CH Robert de Bayard ROMO– East Coast or West Coast?
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Peggy Westphal judging at the Met Atlanta DC Specialty and awarding Bobby Barlow showing Robert to BV and BB
Mary Howell had many great Longhairs while she was actively breeding and, in looking back, I see three great ones from the early years that really deserve this kind of attention and they are CH Bayard le Tartare ROMX and his two sons, CH Bayard le Souvenir ROMO and CH Robert de Bayard ROMO. All really changed the look of modern longhairs into the style we are still showing, but, today, this post is all about CH Robert de Bayard ROMO and his infusion of Smooth California lines to give more body, forechest and angulaion into the Bayard line.
CH Katella of Lelou ROMX and breeder Leon Warren who was Robert’s dam
CH Covara’s Tabasco ROMO who was Robert’s maternal grandsire
CH Robert de Bayard ROMO was to become one of Mary Howell’s greats, but he had a long road to get to Bayard which starts when two eager young, Dachshund enthusiasts, Martha Prendergast and Barbara Powers, who were living then in California, bought his dam, CH Katella of Lelou ROMX, from handler/breeder Leon Warren. She was out of a litter from which six Champions came and she was sired by a great producer, CH Covara’s Tabasco ROMO, who was a longhair but had all four Smooth grandparents. Many people did not like him, although I personally always did, as I like the coat intermingling with the Smooths which gives the Longs more body, forechest and much more angulation. I loved what Tabasco produced way back in the ’60s and they looked great with all the Dachshund style they had. Katella ROMX’s dam was a Smooth , Leura of Lelou ROMX, who was all Gera and Heying-Teckel breeding, so that you can see the quality that was on both sides of Katella’s pedigree. When Miss Prenderdgast and Miss Powers decided to finish Katella, they hired the breeder, Leon Warren, to show her and she soon had 14 points when she was entered at the ’63 DCA National Specialty. Katella did win the Open Class under Judge Ramona Van Court, but Leon stuck with his Bred-By bitch for winners and had Barbara take Katella in and they did indeed win that 5 point major and so Katella was WB at the ’63 DCA National, shown by Barbara Powers!
CH Bayard le Tartare ROMX winning WD and BW at the DCA Show in ’61under Judge Frank Hardy and breeder/owner Mary Howell of Bayard Dachshunds
Then, their jobs transferred both Miss Prendergast to Washington DC and Barbara Powers to Chicago so Miss Prendergast took CH Katella to Washington and Miss Powers said she should be bred to one of Mary Howell’s emerging Bayard Dachshunds and so they chose to breed her to the great CH Bayard le Tartare ROMX. After the litter was born on March 24, 1964, Barbara flew down to look at the puppies when they hit the twelve week limit on the same day that Mary was picking out her choice for the breeding and both liked Robert the best. With the Tartare look and his Smooth/Bayard crosses so close behind him, the male Robert was really a well made little dog. Anyway, Mary Howell won the coin toss and took Robert home and he soon became one of the promising ones that she kept for the important shows, while Barbara got his full sister, CH Mojhe of Distlefink, who produced nicely for her.
CH Bayard le Souvenir ROMO winning with Ben Klimciewicz for owner Mary Howell
At the same time, Mary Howell had a new young dog she bred, CH Bayard le Souvenir ROMO, who also was by the fantastic CH Bayard le Tartare ROM and out of an unfinished Longhair Bayard bitch from a recent Smooth/Bayard cross. As you can imagine, this Souvenir had the classic ‘Bayard’ look that Robert didn’t, while Robert had the Dachshund style of substance and front that Souvenir did not have as much and, I am sure, that drove Mary crazy with having them both active at the same time.
While growing up, Mary Howell had kennel cards made up on her dogs and Robert’s said that he was deep Red with a little black and weighed twenty eight pounds and a little more. His temperament was very outgoing and quite a handful. His head was a good masculine one, but they would prefer more length of muzzle for his width of skull and his eyes very dark, but shaped well. His body had a lot of substance with perfect forelegs, but he did move a little close behind, but that is improving. His coat was perfectly Irish setter like that does not mask the type. His tail was O.K., but perhaps carried a wee bit high and his feather was good. His calll-name was listed as Robby. Those cards are so accurate as they do list what she did like and also what she didn’t. That did not change while Mary Howell owned him.
CH Robert de Bayard ROMO winning WD and BW at the ’65 DCA National Specialty with Mary Howell on the lead
When it came time to show him, Mary Howell had a great line up of shows to exhibit in, starting at the DCA National and Host show which were to be held in Houston, Texas in May of 1965. His first Show was DCA where Phil Murphy gave him WD and BW with Mary Howell showing him and then, the next day, at the Houston DC Host Show Specialty, Breeder/Judge Herman Cox also agreed and so Robert wound up with another WD and BW so he left Houston with two five point majors and he was ready to move on. His next show in’65 was the DC of NJ (held with the Trenton KC Show),where, shown by Ben Klimkiewicz, he was again WD and BW under Dachshund expert Anna Gargett for another four point major. In her critique, written after the Show, Mrs Gargett praises Robert effusively and says he is one we shall hear a lot more about. Having fourteen points, Mary decided to show him at DALI which was the largest Dachshund show in the USA. Robert did indeed finish there by winning another five point major by being WD again under Dorothea Metzger, a handler from California. What a class career he had at only a little over a year old and winning all these very major wins!
CH Robert de Bayard ROMO winning BV at the DALI Show under Judge Carol Haight and shown by Mary Howell
As a Special, he had a few great wins along the way and first among them was his winning BV under noted breeder/judge Carol Johnson Haight of Big Drum Dachshunds and part of Peggy Westphal’s kennel helpers. She said in her critique that “He won on his great rear movement, both straight and driving. His front, shoulders and topline are correct. His head, while not the combination of elegance and sweet expresion that I prefer is structurally correct and Masculine. As the entry was so big, Professional Handler Frank Hardy judged the Smooths and Intervariety and, in retrospectl he stated “However, on the day, neither the Wire, CH Charlamar’s Noah W ROMO from the classes, nor the Smooth, CH Sheen v Westphalen ROMO, was a match for the Longhair, Mary Howell’s CH Robert de Bayard ROMO, a dog I have admired since I first saw him. Never have I seen him in condition anywhere near as good as at DALI. His one weakness, noticeable only a few weeks before at the Norfolk Specialty, a softness of topline, had improved so much as to be invisible, and in neck, head and gait, he was supeior to the other two so he finished up in the limelight.
Judy Goulder awarding Robert BV at a DCA Weekend show with Lorraine Heichel showing for Mary Howell
After that, he was BV during the ’67 DCA weekend in Cleveland at the Reserve DC Specialty under Breeder/Judge Judy Goulder, shown by handler Lorraine Heichel, over a large entry. Later, in May of ’68, Peggy Westphal gave the outstanding dog BV and BB at the DC of Met Atlanta Specialy and he was shown there by Bobby Barlow who always had any Longhair he showed groomed to the teeth. What a picture was made afterwards with Peggy proudly giving CH Robert the award.
CH Robert winning BV at DCA National under Bud Lough with Pat Krahmer showing him for Mary Howell
Finally came his biggest win and that was winning BV at the ’68 DCA National Specialty under Norman “Bud” Lough, shown by handler Pat Krahmer, for owner Mary Howell. What an honor that whole career was and CH Robert ROMO certainly looked his best for all the important shows. When the entry was fantastic, so was CH Robert ROMO. He also later won BV at the Kalamazoo DC Specialty in May of 1968 over a large entry when the Judge was the revered Breeder Judge John Cook and who can overlook a big win from the Dean of Dachshunds.
John Cook awarding Robert BV at the Kalamazoo Specialty for owner Mary Howell
After the Show career,he was used more as a producer and, I believe, that Mary Howell did not exactly like his head and much preferred his half-brother Souvenir’s head piece and more Bayard-like type than she did CH Robert’s more robust head and body type. Remember, CH Covara’s Tabasco ROMO was Robert’s maternal grandsire and, although Tabasco was a longhair, he did have all Smoooth breeding behind him and those Smooth bloodlines from California were, in any event, what would be high on my list of what I would want to add to my Longhair bloodline I was building. I also realize that many considered Tabasco to be coarse and with a poor headpiece, but, to me, he had a heavier body because he was from Smooths and was not quite as refined as the Longhairs were, but he, like his grandson CH Robert, did not really throw it in the breeding that I saw pictured, except making the Longhairs he produced a little heavier in the body and with that more correct Dachshund front. To me, the heads that came down from him looked fine, especially with the grooming that the Longhairs got before the Shows. In looking what CH Robert produced, it was apparent to me that he did produce that Bayard look that Mary Howell wanted from his first litter onwards and, in my mind, he produced a lot of great winners and producers and so probably should have been used a little more at Bayard. However, as a Breeder, the Bayard look was very important to Mary Howell and I certainly understand`why you would be very careful about adding, basically a whole new line (with the California Smooth cross) into your Kennel and probably her decisison was the right one for her then.
CH Han-Jo’s Flaming Flare L ROMO, one of the best of Robert’s sons
CH Robert ROMO’s first couple of Bayard litters produced a couple of nice bitches, but his third litter, when he was bred to Hannelore Heller’s new foundation bitch, CH Bayard la Rosemonde, they produced one of the most succesful Longhairs of the 20th Century, CH Han-Jo’s Flaming Flare L ROMO. CH Rosemonde was purchased by Hanellore Heller from Mary Howell and, although a beautiful Standard Longhair, she basically was from a Smooth/Bayard cross, Bayard Eden, Rosemonde’s sire who was a Smooth, bred back to his longhair niece, Bayard Ninon who was out of Eden’s full sister, so Flare was very inbred on that cross. CH Flare ROMO himself was very fine-featured and, to me anyway, not as heavily -bodied as I like to see. However, Flare soon became the #1 Longhair Producer in the USA until he was replaced by his Grandson, CH Han-Jo’s ‘Xtra Copy L ROMO, a CH Von Dyck’s Mr. Bojangles son, and then later by his great grandson CH Boondox Panama Jack ROMO, an Eddy son, so the bloodline certainly kept producing. Besides being a Group winner himself, he sired such greats as CH Von Dyck’s Mr Bojangles L ROMX, CH Han-Jo’s Candyman L ROMX, CH Kemper Dachs Waldemar, CH Kemper Dachs Bjorn and CH Nellie of Sirius L. While I did not use Flare at stud on my bitches, he was back behind all the outside dogs I used and so was all over my pedigrees. As I said, maybe Flare was a dog Mary should have kept her eyes on, because he sired exactly wanted her Bayard dogs to look and move like. Thinking back on Flare, remember that he finished by winning WD and BW from the Bred-by Class at the DALI Specialty where his sire, CH Robert de Bayard ROMO was BV and BB and his dam, CH Bayard Rosemonde, was BOSV and BOSB under Judges Carol Haight and the inimitable Frank Hardy. Also, his pedigree was basically intertwined with all those Smooth/longhair crosses (Flare had five in his first four generations) and so that made me want to use coat crosses when I had reason to help with a particular problem and Flare’s success as a producer also showed me that he was a great Dachshund that produced enough coat (look at Candyman, his son) and style to be pretty good Dachshunds themselves.
CH Bayard le Pernod owned by Peggy Westphal, son of Robert
Next, CH Robert ROMO was bred to Jacinthe de Bayard ROMX, an unfinished Bayard bitch who was quite a producer herself and her pedigree was quite an old-fashioned Bayard one as her father was a Smooth from a litter sired by one of the Bencelia Smooth dogs bred to a Bayard longhair. Jacinthe ROMX’s dam was another longhair sired by CH Robert ROMO’s sire, CH Bayard le Tartare ROMX and out of another Smooth/Bayard breeding. CH Robert de Bayard ROMO and Jacinthe de Bayard ROMX produced the gorgeous CH Bayard le Pernod who was acquired by Peggy Westphal and was one who was shown a very long time and sired CH Bayard le Jourdan who later sired the great CH Kemper Dachs Bad Habits L ROMX who was behind all my longhairs who were out of his daughter, CH Rose Farms Country Girl L ROMX, whose daughters produced CH Chaps ROMX, CH Shoney ROMO and CH Treasure ROMX who were the foundation from which my longhairs dominated the late ’80s and early ’90s. I know you shouldn’t be looking just at your Dachshund’s pasts, but sometimes you have to know WHY these aspects are in your dogs and where they came from. Seeing the pics of Tartare, Robert, Pernod, Jourdan and Bad Habits shows that they were there in all those great dogs and they certainly passed those qualities down into my own Boondox line.
CH Madeleine de Bayard, Robert’s daughter and owner Bev Kelly
Next, bred to Bayard’s Armandine, a longhair out of two Smooth dog/Bayard bitch crossings, they produced CH Madeline de Bayard, a beautiful young bitch, purchased by John and Bev Kelly who had a great career out in California. She was a joy to see in pictures in the magazines. Robert next was bred to Bayard la Mauviette, a bitch sired by CH Bayard le Tartare ROMX out of a Smooth/Bayard cross daughter and they produced CH Isabella de Bayard and CH Iberie de Bayard, who both finished easily.
CH Kashmir of Nikibar ROM, a Robert daughter, was a nice producer for owner Barbara Reidy
a Robert daughter from Nikobar
After that, Barbara Nichols sent out an unfinished bitch she had, Sweethaven Suzi Chenille ROMX, who was Gera breeding on the sire’s side and all old Teckelhof and Gipsy Barn longhairs on the dam’s side and she produced so many top quality Longhairs, such as CH Doxglen’s Renegade of Nikobar, CH Doxglen’s Katydid of Nikobar, CH Doxglen’s Robin of Nikobar, CH Doxglen’s Russet of Nikobar, CH Doxglen’s Roberto of Nikobar and, from the next litter, CH Keely of Nikobar and CH Kashmir of Nikobar ROM, that won all over the place at the big California shows and Dachshund Specialties. They all had that gorgeous Dachshund type that breeders should all be on the lookout for with great conformation and a real presence when you looked at them. Barbara had great Standard Smooths and Miniature Longhairs and Smooths and these were really just as good. The best producer of these was CH Kashmir of Nikobar ROM who, when bred to CH Bayard le Corsaire ROM (who was a littermate to Specialty and Group winning CH Bayard le Cardinal ROMX who sired twice DCA National BV and BB winning Rolls Royce ROM), produced some great winning offspring including a bitch that was BOSV to Rolls Royce at the ’75 DCA National Show, CH Paradox Mardi Gras of Nikobar. Again, these were some of the typiest and most stylish Longhairs that really grabbed my eye. Need I say that I was a huge fan of what he produced as a sire?
CH Bayard l’Aquilon, owned by Mary Howell
CH Bayard l’Avocat. a Robert son, bought by the Dildines from Mary Howell
During 1969, Leon Warren arranged to buy him from Mary Howell and Robert was sold to him during the summer of ’69. Later that year, he was shown out at a local California Show under Breeder/Judge John Cook who awarded him a Group III at one of the big shows in California. Before he left the East Coast, Robert ROMO was bred to CH Georgette de Bayard ROM, a nicely producing daughter of CH Bayard le Tienne, a CH Bayard le Souvenir son out of a Smooth/Bayard cross and out of a CH Bayard le Tartare ROMX daughter who was a Tabasco grandaughter as well. From Robert, she produced two Champion sons, a B&T CH Bayard l’Aquilon and a red CH Bayard l’Avocat who was sold to the Dildines of California. Both were really exquisite in type and I hope they were used.
CH Cinnnabar Tom Jones, a Robert son
Then, in 1971, CH Fantasy von Kotthaus ROMO was bred to Robert ROMO and she was a great producing bitch who had already whelped a dapple Standard Longhair CH Cinnabar Candy Man who had won an All Breed BIS for his new owners. Robert ROMO and CH Fantasy ROMO produced CH Cinnabar Tom Jones.
A Robert daughter from Nikobar
Next, Barbara Powers used Robert ROMO on another bitch that had much the same pedigree as CH Robert de Bayard ROMO himself, since she had Robert, lots of Leura and CH Covara’s Tabasco ROMO himself behind her. The litter consisted of two Champion bitches, both finished easily and had great temperaments: CH Distlefink Katy of Kieferwald and CH Happiness Is Distlefink. After that, the Carl Lewis’ bred their bitch, CH Karlew’s Little Eve ROMX to Robert and produced CH Karlew’s Apache Warrior.
CH Robert de Bayard ROMO and Leon
Next, the Sanford Roberts family bred their top producer, CH Robdachs Fashion Fling ROMO, who had a great record of producing Champions already, to CH Robert ROMO. From that litter came two Champions, CH Robdachs Dior and CH Robdachs Balenciaga. CH Robert de Bayard ROMO (with Leon Warren handling him) owned by the in a picture of his win of Best Longhair Stud at the ’76 DC of California Specialty show. That was his last appearance in the Show ring.
CH Renegade of Nikobar, a Robert son
The last litter born to CH Robert ROMO was a bitch bred to him, Skorpios Duquesa Olga who had a pedigree of Bayard, Robdachs and Pegremos, and produced CH Skorpios Smiling Shelby. She was bred by John Mohme of Skorpios Kennel with produced many,many generations of top breeding in all three coats.
Finally, CH Robert de Bayard ROMO passed away in the spring/summer of 1978 and, it must be said, he had a full life and a great career in the Dachshund Show Ring and a very satisfying producing career where he shows up all over the great Longhair pedigrees since he was used, and used wisely, by the cream of Dachshund breeders. Being the sire of CH Han-Jo’s Flaming Flare L ROMO, who was for years the Top Producer of Longhair Dachshunds and who finished at DALI when his sire, Robert, was BV and BB and his mother, CH Bayard Rosemonde, was BOSV and BOSB. What a way to start a career.
CH Bayard le Tabarin, a Robert son and John Cook awarding WD to Peggy Westphal at a Specialty
Looking back, was CH Robert more of a West Coast or an East Coast Longhair? I loved the Smooth/Bayard crosses as they add depth and body, greater angulation and perfect necksets to the Longhairs who really needed help in that direction and the great dog, CH Bayard le Tartare ROMX , sire of Souvenir and Robert, was the first bloom off that tree and he was, under Judge Frank Hardy, WD and BW at the DCA National held in Chicago in 1961. Tartare brought it all back to Mary Howell and she knew exactly why that Smooth cross paid off in the new great look she was getting in her Bayard Kennel. However, adding CH Robert de Bayard ROMO with his strong Gera, Badger Hill and CH Favorite of Marienlust ROMO bloodline coming through CH Katella of LeLou ROMX, his dam,and CH Covasco’s Karaoke ROMO, his maternal grandsire really got that heavier look in the body, without being too oval, and, to be fair, he also brought that Dachshund style that came down from those Gera , Marienlust and Badger Hill greats behind him. With all that coming through and showing in these Tartare offspring, along with the body type she in her original Bayard line, the Mary Howell bloodline really set the tone and made those longhairs to start winning the big shows from the late ’60s on. From these few dogs, Mary Howell made the Bayard bloodline the cream of the crop and the puppies that Tartare, Souvenir and especially Robert carried on that look and style and they certainly became the huge winners they were all through the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s and when the winners were announced they all came back to those three dogs and what they produced.
Personally, I had always picked out my dogs on the basis of type and, after I produced CH Boondox Panama Jack ROMO and saw how he changed the Breed, I went back and put together his pedigree and saw all the crosses that I loved and who was behind them and soon realized WHY I liked the same type and that, in essence, they were all from the same few Dachshunds and that Hannelore with her breeding program also basically passed on the same genes and that the conformation, movement and style were similar for the same reasons. Looking back, I saw that the choices that I made helped keep my dogs the same quality and that they could be improved as well. Seeing the sweep of the Bayard dogs, the Han-Jo’s dogs, and then my own Boondox line doing all that winning made me realize that picking for the same type, style and movement just kept us all improving and seeing the differences that came down from Tartare, Souvenir and especially Robert made our dogs the best that there were in the Show Ring and that thought did make me happy.
When Mary Howell used Robert, even though she did not like the head and topline, he still produced that Bayard type as he did when producing CH Han-Jo’s Flaming Flare L ROMO early on on his career and Flare also carried on producing that Bayard type as he became the #1 Standard Longhair Producer through many years of siring Top Quality that won so much at all the Big Shows and National Specialties. CH Robert de Bayard ROMO sired so much quality and Dachshund type that we all were bascially line breeding on him and the great bloodlines of his sire CH Bayard le Tartare ROMX and Robert’s maternal grandsire, CH Covara’s Tabasco ROMO. The Covara cross perhaps made many feel ill at ease, because he was heavier in body and had a little coarser head than some of the other great Bayard dogs had, but those things made the longhairs of Mary Howelll’s bodies stronger and typier as they matured and their heads were soon fixed by breeding to the great-headed Bayard longhairs. Personally, I loved that breeding that went back to the West Coast since they had typier dogs a little bigger and since I am one who always judged on type first, I always picked out the typier, sounder Dachshunds to go ahead and breed to and all of these dogs who came down fron Robert WERE stronger and VERY typy so the best he produced made me very pleased when it came down to picking the parents of my next generation of Boondox Dachshunds. After PJ was whelped and started producing like he did, I made a large pedigree and he had thirty four crosses to CH Robert de Bayard ROMO in his line and they were all dogs that I liked and used and ade a great line bred pedigree and from then on, I tried to use Longhairs that had CH Robert in their pedigree and then, picking for type and soundness, I always kept my line going and, little by little, the Dachshunds I raised just kept getting better and better. That is, after all, why we breed.
CH Robert winnning BB at DALI under Judge Frank Hardy for Mary Howell
In looking back, CH Robert de Bayard ROMO really changed the breed when he came of age in the Bayard Kennel back in the 1960s and, in seeing what he did for so many Standard Longhair Dachshund and improved them where they needed it, we truly have to give respect to Barbara Powers, Martha Prendergrast, Leon Warren and most especially Mary Howell of Bayard Kennel. Mary saw him, loved him, finished him at four huge shows, specialled him at many more big shows (including BV at the ’68 DCA National Specialty) and bred him to many great bitches. In my mind,when his dam CH Bayard Rosemonde was bred to CH Robert de Bayard ROMO and CH Han-Jo’s Flaming Flare L ROMO was whelped, Flare became the Top Producing Longhair Dog and remained so for years which sort of makes my point in that the line from Robert and Flare really led the way in quality and type and, at the start, with Hannelore deciding on whose bitches should be used, that style still really lives on and I am glad it does.