THE ROSENHILL HISTORY

English setters, Dobermans, Borzoi , Podenco Ibicenco and Dandie Dinmont Terriers - different breeds, but all very much loved!

 My love for dogs started   with my father’s English setters, and continued with Dobermans when I seattled down by myself. Lady and Lord was a great part of MY childrens  childhood, and we loved them deeply. But one day they both had passed the Rainbow-bridge, and time was there to look around for new dogs!  In 1981 a white and black tornado came into our lives: Rozza, the borzoi, with the long silky coat and the long nose! She was just adorable and became the star of the family until 2 other borzois entered the house: Invibes Dostojewskij and Etjanova. Suddenly we found ourselves with 3 big borzois and thought we were satisfied, but what happened then?

One day  I saw in a Magazin a photo of  a dog  called Podenco Ibicenco. He looked at me - directly into my heart - and stayed there, forever. This was my very first sight of a Podenco Ibicenco, but I felt,  I just had  to have one,

I had never felt so much for any other breed! At that moment, back to 1980, no-one could tell me anything about this breed - here in Norway it was absolutely unknown. I called the Norw- Kennel-Club, but,  "sorry,  we don’t know, try Denmark or Sweden".

Just remember, in this part of Scandinavia we were very closed because of the quarantine, we could never go to a show abroad unless we had to put the dogs in quarantine for 4 months with a cost of  ca.NOK 20 000 and who could afford that? Very few imported dogs, it all was too expensiv!  Well, after a while, and thousands of calls around,  I found a lady in Sweeden who had imported a bitch from Sin’s Kennel in England, but, she had no plans to breed from her for the first years. But then, in 1984, a litter were born, and Sinsline Deby To Rosenhill was imported to Norway. The first Podenco in Norway - what a pleasure!

In Debbie’s first year we had a lot of fun. We had to learn everything about the breed, and we get in contact with Miss Diana Berry at Sin’s  who gave all the info and help we needed.  

Let me tell you about Debbie’s first show: We entered her at a junior-show, and very proudly presented our little beauty for the judge. The judge glanced at us, at Debbie again, and then turned to me saying: " What kind of a bastard is this??? ".   I tried to explain, but we had to leave the ring. Outside the ring a man from the newspaper were standing. He came up and said: "What a beautyful puppy. Why did you have to leave the ring?" And I had the opportunity to tell him about this rare breed, about the ancient history etc. and guess what? The next day, on first page, a big photo of   Debbie jumping  as a podenco can, and  with big litters over: " The first podenco in Norway - and the judge think she’s a bastard"!!!

Great fun.

Well, Debbie was our first podenco, but already the year after we got a male,

Sin’s Golden Excelcior, (Ralf) a big impressing male. More fun, showing the two of them.

. So again an import,  Ozu el Gallinero (Hakim) from Ibiza who had to stay in quarantine for 4 months, and then 2 bitches from England, Sin’s Summer Rainbow and Summer Moonbeam.

 In just a few years my dreams came   true,  I had got 5 wonderful Podencoes!

Some years later we were so happy to have beautyful  Puljon Pink Panther from England. 

Of course I have to mentioned the sweet, brindle Greyhound,   (Misty) who followed us home after a trip to England in 1988. She never became a show-star, but was a wonderful part of the family for almost 9 years. 

In 1985 our first borzoi-litter were born. Rozza  was mated to a tricolour sweedish male and in our Easter-egs  that year we got 2 black and white puppies - our Alba-litter.

Invibes Etjanova gave birth to our B and C-litters, while Doztojewskij sired a sweedish lady named Vanessa. Out of this litter we kept a bitch, Vangoyescas Arinenja.   Nenja  became a very good and solid stud-bitch,  she was later mated with frozen sperm from USA and gave us some wonderful puppies. Those  lines we still are breeding from.. 

Not before 1988 the first Podenco-litter were born. The sire was Ralf, and the very proud mother was, of course, Debbie. When the vet did an ex-ray  on her the   first time he could not find  anything, an told me she had no babies. But, Debbie desired that she had, and at the 2. ex-ray he turned out pale and said: "Yes, there are 12 in the belly!!!". And then, August the 13.th 1988 the Damascena-litter were born -  all 12 sound and nice.  Out of this litter  the most famous became Leda.

Leda went to Denmark to Frontrunners as their first podenco, and she has again given beautyful puppies, one of them is Love is The Drug, living in Germany and A Song for Europe living in US.

Some years later, Hakim sired a litter to Rainbow, The Floribunda-litter. Also this time a puppy went to Denmark, Golden Times, and also out of this male wellknown litters has been born.

In 1992 we tried something new for the Podenco-breeding. Frozen sperm. Lois Sutton   in England had imported a spanish male, Clavel del Gallinero, and this was a very interesting mating. The mother was out of our Damascena-litter, Bella-Donna. And again we were blessed with some very nice babies, 2 males and 2 females. Out of this litter, the Odoratas, one of  Rosenhill’s most succesful stars were born:  Safrano. 

Safrano really put his paws down in the show rings, and his carrier has been great: Int. and Nordic ch., DK ch, BOB/EU-w. 96/97, Lux-w 96, BOB/Ww 96, BOB/Køb.w-97, Nordic-w.98/99/02 and BOB/Speciality-98/99, Bundessieger -00, Norw.w.-00/02.  

Safrano sired a litter in Germany in 1997 and out of that litter, a bitch, First Dynastys Adrenaline, returned back to Norway.  Line has now got her own puppies, The U-litter with 3 males and 5 females, Those are really gone far away: 3 to USA, 1 to Switzerland, 1 to Germany while 3  stayed in Norway. 2 years  later Line gave birth to The Austin-litter, some of those puppies also went far away, to Italy, Finland and USA.

Of course we are very proud to tell that one of the most-winning Podencos in US year 2000 was a Rosenhill:  Am.ch Can.ch.Tea-rose Soroya.(Nch.Future Belliza Querido x NSch Rosenhill's Noisettiana Chromatella).   Raya has done very well in the rings, and her owner Ms.Kittler in Louisiana is now breeding Norwegian lines.

Also Ms. Suzanne Faria in California  is proudly breeding Norwegian!  Her Rosenhill-import,  Am.ch Unique-Stars and Stripes (pet-named USA) sired a nice litter  and we are all very  much looking forward to see them growing up. 

On one of my visits to England I falled deeply in love with another breed, The Dandie Dinmont Terriers. A little clown with big,dark eyes and a funny face jumped up on my knee, yes, I melted totally.  I didn’t say a word to the family, knowing they ment we had dogs enough, but when little Penactive Secret Love (Ginger) arrived with the flight from London, she simply stole everyones heart. She is our bed-dog and very spoiled!    Her first litter was born  in 1990, one male and one female, Villrose Morletti and Carolina.

Maybe, in the nearest future, another little dandie girl/boy will be imported - the breed has to go on!

All together 30 litters have been born, every one named after the most beautyful roses.

Why?

People have been asking "How did you get the prefix of Rosenhill?"

Well, another of my hobbies are import of rare roses, and  as we were living on a hillside at that time, what else could it be than "Rosenhill"?   

I have many Rosenhill-babies around the world, old ones and young ones. But let me tell you: They still are my babies which I care for and loves! I have so many wonderful puppie-buyers around  the world who are  among my best friends, who takes care of their dogs, even when they get old.

Thanks folks - I really love all of you!  

It was a great adventure when  Norway and Sweden opened the borders to parts of Europe some years ago and made "a new world" to us.  We are now  able to go to shows with our dogs and meet other friends abroad and  it makes it easier to get new material to work further on with.  

So for the future: My hope is, that all owners of those fantastic breeds, the elegant Borzois, our beautyful Podenco Ibicencos and the sweet little Dandies, can work together in peace, friendship and harmony, helping each other to make the knowledge of the breeds better all around the world. We are so lucky to be owners of this anicent breed with it’s lovely Peter Pan-nature, let us give them back all the love they desire.