Flair goes to Denmark

You don’t have to be mad to breed dogs but sometimes it helps! Early this year we embarked on a journey that to many people not in dogs seems absolutely crazy. (I have this on good authority by colleagues at work).

At the World Congress last year we saw a dog had all the qualities we were looking for our bitch Flair. He was Int.Swe.Nor.Fin.Ch Aakemba King Astor G’Fumo. We first saw Astor when we attended the Winners Show in 1998 but his qualities were more evident in the larger ring at the World Congress. On hearing that he had semen in Copenhagen we decided that this would be the easiest route and we subsequently applied to the KC for permission. Unfortunately Flair came into season before this was granted. Flair already had her Pet Passport but the situation in Germany had come to the fore and at that time we thought Sweden was rather a long way to go by car and I can assure you it still is! We did consider flying but airline routes for Pet Passport dogs are severely limiting and in any case we thought it may put her off.

Permission came through for AI but the more we investigated it, the more the costs and Ministry red tape made it a less attractive proposition. Also natural mating would more likely give a better result. Astor had by that time travelled England overland without any problems, therefore taking Flair to him seemed now to be an option.

Flair came into season early February and we started testing on the 9th day. By the 13th day our vet informed us that she would probably ovulate within 48 hours. So the clock was ticking. Very early the following morning we were to set off, but first we had a bundle of paperwork to fill in. Many requirements have not been updated since the Pet Passport, which makes for some anomalies and each country has slightly different requirements.

We caught the 7am shuttle and drove non-stop through France, Belgium and reached the Dutch border with Germany by midday, stopped for lunch and prepared for the long stretch through Germany. We reached the ferry at Putgarden having skirted Hamburg without stopping and arrived in Denmark at around 7.00 pm starting to feel extremely tired. A very friendly Danish couple offered to lead us with their car to a nearby motel. This border was the only place where we were stopped, when a friendly official looking very much like Captain Birdseye complete with oilskins and fisherman’s wellies insisted on stamping our passports and telling us how much he liked England where he was stationed during the war. Anyone considering going to Denmark can certainly be assured a warm welcome.

The next day we completed our journey. We were to meet at a petrol station just off the motorway outside of Copenhagen. This seemed like a good idea at the time but when we arrived there was there no-one there. Suddenly it seemed like a daft thing to do to arrange to meet someone in a strange country with no way of communicating as my mobile would not work and as we had travelled so fast, no Danish money. However, much to our relief Margareta and her daughter arrived shortly and led us to her vet’s surgery on the outskirts of the City where we were planning to mate the two dogs in the garden.

Flair was having none of it! Despite flirting and teasing him she would not let him mate her. Eventually Birgitte, Margareta’s vet took a blood test which confirmed that the journey had put her off - she had not ovulated.

We decided that Flair should be kept quiet, relax and settle in after her long journey. It worked, the next day we got a mating and a tie within a few minutes of putting them together.

The following day we tried again, this time it was Flair who was willing but Astor had decided that he had already played his part, much to Flair’s frustration this time and very vocal she was in venting her displeasure! One of the tenants of the flats overlooking the garden asked us what we were doing but having been told that we had brought our bitch from England to be mated, he decided we were obviously eccentric English and was happy for us to continue with the proceedings!

Eventually we gave up and turned for home at 2pm. We eventually arrived to stay in a well-appointed Hotel not far from Garderen in Holland at about 9pm. In Europe it is such a treat when your dog is made so welcome, not only in the hotel rooms but also at the bar. Seeing Flair the barman promptly disappeared only to reappear to proudly show us a bundle of photos of his Great Danes. No sign of any anti-dog feeling here. In the morning, at breakfast there was even a Chihuahua sitting on a cushion in the breakfast room which was perfectly well behaved, as indeed was Flair.

The next morning we drove non-stop to Calais. We had a slight worry at the port when the Certificate of Worming form that Birgitte had signed and stamped caused the official to call her supervisor but it was scrutinised again and accepted.

A week after returning to England the foot and mouth outbreak was confirmed and we realised how very lucky we were. Having travelled 1,800 miles and visiting six countries, this may make Flair the most travelled ridgeback in England and possibly the first to have made use of the Pet Passport in this way.

Some people say that dogs are very much like their owners. Our ridgebacks have always had endless patience, dogged determination, endurance plus on the occasions the odd mad moment. Perhaps it is the other way around, owners become more like their dogs! Whichever way around it is, we get a great deal of enjoyment from them.

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