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We got hooked on showing dogs back in Minnesota in the early 70’s. Our first breed was Basset Hounds, we began to show in obedience and took our turn in the show ring a few times to help friends build a major. That was all it took to get hooked. After a couple of years of showing Bassets, Jan began to look for a "leggier" dog that would fit her idea of the right breed for her. The decision came down to a choice between Rottweilers, Dobermans and Dalmatians – thank heavens we ended up with a Dal! Our Basset friends introduced us to Sue MacMillan of Paisley Dals and (as they say) the rest is history. Within a year of getting our first co-owned Dal from Sue in 1974, we were traveling to specialties from Coast to Coast. That first liver bitch did not
turn out to have a show temperament and was never finished to her
championship, but by the time she was done teaching us patience we had
purchased our second liver bitch from Sue. This second one was our
foundation bitch and became Ch. Paisleys Harmony Bouquet, CD, known as
Buttercup she finished her championship at 2 years of age with 3-5 point
specialty majors and 2 more specialty RWB’s. |
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| Ch Harmony Real People | Ch Harmony N Mile High H. Lewis |
| By 1977 we felt we were ready to try our hand at breeding. We leased a bitch from Carol & Don Schubert in Chicago and did a breeding that produced only 4 surviving pups, but those included our first homebred champion bitch and a litter sister who was BOB at the Canadian National Specialty. Butter’s first litter produced a Group winning bitch (who became a foundation bitch for Cheshire Dalmatians in MN) and a male that was BOW at DCA 1980. Now we were REALLY hooked! Subsequent litters produced conformation champions, obedience dogs and Road Trial winners. We are happy to have had a part in getting other new exhibitors and breeders started in this fun sport. | |
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| Our current live-in dogs are Ch. Harmony Run For The Roses, CD, RD, CGC, TT "Willie" (9 years old, pictured above with Peggy Ann Strupp), Ch. Harmony Signature Second Guess "Frenchy" (3 years) and Harmony Smarty Pants "Carla" (8 months). We purchased Frenchy as a baby to tie back into our old line and are very pleased her and also with her daughter Carla so far. Frenchy is one of 5 champion littermates, and 4 pups from her first litter of 6 are being shown in conformation. | |
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| Ch Harmony Signature Second Guess | |
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While Doug enjoys the dogs as companions, he really doesn’t have an interest in going in the show ring. I still show all over the country, and besides attending the National each year I try to get to several other specialties to keep in touch with old friends and see new dogs. In recent years I have begun to give back to the Dalmatian breed by serving on the Dalmatian Club of America Board of Governors. I’ve twice served on the DCA Board, holding the positions of Steering Committee Chair, Assistant Treasurer and Recording Secretary. As the founding President of the GDDC I’m very pleased with the progress the club has made. Currently I’m a Board member of GDDC and of the Evergreen Colorado Kennel Club. Harmony Dals has never done a lot of breeding. We produce a litter only when we want a new pup for ourselves and when we feel we can devote the proper amount of time into a litter to raise them correctly. We are very proud that our dogs have competed and won in the conformation ring from New York to Washington state and from Canada to Texas. Harmony bred dogs have also won obedience High in Trials and DCA Road Trial High in Trials. Most of all we feel honored to have families come back to us for another Dalmatian when they have lost their original one because they enjoyed them so much, that says it all. |
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