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[keporter]

Daisy forwarded this for me to post. She thought everyone would like to read it.

Kevin


From Cyberdobes:
Message: 9
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:52:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: Cheri McNealy <ccandid@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: [Cyberdobes] Ilena and the Seven Sires
To: Cyberdobes <cyberdobes@listserve.com>
Message-ID: <20060420175216.28716.qmail@web81009.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
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>From Peggy Adamson's article - Illena and the Seven Sires (written in 1951)

In the history of the American Doberman, eight dogs produced more than ten American
champions each. These were:

Ch Westphalia's Rameses

Ch Dow's Illena of Marienland

Ch Favoriet von Franzhof

Ch Westphalia's Uranus

Ch Emperor of Marienland

Ch Domossi of Marienland

Ch Alcor von Millsdod

Ch Dictator von Glenhugel

Rameses produced 11 American champions of record, Illena, 12; Favoriet, 13; Uranus,
14; Emperor, 18; Domossi, 20; Alcor, 26; and Dictator, 37.
These figures are recorded in the American Kennel Club as of July, 1951, and can
probably be considered final for Domossi, Rameses and Uranus, who have been dead
for a number of years; also for Illena who was still alive in 1953 but whose last
litter was in 1946. Emperor died suddenly in 1949, Alcor and Favoriet in the spring
of 1951. Of the Seven Sires, Dictator alone was still living in 1953, occasionally
siring a litter but no longer at public stud. The number of champions by the latter
four could therefore have been increased appreciably.
"The year 1941 was the golden year of the American Doberman. That year alone
gave birth to Illena and the younger four of the Seven Sires: Emperor and Favoriet
in the spring, and Alcor and Dictator in the fall, the latter two within a day of
each other. All of the five were sired by the older three except Dictator, who
was Domossi's younger brother. Rameses, the oldest was whelped in 1938, Domossi
and Uranus in 1939. THREE OF THE FAMOUS SEVEN DIED AS A RESULT OF HEART ATTACKS:

Domossi, at the age of 7

Emperor, at the age of 8

Alcor shortly before his tenth birthday.

Uranus, Rameses and Favoriet lived to the age of ten.

The Seven Sires were responsible for an era in American Dobermans which was as
exciting and colorful as the dogs themselves. They towered over the Doberman world
like mighty titans and the competition among them was brisk, awesome -- and sometimes
fierce. The dog magazines fattened on their advertising, the like of which the
breed has not seen before or since. Their names were familiar to the veriest novice,
and their offspring could be found in the remotest hinterlands. Each had his loyal
partisans, and the legends concerning them were inexhaustible. With their passing,
passes an era. History will not soon see the time when seven males of such stature
live contemporarily again".

All of them lived on the Eastern seaboard, although Domossi and Dictator were
bred in the Middle West. Five were kennel dogs, the exceptions being Alcor and Dictator,
who were raised from puppyhood by their owners and valued by them primarily for
their companionship.

These dogs were the descendants of the best of the German imports. Domossi and
Dictator were line bred to Ch and Sieger Muck v Brunia through his two imported
sons, Ch Blank vd Domstadt, their sire, and Ch and Sg Troll vd Engelsburg, their
dam's sire. Their dam, the red Ch and Siegerin Ossi v Stahlhelm, was a granddaughter
of Helios v Siegerstor through Kleopatra v Burgund. Rameses and Uranus were line-bred
to Helios v Siegerstor. Both were sons of the imported Ch and Siegerin Jessy vd
Sonnenhoehe, Rameses by the imported Ch Kurt vd Rheinperle-Rhinegold, and Uranus
by Kurt's American son, Pericles of Westphalia. Illena's dam, Ch Dow's Cora v Kienlesberg,
was also by Kurt out of the imported Ch Gretl v Kienlesberg, a half-sister to Jessy
through Cherloc v Rauhfelson.

Domossi and Dictator were full brothers, Dictator being the younger by two years.
Emperor was the son of Domossi, Illena was the daughter of Rameses, and Alcor and
Favoriet were the sons of Uranus. Uranus and Rameses were half-brothers, as were
Alcor and Favoriet. Emperor's dam, Ch Westphalia's Rembha, was a litter sister of
Rameses. Favoriet's dam, Adele v Miegel, was a daughter of Rameses litter brother,
Ch Westphalia's Rajah. Alcor's dam, Ch Maida v Coldod, was a daughter of Inka v
Lindenhof, a full sister to the sire of Dictator and Domossi.

Dictator, Domossi and Favoriet were reds. Almost half (17) of the Dictator champions
were red; three of the Domossi champions were red; and five of the Favoriet champions
were red. Prior to Dictator's time, the only stud producing as many as seven red
champions had been Dictator's sire, Blank, who was a black.

Alcor, Rameses and Illena were dominant black and all their champions were therefore
black. Emperor and Uranus were black recessive. Two of the Emperor champions were
red, and three of the Uranus champions were red.

There is no subject in dog breeding so cloaked in mystery, glamour and fable as
that which surrounds the great stud dogs. The layman is convinced that great stud
dogs become great simply because the breed's best bitches all flock to them for
breeding. Yet the records of the American Kennel Club show that of the total number
of litters registered with Favoriet as the sire, only one-twelfth had the assistance
of bitches who were, or ever did become, champions! Of the total number of litters
sired by Dictator, only one-fifth had dams who were, or ever became, champions;
of the total number by Uranus, only one-fourth, and by Emperor and Rameses, one-third.
Of the total number of litters by Domossi or Alcor, approximately half had dams
who were, or later became, champions.

Although it has long been recognized that the better the female dog, the better the
stud's opportunity to produce high-type progeny, the Seven Sires were able to produce
an amazing number of champion offspring from bitches who never became champions
themselves and in many cases could not even be considered show quality.
The records of Favoriet and Dictator were particularly impressive in this respect.
Of the 13 champions by Favoriet, less than one-third (4) came from champion bitches.
Of the 37 by Dictator, less than one-half (17) were from champion bitches. Of 14
by Uranus, 8 were from champions, and of 11 by Rameses, 7. Of 18 by Emperor, all
but 3 were from champions; of 20 by Domossi, all but 2; and of 26 by Alcor, all
but one were from champions.

A high proportion of the champions produced by several of these studs came from
daughters of other studs included in the Famous Seven. Twelve of the 18 champions
sired by Emperor were from daughters of the Seven Sires, with over half the Emperor
champions from Rameses daughters alone.

One-half the 26 Alcor champions were from daughters of Dictator, Emperor and Favoriet.
One-half the 20 Domossi champions were out of daughters of Emperor, Uranus and Rameses.
Fourteen of the 37 Dictator champions came from daughters of Emperor, Alcor and
Domossi, with ten of them from Domossi daughters only. Two of the 13 Favoriet champions
were from a Uranus daughter and an Alcor daughter. One of the Uranus champions came
from a Rameses daughter.

Rameses alone was never bred to any daughters of the Seven Sires, although 15
of the champions sired by the others were produced by his daughters. Ch Dow's Illena
of Marienland was not only the greatest of his offspring, but the greatest producing
female dog in the history of American Dobermans. From a total of five litters by three
different sires, she produced the remarkable total of 12 champions. The three sires
were Domossi and his two sons, Emperor and Ch Dow's Dusty v Kienlesberg. There were
five champions in the two Emperor litters, four in the one Domossi litter, and three
in the two Dusty litters. No other American female dog even approximated this record.
Rameses was the only one of the seven who sired more female champions than males,
producing 7 female champions as against 4 males. Domossi sired 10 champions of each
sex, and Illena produced 6 of each sex. Favoriet and Uranus each sired 6 female
champions, with 7 male champions for Favoriet and 8 male champions for Uranus. Emperor
and Alcor each sired 7 female champions, with Emperor siring 11 male champions and
Alcor 19 male champions. Dictator sired 14 female champions and 23 male champions.

As individual specimens, Alcor, the black, and Dictator, the red, outshone all
others, a fact which was reflected in their spectacular show careers. Of the other
five, Favoriet was little known as a show dog, but Emperor, Domossi, Rameses and
Uranus attained notable prestige both in breed and Group competition.

Five of the Seven Sires were between 27-1/2 inches and 28 inches in height, Rameses
being slightly over 28 and Domossi slightly under 27. All had scissors bites, and
six had complete sets of teeth, the exception being Domossi who lacked one premolar.
In gait and strength of quarters, Dictator and Alcor excelled the others, Dictator
being noted for the strongest pasterns and Alcor for the best turn of stifle. Uranus
had the more rear angulation and Domossi, the less. The family line from which the
brothers Dictator and Domossi were descended was strong in pasterns and quarters,
but frequently lacked sufficient angulation. The family from which the brothers
Rameses and Uranus came from was often weak in pasterns and tended to have too much
angulation. In Alcor and in Emperor, the two families were combined, for both of
them were outcrosses.

Although none of the seven were faulty in ribspring or depth of brisket, the chests
of Rameses and Dictator were the deepest, while the other five possessed greater
spring of rib. Alcor had the strongest back, Dictator the highest withers, and Favoriet
the most pronounced forechest. Uranus, though not the largest, was the most powerful
of them all, but did not have their elegance and length of neck. The four black
dogs had eyes that were various shades of brown, in the case of Rameses two-toned.
Dictator, alone of the seven, had a truly dark eye, the deep shade of brown for
a red dog being comparable to a black eye in a black.

Alcor, Dictator, Domossi and Emperor had excellent tailsets. Those of the other
three could have been higher. The tails of Domossi and Dictator, which were always
carried gaily, had a characteristic triangular shape, thick at the base and tapering
to a point. The only one of the seven which could be described as a really compact,
short-bodied dog was Domossi. While Alcor and Dictator measured square, their backs
were of medium length, and those of the other four were slightly longer.

If a composite Doberman could be made, using only one of the many qualities of
which each of the Seven Sires was known to possess and transmit, it might have Dictator's
temperament, Favoriet's front, Ramese's chest, Uranus' ribspring, Alcor's rear quarters,
Domossi's tail, and Emperor's elegance. But it would require the head of Illena,
for her head was closer to perfection than any of the Seven Sires.

Not only was Illena famed for the beauty of her head and expression, but for her
superb neck, shoulders and front, and the wine-red color of her markings. Her mouth
was beyond criticism. She had a deep chest and excellent spring, but was too rounded
in croup and rarely carried her tail up. Her greatest liability was a lack of showmanship
and animation which often caused her assets not to be fully appreciated on first
impression.

Only two studs have come within reaching distance of the Seven Sires. These are
the black Emperor son, Ch Roxana's Emperor v Reemon, and a black Uranus son, Ch
Kama of Westphalia. Both were whelped in 1943 and were still living in 1953. Roxanna's
Emperor sired 9 black champions frojm six different bitches, only two of which were
champions. His dam, Ch Westphalia's Roxanna, was a litter sister of Rameses. Kama
has sired 7 champions (6 black and 1 blue) from four different bitches, only one
of which was a champion. His dam, Alma v Molnar, was a daughter of Ramese's litter
brother, Rajah.

Among the younger sires, only three as yet have produced more than two champions:
Favoriet's black son, Ch Christie's Barrier, who died in 1951 at the age of six;
Dictator's red son, Ch Saracen of Reklaw; and Alcor's black son, Ch Rancho Dobe's
Presto. Barrier and Saracen were both whelped in 1945. Barrier has produced four
champions from four different bitches, Saracen three champions from two different
bitches. Neither of Saracen's mates were champions, and only one of Barrier's. Presto,
whelped in 1947, has produced three champions from one champion female dog. Two of the
Saracen champions were red. The Barrier and Presto champions were black. Saracen
was out of an Emperor daughter, Kay of Reklaw; Presto was from a daughter of Roxanna's
Emperor, Ch Rancho Dobe's Kashmir; Barrier's dam Ch Christie v Klosterholz, was
a daughter of Ramese's litter brother, Rajah.

Of the younger Dobermans, male or female, the greatest producer to date (1953)
was the red Dictator daughter, Ch Dow's Dame of Kilburn , whose dam was the Domossi
daughter, Ch Dow's Dodie v Kienlesberg. She was whelped in 1945, the same year as
Saracen and Barrier, and in her first two litters produced seven champions (five
males and two females). From the first litter, which was sired by Alcor, five became
champions. From the second litter, sired by Emperor and whelped just after his death
in 1949, two had completed their championship as of 1953. Her third litter, by her
grandson, Ch Berger's Bluebeard, and her fourth litter, by her own sire Dictator,
were not yet of showing age in 1953. The Alcor and Emporer champions were black,
the Bluebeard litter was black and the Dictator litter was red.


Here, indeed, is in interesting fact:

the six Dobermans mentioned above -- Roxanna's Emperor, Kama, Barrier, Saracen,
Presto, and Dame -- are all sons and daughters of the Seven Sires!

In other lands they have also enriched the breed, many of the exports being Dictator
or Emperor offspring out of daughters of the Seven Sires. In 1948, the Siamese Prince
Bhanuband Yukol imported a Dictator son and daughter for the purpose of establishing
the line in Siam. The red male, Damasyn The Shawn, was out of a daughter of Emperor.
In Tokyo, Damasyn The Bat, who is by Dictator from a Domossi-Illena daughter, produced
a litter sired by the Kama son, Ch Dacke vd Elbe, whose dam was a Domossi daughter
out of a Uranus daughter. One of these was awarded the 1951 title, Grand Champion
of Japan. The Cuban champion Damasyn Venture and his half-brother, Damasyn The Blade,
have sired a number of litters in Havana. Both are by Dictator, Blade being a full
brother of Damasyn The Bat. In Germany in 1950, Arda Lark Of Inverness priduced
a litter by the red Sieger Artus v Wertabrucke. She is a red Dictator daughter out
of a Domossi-Emperor granddaughter. The most famous of
all the exports is probably Ch Kilburn Escort, the Emperor-Illena son sold around
1953 to Hawaii. Escort is one of the few Dobermans ever to leave America after completely
his championship, most Dobermans being exported as puppies. Meadowmist Barrister,
by Emperor out of a Rameses daughter, has established himself as a stud in Brazil.
The Seven Sires were the backbone of the American show Doberman. Through their intermarriages
with the daughters, not only of each other but of the brothers and sisters of their
families, they have transmitted a productive power that makes itself evident from
generation to generation. During the ten years prior to August, 1951, a total of
416 Dobermans completed their championships in the United States. One-half of these
were the descendants in the first, second or third generation of the Seven Sires.
One-third of the total number were their own sons and daughters (139), sixty-two
were their grandchildren, and seven were
great-grandchildren. Many, of course, could have fallen into several categories,
but in considering these figures no dog was counted more than once.
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[Arda]

I'm a fanatic on pedigrees. I could read them day in and day out til I get headaches from them. Heather has one of my old ones right now. The history of the breed makes my heart beat. And the great Dobermanns that left their fingerprint on the breed are the legends. Oh to touch Indigo Rock again. Don't get me started. I have work to do.

[Stef]

I'll have to come raid your house and your brain one day Arda ... This stuff facinates me too but I'm too much of a newbie to understand a lot of it!