I am Lisbeth Karlström.
My kennel is located in Strängnäs, about 100 km from Stockholm.
My postal address is: Aspö Stengården S-645 93 Strängnäs
Phone: +46(0)152-603 40
How I become a giant schnauzer pepper and salt-owner
was a pure coincidence. I had thought about getting a
Bouvier des Flandres and investigated the breeds at shows and
read all kinds of result and finally found a litter I believed in.
Unfortunately the breeder didn't believe in me. Disillusioned
I bought a morning paper determent to have a dog.
Yes, in the ads I found a male for sale, a Giant Schnauzer Pepper and Salt.
I phoned them and the next day I decided that I wanted him.
His name was Kirreman av Ingehäll
(Uncas) and he turned
out to be a wonderful all-round dog.
This was in 1975.
Back then, both colours was competing in the same classes
in conformation and it wasn't easy to win a CAC with a pepper/salt
since there were so few of them (10 % of the giant schnauzer population).
Uncas won 1 CAC and some CK (Championquality).
Uncas was x-rayed with no signs of hip dysplasia.
Uncas also passed a caractertest and a Korning (a big Swedish mentalitytest).
Uncas competed in Higher class in Search.
Uncas also was a certified armydog.
When I begun there was three kennels in Sweden that bred
Pepper and Salt giant schnauzer, Kennel av Ingehäll, Kennel Gråskägg
and Furuslätts Kennel. From 1990 there has existed 3-4 kennels
and a few litters without kennelprefix has also been registrated.
Today there is five kennels, Kennel Zantana, Vallentuna,
Kennel EXPLOSIV, Strängnäs,
Kennel Mottled, Huddinge,
Kennel Altibo, Sala and
Kennel Bajracs, Helsingborg.
In a calculation of the breed done in 1998 we found that there is about
80 Pepper and Salt Giant Schnauzer in Sweden, which means that we really
know our bloodlines but are in need of new bloodlines from abroad.
Our fundamental rule for breeding stock has always been:
1. X-rayed with no signs of hip dysplasia
2. Mentalitytested
3. Showed with 1:a prize in Young or Open class (18 month -)
4. Healthy
My first litter was born in 1978 sired by Kirreman av Ingehäll,
dam was Gråskäggs Tanja. Second litter was born in 1979
sired by Ceus v.d. Klosterforte, dame was Gråskäggs Tanja.
Third litter was born in Skåne (south of Sweden), were we stayed for 3 years,
sired by Kirreman av Ingehäll and the dam was
Gråskäggs Bittan.
This litter produced
Explosiv´s Macsimilian, he was a big,
masculine and reliable male. He was showed a few times
with BOB but unfortunately he broke a hind leg and couldn't
enter any more shows. He sired several litters.
In order to have some new blood we had to import, it wasn't
easy and quite expensive.
My first import was
Jarrozlaw v.d. Edertalsperre.
A car unfortunately hit him after sired only two litters.
At the same time we imported a female from England,
Burstons Silver Fancy Free,
a incredibly cute female with great mentality,
a harsh wonderful coat and perfectly coloured.
She had her first litter in 1987 and a second in 1988.
We also bought an another female from England but she wasn't
up to our demands and was newer bred.
We bought a male and a female from Belgium,
Knut v.d. Edertalsperre
and Kiss v.d. Edertalsperre,
both sired by Pablo v d Ravenvennen.
Their mothers were littermates. Both Knut and Kiss has been bred,
they were both beautiful with their cropped ears and docked tails.
Kiss was 10 years when we put her to sleep at home, she had a very
aggressive cancer tumour in her mouth.
Knut was always with us as a guarding dog in our store till
December 1999, when we had to put him to sleep, 13 years old.
The difficulties of breeding.
We bought a female from France and travelled by car down to pick her up.
All papers was in order, tollpapers, veterinarian certifications
and shots were up to date. The x-rays film was examined in Sweden
with no signs of hip dysplasia. It was with high expectations
we started our little holiday trip in beautiful sunshine.
A few days later, after visiting Paris and Eurodisney,
it was time to pick up our little girl
(Giant Powers High Life).
When we reached the address given us we thought we were lost, there
were only an empty property with a house completely burned out.
We drove around for a while looking for the right address but finally
we came in contact with a some of neighbours. They inviting us in
to there house. When sitting down they told us that the breeder and
all her dogs (7 Pepper and Salt Giant Schnauzer and 4 miniature schnauzer)
was burned to death in the fire.
It was an awful chock but at least, we were alive.
It newer rains but it pours
When leaving for France we had left some of our dogs
at good friends and some at a dogpension.
Our Kiss stayed at a friend and the same day we left our friend
phones and tells us, that Kiss has run away in a nearby forest.
After some consideration we decided to go as planned,
Kiss would most certainly come back driven by hunger.
During our time in France we did not know Kiss was still missing,
our friend knew she still was in the forest so when we came back
to Sweden, we headed to the spot were she had been seen last.
She was heading home but the heavy traffic scared her back.
6 days in a row we went back and home. I decided to sleep
in the car instead, to be able to reach her quicker if someone saw her.
We had poster everywhere, police were notified and even a
local radiostation had reported that Kiss was missing.
After spending a night in the car I woke up with headache,
hungry and with very little hope. Kiss son Kulan (Explosiv's Herkules)
was with me in the car and he didn't seem to feel fine either.
We went to a café for some breakfast. Someone calls me on
the phone telling me were Kiss might be, 4 kilometres away.
I run to the car and drove to the location were I meet some people
that had seen her in the forest.
We leave the cars and walks, Kulan follows and even though he
doubtless fined a scent at a few spots I don't dare to trust him.
"These lately days I've seen Kiss allover but it has always been
something else, a small rock, a cat or a tree."
And then Kulan want's to go right but those who have actually seen
her says it was much further away and instead of upsetting them
we continues and then 15-20 meters later (she must have heard us)
Kulan turns around and there in the
middle of the forest road she is.
Thin, dirty and dehydrated after 19 days in the forest.
The happiness and relief in her eye's can't be mistaken.
"My feelings can't be described"!
"You need the experience to understand"!
Often giant schnauzer choose one person in the family to be their
guide and leader and Kiss definitely had chosen Me.
After that day she didn't feel comfortable going somewhere but
she still lived with us more then a year after this.
During the years we have exported dogs to Norway, Finland, England,
Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Nairobia in Africa and the U.S.
Not all have turned out well but some of them have been showed at
shows in Europe. And that is how it is with dogs, it doesn't
always turn out as you expected. We have had 32 litters,
number 32 was born February 06, 2000.
It hasn't always been easy to bred Pepper and Salt Giant Schnauzer
in Sweden with all our rules and the quarantineregulation.
"NEGATIV"
In 1990 when we were banned to dock I was near to quit breeding, but
I missed breeding and I missed the puppies and to follow them in their
progress. So a few years later I had my first litter with long tails.
If I had not continued of the Pepper and Salt Giant Schnauzer
they would be very few today in Sweden.
Three of my adult females have had their tails amputated due to injuries.
Our championrules force us to meritate our dogs at working dog trials if we
want them to have their Swedish Show Champion title (SUCh).
Many are the Pepper and Salt Giant who has 3-4 or more CAC of
International judges and in other parts of the world hase rights
to the tittles Show Champion but not in Sweden.
"POSITIVE"
Since we joined EU (the European union) we can travel around a bit more
in Europe and compete for tittles as World Ch, Int Ch and Europe Ch.
We don't have to buy stud dogs from Europe and only use them once
or twice, we can take our females to them instead.
Positive is also that we from 2000-01-01 have the FCI grading system
on hip x-rays, A, B, C, D and E.
Once a year we arrange an unofficial show open for Pepper and Salt
Giant Schnauzer, to meet and have a wonderful day together.
In 1994, 46 Pepper and Salt were entered.
It is of great value as a breeder to see all these dogs at
the same time and it is fun for the owner to meet parents
and siblings to their dogs.
At official shows most dogs ever was gathered in Gävle 1994 when
Sylvia Hammarström judged, 18 Pepper and Salt was entered.
At "Little Stockholm" in 1994 16 Pepper and Salt were entered
and 14 black dogs, judge was Kari Järvinen (Fin).
Why one continue a breeding when it is expensive and hard is difficult
to explain but my motto has always been:
"Problems are to be solved"
SAFEST OF ALL PEPPER´N SALT
