2006 Season

2006 was the year for accomplishments on the domestic front, 
in Canada and on the international scene as well as the coursing field and the obedience ranks.  Many things we accomplished in the year 2006 were not things that we set out to accomplish and, as a result, were all the more surprising. 

             Each year we sit down and plan the next season and set goals for that season that we hope to meet.  Some years we have accomplished those goals by mid season and we coast to the end of the year.  In others, we have to fight to meet them at the end of the year.  2006 was a surprising year where we astonished ourselves with Jake’s accomplishments and we saw an opportunity to accomplish more than the goals we had originally set - surpassing them beyond our wildest dreams.  This is a fine thing to do so long as you do not blame yourself when a failure to meet any readjusted goals is indeed a failure.  In fact, that is not the case, it is a roaring success because you have climbed much further up the mountain than you had originally planned. 

            That being said, it is important that we at Ahmahr Nahr Stud thank the dogs for giving their all to the very end of the year and that is not only our dogs but the wonderful dogs with whom they were in competition.  It is certainly true that no one may remember you better or know you better than a competitor.   

            So that being said regardless of the result, we toast the accomplishments of Harvey, the gallant fox hound whom we’ve known since his puppy year, when he competed at Credit Valley against Siete for the winner of the Best Puppy in Show prize across Canada.  This dog has continued to compete successfully through his veteran year.  And to Ruffles, a picture of feminine perfection in the Saluki.   And to the Arhuacho’s dog from Columbia, whose owners were such gracious hosts to us in Columbia.  These dogs have taken their place in the history of the breed.   

            Ch Ahmahr Nahr’s Jake Jamal To Mibre SC began his second year in Canada.  We felt it was only fitting that Jake demonstrate that he was Top Dog, not only in Canada but in the US and Latin America at the same time.  So for those reasons, Jake came often enough to the US to maintain a Top Dog ranking throughout the year and to Latin America to do the same.  As a result, he did not get to course as much as he would have liked, but he did get to course again this year in Shawnee.  However, because of the weather, he was only able to put two runs on the first day in his win column for his SC title.  We’ll work on this in 2007.  More about Jake on Jake’s own page.   

     It is only fitting that we talk about our visitor Champion, Ginger Spice ‘n Everything Nice who is now gone to the Rainbow Bridge (see “In Memoriam” section).  Ginger joined us at the request of her owner Anna Seyller in the fall of 2005 for a minimum of a year while her owner was recalled to active service in Iraq.   

            Ginger was with us approximately a year and during that time, she earned her AKC Championship Confirmation title, her CKC Championship Confirmation title, and one qualifying leg on her JC Coursing title.  She received several group placements under the AKC system and  several under the CKC system.  

            During the year, Ginger learned how to be a Basenji in part of a Basenji pack.  She lived in Los Lunas at stud; she spent time with Jake in Calgary at Larry Clark’s kennel and time on the road with Joe and Melissa Turner.   

            She was always a sweet girl; she was always a beautiful girl.  Ginger always gave 110% of what was asked of her.  During that time period we tried as hard as we could to teach Ginger a reliable recall.  We were making some progress but were not 100% successful.  We felt this was absolutely necessary to make her into the top coursing dog we knew she could be and for her own safety.    

            Ginger, for some reason, always understood the call to come as call to play, but she had improved greatly and had become a very sweet and tractable dog and got along well with the other Basenjis.  She loved Jake and Jake loved her.  Anna and I planned and schemed that we would eventually have our brindle to brindle breeding, breeding Ginger to Jake.   

            Unfortunately, Ginger did not cooperate with us here - she went into season approximately two months early while she was in the US and Jake was up in northern Canada.  Despite good veterinarian services and doggy birth control pills, they were not able to bring her out of this and back into heat at the appropriate time and so we missed this breeding season.  Anna and I determined that we would try again in the 2007 year and so Ginger went home to be with Anna when she returned from Iraq.  They were getting along famously and we were hoping for 2007 puppies from a brindle/brindle breeding - a dream that will not be realized.  Ginger will, however, always be the Champion of our hearts. 

            Champion Ahmahr Nahr’s Lady in Red JC.  Lady is the surprise in this year’s season.  Lady had her first litter of puppies late in the year 2005.  She was not particularly interested in being bred but once she had those puppies, she was a mother of the first order.  She also fulfilled the promise that Michelle and I knew she would, once she had a litter, and improved her confirmation and so when we traveled to Columbia for the FCI Las Americas and Carribean Championship Section Shows in March, 2006, Lady accompanied us.   

            Lady had last shown in international competition when she was but a puppy in Monterey, Mexico.  She needed two FCI wins graded good or better at an adult age to complete her FCI title requirements and we knew she could do it despite the fact that her puppies were only 3 1/2 months old at the time we took her with us.  

            She surpassed our expectations.  Lady earned her last two certificates and is now an FCI Champion, a Columbian Champion, and a Grand Columbian Champion.  We couldn’t stop her - she couldn’t be beat.  She absolutely loved Columbia.  Lady came out of retirement after a litter of puppies and two year’s rest and knocked our socks off.   

            She won the Best of Opposite Title, at the Las Americas and Caribbean shows as well.  Somewhere along the way, she’s developed a lot of charm and learned all of Siete’s tricks - to play footsy, shake hands, etc.

            This year, as she has always wanted, she was bred to Siete.  They have produced an amazing litter that shocked us all because there are five girls and one boy.  Four of these puppies are tri’s.  She and her Uncle Sindar are raising them together.  These two are an amazing pair who demonstrate everyday the value of team work. 

            Larry and I started out the year by attempting to plan a schedule by which Jake could show fully and completely in Canada.  Leaving enough opportunities to come to the U.S. so that we could put him in the top 20 dogs in the U.S.   

            Simultaneously, we wanted to finish our keeper puppy, Madam, out of the Siete/Dancer litter (2004) and perhaps put a few points on the new pups we kept - Precious and Beaux. 

            The unexpected, of course, occurred when we had Ginny (Ginger) to finish and eventually as the year progressed, we got Sonny. 

            Sonny was sold to a home which had long had Basenjis.  The aged Basenjis, 14 and 16 years old, had died during the year and the owners wanted to acquire a replacement.  They acquired Sonny.  Very shortly after acquiring Sonny, the owner passed away and Sonny came back to us.  Though it was a sad occasion, I confess we didn’t mind because Sonny had been hard to let go of to begin with.  He is the spitting image of his Daddy, Turq, whom we have missed at the stud ever since Turq went to live in Florida with Michelle and Barry.   

            Hence, our program had expanded well beyond the original and we had just begun the year.   

            We came to the U.S. in 2006 and showed at Portland, Puyallup, Ohio, Patriot Cluster, Kansas City and Shawnee.  Unfortunately, I was so tied up with my practice this year, that I did not get the head start I normally get, putting at least minor points on dogs - and so we enlisted Joe and Melissa Turner to help us.  

            Melissa, showed Basenjis when she was an assistant to Mike Brantley back at the time we finished Siete in Colorado.  The first day I met Melissa was the day that Siete had a five point major in Denver and Barbara Rouleau and I helped Melissa with the Basenji she had to show.  I think it was a lovely dog of Pat Bird’s. 

            In the interim, she met a boy we admired, Joe Turner, who worked for old time handler, C.L. Udy and eventually went on to become a superintendent for Onofrio.  They married and went into the professional handling business and decided they wanted to take on some Basenjis,  having watched Ginger and Madam’s show in Alamagordo.  (Yes, they saw the famous “Ginger escape”.)  

            Melissa put majors on Ginger, Madam, and Beaux.  Beaux and Precious are now minored out; Sonny is well on his way.  They decided in late summer that it might be fun to special Madam, so we agreed that they could.  Madam did wonderfully well with them and Madam, also along with Jake, made the top twenty this year in time for the Eukanuba and stayed that way through the end of the year. 

            Madam has had multiple group placements including several Group Ones.  In addition, Madam showed wonderfully well at the Eukanuba Classic.  She has been at the top of the heap in two regional specialties where she has showed.  2006 was apparently, unbeknownst to us, the year of the Basenji bitch and a little minor contest has developed between various bitches in the country for that top spot.   

            Madam has done very well (in the contest she did not know was going on) and we have Melissa and Joe to thank for this.  Madam was the best young dog, Joven at the Las Americas and Caribbean Section Show in Columbia in March 2006 and she completed her Columbian and Grand Columbian titles there. 

            She went on to win her Guatemalan and Grand Guatemalan titles at the SICALAM shows in Guatemala.  We believe that she has also qualified for and won her FCI and SICALAM Championships and we will be applying for them in the new year, seeking the recommendation of the American Kennel Club as required.  

            Madam lives to be with Jake and Jake lives to be with Madam and so over the holidays, the two spent time together both showing and at home.  They raised each other’s spirits and our own. Madam in May (in Oklahoma), received her JC Title, making us believers once again in genetics - since both of her parents are dual champions and multiple Best in Field winners.   

            I told Larry I would die if she failed to qualify and she almost didn’t .  She had to stop for a potty break on her way in (it was only momentary) and then she followed the lure.  Apparently, she was 7/8th of the way around the course when she did this -  “thank God”.  

            Beaux is the spitting image of Siete and Dancer.  He is everything that you could hope for in a Top Dog breeding.  He has Siete’s beautiful head and markings and Dancer’s charming personality and beautiful square body.  Beaux went as a four month old exhibition puppy to the Las Americas and Carribean Section Shows in Columbia and charmed everybody.  On the first night, under noted veterinarian Judge MZ Jose Luis Payro, he won Best Puppy in Show.  Every other day, he was best  puppy or in the top two.   

            It was incredible to watch this four month old in a huge ring with thousands of screaming, cheering Venezuelans perform like an old hand.  He’s his father’s boy.  He is also impeccably trained at this age by using methods I discovered in obedience while working with his father.  

            So as we complete the year, Beaux has one major and all of his minor points; he is championed in Canada, where he is the holder of multiple Best Puppy in Show wins and multiple Best Puppy in Group wins.  He was the best Basenji puppy at the SICALAM shows in Guatemala in 2006. 

            Ahmahr Nahr’s Tears of the Giraffe known as Precious is a lovely red and white bitch out of Turquoise Warrior and Lady.  Precious earned her CKC championship, being shown in the main to this award by one of Alberta’s top junior handlers, Rashan Willis, Larry’s step son.   

        Precious has Best Puppy in Show win and many Best Puppy in Group wins in Canada.  She has earned all of her minor points toward her AKC title and will work on finishing that title and perhaps her JC Award this year. 

      Precious, as well as Beaux, have had placements at regional specialties in Phoenix and Oklahoma as well as in Sweeps and at the Nationals this year in Providence.   

       Ahmahr Nahr’s Son of the Warrior, Sonny.  Sonny came back as a stud only having been held by his new owner a short period of time before he passed to the Rainbow Bridge.  Sonny earned his CKC Title being shown by Rashan Willis, and also won many Junior handling wins for Rashan.  Sonny went Best in Winners earning the Basenji Club of Canada’s supported entry medal in Calgary at the Alberta Kennel Club shows this year and had a similar win in Phoenix Basenji Fanciers.   

            Sonny is a true representative of the African line and a spitting image of his Dad, Turq.  He has the beautiful side gate that comes down from his Grandpa Sindar and his Uncle Si.  He is a very sweet boy. 

            Siete.  DC Astarte’s Siete with Pips, SC, CD, CGC.  It seems odd to be talking about Siete on this page again at seven years of age.  Yes, Siete is a Veteran.   It hasn’t slowed him down a bit.  Siete, in this Veteran year, obtained his CD from Canada and the U.S.  He also obtained his Canine Good Citizen Award and has begun work on his Ralley Titles and his Open Obedience Title, including beginning jumping.   

            At times I have been discouraged with the ability of Siete (or any Basenji) to do higher level performance obedience work.  I was wrong about this.  I learned during the Lubbock Circuit that when Siete put his heart into it, and was motivated by other great dogs, that Siete could do what the others could do with the best of them.   

            He has the heart to win and so I do not have the heart to deny him the opportunity.  We’ll continue with his obedience work.  

            He has amazed people who have seen him perform - that a dog who is beautiful and charming can also be obedient.  Chills run down your spine when you see Siete in the long down stay -  Neither opening doors; flies; or running dogs disturb his two Egyptian pose.   

            He is (and will always be) Top Dog, now having proved his ability to score in those categories - coursing, confirmation and obedience.  Siete’s earlier wins in ranking are recounted on Siete’s page on this website.  The legend of Siete continues.          

Videos

Precious BCOA National Specialty 2006 9-12 Sweeps	Precious BCOA National Specialty 2006 9-12 Regular Classes	Beaux BCOA National Specialty 2006 9-12 Sweeps	Beaux BCOA National Specialty 2006 9-12 Regular Classes