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As far as I can remember, I have always been an animal lover. One fine day, while still a child, I bought the nº 1 issue of the first purebred dog magazine to be sold in France. From that day on I was hooked for life. Every year, I used to attend the big international dog show held in my town and the night before I just could not sleep out of excitement.
My interest has always been drawn to sighthounds , dachshunds and spaniels . In 1986 when I was spending my summer in Portugal and attending a dog show I was totally seized by the top winning whippet, Ch Nevedith Up to the Top. He had the carriage and the regal attitude of a prince. That day I knew I had found my breed.
I have been working for the Embassy of France since 1988 and have been posted in several countries, namely Portugal, Brazil, Zambia and South Africa where we have finally settled. I have also lived in Russia when I was a student.
While in Portugal I decided to start showing and breeding whippets. Being a Frenchman, I contacted Jackie Bourdin (le Manoir de la Grenouillère) for a foundation bitch. I was lucky to be sold my beloved Int.Braz.South Amer.CH Dyanne du Manoir de la Grenouillère, a classic, old fashioned blue brindle beauty with a wonderful pedigree based on the Oakbark, Samarkands and Dondelayo lines.
While my gypsy life around the world has certainly turned my breeding plans much more difficult and rather "acrobatic" to say the least, at the same time it has put me in contact with different types of whippets, different bloodlines, different ways of judging and handling and has opened my mind.
Never to be one to do anything the easy way I wanted to build my own strain, blending my favourite lines from both sides of the Atlantic.Oakbark and Dondelayo through "Le Manoir de la Grenouillère" and Chelsea are the main lines on which our breeding program is based with several key dogs that I like to see in the pedigree of our dogs: Multi SBIS, Am CH Chelsea Drakkar of Oxford,SBIS, Am Ch Chelsea Gold Rush of Keynote, SBIS, Am CH Delacreme de la Renta, SBIS Saxon Shore Flash Dance, Multi SBIS Allerei's Ain't Misbehavin', all american whippets and Int Fr.Span.CH Sandlena Astronomer, (Eng.CH Newbold Muffinman X Oakbark ), an english import with a classic pedigree on whom the Manoir de la Grenouillère breeding program is based.
Antonio, my friend and partner, has joined me in 1992 and has helped me a lot.
Our aim is to produce an elegant and sound whippet with generous, smooth and curvy lines that covers a lot of ground both standing and moving. In our opinion, movement is much more than simple foot placement and we care for an animal with a beautifull , proud and thoroughbredlike carriage that keeps his whippet outline on the move. Class, elegance and nobility are qualities that we want to see in any sighthound and we try our best to produce these qualities without sacrificing the correct construction and movement of a sound working dog.
Despite a limited breeding program and an average of 1 litter per year since
1991, we can pride ourselves to have produced:
- 8 brazilian champions.
- 5 all breed best in show winners.
- 3 all breed reserve best in show winners.
- 3 specialty best in show winners.
- 6 south african champions.
- 2 zambian champions.
- 2 zimbabwean champions.
Breeding is for me a form of art, an endless pursuit of excellence and beauty.
The passion for blending bloodlines and trying to produce an animal that will
take my breath away is a "fire" that will burn inside of me for the
rest of my life for sure.
All my gratitude will always go to Jackie Bourdin for having provided me with a marvellous foundation bitch , to my wonderful mentor and friend Deann Christianson (Chelsea) who has so generously shared with me so much of her extensive knowledge and talent and for the outstanding Chelsea dogs encased in Sol y Sombra pedigrees, to Bo Bengtson for the priceless "Sighthound Review" that allowed me to learn so much and to remain in touch with the whippet world when I was living in remote countries such as Zambia and to my friend Antonio for his continuous help and inspirational support. Enjoy your visit!