Second champion, first home bred - Page 1

 It was quite the weekend for the Marcato crew. Special in ways I fail to describe, but I'll try.

Today I finished my very first home bred champion. After going WD/BOW yesterday for his second major, my boy Moto went WD today for a 3rd major, and pending AKC confirmation, he will be known as CH Marcato's Fire Inside.

This puppy was repossessed in December of 2014 due to severe neglect. Weighing only 31.6 pounds (approximately half of what he should have weighed), I was more concerned for his health than anything else. But as he recovered, the stud dog owner and I saw his potential.

His dog show journey started on March 13th, 2015, down in Louisville, Kentucky. He went second in his class. The following day, he won his class. On March 15th, 2015, Moto took a major reserve from the 6-9 class.

On March 18th, he went to live with his new family in Venetia, PA. They agreed to let me show him and cart him all around the country. He was (is) their first show dog.

Now, a mere 12.5 months later, this dog that I took back as a sickly, weak, bony mess...is a champion. The very first one I ever bred. The very first champion for his owner. He showed at Westminster this year. He will be shown as a special at our National in October. He has exceeded my expectations.

All but his first two points, which were from the puppy classes, were put on him by me. He finished out of Bred By. And no, the medallion doesn't matter to me. I have other dogs I can seek that with. But nothing can take away from what today meant for me as a breeder, or as an owner handler.

Not to be outdone, his mother completed her GCH today, once more owner handled. I looked up her points on Saturday night to see what she needed, and with her 5 GCH point major that she took on Saturday by going BOB (!!!!) put her at 24 points. She needed a single to finish the title and took a 3 point GCH major today.

She is my first champion, and now, my first grand champion. Every. Single. Point. Was put on her by me. Not at all common in GSDs.

Can't say I'm too upset with her son (Moto's litter brother) going reserve to the major, either.

With the way things are going, Wesson could have her ROM this year.

Momo will be attending his maturity and then will take a break from conformation until the national. We'll be starting herding in the meantime, and will hopefully go for his HT this fall.

I can't believe I have a special to show at the national.

Congrats Xeph, all your dedication, hard work and love for your dogs is obvious to anyone here, and you have accomplished so much with them. Especially gratifying (for me) is the story of Moto and his blossoming from such a bad start.

Thank you! Moto has come such a long way, and I have a great support system. His owners are absolutely fantastic and have had a great experience with their first show dog. One of them was able to see Moto take his second major yesterday <3 Since conformation will be put on hold until October, it's time for SHEEP!!

I hope the first people who had him, and treated him
so poorly, are completely sick now !
Well done, Xeph, you've earned this.

I am so, so pleased for you, Xeph. The realization of so many dreams, the rewards of so much work and dedication, I can't imagine your feet will touch the ground for weeks to come. Congratulations!

You have good reason t be proud...a huge accomplishment, congratulations and hat's off to you and your dogs. Motoo made me think of Ch Dog Prince Tom story.

GO, Xeph!    

 

For those of you not familiar with the AKC/CKC show world, just wanted to stress how very, very uncommon it is for an owner-handled dog to do this well! Virtually ALL dogs in the show ring are handled by pro handlers these days (another thing that turns off amateur owners from showing in these venues.)

 

I know of another dog that has a similar rags-to-riches story. A local breeder rescued a dog that had been abandoned by its owners during the sub-prime mortgage crisis. They just closed - and locked!- the doors to the house, walked away, and left him there to die.

Here he is today - not my type of shepherd (too much angulation, among other things!), but still, an incredible story!

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=657778-mar-havens-solitaire-n-blackjack

 

I remember when that happened. A couple years ago I saw the sable that was rescued with him. He looked stunning.

I didn't know about the sable, Xeph. Was it a Mar-Haven dog, too?

I honestly don't remember :( But he found himself a wonderful home