A Little Bit About Cimarron Shepherds

       Although the German Shepherd  breed has been part of my family for much of my younger life,   I did not acquire MY first German Shepherd until 1980. Baron Bacardi  'N'  Koke OFA became my first shepherd when  he  was  about  10  weeks old.  Baron's sire, LeBarland's Nathan  OFA , was out  of  the  American kennel owned by Lee and Barb Trapp. Baron's dam, Knotrom's Enkalinne OFA,was out of German / British lines.

    Several weeks later, Baron and I found ourselves at a puppy match in Northern  California.  Baron was doing very  well  until the  Best  of  Breed  competition,  when he  pooped  out and  eventually  wound up getting Best of Opposite Sex.   At the time I did not realize that this 10 cent ribbon would wind up costing me thousands in entries,  handling fees, travel and lodging expenses in the years to come.

      A couple of years later, I acquired Baron's dam,  Knotrom's Enkalinne ("Deutchess"), from her owner. Neighbor difficulties  towards  Deutchess  had  forced  her owner to give  her  up.    In 1984,  I  acquired  two  more  bitches, Kingspride Special Edition  ("Termite")  and  LeBarland's Elke ["Meatball").   A couple of  months  later,  I  bred  Deutchess to a Kingspride sire, but  Deutchess  had  difficulty  in delivering the litter;  and  my lack of experience caused  her to loose the entire litter.  So my first attempt at becoming a breeder wound up as a failure.  Shortly thereafter, Elke came into season and was left isolated downstairs away from Baron.    Upon returning home from work, I found Baron's cage destroyed, the hollow core door at the foot of the stairs was broken through,  and Elke's cage was broken open.    Needless,  to say what the two had been doing for most of the day.  Elke whelped 12 pups (10 survivors)  two months later.  Two girls,  out of this litter,  I ultimately kept.  These two wound up  being  the  most  mischievous  dogs that I have ever had to date, and their names suited them very well:   Von  Stefan  Haus  Double  Trouble, OFA and  Devil's  Delight  of  VSH, OFA.  

       The initial  name  that I used for my  kennel,  Von Stefan Haus, was a  short- lived attempt  of  trying to get a German  sounding  name.  Sometimes this name was shortened to some form of "VSH"  in order to meet the AKC's limit  on characters for the registered name.

        Much to my dismay, during Elke's next season, a friend of mine, who was dog sitting,  allowed  Baron and Elke out together.  The result was  similar, 14 puppies born in  May of 1985.   I tried to sell the entire litter, but two from the litter did not find new  homes.  Of the two, the bitch was kind of a runt as a puppy, so   I  nicknamed  her  "Midget".   Midget,  or  Von  Stefan  Haus  Edelweiss  OFA,  ultimately became my foundation  bitch.   She OFA'd hips and elbows in 1987;  and in 1988,  I introduced her and re-introduced myself to the conformation ring.  During her show career, she  accumulated  only a couple of points and a couple of reserves.  She hated to show.  Her best movement could typically be seen while she was exiting the ring, trying to get as far away from the show ring as possible.

      In the summer of 1987,  I went after a future stud dog.  I visited the well  known  kennel, Covy-Tucker Hill and came home with a  Romantico son. Covy-Tucker Hill's Orion had several health problems,  so he was replaced with a puppy out of  Nike Clayfield All American OFA (Andretti brother) ex Covy-Tucker Hill's Dessa Rose OFA ( excel ).  This pup, Covy-Tucker Hill's Saber OFA  ("Dinger"),  sired two  litters out of my Midget.   The first litter was born in the middle  of a violent  storm,  and  this   became  my  "storm"  litter. This was also my first and only use of the  kennel name of Kingdom.  This was derived from  the  Missouri county of Callaway, in which I live.  Callaway county seceded from the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War to form an independent and neutral "Kingdom of Callaway".  The members of this storm litter included Kingdom's Storm, Kingdom's Hurricane OFA, Kingdom's Cyclone OFA, Kingdom's Tornado OFA (excell),  Blackwood's  Uptown  Girl CD OFA, and my  eventual  first  AKC  champion and my  first  homebred champion, Ch Kingdom's Thunder CD OFA. Storm accumulated minor success, as did her sisters Tornado, and Blackwood's Uptown Girl.   Cyclone was never shown.  By the time that I realized that  Hurricane had potential,  she had gotten  DQ'd  for aggressive behavior toward a judge.  Now that  I  look  back  at  the event, Hurricane could probably have been an eventual qualifier for the  German  Shepherd  Dog Club of America's Register of Merit award for her dam, Von Stefan Haus Edelweiss.

      The  second  litter  from  Saber ex Edelweiss resulted in my second champion, Am/Can Ch Cimarron's Rhiannon  CD  OFA.   During  the  last  weeks  that  Rhiannon  was  shown,  Rhiannon  and her handler,  Julie Foster won  two  4 point majors, took 6 major reserves, and  defeated  some  200 plus bitches.  She finished  during the 8 shows during the December circuit in Biloxi, MS  and  Jackson, MS.   In these eight shows, she was shown in the open class where it was a major in bitches in this  class alone  ( except one day).  Julie and Rhiannon teamed up for a 2nd place and RWB on day 1, no placing on day 2  (no major), 2nd place and RWB on day 3, 2nd place and RWB on day 4, 2nd place and RWB on day 5, 4th place on day 6, 1st place and WB and BOW on day 7-finishing  her  championship.  This  was  at  the  expense  of many well known handlers such as:  Wayne Green,  Carol Green, Jimmy Moses, Fran Foster, Scott Yergin, Don Kille,  Bart Bartley,  Christy Heiman,  CJ Favre,  Jack Roye,  Laurie Jeff Greer, Greg Eschette, Bobby Schoenfield Clint Livingston, and Ted Browning.........

   In the summer of 1997, Julie put a Canadian championship on Rhiannon.  In the fall of 1997, Julie got my third qualifier towards  Midget's ROM  by  getting a 4 point major reserve  with  Cimarron's  Kodiak  OFA.  Kodiak's  hip  was  subsequently injured during an ice storm the following winter when he slipped and fell onto a pointed object.  This brought an end to his show career prematurely .  I was now faced with the idea  of  how  I was  going  to  get  my  fourth qualifier for Midget.  She had Ch Thunder, Ch Rhiannon, and major reserve winner in Kodiak.  Where was #4 going to come from?     An ROM on Tornado, perhaps?..........

      At the time, Tornado already had two litters on the ground with a third one on the way.  She had two qualifiers  out of her first  litter sired by  Ch  Windwalker's  Jolly  Roger  ROM  OFA.   One champion qualifier is Ch Cimarron's Kracklin' Rosie OFA.  The other qualifier from this litter is Cimarron's Krimson Tide who acquired a two point winners dog and a major reserve while he was entered as a 'filler' dog.  The other champion qualifier is  Ch  Cimarron's  Leda  OFA  who is out of Ch Windwalker's Quebec  OFA.

     Tornado's third litter was out of  Ch  Aztec's  Kodak  ROM  OFA.  Here  is where I thought  her greatest potential  of  future  qualifiers lay because of their side movement.  The biggest problem was that they are on small side.      In this litter,   there are 3 BOYS:    Cimarron's Majician who died with 9 pts - no majors - no major reserves - 15 minor reserves;  Cimarron's Mach One - 2 pts - 7 minor reserves;   Cimarron's Maximum Risk - only  a few  brief  shows  since  the  puppy classes;     5 GIRLS:   Cimarron's Margarita - 10 points - no majors -25  reserves - herself a potential ROM-should finish if I ever take her out of the Bred By Exhibitor class,    Cimarron's More Than A Feeling - 1 pt - 2  minor reserves - could finish,    Cimarron's Maggie Mae - 2 minor reserves - could finish,       Cimarron's Unchained Melody - 2 pts - 1 minor reserve - could finish,  Cimarron's Marquesa - only shown in novice class-could qualify if she gets her act together.

      A good deal of the last several years since 1997 has been devoted to getting the 4th qualifier for Midget's ROM.  Since all of her progeny are past their prime,  I was concentrating on achieving a Register of Merit on her daughter Tornado.   With a ROM on Tornado,  Tornado  would become the  4th  qualifier for Midget's ROM.    Many people have asked why I did not show other dogs,  who  they  thought would have a better chance of winning rather than my Tornado kids.   My number one goal was to put the Register of Merit title on the end of Von Stefan Haus Edelweiss OFA.  If that meant that another dog ( that would not help this ROM goal )  would sit and wait, then that dog sat and waited.   Another  goal  of  mine  is to have a champion all of who's points originated from the Bred-By-Exhibitor class.  That potential bred-by champion right now is Margarita,  although I may have to forego the bred-by champion  for  now  and  put  Margarita with a handler to pick up her majors.

     On March 12, 2003 tragedy occurred at my kennel when a combination of weird Missouri weather, coupled with a loss of electricity and a gross error on my part, cost me the lives of two of my dogs.  I loose Magic and one of Rhiannon's brothers.  Four others were in grave danger of dyeing. Several others were put at high risk of danger.  With Magic's death, almost all of my dreams for an ROM would now rest on Margarita.

    On May 2, 2003, under a judge that I expected not to do very well under, I had entered Cimarron’s Margarita to support a major in bitches. Margarita (aka Coyote) was entered in the Bred By class.  When Bred By Exhibitor bitches were called,  I entered the ring with Coyote almost reluctantly.  She was last in line for the class.  During her individual, she gave me a good performance down and back and also during her lap around the ring.  The judge then proceeded to gait the entire class around the grassy ring.  Coyote's side gait was flawless and she did it with such little effort as she cruised around the ring.  I was proud of what she had done, but I felt the oncoming disappointment because I thought her performance would go unnoticed.  The judge looked up and down the line as we set up our girls in the Bred By class.  I was mentally preparing to receive my placing for last place.  Then he points for first place.  Is he pointing at me ?!!?  Surely my eyes are deceiving me, so I do a double take.   Yes, he is pointing at me to go to the head of the line.  The judge then gaits us one more time and Coyote again does not disappoint me as her stride opens up, leaving the other exhibitors behind.  She proceeds to take first place in her class under a judge I had no illusions of winning under.   Hmm, this could be interesting!    

       I change dogs and enter the ring with my AmBred bitch.  During the subsequent gaiting of the AmBred class, my AmBred girl hits a depression in the ground and aggravates a wound from a cut.  I can feel her favoring her gait to one side.  I am anxiously awaiting the conclusion of this class so she does not get excused.  While I am in the ring, I watch the judging of the rest of the AmBred class. The AmBred bitch class concludes and I exit the ring.  Outside the ring, I watch the open class.  My heart rate starts to race a little, as the thought crosses my mind.....Coyote can beat these girls.  Before the placements are awarded in the open class, I get Coyote out of the crate.  She is very fidgety.  I quickly take her to potty.     Arrgh, what a pile!  What a smell! No wonder she was fidgety!    The Open bitch class completes, and Winner's bitch competition is being called into the ring.  The 7 class winners set up their bitches and Coyote is third from the front.  The judge looks down the line from the open bitch on back.  As he looks at Coyote, she moves her left rear leg.  I reset her leg back to the extended position and I whisper into her ear about all the "horrible" things I am going to do her should she move a foot again.  She then eyeballs back at me, as if to suggest, "Get bent,- I can do whatever I want to out here!".  The judge gaits the class around the ring.  Coyote is awesome!  So Smooth!  So little effort expended!  So much ground covered!  The judge has each class winner do the down and back again. During Coyote's turn, she was more than adequate.  The judge gaits the entire class around the ring.  Coyote is having an exceptional day.  She is giving me the best performance of her life.  The judge moves Coyote up behind the open bitch.  My heart rate increases with anticipation.  He gaits the class again.  I see that the open bitch is slowing Coyote down, and in the back of my mind, I would like to pass the open bitch.  The judge points at the open bitch and I gasp from the disappointment.  Now the second place open bitch returns to the ring and much of the process is repeated.  Coyote continues to smoke the competition.  The judge then points for the 4 point major reserve.  It's........Coyote!  Oh my gosh!  It has finally happened!  Although Coyote has gone Best of the Losers for the 21st time,  this one is special - it is a 4 point major reserve. Coyote has become the final qualifier towards her dam's Register of Merit title.  Her dam is now Kingdom's Tornado ROM OFA (excellent).  And with the ROM on Tornado, Tornado becomes the final qualifier towards her dam's Register of Merit title.  Her dam is now Von Stefan Haus Edelweiss ROM OFA.  My dream for a Register of Merit title that had started over ten years ago, has now become a reality with TWO ROM titles in the same day!

    After I had met my decade long goal for the requirements for my ROM, I was now tasked with what direction I wanted to proceed with showing dogs.  A championship on Coyote is still a goal.  Her lack of hair has made it difficult to get those majors when the competition in bitches can be so exceptional. So far, twenty-five times she has been chosen for Reserve Hairless Bitch!   I have purchased a very plush sable bitch who is a real easy side gaiter, has hair, but she lacks show attitude.  She had spent several years in her prior owner's back yard with little attention. 

     Then one day on the way to a dog show, Jack Reed stops by my  place.  He notices a 3 year old black and red male (with one whopping point).  I had been waiting for this male to mature.  Jack tells me he is ready to win and to enter him and Coyote in some shows, but since they do not draw majors, they do not go.  Two weeks later, Jack takes this male (Cimarron's Cold As Ice, aka Pooper)  to Topeka for 3 shows and gets a reserve, a reserve, and another reserve the first 3 times in the ring with Jack. The following weekend, I show him one day only in Bred By and he receives his second point in late April of 2003. The following weekend Jack and Pooper team up for another reserve in Gray Summit where it was one dog short of a major.  The second weekend in May, they head out to New Mexico and get Winner's Dog for 2 pts one day and RWD the next.  They take the third weekend in May off.  Over the four shows in Oklahoma on the Memorial day weekend, they get winners dog two more times and reserve winners dog two more times.  The first weekend in June in North Dakota, was uneventful and a waste of time.  In Kentucky for the next weekend was also uneventful as I wasted my time with Pooper in Bred By.  In mid June Jack and Pooper teamed up for back to back majors in Arkansas.  Pooper now had a total of twelve points and both majors.  The next weekend, we head up to Iowa for yet another reserve.  The last weekend in June was spent in Champaign, Ill where they team up for winners dog the first day, nothing on the second day, and on the third day, winners dog and best of winners for his third major and also his championship.  Fifteen points, including 3 majors, in a little over two months, along with eight states in 9 show weekends.  Pooper becomes Rhiannon's first champion qualifier and was the easiest dog I have ever finished.  Maybe an ROM on Rhiannon is also a possibility.

     During all this time,  Pooper's sister, Molly's Cimarron Heart has been racking up obedience and performance title after title.  She has recently acquired her UD title and Molly and her owner Jennifer are now going after an OTCH .  Molly (at last count) was now Molly's Cimarron Heart UD AX OAJ CGC, ASCA-CDX, TC HIC, TDI, VCCX OCX .

     During the end of 2003, Jack Reed shows a Coyote son, Cimarron's Struttin' My Stuff and a daughter, Cimarron's Starrider and has limited success with both.  He continues to show a sable bitch I bought, Romulin's Dharma on Fire, who continues to have some success in the ring.  I breed a Rhiannon daughter, Cimarron's Stevie Nicks OFA to Marcia Hadley's Blackoak's Wiseguy v Hadori OFA.  She whelps her pups on Dec 7, 2003, so the litter has Pearl Harbor as their theme.

     During 2004, Dharma continued to get points here and there with Jack Reed showing her.  Molly's Cimarron Heart continues to well in the performance ring.  Dharma is surgically implanted with semen from Ch Kismet's Sight for Sore Eyes (Dallas).  This surgery is based upon the advice of a canine reproductive vet near St Louis and winds up being a near $2000 loss because of his incompetence.  Cimarron's Tokyo Rose (Pearl) starts her show career.  Cimarron's Beretta (Rhiannon's brother) escapes out of the yard and is never seen from again.  I put in for and start my judging for German Shepherds and Junior showmanship.

     In 2005, I tried three breedings.  The first one was breeding Karen Hynek's Ch Jokare's Kocoum OFA to my Rhiannon daughter, Cimarron's Nightlife OFA.  This breeding produced 11 pups ( one would later die) in March of 2005.  The offspring of this litter will come up often in the years and months ahead due to their accomplishments.  Two other breedings, Dharma's AI to Ch Windwalker's XL Erynbrook-Achtung OFA and Cimarron's Stevie Nicks surgically implanted with Dallas semen both failed.  Dharma would finish her championship in July.  Starrider and Struttin' My Stuff would continue to have some success.  Pearl wins her first point.  Wizard (Ch D&L's All the Right Moves OFA) would pass away. Wizard was out of Lois O'Connor's record breaking 8 champion litter.  Some of my U litter would start their show careers.

     2006 starts out with a tragedy.  I loose my beloved Rhiannon.  She was such a classy girl.  I am still grief stricken years after her passing.  My U litter pups continue to be shown and are now starting to win points, even Best of Breeds from the puppy classes. Nightlife is bred again to Koko for a repeat breeding of the U litter.  Ch Cimarron's Kracklin' Rosie TC OFA takes third in her veterans class while competing as the the oldest dog (almost 11) at the 2006 GSDCA National Specialty.  I loose Cimarron's Dr Pepper (Rhiannon's brother).  Pepper was never much of a show dog but was so enjoyable to have him around.  I will miss the ole fart.  I loose several other dogs before the years end.

     My U litter siblings of Cimarron's Learning to Fly (Flyer), Cimarron's Refugee (Goober), Cimarron's I Won't Back Down (Butkus), and Cimarron's You Got Lucky (Bubba) continue to rack up wins in 2007.  I lost Rosie in June of 2007.  I loose both Pooper and Coyote in late 2007.  I would also loose the entire repeat breeding of the U litter.  One died from the Chinese dog food fiasco, one died from electrocution after biting into an extension cord, another died after jumping over a fallen tree and impaling herself, and the last died from a skin infection.  Pearl would win her second major and is waiting for a couple of singles to finish.  Linda Williams would start to show Cimarron's Here Comes My Girl (Pinky) also from the U litter.  She gets several minor wins and closes the year becoming the first ROM qualifier for her sire and dam by getting a major reserve.

     2008 was a very good year for me with the exception of loosing the last pup (Kookie) of the repeat U litter.  Pearl finishes her championship early.  Pinky finishes in 7 months of showing with 3 majors and 4 major reserves.  Cimarron's You Got Lucky becomes the second qualifier. Flyer becomes the third qualifier with two majors.  Butkus becomes the fourth qualifier.  Flyer completes her dam's ROM requirements by finishing her championship in November.  Her dam is my Uecker/Rhiannon daughter, Dancer, Cimarron's Nightlife ROM OFA.  Back in May another Rhiannon daughter gets a major reserve, Cimarron's Reaction to Action.  And then in November, Cimarron's Double Vision wins a major reserve to become the third qualifier.  Dancer's ROM of her own becomes Rhiannon's fourth qualifier.  Now all Rhiannon needs is 2 points to get her her own ROM. Double Vision and Reaction to Action both complete their Rally Novice titles before the end of the year to earn Rhiannon her ROM.

     In 2009, Cimarron's Free Fallin (Shortcake) becomes the fifth qualifier with a major win in early January.  Her brother Cimarron's Runnin Down A Dream (Dreamer) becomes the sixth qualifier with a major reserve in March.     Bubba completes his championship in June with two majors and becomes the third champion of this U litter.  I go in with Karen Hynek to co-own two of her Koko daughters, Jokare's Josie Wales and Jokare's Guinevere (Gwen).  Goober would become the seventh qualifier with a major reserve and a major in August.  Dreamer gets a major from the Bredby class in September. Then sister Amy, Cimarron's American Girl, becomes the eighth qualifier with two majors in December.

     2010 has started out like other years with both tragedy and success.  Goober has started out healing up after being badly hurt in a dogfight late last year.  Pearl got out of her kennel run and into the next where she badly mauled up my two seniors, Cimarron's More Than a Feeling (Boston) and Cimarron's Marquesa (Mush).  Boston would die from her wounds.  Shortcake would win her second major and finish in mid April. Dreamer would get his second major in January and finish his championship in early May.  Shortcake and Dreamer would become the fourth and fifth champions from this U litter.  In June, Gwen would take a major reserve to become Koko's ninth qualifier.  The following day, her half sister, Cimarron's Listen to Her Heart (Dinkums) would become Koko's last needed qualifier for his ROM with a major reserve from the BredBy class.  Dinkums is the ninth qualifier of a single litter of 10 ( my U litter).

                                              Page Revised:    14 June 2010.                                           Designed by Steve.