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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-02-17, Page 22 News Record • Wednesday, February 17, 2016 Submitted Photos The Wagenaar family Christmas card photo features Leny Wagenaar-DeRuijter with her husband Dick Wagenaar and their three award-winning Leonberger dogs Sky, Star and Angel. 11 Tupperware AREYOUAN NIRENIBIiPBOECT CONSULTANT? This is your opportunity to inform the residents of Huron East & Central Huron what you can offer them. Epicure Thirty One It Works doTERRA Contact your Sales Rep TODAY for information: Dawn Johnston Clinton News Record djohnston@postmedia.com 519-482-3443 Nancy deGans Seaforth Huron Expositor ndegans@postmedia.com 519-527-0240 We are working on a SPECIAL FEATURE for all Direct Sales Consultants Trip to Holland begins love affair with Leonbergers CONTINUED FROM > PAGE 1 Wagenaar and DeRuijter owned greenhouses in Hol- land. Wagenaar also had a six-year-old Leonberger dog, named Bear. DeRuijter relates, "I fell in love with his dog. Such good charac- ter and a big gentle giant." From then on, they always had male Leonbergers with King and Duke following after Bear. The dog breed name Leonbergers is derived from the town Leonberg which is near Stuttgart in Germany. These long- haired dogs were very much in demand in the first half of the 19th century. Heinrich Essig, an early dog breeder, wrote in his notes that he mated a blank and white Newfoundlander with a St. Bernard. Later he introduced the Pyrenean Mountain Dog into the mix and the Leonberger was born. This is reported to have happened in 1846. Leonbergers are not very well known in Canada. There are five breeders in Ontario, but they do not have as many dogs each as European breeders, making the dogs more scarce here than in Europe. Even in Europe where they are bet- ter established, the Leon- bergers are not a largely popular breed at shows. All of the Wagenaar dogs were from the same breed- ers and were known as Rosaceae Leonbergers. DeRuijter used to dogsit for others, sometimes having up to eight on the property at once, but only for those who had dogs from the Rosaceae breeders to ensure they had the right temperament so they would get along. When Duke, whose regis- tered name was Rosaceae Soldago, was six years old the Wagenaars decided he needed a mate. Their first female, Rosaceae Elytrigia, known as Sky, was intended to come to Canada when the Wagenaars decided to retire to Canada in Clinton to be close to DeRuijter's brother Jake and his wife June. Unfortunately Sky died an accidental death a few months before they left Holland. DeRuinter described the special The Leonberger dogs owned by the Wagenaar's have won many trophies, first in Europe and now in Canada. paperwork, cages and pro- cedures needed for the dogs to travel to Canada by air. She is very pleased with the care and treatment their dogs received by trav- elling with KLM, well known for accommodating dogs. All of their Leon- berger friends were at the airport to see them off. One very different document in Europe, that Ontario veteri- narians were not familiar with, is the international passport for dogs. Each of the Wagenaar dogs has one. It makes a lot of the paper- work for travelling much more streamlined. Most Ontario veterinarians were familiar only with the Dec- laration of Health that is required in Canada. The dogs currently with the Wagenaars are six-year- old Rosaceae nonnea, known as Star, three and a half -year-old Rosaceae Tecomaria, known as Angel, and Star's daughter 14 -month-old Rosaceaen Galonia, known as Gem. The Wagenaars have competed in many prestig- ious dog shows. DeRuijter explains, "We have trav- elled extensively with our dogs because we go to shows. We have been to Germany, Spain, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Aus- tria and of course the Neth- erlands and Canada." She goes on to list successes. "Our first show dog Duke becames Champion of the Netherlands. Our dogs Star and Angel are Junior Dutch Campion. Having come to Canada on April 1, 2015, their first show here was this past June in Caledonia. All three dogs were entered and placed. The next show was in Missisauga in November. DeRuijter reports, "The first day Angel was second, Star third and the second day Angel became the Best of Winners. Star was third." It takes a lot of work to show dogs. DeRuijter is still working on sponsoring her husband to be able to stay in Canada with a Permanent Status, but it is a long process with many problems that have no quick solutions. They are hoping that he will be allowed to return to Can- ada in April after a two- month work/vacation trip to Holland.