Page 102 - ShowSight - February 2020
P. 102

                  Breeder Interview
BY ALLAN REZNIK
JON KIMES, PLUPERFECT CARDIGAN WELSH CORGIS
  Where did you grow up?
I was born and lived, until age 11, in a suburb of Kansas City called Prairie Village. From there we moved around, mostly in the Kansas City area, but we lived for two years in Wheat- land, Wyoming, where my father was building a power plant.
Do you come from a doggy family? If not, how did the interest in breed- ing and showing purebred dogs begin?
I come from a large family with five siblings but we were not at all a doggy family. In fact, I had to beg for a dog for two years before we got one. My first love was Pekingese and at six or seven, I finally convinced my father to get me one for Christmas. This was in the 1960s and buying from a pet store was the common thing to do. My father took me around to a number of pet stores in Kansas City and we located a Pekingese puppy but this was two weeks before Christmas. We came across a Beagle/Fox Terrier mix and my father, I guess sensing the opportunity to save money, gave me the oppor- tunity to obtain the much cheaper mixed puppy at that moment or wait the two weeks for the Pekingese. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity for the mixed puppy and she came home with us. Two weeks later she had to be euthanized for sarcoptic mange which the veterinarian could not cure.
I was always interested in purebred dogs and gained my early knowledge from encyclopedias. There was a couple from church who visited the famed Heart of America benched show every March and so I went with them for two or three years; those were my first
dog shows. I can’t explain my fascination with purebred dogs and dog shows, it was just something I was drawn to. I loved cats and cat shows, too.
Who were your mentors in the sport? Please elaborate on theirinfluence.
Most of my early learning was done on my own. I read Dog World magazine voraciously, and anything I could find on purebred dogs. I was always looking for dog books in the library, and always doing a report on dogs for school assignments. A beautiful book from England, an Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds, became a well-worn companion. I had my parents drop me off at the local dog shows when I could and spent my time watching the judging. Finally, through Dog World, I found out about Paul Nigro’s program which matched junior handlers to dogs that breeders would donate. I real- ly wasn’t interested in Junior Showmanship but thought it would be a way for me to get a show dog, so I applied. I was hoping for an Italian Greyhound on the list but got a Cardigan Welsh Corgi.
In my early teens, I was reading a Bull Terrier book and came across some chapters written by Raymond Oppenheimer. Without question, Raymond Oppenheimer’s writings mentored me through his instructive, insightful and, quite frankly, brilliant books.
With the Cardigan, “Arthur,” I then had a reason to speak to breeders and met a wonderful lady in town named Norma Chan- dler. She was a fantastic mentor to me. She had multitudes of pho- tographs and would talk to me for hours. My family used to joke because my phone calls with her would last two hours at a time. While most teenage boys were on the phone with their girlfriends, I was consumed with Norma and dog talk.
The Pluperfect Cardigans are widely known, highly successful and well respected. What breeding philosophies do you adhere to?
I can really point to two important, “ah ha” moments. The afore- mentioned Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds contained a photo of a Cardi- gan that I thought was inspiring, Eng. Ch. Pantyblaidd Pip. As far as Cardigans were concerned, he was my ideal. He looked nothing like the other Cardigans. I found him full of style and with ele- gant proportions. Absolutely believing Raymond Oppenheimer’s >
   Ch Kennebec Pearly Rose—sired by Ch Pluperfect Prussian out of a Pluperfect bred bitch, WB & BW CWCCA 1991. Co-owned by Gayle Garvin.
Ch Kennebec Ice Anchor ROMG—my foundation stud dog, he was Best in Sweeps and BW CWCCA National Specialty 1984 and BB CWCCA 1990. Co-owned with Connie Whan.
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