
Junior Courser title on the same day. This was also the very first
show for puppy Ch. Ahmahr Nahr’s Just Call Me Madam. We got
through it.
We had a great experience in Shawnee when Larry, for the first
time,
handled a coursing dog in a performance event on the lovely green
fields at Shawnee racing his former charge, D.CH. Astarte Sultan
Seite with Pips, SC, to a second place overall finish behind only
Seite’s bride, D.CH. Ahmahr Nahr’s African Dancer, SC.
We think Siete would have beat Dancer had Larry not been so shocked
at the
power at which he took off at the start that Larry had him aimed
west, and the bunny went east. That’s one of these tricks we’ll
reserve for the next coursing event. It poured on the last two days
of the meet so we did not, out of concern for safety, race any dogs
on the last two days. We had a great weekend and got to see all of
our old friends in Oklahoma.
At the same time, I had a new experience. Larry had a boxer, we
showed, and at the same time we showed Larry’s wife’s dog,
Tommy, Can/Am Ch. Pomhaven's
Tommy Hilfiger,
to his American title and winning placements at a Pom Specialty. I
got to be the chief groomer and enjoyed it immensely. Very shortly
thereafter, we went to Argentina to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the
World Show 2005. This was a great experience. For everything anyone
could say bad about the World Show in 2004 in Brazil, only good
could be said about the World Show in Argentina in 2005. We stayed
at a lovely downtown hotel in the shopping district, drove a stick
shift vehicle on the wide curving boulevards (and didn’t kill
ourselves or get lost), ate incredible Argentine meals and
incredible Argentine beef; shopped ‘til we dropped; and, to top it
off, did a lot of winning.
Jake won Breed from the open class, two days out of four, and became
Basenji and Group V Champion of the Las Americas and Caribbean, (FCI).
He showed in group very well on two evenings and made the cut on
both occasions. He made us very proud, for a young dog.
CH
Ahmahr Nahr’s Just Call Me Madam did well, beyond our wildest
dreams. Madam won the title of World Winner Basenji and Group V
Puppy - 2005, and at midnight on the last night of the show was one
of the remaining puppies in the cut for best puppy in show. She got
beat only by one of those “hairy” things, as she would describe
them, a beautiful golden puppy nearly a year old. Madam had just
passed her six month birthday.
Those wins became all the more incredible when you realize what
troopers these dogs were. On World Show Day, they survived a five
hour wait through a tear gas attack after an incident at the Dogo
Argentina ring, to show on carpet impregnated with tear gas,
suffering burns on their foot pads. Yes, we had a special veterinary
burn cream to treat this, courtesy of our vet, Dr. Randy Van Otten,
Animal Hospital of Los Lunas. We were prepared for everything! And
upset tummies. This experience teaches you that your fervor for your
own breed should never overcome your good sportsmanship.
On this same trip, Jake’s daughter, Aretha began her show career
with Best Puppy win on the first day, and Siete joined us for his
last International show experience, earning a champion class
placement on each of the four days. We had entered Jake’s and
Madam’s big guard dog from home, the Dogo Argentina, Hoss. Hoss
was an open class male, just barely over the joven for junior dog
category. Because there had been a substantial amount of contention
and controversy at the Dogo ring at the SICALAM shows in Paraguay
the fall before; and at the World Show in Brazil, Michelle
Smith-Barbour and I (she is Jake’s co-owner and Hoss’s
co-owner), decided we would forego the pleasure of taking Hoss with
us to Argentina. In light of the tear gas incident, we were right to
have done so. This has resulted in competition ban of Dogos at some
or all of FCI shows for a period of time (which I am given to
understand is under appeal).
We all came back to Canada and did the summer circuit with Madam and
Jake’s daughter, Aretha, living in Canada with Larry and showing
there. Both earned their Canadian titles. Madam earned multiple Best
Puppy’s in Show during her trip and finished her stay in Canada at
the Lower Mainland Club of Canada, Specialty at Lower Mainland in
October, 2005 winning an Award of Merit as a puppy.
Jake showed all year in Canada, won multiple Best in Shows; finished
as the Top Basenji in Canada and a
Top Dog Hound. It is interesting to note that his total dog’s
defeated for the year approximately doubled that of the number that
Siete defeated in the previous year, winning the same accolades.
This indicates substantial increase in the competition in the hound
ring in Canada, which in fact is the case. Jake had a total of 31
Group I placements in the year 2005, and 72 total group placements
At the time that Jake finished his championship in the United
States, he was the top 20 ranked dog in the U.S. as well as top
ranked Basenji in Canada. This is quite an accomplishment.
The star in our crown this year, however, was Jake and Madie’s
trip to the SICALAM Championships in Puerto Rico. Latin Americans
appreciate Basenjis, like no other people on earth. In many
countries, people are a little concerned about the Basenji’s
“primitive background” and discount them in group and Best in
Show ring. That has never been the case in Latin America, and
certainly was not the case in Puerto Rico.
We enjoyed seeing all of our friends in Latin America for the second
time in a year as well as many folks from the U.S., Canada and
Europe.
The
Federacion Canolfila, Puerto Rico, which is the FCI dog organization
in Puerto Rico, (they also have AKC clubs), put on a wonderful four
day event, which included fiestas, parties, opening and closing
ceremonies, with dancers, horseback riders, foreign dignataries, and
obedience demonstrations. The prizes were some of the best I have
ever seen. Gorgeous trophies, wonderful brand-named contributed
prizes from dog food companies, money and titles – what more can
you want. The only trophy I’ve ever seen that I liked better was
the trophy that Madam won in Argentina as Best Group V Puppy at the
World Show (a beautiful pewter statute of tango dancers under a
street lamp engraved with her name and title.)
From SICALAM we had to enjoy the more traditional, but gorgeous
baroque-designed, huge gold and silver loving cups and epergnes
decorated with cloisonne. At these shows, Madam finished her FCPR,
Jr. Title, was named Best Basenji Puppy all four days, Best Group V
Puppy all four days, and Best Young Dog on the third day.
Jake had the best overall record of any dog on the four day circuit.
He finished as 
Top Basenji and or SICALAM Major La Roza, SICALAM Basenji and Group
V winner, as well as winning Reserve Best in Show at the SICALAM
shows. Jake won Best in Show under Judge Carla Molinari, former
President of the FCI and President of the Kennel Club of Portugal,
on day three and was Reserve Best in Show winner on the other two
days. In fact in FCI shows, the top three dogs are placed, Best in
Show, First Reserve and Second Reserve, as regular placements as
well as their being a Best Young Dog and a Best Puppy.
We stayed at a wonderful resort hotel on the beach which was
headquarters for the entire show. The Kennel Club provided
transportation to and from the show site every day, and some of the
best times we had were riding with all the other exhibitors,
handlers and their dogs in the big Scenicruiser buses with the dogs
sitting on the seats, looking out the windows, enjoying each
other’s company, as well as the other exhibitors and handlers.
There was never one gruff or harsh word. It was nothing short of
amazing.
Our
resort hotel had five different restaurants and its own casino, as
well as being in a resort neighborhood with multiple other
restaurants. We never did run out of things to see and do, and are
looking forward to going back to Puerto Rico. This was my fourth
show trip to Puerto Rico and I have never failed to have a good
time. The Puerto Rican Kennel Club is an incredibly well-run
organization. Its executive director is a well-known International
Judge, Roberto Pico Valez, and its President, another well-known
International Judge, Rafael De Santiago. During this tour, Jake also
finished his FCI and SICALAM championships, as well as his Puerto
Rican championship. This in an incredible accomplishment for a dog
under two years of age.
As for other dogs, either born at the kennel or born of a kennel
stud, FCH Ahmahr Nahr’s Running with Spirits, SC, finished his
Canadian Championship and has nearly finished his American Kennel
Club Championship, and now resides in Wisconsin. Jake’s
brother, Raider, became both a Canadian and AKC champion this year
and resides with his cousin, Spirit, in Wisconsin. It is a delight
for us to see Raider and Spirit out on the circuit. During one
period of time this year, both Jake, Raider and Quattara were in the
top ten Basenjis in Canada. Quite a feat.
In addition, Aretha’s brother, Teddy, in two show weekends
completed his two AKC majors, back to back, in the mid-west and has
gone on to finish his championship.
It has been a very good year. As it draws to a close, we wish you
the best and look forward to greater achievements in 2006 and the
promise that comes from new puppies.
It is a rare year when you have a dog that has gone Best in Show in
multiple countries, won titles in multiple countries. We are twice
blessed with Jake and Madam. They are:
MBIS,MBPIS Champion, (AKC,
CKC, PR, AR, FCPR, FCI) SICALAM, Jake Jamal, JC, CKC, FCPR, JR,
SICALAM, Mejor La Raza and Group V Winner; Mejor La Raza and Las
Americas and Carribean Winner 2005
MBPIS Ahmahr
Nahr’s Just Call Me Madam, World Winner Basenji and Group V Puppy,
SICALAM, Top Basenji and Group V Puppy,
In
the final quarter of the year we had an unexpected pleasure, Anna
Seller acquired a puppy out of CH Ahmahr Nahr’s Turquoise Warrior,
we had not seen International Guard Unit re-activated after
hurricane Katrina, to replace New Orleans National Guard unit, and
she was off to Iraq. She made arrangements with us to keep Ginger
for her during this period to show and course her. At the first show
weekend I had Ginger she went Group Four from the puppy
classes under Judge Cynthia Summers in Alamogordo, New Mexico, and
is well on the way to finishing her AKC title. Since then, she won a
class in Phoenix Basenji fancier specialty and has been off on the
road with Young American Handlers, Joe and Melissa Turner, working
on her AKC title. She went to Ottawa with us Show of Shows weekend
and won all three days earning seven points in her major toward her
Canadian title. She is a beautiful brindle and has her
grandfather’s Si’s blinding side gate. Though it was never our
intention to have Ginger, we are enjoying it immensely. It is our
plan that Ginger will be bred back to one of our studs and produce
some fine puppies and Anna will take one and show and course it when
she returns from Iraq.
