Bernese Mountain Dogs

Leo's first show!

A freshly bathed Leo attended his very first Open Show on the 1st July at
Goldfields Kennel Club in Johannesburg. It was a bright, sunny winter's day
and the grass was very dry and brown. Leo was the only Bernese in attendance
and he won Best Puppy and Best of Breed.

In addition there was a special class called Baby Puppy Challenge for
puppies of all breeds between the ages of 4 - 6 months. On his debut Leo
took Third Place and won himself a very nice prize. He did so well for his
very first outing and was very tired so he slept all the way home on the
back seat of "his" car.

A very special day for him and he got lots of nice compliments and made a
lot of new friends.

Leo arrived in South Africa from Switzerland on a cold Saturday night after his flight had been delayed for nine hours. Despite all the drama and being crated for many hours he came out of his box, tail wagging and ready for anything that life could throw at him. We got home quite late and introduced him to Tinka and the others who looked at this little stranger and more or less said "well, if he is staying I suppose we might as well get used to it".

Leo has settled in so well and takes everything in his stride. He is very confident and outgoing, loves everyone he meets and generally enjoys life. His "official" name is Leo de Marais Champagne and he comes from a home in Switzerland where breeding is a loving and careful procedure. Leo is from a French dog called Tannhauser des Hautes Vernades and his mother is Haria de Marais Champagne and his breeder, Andrea, has done an outstanding job in producing a puppy that is such a good ambassador for his breed. Our thanks go to Andrea and her husband Christophe for the care and love they put into their litters and for trusting us with one of their precious puppies.

We are looking forward to taking Leo out and about and he will hit the show ring in July when there are a couple of Open shows for him to get used to meeting lots of people and other dogs. He loves to ride in the car so no doubt he will enjoy his first experience of the Show scene in South Africa.

In the tradition of Bernese Mountain Dogs he is a true "Velcro Dog" and he is never far away from his adopted Mom and Dad.

Welcome little Leo - we love having you as part of our family.