From Choo Choo ROMX to Ipsy Pipsy ROMX: How and Why I Made These Changes
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CH Rose Farms Choo Choo ROMX as a Puppy
When I was getting started with Dachshunds back in 1976, I really had no idea what I needed to be in the Winners Circle and so spent a lot of time discovering what the winning Dachshund had to have to catch the Judge’s eye in the Show Ring. I also knew that there were certain aspects of conformation that all great Dachshunds had that made those dogs always get picked. I knew as well that the Judges wanted dogs that really looked great in the Show Ring and always moved cleanly and smoothly around the circle, moving out like they owned the ground that they were standing on. I started with a line that I wanted to work with and bred a litter who had a great one in it, but, when the dam had epilepsy and I lost her, I stopped that first line and moved on. While showing that first litter, I did have Hannelore Heller look for another Smooth bitch for me to finish and breed and she saw Dee Hutchinson of Rose Farm fame winning Best Smooth is Sweepstakes at the ’77 DCA held in Washington DC with what she thought was a nice-looking bitch. I immediately called Dee Hutchinson up and she agreed to sell me that bitch, CH Rose Farms Choo Choo ROMX, bred by Judy Anderson and Dee Hutchinson, and Dee and I, almost from that first conversation, became very close friends so I also, through her, got to know so many people who devoted their lives to the Dachshund Breed, but that is another story.
I, along with Hannelore’s help, soon finished Choo Choo and her breeding was pretty impeccable, as she was sired by the great Smooth sire, CH Karlstadt’s Lionel ROMO, who was the ’75 DCA Best Smooth and who was then owned by Dee Hutchinson and was being shown by Hannelore. Choo Choo’s dam was a bitch that Judy Anderson bought from Rose Farm, CH Rose Farms Impatiens, who turned out to be a very nice producer herself. Lionel was a big up-headed Special who had a style that always took my eye, although his front was not the best and he was a tad too out-at-the-elbows which came down from CH Dunkeldorf’s Jagerlust ROMX and CH Dunkeldorf’s Falcon Forester ROMO who were behind him. Impatiens really fixed that front and she must have been a great producer as I never saw that front in anything that my Choo Choo produced even though it did show up in Choo Choo’s grandsons and granddaughters later. When I looked at Choo Choo, who became a multiple Specialty winner, a DCA BOSV winner and All Breed Group winner in her short Specials career, I saw a bitch that really looked like one from one of the greatest early Dachshund Kennels, Gera from California. These bitches were big and strong and the Heying’s used them a lot in breeding to CH Favorite von Marienlust ROMO and CH Falcon of Heying-Teckel ROMO in producing all those great Heying-Teckel dogs and bitches and, more recently, Janet Wayock also used these bitches with their great type and movement as she produced all those great Timbar bitches who really also were great producers. The Gera bitches, I decided way back in the early ’80s, were the foundation of why Dachshunds looked so good way back then and so I chose back then, not to just appreciate that Gera look, but see what was wrong and try to fix that problem.
CH Moffet’s Harvest ROMX
While I loved Choo Choo and thought she was great to show and win with, I had the choice of just trying to repeat her success or improving where, I thought, she was lacking. Looking at Choo Choo’s picture, it seemed obvious, to me anyway, that she would look much better with the neck coming out of the topline a little further back and that would give her better shoulder angulation, set further back on the body and, with that change, lots more forechest. I could try to change this one thing while keeping what I had with one breeding to try to make this big move. First, as this was only my third litter, I wanted to know if I could see the offsprings future structure at such a young age. If I could see if the forechest could be seen before I weaned them, I could do these breedings and try to make changes while keeping what we already had. That was going to be a real test I had to face and, luckily, I could do that myself without boring everyone with my new breedings. I did have Wally and Mary Jones of Walmar Dachshunds who I did talk about these problems with and we really worked together to make these changes as we all in the Boondox and Walmar lines were wanting to breed better dogs and we were starting out at about the same time. My hope was that these changes show up early and I can use these changes in my own breeding program. When I say that I am trying to correct fronts, that does NOT mean that I am ignoring the whole Dachshund as I also want that good profile, great rear, level topline and good movement, going around and up and back. I always want that and am always picking on all these things in my puppies and they have to be there, too, as we head along adding what we want to change. I never lose what I have in adding the choices I want to add into my line, I am just making what I have BETTER in that next generation. My choice in breeding is to always make my line closer to the Standard That is MY choice in breeding Dachshunds as I always want to carry the Breed forward, never head backwards.
CH Rose Farms Choo Choo ROMX as a Special
CH Moffet’s Georgi ROMX
Anyway, after my first litter that I had to scrap later, it was a CH Moffet’s Harvest ROMX (who was my favorite Smooth of all time) daughter bred to the very nice CH Karlstadt’s Lionel ROMO and it did produce a great one who was a multiple Specialty BB winner and Group winner and I wanted that strength again in my line. I decided, when breeding Choo Choo, to breed her to Russ and Thelma Moffet’s CH Moffet’s Georgi ROMX (who was a full brother to my all time favorite CH Moffet’s Harvest ROMX) to get that same look as that whole Moffet cross had in it. Georgi himself had a neck that came right up from the neckset and he also had the better layback which made him move a lot better and Georgi’s smooth movement, covering ground easily and quickly was what I was very anxious to see in these new puppies. It also made the dog have that up-headed look that I always wanted my Dachshunds to bring to the Show Ring as, for me, I loved that look of that long, arched neck and beautiful head, owning the ground they stood on. I was at that time very close to Russ and Thelma Moffet and soon was helping their dogs that Hannelore showed around my area and stayed with them when I went to Michigan to show. Anyway, I did breed her and the puppies did have the forechest showing at about 7-9 weeks and so I could see if the changes I made did occur and I was hopeful in seeing where the neckset happened in these young puppies.
CH Boondox Chuckie Bunyan ROMO winning at DCA
CH Boondox Country Pride
In this litter were dogs and bitches that HAD that better neckset and they, when bred, did pass that great neckset down and so, from then on, my Smooth Dachshunds had that well placed neckset and lots of forechest that, in my mind anyway, became one of the hallmarks of what I bred to show and breed on with. First, in that litter, was the most famous one, CH Boondox Chuckie Bunyan ROMO, who Thelma picked out for Billy Magrum and Chuckie Bunyan to be their new Special, but, when Magrum and Bunyan soon got out of dogs, Chuckie found a couple of great people, John and Linda Thompson from Georgia, who really advanced him as a Show dog (’80 RWD and ’81 BOSV DCA winner) and a great producer. He sired two of the great DCA winners, CH Choo Choo Sweetheart ROMX (’83 DCA BV and BOSB and’84 DCA BOSV ) and CH Apothecary Black Rosey Rose ROMO (’85 DCA BV winner) who both should be in everyone’s book of what we want the Breed to look like and move like. They were magnificent and were also great producers as well. Chuckie had that neckset and shoulders that he passed on as a new Producer and he became a Top Producer to the end of his life. CH Boondox Country Pride was the bitch and, again, she had a great career in the Show Ring and was a Top Ten Smooth who won the Heart of America DC BV and BB from the classes along with several other specialties out in the Midwest. She was another one with the great new neckset which really improved her conformation and movement. Both of these had that up-headed look that I was wanting to see in this next Boondox litter.
CH Miss Flint’s mother, CH Moffet’s Halo
However, in my kennel, I chose to go another way and leased one of the Moffet’s great bitches, CH Moffet’s Miss Flint ROMX who was sired by CH Cook’s Home Brew ROMX and Miss Flint’s dam was CH Moffet’s Halo who was, perhaps, the best bitch that the Moffets produced and who was from the great Friendly Jester ROMX/ Rosanne ROMO cross. Halo, too, was a DCA winner (as she won BOSV and BOSB at ’75 DCA) and more importantly she produced CH Moffet’s Midas ROMO and Miss Flint ROMX. Anyway, I bred her to Russ and Thelma’s B&T dog, CH Moffet’s Boondox Crockett, who also had a good neckset and smooth withers and they did manage to produce the outgoing quality that Crockett had and what I was trying to bring on that next generation. With correcting the neck placement and becoming a dog that carried himself well, with Dachshund style on display, those were definitely what I was trying to achieve in setting what I wanted the Boondox line to bring to the Dachshund Show Ring. The puppies in the two litters had 5 Champions in it including my new Special, CH Moffte’s Oona v Boondox (who ALSO was a DCA winner, RWB in ’82), Helen Hyre’s new Special CH Moffet’s Boondox Maxim v Geil and CH Moffet’s Magnum v Boondox, a dog that I sold to some new Dachshund breeders from Michigan and who I finished for them. These five puppies did have these changes and so after watching them all grow up and show what they had, I was ready for that next generation and how that got started is a whole other story.
CH Moffet’s Oona v Boondox winning at DCA
CH Moffet’s Magnum v Boondox, Martha’s sire
My Oona soon became a Top Special and produced a couple of Champions for me, but she was a little out at the elbows (and I am sure you know I am picky in all the puppies conformation as well!!), but she did not pass that on. She was a nice bitch who won a couple of BVs and BBs at Specialties and was an outstanding one to keep the line moving forward. However, the next in this line came down from Stan and Judy Taylor from Michigan who owned that red brother from Miss Flint ROMX that I finished for them, CH Moffet’s Magnum v Boondox, when he was bred to a Southern-bred bitch, CH Houndhaven’s Devil Woman, who was sired by CH Choo Choo’s the General (who went back to CH Dunkeldorf Falcons Favorite ROMO and the ever-present Lionel and Harvest again) and out of CH Tail’s End Sho Nuff Houndhaven who had three crosses to Falcon’s Favorite ROMO as well as a full sister to CH Crosswynd’s Cracker Jack ROMX in her pedigree. Now, in looking back at that lineage, I probably would not have added her to my Show String because of all the crosses to Falcon’s Favorite ROMO, but that would have been a mistake on my part since CH Sonrise’s Martha became such a big winner for me and led me to my biggest Smooth winner, CH Boondox Ipsy Pipsy ROMX. I might tell you what to do, but sometimes you go ahead and do it anyway which is what happened here.
CH Sonrise’s Martha winning as a Special
I remember going to the Badger DC Show back in ’87 and seeing Martha in an ex-pen and really wanting to know more about her as she REALLY captured my eye then. When the owners, Stan and Judy Taylor from the Upper Shores of Michigan came out, I immediately remembered showing her sire Magnum to his Championship and he was another one who had all the parts, but that I would never have used at Stud. Seeing Martha made me change my mind about that. She was a little skittish as it was her first Specialty, but she had that neckset and show attitude that I loved as her Aunt Oona did and I was really wanting her so bad RIGHT then. I talked with the owners about their plans and they were showing her in BBE class that day so I worked with them a little and gave them some hints about what to do in the Show Ring. They showed her and she got last and they were disappointed, but all I could see was that neckset, perfect front, forechest and an attitude that was there, but just a little scared in her first Show day. They asked me then to take her and show her as they were too busy and lived on that upper part of Michigan which put them far way from the Shows. I agreed to co-own her and took her home and started showing her when she was ready as well as finishing her brother, CH Sonrise’s Sampson,too, who they sold to Stan Ohland in California where he was a succesful sire out there. She finished easily and soon was winning an ’88 DCA Award of Merit, lots of Specialties and Hound Groups and, since she was so cool, calm and collected, she was really a lot of fun and I specialled her for three years as my Smooth Special. When it came to breeding her, Martha came along when my Longhairs were on fire and so I was breeding several LH litters all the time and so only bred her three times to a Mr T ROMO son that I had. She produced thirteen puppies and I kept two that I absolutely loved and knew they were going to make a mark in the Show Ring when I showed them.
CH Rose Farms FYC v Boondox who was also bought by Bruce Jenkins from South Africa
The two from the Mr T son, CH Braaehaus Top of the Town/CH Sonrise’s Martha litters that I kept were CH Boondox Xhiliration and Boondox Sweet Jane who were stunners to look at and to see in motion as they had that heads up look that made them become the center of attention when they were shown. Sweet Jane was first and she was an instant winner and won every time she was shown EXCEPT after her first season when she absolutely went nuts and literally would not even take a step inside the Dachshund Show Ring. Literally, she was unshowable, but so breathtaking that I could NEVER take my eyes off of her. I kept her after that and just wondered who I could breed her to. Later, when her full sister, CH Boondox Xhiliration, was born, I sold her to Bruce Jennings from South Africa who had already bought CH Rose Farms FYC v Boondox earlier and, trust me, those two should have given him quite a boost in the Show Ring in South Africa.
Boondox Sweet Jane who I really admired as a Dachshund EXCEPT for her temperament
The great CH Boondox Panama Jack ROMO
In thinking about breeding Sweet Jane after her total mental breakdown at the shows, I thought that Top of the Town, her father, was a grandson of Uffe and Carol Braae’s most beautiful Dachshund, CH Braaehaus Big Buoy who I found out after the breedings was always a freak. Breeding him to my Falcon’s Favorite ROMO descendants brought out that craziness and then I had a decison as to whether or not to breed her and if I did breed her, who should I breed to and get NON crazy puppies? Anyway, I loved her so much that I really HAD to breed her and, since she was so perfect to look at(except for her rather plain head) and she was totally sound going around the ring as well as up and back, the main thing was finding an excellent temperament and knowing how many had the dogs who passed this on from the Smooth line, I thought about using a Longhair since I had been raising them for 14 years and NEVER had a bad temperament and those Longhairs loved everyone they saw. I had a whole string of Longhair males living at my Kennel and, of course, decided on my absolute favorite, CH Boondox Panama Jack ROMO, who had been the #1 Longhair producer for the last few years and had never sired a puppy with a bad temperament. Looking forward, I saw great puppies down from Sweet Jane with a good head besides and was eagerly looking to them and certainly hoped for no spookiness or craziness at all.
CH Boondox Ipsy Pipsy ROMX at her first show as a 6 month old puppy
CH Boondox Ipso Facto, her brother, while in Japan
The litter consisted of four puppies and all had outstanding personality who loved everyone they saw. From the beginning, the smallest bitch really captured my eye and she was the one who stood out with her conformation and movement. As I had been raising Dachshunds for a long time, I knew that she would be a big winner when she hit the Show Ring along with her brother, CH Boondox Ipso Facto, who I sold to Kojiro Terada frpm Japan when he finished. Ipsy Pipsy won Best in Sweps and WB and BOW at the Hoosier Dachshund Club in March of ’95 and at the DC of Cincinnati where the Mini Round up was held where the day after the Specialty, the Judge finished her by giving her BV over 18 Specials and then a Group IV under Judge Muriel Newhauser. This led to Ipsy Pipsy ROMX having a pretty good Specials career by winning lots of Specialties and several Hound Groups along the way and soon she was my Top-Winning Smooth, although sired by my top LH producer and out of a VERY nutty dam but whose pedigree had all my greats in it. I know that this article talks about DCA wins as, in my mind, those are the ones I always wanted to achieve as the DCA shows had the largest Dachshund entries and the Judges had always attended DCA and knew what great Dachshunds had to have. Ipsy Pipsy ROMX was a big winner there and she was BOSV and BOSB at the ’96 DCA and was BOSV at the ’97 as well.
CH Boondox Ipsy Pipsy ROMX winning at DCA
Ipsy Pipsy ROMX was exactly what I needed in my Boondox breeding line and so was really glad to start breeding her after she retired. First I bred her to a Wing son, CH Laddland Hoot Owl and they produced CH Boondox Xenia Onatopp and then I bred her to a Longhair, CH Boondox Polo L ROMX (a Sting ROMO/Treasure ROMX son) and hit the jackpot with CH Boondx Dimon Dino L, CH Boondox Double Delight L, CH Boondox French Lace L and Dual CH Boondox Fiona L They were my next Boondox generation and where the line ended. Ipsy Pipsy was a great high for me and she was so much fun to show and win with as well as being a great producer on top of everything else. She was a great one to work up to and I hope you see how I made my choices and what I used to get the look that I knew the Dachshnds had to have when knowledgeable people judged them and picked out the best of the best.
CH Boondox Polo L ROMX
Dual CH Boondox Fiona L
It certainly was an honor to be picking fom that great line up of fantastic dogs that breeders could use to correct where they went wrong in breeding. Being able to make the Dachshund Breed better is what we all should be doing in picking out dogs to use in our oncoming generations.