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History
Page last updated 12.07.11 My introduction to the Basset Hound Breed began some 25 years ago after my bitsa dog (Arnold) who reminded me of a Basset Hound, passed away. He was actually half Dachshound, half Corgi. I thought that my heart was going to break and so I set about contacting the relevant Kennel Clubs to try to locate a breeder for Bassets. I was finally referred in the right direction and was put onto a breeder whom they said was located "in the middle of nowhere". When I enquired as to where they actually were, I was told Picton. As luck would have it, Picton was less than a 20 minute drive from where I lived at the time!
I was extremely lucky to have been referred to "Ralarm Bassets" owned by Messrs Bruce Morris and Bob Wood - and so our Basset Hound journey had begun. Bob and Bruce were a fantastic pair and were very thorough in checking me out as to whether I would be suitable to take home one of their prescious babies and so it became that I was given the privilege to have "Ralarm Darby" as part of my family. And so my love affair with this fabulous breed began.
'Darby' was a huge part of my life, a constant companion, my most beloved friend and loyal partner in crime - where I went, 'Darby' came too! After about 12 months, I decided to purchase my second Basset and so "Ralarm Sharna" joined my little family.
My darling 'Darby' passed away at the age of 8 when I was living at "Camelot", an historic mansion, located in Camden where I was managing the horses and this is where he is buried - chasing rabbits and foxes and basking in the sun on the other side of the rainbow.
My sweet 'Sharna' lived to the ripe old age of 15 and is buried at another historic homestead, "Raby House", not too far from "Camelot" and I know that she has joined her beloved 'Darby' where they are together once again. They were such a big part of my life and were my constant companions whilst I was completing menial tasks around the horses like mucking out boxes. They were like my shadows and there was a huge hole in my life at the times of their passing. Such great friends, now greatly missed. Two very special individuals passed my way and I was so privileged to have them accompany me in my life for the precious time that I was lucky enough to spend with them.
I was devastated at the loss of my beautiful 'Sharna' and during the next year of grieving that I had to survive, I spotted an advertisement in the local paper - "Spayed Basset Hound Bitch for sale" - and she was local! I just couldn't believe my luck! It was hard enough to find breeders but to have someone with a Basset for sale that was local to me again was just karmic! Of course, I had to ring them and they were literally 5 minutes away from where I lived. After talking with them and shedding tears together, we organised an introduction visit. As it turned out, the lady who had placed the advertisement was placing the bitch on behalf of her aging mother who had lost her husband a few months prior and the Basset actually belonged to him. 'Tara' was too strong for the lady to keep as she was overly keen whilst being taken for her daily walks and that is why they had to make the decision to re-home her. It was a perfect match from day one and 'Tara' is still living with us and I still keep in touch with her "other" family. She is now 12 years old and is known to our youngest Bassets as the Grand Lady Aunt Tara!
In 2002, after being involved in the horse industry for 30 odd years, teaching horse riding, judging, managing horse properties, showing horses and training Thoroughbred Race Horses, I made a move off of the land and into my own little house located in Goulburn NSW - just one hour north of Canberra - along with my daughter, Shelby and of course, 'Tara' the Basset. My mother, Jan Jeffery, had made the move to Goulburn before me, but continued her lifestyle on the land and is currently on 30 acres just 6 minutes from the main township of Goulburn itself. Jan is still heavily involved in the horse industry - teaching, riding, breeding, competing and judging and together we have a combined time of experience exceeding 70 years in that field. The experiences that we had gained over that time within the horse industry has stood us in good stead for the dog world. We have produced many winning horses and are well on our way to producing some fantastic Bassets. I believe that our horse experience has given us an eye for balance, movement and temperament that extends to us being able to apply these same principles to the dogs.
In 2003, after deciding to get out of the horse industry, I was determined to get involved in the showing side of Basset Hounds and so I began my search again to find a breeder that I could purchase a "show hound" from. I put the word out, via emails, phone calls and any other method to find a registered, show breeder and was eventually referred onto Kyle and Robin Thomas from "Kinkiwi Basset Hounds". I was able to secure a puppy from them and after what seemed like waiting for an eternity, was able to pick "Kinkiwi Roma Rumble" AKA 'Chloe' up from them as an 8 week old baby.
In the mean time, the word was still out in cyberspace that I was after a show Basset and a few months down the track, I received an email from a lady in Qld, Mrs. Robin Martin, who had a five month old Basset Bitch for sale! Apparently, it never rains, it pours! At this point in time, I had been the sole Basset Hound enthusiast within the realms of my immediate family - not for want of trying, I might add! Mum (Jan) at this time had always had what I refer to as "pretend dogs" - hairy little individuals that can never understand why, they, as people, have four legs and not two! However, I couldn't resist the temptation, and asked Robin to send me some photos of her girl and so the weaving of my web had begun! I was able to convince mum that it was a great idea to get Robin's bitch and mum fell in love with the photos of this special girl - and so our legacy had begun! So, now - at the time of typing this up, we have two excellent foundation bitches in "Kinkiwi Roma Rumble" (with special thanks to Kyle and Robin Thomas) and "Safehaven Pride and Joy" - AKA 'Maddison' (with extra special thanks to Mrs. Robin Martin of Qld). Within these two bitches, we have some excellent bloodlines to work with and have selectively bred to specific Basset boys and produced our first two brilliant litters.
Prior to breeding our two girls, I spent 18 months studying confirmation and bloodlines full time on the Basset Hound before we made the decision to take 'Chloe' to "Ammidan Sunchacer" - AKA 'Sunny', located in Qld and owned by Ammidan Bassets (Keith and Anne McGinn), whereby 'Chloe' produced an exceptional litter of 10 bouncing baby Bassets - all of whom survived. I spent 3 and a half weeks with NO sleep to ensure that they all had the best start in life. Anyone who has had involvement in breeding pure bred dogs, will be only too aware of the work and sleepless nights that go into producing a litter of healthy puppies! After further careful consideration, we took 'Maddie' down to Victoria to Grace Venuto's special boy "Hushanda Killing Me Softly" - AKA 'Mani', and produced another much smaller litter, of 4 baby Bassets. What this litter lacked in numbers produced, it has certainly made up for in quality! Jan is now a Basset Hound "convert" too, and we are both committed to continuing to promote this amazing breed of dog. Over the years, we have both had other breeds as well as mixed breeds of dogs, but we cannot begin to tell you how fabulous the Basset Hound really is. Jan now has her own website for the Bassets just search for "Bontarnie Basset Hounds". The amount of patience displayed by the Basset Hound when involved with children is truly remarkable.
Once you have created a bond with a Basset Hound, the loyalty that is given back to you from him cannot be measured. They have the most amazing aptitude to pick up on your emotions and will have you laughing at every turn in your life. They have been soley responsible for pulling me through some of the toughest times in my life, and for that I thank them from the bottom of my heart. Due to a change in family circumstances, Jan is now embarking on getting her own prefix and so our legacy within the Basset Hound world continues in two directions.
Here at Delsharla, we are proud to announce that after only two years on the "Show Scene", we have produced four, home bred, Australian Champions already and with my careful breeding programme, we aim to continue our success in the ring.
The year 2009 proved to be a trying time for us here at Delsharla. A combination of raising 3 litters of puppies, with all my energies concentrating on their well being and a new neighbour moving into the house next door who took a rather big dislike to my hounds meant that my goals had to be re-examined and my hopes for showing regularly throughout the year were well and truly put on hold.
My little house in Goulburn was put up for sale with the view of moving onto acreage out of town, with 12 puppies on the ground, potential purchasers for my house being shown through at regular intervals and facilities that were not up to scratch for either of these purposes, along with a slump in the prices of real estate, all took their toll on my aims and my health to say the least. Surviving poisoning attempts on my dogs amdist other dilemmas, we were finally able to relocate to a wonderful little property on the fringes of the Crookwell District just outside of Goulburn NSW at the end of 2009.
Thanks to all of you for your concerns and best wishes being sent during those trying times - Chloe has survived from one of two poisoning attempts and is well on her way to recovery and may even be able to have one more litter for me. Such a wonderful girl and she will have a home with us for life. At the end of 2009, a run down property that was in need of lots of work and TLC, struck my eye..... with a kennel block, granny flat and house, it seemed just perfect for those of us who are not faint of heart in the hard work department! We were lucky enough to secure the property with more dilemmas attached to the deal to contend with but non the less we made it here!
(As of February 2010), we have currently been here for 3 months and managed to re-fence the dog yards to ensure that all the hounds are safe and with lots of room to romp around and play in a healthy environment. I am also proud to announce that I am able to offer a "Farm Stay" for other Canine friends to come and visit whilst you are away on holidays - or you can come with them if you wish (at very competitive prices)! The kennels are attached to a Granny flat which is currently being renovated and both will include reverse cycle air conditioning/heating to make the facilities even more comfortable for both two and four legged creatures during their stay. So, with my younger Bassets (and a few of the originals) geared up and ready to show, 2010 brings with it new hope, new adventures and an exciting future for us here at Delsharla. It's a wonderful time for us to be embarking on and one that I am gladly looking forward to. With new, lovely neighbours and a friendly country atmosphere to raise any future puppies, we have finally found our home and with any luck, we will be able to hit the show scene again in style in 2010!
2010 has come around with a hurry and brought with it new hopes and goals to be reaching. However in June I was struck down with ill health and rushed into hospital where I was made to stay for a seven day respite. I had every intention of hitting the show ring with some of the old crew and three youngsters I had bred and kept earlier in the year but my ill health put a hold on my plans yet again! To add to the dilemmas we lost our dear girl 'Chloe' which left us devastated and reelling from her loss. I was so glad that I had been able to save her from the poisoning attempts made on her prior to our move to the country and at least was able to give her another 12 months with us.
VALE - Our Beloved Chloe at home in Goulburn with Ella "FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS, MY DEAREST CHLOE"
Prior to my hospital stay, we were able to attend a show at Coffs Harbour in May that ran for three days where we successfully won an In Group in Class for each day of competition with one or another of our Bassets. We made the trip with 9 Bassets in tow - including 6 puppies that weren't quite old enough to show (by only a few days!) and three of our adult dogs.
We are now endeavouring to embark on attending some shows during the second half of this year and have also included in our dog ranks the Mini Smooth Haired Dachshound with many, many thanks to Mrs. Kathy Anderson of "Solana" kennels in allowing us the priviledge to take on "Solana My Mr Beginagin" AKA 'Benny' and his show partner and wife to be "Solana My Miss Razza Mattaz" AKA 'Raz'. Kathy has had many years of experience with this breed and I can't begin to express my gratitude to her for her support, love and friendship during trying times. We love ya lots Kathy! Check out the "NEW" Photo Album sections of this website to view new shots of everyone!
********************************** 2011 finds myself and my two children (Shelby now aged 16 years and Ella aged 6 years), heading in yet another direction.... We are about to embark on some exciting new ventures which will include further establishing our "Delsharla Kennels Farm Stay for Dogs" (and people) as well as learning "Tracking", "Obedience" and "Agility" with all of the Bassets. We are heading in this direction to further advertise the versatility of this wonderful breed of dog and will be reaching for the stars by hopefully incorporating them into Search and Rescue operations down the track. We will also be looking into "Therapy" treatment/visits to both local hospitals and ones more afar with the crew. My passion and faith in this breed pushes me to extend this experience to people less fortunate than myself.
Stay tuned for more updates and photos as we take yet another turn in our adventures in life with the infamous Basset Hound and the Miniature Smooth Haired Dachshund. Susie Muhleisen Goulburn, NSW, Australia Phone : 02.48 220 654 Email : delsharlakennels@bigpond.com |
