Page 170 - ShowSight - December 2019

Breeder Interview: Robert Urban, Foxfire Black and Tan Coonhounds BY ALLAN REZNIK continued
Ch Vikingsholm Clarence
Stanley D. Petter, Jr., continues to be one of my greatest friends and mentors in this business. I obtained my first Hewly Greyhound in 1990 and I have relied on his considerable wit and wisdom ever since. I have never met anyone with as critical an eye for his own breeding as he. Together we have owned several champion Greyhounds over the years as well as multiple American Foxhounds, including one multiple group winner. He has taught me to never be sat- isfied with what you’ve got; that there is always room for improvement. The stan- dard is your only guide and don’t be dis- tracted with what your competition is up to. Our goal, elusive as it may be, is perfec- tion. I am forever grateful for his counsel and friendship over the years. There are and have been so many other good dog people in my life it is impossible to name them all but the folks mentioned here stand out. There are still many out there, though maybe not as many as in years past.
The Foxfire Black and Tan Coonhounds are widely known, highly successful and well respected. What breeding philosophies do you adhere to?
I have never bred on a large scale. I have historically bred a litter every two or three years. My absolute requirements for a brood bitch are a calm, stable temperament; 100% soundness; and possessing the breed type characteristics I place emphasis on: ground–covering stride, dark eye, and cor- rect ear set. When I first started out I was a bit more rigid than I am today. I probably excluded some very viable breeding ani- mals for not the most logical reasons, as I’ve come to be more informed on the genetics and heritability of certain traits and issues. I sell very few puppies to show homes. Out of a litter of ten or so, you might have two or three really good ones if you’re lucky. Thanks to my mentors, I have never been one to think that everything in a litter
Molly–Ch Foxfire Full Force Gale
needs to be shown or even should be shown. B&Ts are a fairly small breed, genetically speaking, but due to some of our highly influential sires and dams from many years ago, anomalies still show up that we’d rath- er not see. It’s tough, but those animals with significant faults should not be shown and are better off spayed/neutered and placed in good homes.
How many dogs do you currently house? Tell us about your facilities and how the dogs are maintained.
I have had as many as twelve to four- teen hounds in the kennel but these days I have a much more manageable number. We have six B&Ts in the kennel along with the aforementioned multi group-winning, elderly American Foxhound bitch. I am lucky to have a couple of good co-owners out there, including my longtime breeder friend Edith Atchley in Alabama who is my partner in a lot of the breedings we do. We have a bit of variety in terms of dogs. My other half, Megan Anderson, is a longtime Borzoi fancier and we have a couple of those that are house dogs as well as our two Terri- ers, a Border and my Parson, and one elderly Chihuahua. We maintain two large fenced yards, one for the sighthounds, and one for the scenthounds and terriers. The Coon- hound kennels are surrounded by their fenced yard and we built a “sallee port” for the sighthounds so that there are two gates to pass through to enter/exit their area. The kennels are indoor/outdoor 20x20x6 con- crete. I like to keep two to a kennel run as the B&Ts are naturally social and I pair up compatible hounds. We don’t use air con- ditioning in the summer but instead utilize shade and fans. I have supplemental electric and LP gas heat in the kennel during winter but the kennel building is well insulated and they have warm bedding so I typically only use the heat when the temps drop below 30 degrees. B&Ts are hardy animals and I am
a firm believer that they are healthier when kept in a more natural environment. Dogs are fed once a day, except for puppies, and fresh water is available 24/7.
Who were/are some of your most signifi- cant Black and Tans, both in the whelping box and in the show ring?
My first group-placing B&T was also my foundation bitch, Ruby, Ch. Traverse Hill Midnite Magic. She was an indiffer- ent show dog but was very typey and a good mover. Her first group placement came from judge Peg Walton in Battle Creek, Michigan back in ’87 or so. My first really special B&T was a hound I obtained from and co–owned with the late Dr. Theo Kjellstrom, Am./Can. Ch. Vikingsholm Clarence. He was a great show hound, had a great pedigree and proved to be a great stud dog. I still have frozen semen collected from him. He took around 30 group place- ments between the US and Canada, includ- ing winning six groups. This was back in the late ‘80s, all owner handled. I showed a hound for my good friend Cheryl Speed, co–owner and co-breeder of several B&Ts over the years, named Am./Can. Ch. Britts Bounty Hunter. Bounty had many group wins and placements over the years start- ing around 1990 and won three specialties, including our National in Chicago in 1992 under Anne Rogers Clark. He went on to sire group and specialty–winning hounds. I sold a bitch that I had bred to a couple in Pennsylvania, with the intention of them breeding her and getting a pup back at some point in the future. The dog puppy I got out of her was Zeke, Ch. Foxfire–Hothouse Snakeroot. He was a multi group–winning hound, winning our National in 2008 and the Morris and Essex specialty in 2005. In addition, he was a great stud dog and sired my Molly, Ch. Foxfire Full Force Gale, herself a multi specialty winner, including our National in 2014 as well as a multi >
166 • ShowSight Magazine, DeceMber 2019