Ch. Bliss Hoosier Boy Named Sue and handler Linda George rest after winning Best in Show at Sandemac Kennel Club in 1989.
Key Breeders of the Twentieth Century
Among those who have made their mark on the Chihuahua in the last century, breeders are noteworthy for their significant strides in achieving the standard for the breed. Some would devote a decade or so to the breed; others have contributed their efforts for half a century. Many of these individuals are still making an impact. While many breeders have made valued contributions, here are a select few who deserve to be showcased.
ELIZABETH BLISS
Liz Bliss of Indiana became involved with breeding Chihuahuas just by bringing one into her home as a pet. The breed got under her skin, and her entire family was soon breeding and showing. Her first champion came in 1972, Ch. Shroyers Bit O’ Chococo. This little Long Coat was Best Long Coat in Sweepstakes at the 1972 Chihuahua Club of America (CCA) national. Through the years, Bliss Chihuahuas claimed their share of the spotlight. In 1992, Bliss Hoosier Windiana Love won Best of Variety from the classes at CCA.
The breedings of Liz Bliss have entwined with those of another well-known breeder, Linda George. Perhaps the best known of Liz’s breeding is Ch. Bliss Hoosier Boy Named Sue. Out of Linda George’s Ch. Ouachitah Beau Chiene, this Long Coat male was the top-winning Long in 1990. He was a Best in Show winner and winner of the CCA national in 1989. He also sired a Canadian Best in Show winner. Sue has twenty-six American champion get to his credit, ranking him seventh as of the 2005 Chihuahua Club of America Handbook.
Liz would like to report another BIS dog. He is Ch. Bliss Hoosier Pretty Boy Floyd. Owned by her good friends Jim and Sue Hanks, he earned his BIS on September 30, 2006.
Ch. Attas’s Fella, a champion and sire of the late 1950s/early 1960s. Fella achieved his championship undefeated and won his first Group before the age of one year.
DARWIN AND TANYA DELANEY
Darwin Delaney of Michigan became interested in breeding Chihuahuas in 1952, before his marriage to Tanya. The Delaneys’ Dartan kennel name is a force in the breed to this day. Together, Darwin and Tanya can boast of many prestigious wins. The early dogs carried La Oro, Don Apache, and Miniatura lines; Shroyer, Misalou, Luce, and Bills were added later. The Delaneys achieved their first homebred champion in 1962 with Ch. Dartan’s Lucky Strike. Their first Best in Show winner came in 1975 with a Smooth Coat named Ch. Gindon Bo Jengles Of Dartan, who had won the breed in 1974 at the Chihuahua Club of America specialty. Tanya and Darwin are the breeders of the 1981 Best in Show winner Ch. Dartan’s Dominique D’Ouachitah, a Smooth bitch. Ch. Dartan’s Pirate Blackbeard and Ch. Dartan’s Elfin Magic are tied in third place for all-time top-producing sires, and there are many other Dartan males on this list. Four bitches bred by Tanya and Darwin grace the top dam list, including Dartan’s Connie. Connie produced nine champions and was the 1984 top-producing dam of all toy breeds.
Among these champions produced by the Dartan males are dogs with records of their own. Ch. Dartan’s Pirate Blackbeard was the sire of Ch. Jo-El’s Drummer Boy, a winner of fifty-one Toy Group firsts and multiple Best in Show winners. Ch. Dartan’s Elfin Magic produced Ch. Ouachitah For Your Eyes Only, the first Chi to win the Toy Group at Westminster Kennel Club as well as a multiple Best in Show winner.
Clearly, the Delaneys’ statistics speak for themselves. What should also be noted are the individual contributions of Tanya Delaney, who died on May 12, 2005. She served the Chihuahua breed not only in partnership with her husband but also through her club work. Tanya was a past president of the Chihuahua Club of America. She edited the first four of the Chihuahua Club of America Handbooks, which are wonderful resources for breeders old and new. Tanya was the club historian, ensuring a solid record of the history of the breed and of the CCA for years to come. Indeed, the Dartan name, in dogs showing today and in the pedigrees of many dogs yet to come, will be a tribute to her dedication and efforts for the breed.
Ch. La Rex Doll Chicuelo was a big winner in the breed in the late 1920s/early 1930s, going Best of Breed at Westminster two years in a row: 1928 and 1929.
Linda George of Ouachitah kennels in Wisconsin purchased her first Chihuahua in 1969 and actually began in obedience. This first girl of hers earned both an American and Canadian Companion Dog degree. Five years went by before Linda began breeding. She purchased her foundation bitches from Betty Peterson of Ontario, Canada. One of these bitches was to be Linda’s first owner/handler Best in Show dog, Ch. Quantico’s Daisy Mae. Linda has enjoyed many honors in the dog world. She is the breeder of the top sire of all time, Long Coat Ch. Ouachitah Beau Chiene. Beau Chiene also had fifteen Toy Group firsts to his credit.
Linda has enjoyed many Bests in Show with dogs of her breeding. She also has the distinction of breeder/owner handling the first Chihuahua to win the Toy Group at Westminster; this being in 1984 with Ch. Ouachitah For Your Eyes Only. Known as Snow, he won a total of four Bests as well as Best of Breed at the Chihuahua Club of America specialty a total of three times. Linda has had the honor of winning the CCA specialty many times.
Linda was also honored as the 2002 AKC Toy Group breeder of the year.
A fun shot of Ch. La Rex Doll Chicuelo, bred and owned by Mrs. Harry S. Peaster.
MAX HURD
Max Hurd of Iowa started in Chihuahuas with his wife, Marie, in 1957. The couple acquired their first little dog, got her home, and wondered what all those red “Ch.”s (Champions) were on the pedigree. They researched and found the dog’s grand-sire in dog books; the Shroyer line was on the dam’s side. This curiosity led to an interest in dog shows and eventually to acquiring the Smooth Thurmer’s Tammy Jo. Just three weeks after Tammy Jo entered Max and Marie’s life, she gave birth to three female pups. The following year, Tammy Jo and Keely, one of Tammy Jo’s daughters from this original breeding, were bred to a son of the famous Ch. Tejano Texas Kid, Ch. Fitch’s Tawny Kid. From these two breedings came the Hurds’ first two homebred champions, Ch. Hurd’s Tequilla Kid and Ch. Hurd’s Starlite.
The Hurds have enjoyed victories in Best of Breed, Best of Variety, and Winners at both the local and national specialty levels. Max does say that his overall favorite dog has been Ch. Hurd’s Honey Bee. This Smooth Coat bitch was handled by Peggy Hogg to two Bests in Show. Honey Bee had twelve Toy Group firsts to her credit and was number one Chihuahua in 1969 and 1970. The Hurds also bred Long Coats, which began with the Stober, Shroyer, and Gehlsen lines. Through the years other lines were brought in, but most of them traced their roots to Thurmer, Grosart, and Tejano.
Max Hurd is approved by the AKC to judge Chihuahuas. He tells me he is too old to continue to acquire more breeds, but he is certainly not too old to continue to make his mark on the breed. A half century has gone by since Marie and Max found themselves poring over that first pedigree, and Hurd’s Herd of Chihuahuas is still going strong.
JOAN AND RUSSELL KRUETZMAN
Florida residents Russell Kruetzman and his late wife Joan’s Jo-El kennel have certainly made their mark on the Chihuahua. The most famous of their kennel, and certainly a dog that is famous in his own right, is Ch. Jo-El’s Drummer Boy. This Smooth male was a multiple Best in Show dog, multiple winner of the Chihuahua Club of America specialty show, and a top producer. Another dog with the Jo-El kennel name graces the top-producer list, Ch. Jo-El’s Hot Off The Press, with fourteen champions to his credit. We can’t forget Ch. Jo-El’s Calendar Girl. Handled by Billy Miller, this Smooth bitch, a daughter of Drummer Boy, won two Bests in Show in 1993. Russ has written articles in the 1988 and 1992 Chihuahua Club of America Handbook that are must-reads for enthusiasts of the breed.
Ch. Jo-El’s Calendar Girl, multi-BIS winner and the number one Chihuahua in 1993, with handler Billy Miller.
MELANIE NEWELL
Melanie Newell (Bayard kennels) of Maryland started in Chihuahuas in the 1970s. Her foundation dog was Ch. RJR’s Reginald Of Bayard, a great start for any kennel. Reginald would end up siring twenty-seven champions and having many prestigious wins to his credit. One of his sons was Ch. Bayard Alvin Of Reginald RJR. This little Long Coat male was Melanie’s first bred-by. Alvin would go on to win big at the national in 1979; he was Best of Winners, Best Bred by Exhibitor, and Best Puppy in Sweepstakes. Quite a beginning! And he was far from the last great dog that Melanie would produce.
One of the most notable dogs that Melanie bred was Ch. Bayard Wind Beneath My Wings. Windy, a Long Coat male, was the Kal Kan Pedigree Award Winner in 1990 and 1991. He was to begin three generations of national specialty winners, winning the CCA specialty in 1993. Melanie is also the breeder of Ch. Bayard Believe It Or Not RJR, known as Ripley, a Windy son, another Long Coat male who was to win the national in 2001 for owners Mary Jane Frederickson and Dr. and Mrs. Sam Burke. Mary Jane would choose to use Ripley on Ch. Bayard Coretta Genbrook. This coupling resulted in Long Coat Ch. Nauset I Believe I Can Fly, the third generation to win the national. Teddy won both the floating spring national in 2003 and the fall national that same year and would win again in 2004.
A young Ch. Nauset I Believe I Can Fly, handled by Kenny Saenz to become the top-winning Chihuahua of all time.
The colorful Pat Pittore of Massachusetts might be considered the current grand dame of the Chihuahua world. A worldwide traveler, she brings breadth of experience to her dogs. While Pat acquired her first Chihuahua as a teenager in 1947, it would not be until 1960 that she would begin to breed. Her first champion came in 1964 with Ch. Ty-Ba’s Blue Impy, Pat’s foundation bitch. Pat’s mark was first made with the Smooth Coat variety. Her top winners include Ch. Pittore’s Macho Man, number one Chihuahua in 1980 and number one male Chi in 1981. Pat also had the CCA winner in 1985 with Ch. Pittore’s Harvest Dancer. Pittore’s Flamenco Dancer is currently the top-producing dam, with seventeen champions. A few of Pat’s dogs and bitches grace the current lists of top producers.
Since 1968, the majority of Pat Pittore’s Chihuahuas have been handled by Joyce McComisky. After all these years, and too many champions to count, Pat made a concerted effort to do it herself—that is, to finish a dog exclusively from the Bred by Exhibitor class and receive one of the prestigious AKC medallions that honor this accomplishment. Pat chose Pittorebeleza Awesome Awetoo, a Long Coat bitch. This pretty little girl has a stubborn streak when at the end of the lead, but Pat stuck to it, finishing this very deserving Chihuahua in 2006.
ANNE STOBER
The late Anne Stober, of Stober’s Wildwood kennels, resided in Washington State. Anne began as many of us do, by purchasing a family pet. This innocent acquisition led to a show-quality Chihuahua from which breeding and showing became a natural extension in the mid-1940s. Anne would add much to the world of Chis with almost a half century of involvement in the breed. Anne’s daughter, Carolyn Hamilton, believes that the two males that best represented and brought out the Wildwood type were Ch. Stober’s Eduardo Luis Delago and Ch. Stober’s Patrick Of Wildwood. Patrick is tied for sixteenth on the list of top-producing Chihuahuas, with eighteen champion get to his credit.
Anne was able to count among her accomplishments winning the breed at the Chihuahua Club of America national in 1984 with Stober’s Melvina Of Wildwood from the classes and in 1987 with Ch. Stober’s Truffles Of Wildwood, and the variety at CCA in 1977 with Stober’s Checkers Of Wildwood, again from the classes.
Anne Stober and Ch. Stober’s Teddy Bayard, winning at the 1983 Chihuahua Club of America specialty under judge Betty Peterson.
Those who knew Anne fondly and respectfully describe an unassuming woman, a quiet person, a model of good sportsmanship, and a gracious lady with an eye for a good dog.
Anne Stober with Ch. Stober’s Truffles of Wildwood, taking Best of Breed in 1987 under judge Dawn Vick Hansen.
VETA VANDERPOOL
Veta Vanderpool of Indiana made Chihuahuas a family affair. The Vanderpools brought the first Chihuahua into their home in 1962. With her husband, Marion, and their three children, the Vanderpools’ weekends soon were spent at the dog shows. Her lines began with such names as Shroyer, Westwind, Bill’s, and Handwerk. Veta has had her share of wins at both the CCA national and other specialty shows. She says the family stopped counting champions at 68 but figures the total has reached 100, give or take a few. Through the years, the Vanderpools have used Jim Lehman as a handler in addition to showing their own dogs. With one very special Long Coat male, Veta knew she had to do it all herself. Ch. Vanderpools Billy The Kid was Best of Winners at the Chihuahua Club of America national. Veta went on to show this little guy at the Westminster Kennel Club show in 1998 to Best of Variety. The pair racked up eleven Toy Group firsts to their credit. When Veta thought that she had gone as far as she could with Billy The Kid, she sold him to a buyer in Japan, where he continued his winning ways. Veta can trace a lot of her more recent dogs to this guy. His Smooth Coat grandson Ch. Vanderpools Ace Of Hearts finished in one weekend. Certainly this guy exemplifies the quality and showmanship evident in the Vanderpool line.
IN CONCLUSION
Whether through a career that spanned a lifetime or a few years of dedication to the Chihuahua, these individuals have left their mark on the breed. Their legacy can be seen in the accomplishments of the dogs they bred as well as in the continuing success of their champions’ offspring. These breeders have exemplified sportsmanship, a love of purebred dogs, and the recognition of the very special characteristics of the Chihuahua. Their influence will extend into generations to come.
A head study of Am./Can. Ch. Stober’s Jenny Of Wildwood, a BIS winner and top Smooth Chihuahua of 1979.
By Louise Cacchio
The history of the earliest Chihuahua breeders in the United States, beginning in the 1900s, has been recorded in the writings of many authors over the years. Fastidious reporting in the American Kennel Gazette offers a tremendous source of information about the progression of the Chihuahua breed. Additionally, an original scrapbook of unknown origin has provided a treasure trove of articles and news clippings from as early as 1907. How fortunate to come into the possession of this scrapbook from a dealer of rare documents! In order to give you a true flavor of the breeders of yesteryear, excerpts from some of the articles in this scrapbook will be incorporated here.
One of the earliest breeder/owner names that consistently appears in available literature is that of H. Raynor of El Paso, Texas. Mr. Raynor was the breeder of all five of the first Chihuahuas registered in the American Kennel Club Stud Book, this being in 1904, with his “Midget” holding the honor of being the first registered Chihuahua. Along with Midget, Raynor registered a litter sister to Midget, Bonito, as well as Chiquita, Nellie, and Tiny Tinkle Twinkle.
The breeder prefix Wister-Stuart became renowned with the import of a dog named Caranza, who was the original sire of the Meron and Perrito strains. Breeders Owen Wister, who wrote The Virginian, and Charles Stuart lived on an estate in Philadelphia, where they housed these Mexican imports. It has been recorded that at their estate, litters of Chihuahuas, with their attending mothers, were kept warm in Dutch ovens built into the walls. Caranza, sired by Duke and out of Deano, was purchased in Mexico City. He was described as weighing about 2-½ pounds and having a dark, fiery red long coat, a tail like that of a squirrel, ruby red eyes, and fringed ears like those of a Papillon. Many breeders of the time considered him the perfect specimen. It is no wonder that these breeders used him as a sire in hopes of perfecting their lines. Wister-Stuart breeding is said to be the forerunner of the La Rex Doll line.
Caranza, bred to a black and white import named Mexie II, sired a fawn Smooth Coat dog that was purchased from the Wister-Stuart kennel by Ann Radcliffe and registered as Little Meron. During the early days of the American Kennel Club, you could register a dog on his wins, which is exactly what Mrs. Radcliffe did with Little Meron. She proceeded to take him to his championship.
Ida Garrett’s dogs were among the finest. Mrs. Garrett lived in New York for a good part of her life as a Chihuahua breeder, later moving to Canton, Ohio. Two well-known judges of the early 1920s, Alva Rosenberg and Otto Gross, complimented Mrs. Garrett for her accomplishments in the breed. “…you’re putting them on the map. I meet them in every state that I am in. I see a fine lot of Chihuahuas in all the recent shows. Chihuahuas seem to be coming strong!”
Along with breeding Chihuahuas, Ida Garrett is well known for assisting other breeders in perfecting their lines through the use of her champion stud dogs, including Little Meron III, Meron II, Perrito X, and Little Boy Blue. She also was secretary of the Chihuahua Club of America for many of its formative years, reporting on the breed for the Gazette. Mrs. Garrett’s knowledge of Chihuahuas was admired by her many friends and fellow fanciers from around the world.
Another breeder/handler was described by Ida Garrett as follows: “In Louisville, Kentucky, in picturesque Audubon Park on Thrush Road, stands the spacious, beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dobbs. At this grand home could be seen one of the very smallest of Chihuahuas, Mrs. Dobbs’ Beta. She won as the smallest dog in the Sesqui show. And so it went, whenever Mrs. Dobbs exhibited. Her dogs score for diminutiveness and fineness of coats, being of furry, velvety texture, so much desired, yet so seldom met.”
Anna B. Vineyard of Cincinnati, Ohio, was a renowned breeder of the early 1900s; her Chihuahua line was known as La Oro. This line originated with Ch. Si Si Oro Principe, who won the Chihuahua Club of America specialty show in 1935 and 1936. Her line of breeding continued to win the breed at the CCA in 1939, 1943, 1947 and 1948, making La Oro one of the most distinguished kennels of its day. Mrs. Vineyard, always looking to perfect her lines, purchased females from Ch. Perrito and Ch. Meron III stock.
Mrs. Vineyard campaigned her dogs throughout the United States and abroad, creating an interest in the breed wherever she exhibited. Her La Oro Alino De Tortilla De Oro won championships in the United States, Canada, Cuba, and Mexico and her La Oro Brocado De Alino De Oro and La Oro Cara Dulce De Oro won championships in the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, Monaco, and Switzerland. Mrs. Vineyard served as President of the Chihuahua Club of America in 1958 and 1959.
The aforementioned La Rex Doll kennels were owned by Mrs. Harry S. Peaster of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was frequently photographed with an armful of champions. Her La Rex Doll Chicuelo stirred up considerable interest when he won Best of Breed among the Chihuahuas at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.
Paul Mourmans, a veterinarian from New Orleans, started the La Miniatura line, mostly from Garrett and Peaster stock of Little Meron II and Perrito II. His line of Smooth Coats was known for their cobby bodies and small dainty heads with large flaring ears.
Some of Mrs. Peaster’s La Rex Doll line also became the breeding stock for Mrs. Mike Attas of Texas. Along with purebred Chihuahuas from Rose Clark of Philadelphia, Mrs. Attas had a long, successful career in producing the finest Chihuahuas in the country. Many breeders of today still can point to Mrs. Attas in the pedigrees of their dogs. “Ms. Birtie,” as she was called by her many friends, fell in love with the first Chihuahua that she saw at a show in San Antonio, Texas. She was the breeder of Ch. Attas’ Gretchen, the first Chihuahua to win an all-breed Best in Show.
Henrietta Proctor Donnell of Larchmont, New York, was a leading Chihuahua breeder, exhibitor, and judge for many years during the early days of the breed in America. She judged all Toy breeds in shows across the United States. Although Mrs. Donnell had one of America’s most prominent Chihuahua kennels, she never sold a dog, never wanting to accept money for a dog. She often gave dogs to her friends, but only when she was assured that her beloved Chis would have the same kind and careful treatment that they would receive in her own home. Her Chihuahuas never lived in kennels, but had comfortable bedded sleeping boxes placed in big rooms designed especially for their benefit. She served as president of the Chihuahua Club of America in 1928 and 1930 through 1938, holding the record for the longest consecutive term in that office to date.
Tressa Thurmer of Palatine, Illinois, purchased Ponchovilla, her first Chihuahua, for her daughter Monzell. Like so many Chihuahua fanciers, she soon became hooked on the breed and began to purchase breeding stock from the leading breeders in the country for her Thurmer kennel. Her kennel became one of the world’s most famous Chihuahua producers, with the renowned handler Clara Alford showing Thurmer-bred dogs to many championships. Mrs. Thurmer owned and handled Ch. Thurmer’s Bambi at the Western specialty in Chicago on November 19, 1949. Bambi went on to his championship undefeated! Along with breeding many champions, Mrs. Thurmer is known for her well-regarded book The Pet Chihuahua. She was a member of the Chihuahua Club of America for many years, serving the club in various offices.
