Happy Father’s Day! On this weekend devoted to all things fatherly, we are featuring eight great sires of AKC history. These studly champions did some of their best work outside of the show ring.
Standard Poodle: Ch. Nunsoe Duc de la Terrace of Blakeen, 1935
Standard Poodle 1935: Ch. Nunsoe Duc de la Terrace of Blakeen, a Westminster Best in Show winner, was the foundation sire of Blakeen Kennels. The magnificent Standard Poodle import truly was a legend in his own time. “When Poodles were not popular, Duc won the hearts of the public,” owner Hayes Blake Hoyt wrote in the AKC Gazette.
“Through Duc a new love and understanding of the breed came to America, and this is one of the many debts we owe him. He has sired many champions, but his personality begot an undying enthusiasm for his race.” Photo: Rudolph Tauskey
Boxer: Ch. Bang Away of Sirrah Crest, 1951
Boxer Ch. Bang Away of Sirrah Crest, 1951, Madison Square Garden: Westminster Best in Show Ch. Bang Away of Sirrah Crest, called “the greatest Boxer of all time.” He was the first dog to win more than 100 Bests in Show. Bang Away sired 86 champions and helped define the modern Boxer. Photo: AKC Gazette archive
Standard Poodle: Ch. Puttencove Promise, 1955
Standard Poodle Ch. Puttencove Promise (b. 1955): A Westminster winner and a potent sire of great quality, Promise’s influence is stamped on the breed decades after he won his last show ribbon. Photo: Rudolph Tauskey
Brittany: DC Tigar’s Jocko, 1967
Brittany DC Tigar’s Jocko, 1967: This show champion and Hall of Fame bird dog embodied the dual ability prized by Brittany lovers. Jocko passed along the versatility gene by fathering three show champions and six field champions. Photo: C. Bede Maxwell
Beagle: Ch. King’s Creek Triple Threat, 1969
15-inch Beagle Ch. King’s Creek Triple Threat, 1969, sire of more than 70 champions, notches one of his 84 career Hound Group wins. Photo: Evelyn Shafer
Smooth Fox Terrier: Ch. Ttarb the Brat, 1980
Smooth Fox Terrier Ch. Ttarb the Brat was a top-ranked show dog of the 1980s. An Australian import, Brat had a permanent and lasting influence on his breed through his more than 130 champion offspring. Brat’s great-grandson, Am./Mex. Ch. Laurelton Now or Never, ROM, SD, sired 99 champions. He is his breed’s number-two top-producing sire of all time, second only to his famous great-grandfather. Photo: Joan Ludwig
Bulldog: Mapo’s Souvenir, 1985
Bulldog Mapo’s Souvenir, 1985, was one of a long line of potent sires out of the Houston-based Mapo Kennels, advertised as “The Best Little Stud House in Texas.” He’s pictured here with owner and Bulldog Club of America Hall of Fame breeder Richard Maze. Photo: courtesy R. Maze
Norfolk Terrier: Ch. Max-Well’s Weatherman, 1992
Norfolk Terrier Ch. Max-Well’s Weatherman, 1992, winner of 23 all-breed Bests in Show. Of the 37 pups sired by the pint-sized patriarch, 29 were champions. Among them was another big winner, multi-BIS Ch. Max-Well’s Rainman. Photo: courtesy Barbara Miller
For more vintage photos, see “Times Past” in the latest AKC Gazette.
Interested in knowing your dog’s great-grandsire? You can purchase an AKC Pedigree, a printed or electronic document that displays the lineage of an AKC dog and important information about the ancestors in a dog’s family tree.