Page 104 - ShowSight - February 2020

Breeder Interview: Jon Kimes
BY ALLAN REZNIK continued
Ch Pluperfect Primate—sired by Ice Anchor, he was WD & BOS CWCCA 1986. He finished with three 5 point majors in 3 shows. Sold to Connie Whan.
Ch Davenitch Peer of Pluperfect—sired by Primate, he was Best in Sweeps and BW CWCCA 1987 and his littersister was Best Opp Sex in Sweeps and WB. He finished in 4 shows with 4 majors. Bred and later owned by Connie Whan.
breeding philosophies, I used them to develop my bloodline. In short, Mr. Oppen- heimer taught me the concept of “strength of virtue,” which is to say you look for and cherish dogs that possess exceptional and rare characteristics, and you don’t discard them simply for what is wrong with them. That thinking is what elevates outstand- ing breeders above ordinary breeders. It is absolutely human nature to evaluate some- thing based on what is wrong with it rather than taking the much more difficult road of appreciating what outstanding charac- teristics it possesses. For me, selecting stock based on their exceptional value rather than discarding them for their faults was the key.
The Pantyblaidd bloodline was a small, rural Welsh kennel of both Pembrokes and Cardigans. To me the type was strikingly beautiful. However, they had some severe weaknesses, mainly in terms of poor move- ment and shyness. With imported Panty- blaidd dogs, American breeders always seemed to make the same mistake which was to immediately outcross to try to fix the movement and temperament. By doing so, they always succeeded in losing everything Pantyblaidd had to offer.
I realized that this type was rarified and easily lost, so I thought inbreeding on it before trying to outcross was the correct road. At the time, most American-bred Cardigans were not particularly typey. In studying some other breeds of great inter- est to me like Bull Terriers and Cairn Ter- riers, I saw the exact same development, or shall I say lack of development, occurring through American breeding programs. All of these breeds had American foundations
from about the 1930s well into the 1960s and ’70s, yet they all retained the same look they had in the 1930s. Meanwhile, the Brit- ish breeders really developed these breeds. Over the years you have really needed the imports to bring in the type, and then fan- ciers who understood what they were doing to keep it and develop it. You find that in a great many breeds.
How many dogs do you currently house? Tell us about your facilities and how the dogs are maintained.
I typically have about 20 dogs at any point in time and this is usually across seven or eight breeds. I’ve never had a lot of any one breed. Currently, we have seven differ- ent breeds. I love all dogs and all breeds so have always had a variety.
We have a dog room which is where all the crates are and where the “kennel” dogs sleep at night. I use large crates and want them big enough that the dog can com- pletely stretch out. I also want them sleep- ing on comfortable beds so each crate has a kuranda bed. In the morning the kennel dogs are let out into the dog yard or into their runs; then we pick up, and bring them in to give them their breakfast. Then they are put out again into their runs. All the runs are 24 feet long; some are six feet wide and some are 12 feet wide. All are six-foot chain link and we have them sitting on brick- shaped pavers. We also have one or more insulated dog houses in each run as well as numerous kuranda beds. All runs are partially covered with tarps and they are all under trees so they do not have direct sun in the warmer months. We bring in the dogs if it rains, if it’s too hot or too cold. If the dogs
can’t stay out for long, then I come home at lunch and cycle them out. I don’t believe in keeping the dogs crated for more than a few hours at a time.
Who were/are some of your most signifi- cant Cardigans, both in the whelping box and in the show ring?
In my first homebred litter, I had a very good bitch, Ch. Pluperfect Primrose, who was a great foundation. She was highly inbred on Pantyblaidd lines well into her pedigree, and her sire was actually a daugh- ter-to-sire breeding while the dam was his half-sister. I had Primrose, her dam Plum, and a sister of Primrose to breed on with so I decided I wanted to look for a founda- tion stud dog because they all had similar needs in terms of breeding. I was fortunate to buy a 10-month-old dog puppy, Kenne- bec Ice Anchor, who had a Pantyblaidd line through his dam but was mostly outcrossed. He had what my bitches needed which was a positive temperament, solid topline, good reaching movement and good rib spring. He was all English breeding on his sire’s side and a combination of American and UK breeding through his dam. Ice Anchor proved a fabulously prepotent sire and the last time I researched he was behind more than 90 per cent of all major winners at the national specialties over the years. Primrose was equally prepotent although she was only bred twice. She produced nine champions while her daughter, Peace Rose, produced 12 champions. In fact, my first breeding of Ice Anchor to Primrose produced the litter that swept the 1987 national special- ty—they were 12 months old and won Best in Sweepstakes, Winners Dog who also >
102 • ShowSight Magazine, February 2020