Sándor in Memory

 

Rec. Champ. SÁNDOR von Anitzberg

The best place to burry your dog
is deep within your heart ......

 

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Champion Slovakia * Koerung for lifetime, recommended for breeding * HD A/B, PRA clear, SNB clear * BGH 1+2

October 1, 1990 - January 13, 2001
Sire: Sél. Ch. AGAR Dubreuil du Barrois (France, Champion D-VDH, Selected in France)
Dam: ODILE von Anitzberg (Austria)

 

I was looking for a companion for my German Shepherd, Marko, and in July 1990 I visited a dog show in Vienna to look for a suitable breed. I initially wanted a Doberman, but I didn't like what I saw. Then, in the distance, I saw something long-haired that really appealed to me. So I gathered some information and decided it would be the perfect breed for me. Actually, I was completely smitten the moment I laid eyes on the Briard.

Then the search for breeders began. I wrote many letters to Germany and France, but finally decided on an Austrian breeder. When I visited her kennel, a female had just been bred, so I registered for a puppy. On October 1, 1990, I received a call that the puppies had been born. Every few weeks, I drove to Upper Austria to watch the puppies grow up and then make a final decision. With this breeder, you don't choose a puppy; it's the other way around: the puppy chooses its owner, and it was Sándor who chose me at six weeks old.

Sándor stayed with his breeder for a little longer than eight weeks, as I wasn't able to take time off until just before Christmas. Finally, on December 14, 1990, I was able to pick Sándor up. I wasn't aware at the time that the foundation for Briard mania was being laid, but it became clear over time.

Sándor and Marko came to the office with me every day for three years. We used public transportation; the office was in Vienna's city center. This meant that from a very young age, he became familiar with the suburban train and subway, escalators, elevators, crowds, heavy traffic noise, and so on - ideal conditions for excellent socialization. He also learned to walk perfectly on a leash in no time - he was connected to Marko by a chain, and he could only learn good things from him.

I also had ambitions to show dogs, and so Sándor was already competing in the puppy class. Besides Austrian shows, I also attended shows in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The road to success was sometimes very rocky, because Sándor was extremely late-maturing in terms of coat length, and at the time I didn't want to admit that it would be better to give him a break after the junior class to mature before he was competing against much older and fully grown dogs, and of course, he had no chance of winning against these competitors. I enjoyed it, though, so the pitying looks from some other Briard owners didn't bother me. Nevertheless, I learned from it and subsequently gave my other Briards time to mature before showing them in the open class.

I also diligently attended the training grounds. Sándor was good and enthusiastic and passed his first test with flying colors. I also did protection work with Sándor, and he enjoyed it. Today, however, I believe that I robbed him of his youthful spirit with the consistent training, because he quickly became a very serious dog, quite unlike what I observed over the years with my other Briards, who attended puppy playgroups, only learned the basics of obedience at home during their youth, and then only joined a course when they were a little over a year old.

At one and a half years old, Sándor suffered from bloat. Thank goodness I reacted immediately when he started whining after eating and constantly looking at his belly. It was probably my riding experience that made me react so quickly, because I was quite familiar with the signs of colic in horses, and I quickly realized that Sándor's condition could only be a bloat. My vet did a fantastic job: the practice was immediately closed to all other patients upon Sándor's arrival, as it was clear he needed immediate surgery. His stomach was completely twisted, and his spleen was constricted. The operation was lengthy but went well. What left Sándor on the brink for a few days was his circulatory system, which almost completely collapsed, but he pulled through.

A month after the operation, he was already back in the show ring, completely his old self. We also had his first breed suitability assessment done around that time. In hindsight, I should have given him more time, because he showed signs of weakness that indicated he hadn't fully recovered from the surgery, and so he was only approved for breeding for one year initially. My ambition and eagerness were simply too great. It's just a shame that I learned from my mistakes at Sándor's expense.

Sándor was also used for breeding: his first partner was a bitch from Slovakia (Arwa Zevar CS), who had twelve puppies by his side on October 23, 1992, but unfortunately, five of them died. The first female puppy from this pairing came to live with me. I had wanted a fawn-colored female, but she sadly died, so the decision fell on one of the three black ones, namely Arwa B., She was the most outgoing and the cheekiest.

The first litter from my kennel, de la Maison du Garde-Barrière, was also sired by Sándor, and with the same bitch he had bred in Slovakia, as I had taken this bitch into my care in August 1993. In total, Sándor sired 46 puppies (28 males, 18 females) from four matings.

three generations: father, daughter, granddaughter

In July 1993, Sándor underwent his second breed survey and was approved for breeding for life and recommended for breeding.

Until 1998, I only showed my dogs in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. However, when I imported a female from France (Yazoo) and attended many shows with her in Europe, I decided one day that Sándor should also be shown at least once in his country of origin. So, in May 1998, we traveled to France for the European Briard Championship. The main reason for this trip was actually to hand over two puppies from Yazoo to their new owners and to introduce Sándor to his father's owner, who had never heard of any offspring from Austria. Since we were already there, Sándor was also entered in the show. Unfortunately, Sándor's father had died a month earlier, and so meeting my dog ​​was rather painful for Agar's owner, as the two had been his mirror image. Sándor wasn't so successful at the show in France: the judge gave him a "very good" with the explanation: "His coat is too long." Ironically, I was happy that Sándor finally had long fur, and this judge thought it was too long.

The number of dog shows Sándor attended decreased as he got older. In 1997, he became a Slovakian Champion, which, in my opinion, was the best this dog could achieve. I accomplished a great deal with Sándor, adhering to the breed standard; I knew his flaws and accepted them. This dog was shown around 90 times until he was about ten years old, and he predominantly received "excellent" ratings. It wasn't until he was around seven that Sándor's coat was fully developed - very late, but still early enough to "prove" that a handsome Briard had grown from an "ugly duckling" (as many called him).

Apart from the bloat, Sándor had always been healthy. His annual routine check-up in 2000 revealed that his organ function was that of a five-year-old Briard, not a nearly ten-year-old. Nevertheless, fate had other plans: this dog was taken from me far too soon. He died completely unexpectedly during the night of January 12^th to 13^th, 2001. We had gone for a walk at 11 pm and he was as fresh and cheerful as ever; at 1 am I found him dead in his sleeping place – a shock, as anyone can imagine. But what could be a more beautiful wish for a beloved pet than to be called over the Rainbow Bridge in their sleep? Looking back, I have to admit that I am grateful for every year I was able to spend with Sándor, because he could have died of bloar at just one and a half years old. It is simply far too soon for dog lovers when our beloved pets have to leave us

Sándor holds a very special place in my heart, although I love all my dogs unconditionally, of course. But he was the FIRST Briard and the founder of my kennel, de la Maison du Garde-Barrière. For being the one who introduced me to the Briard breed and taught me to love it so much, he deserves my special thanks and respect.

Sándor, you were the GREATEST!!! Thank you for the wonderful years I was able to share with you. You were ALWAYS a loyal companion, no matter the ups and downs we went through. I will NEVER forget you!

 

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Sándor's special success: