Dogs have always been in my family. My grandfather bred German Shepherd dogs successfully in the fifties.

So it was inevitable that in my parents' house a dog was always in the family. I got my first dog in 1967. It was a Munsterlander dog.

(Bianca)

I first saw a Basset Hound in 1970. Up to this point I had only seen one in pictures. I was fascinated right away by his personality, his nature and hunting ability. At the first meeting, I was able to see how this race works in the open field. Very quickly it was clear to me that the next dog I would buy would be a Basset Hound. My Munsterlander died in 1974 and my first Basset Hound came into the house.

The more I am familiar with the race went, the stronger the interest in this for me so charming animals. In addition to my professional development and business tasks in the family business, I found out for myself that the Basset Hound and his breeding would cause me a lot of friends. So I started my Basset Hound Kennel "Of my sweet home" in 1975

(My puppy home)

Very soon I met Wilma Droemont, my mentor for Basset Hounds.

Her mother, Mrs. Mitzel Droemont, reared the first litter of Basset Hounds in Germany - as described in the relevant literature - in 1957.

(Mitzel Droemont)

Mrs. Droemont laid the foundation of my present knowledge of the breed. At the time when we first met, she was already breeding Basset Hounds that were good to excellent, but they did not meet her idea of quality. However, she was very busy and therefore she was only able to put her desire to have American imports into action in 1979.

In the course of our cooperation, she entrusted me to contact breeders and to buy American imports. This task was not only a challenge, but it was the starting bell for dealing with Basset Hound breeding more fully. In the beginning there were detailed discussions, but with a great deal of self-criticism. Many missions have been undertaken since then.

They have led me across Europe and America.

Mrs. Droemont imported "Can. Ch Chantinghall Isabella" and "Can. Ch Chantinghall Nathaniel" as well as "American Ch Sanchu's Sour Mash". I have imported ten Basset Hounds, seven from the USA, two from Canada and one from Sweden.

I am very grateful to all the great breeders who have enriched my life with a lot of knowledge about basset hounds and their breeding. At this point I would like to thank not only

• Mrs. Wilma Droemont - Kennel of the Duchy of Jülich

(Wilma Droemont)

but also

• Rosemary McKnight - Chantinghall Basset Hounds
• Patricia and Richard Watherhouse - Heathrow's Basset Hounds
• Susan und Hal Pypus - Pyperwind Basset Hounds
• Kitty and Chuck Steidel - Sanchu's Basset Hounds
• Michael Sosne - Min-Li's Basset Hounds
• Randy and Penny Fredericksen - Ambrican Basset Hounds
• Margaret S. Walton - Lyn Mar Acres Basset Hounds

and especially

• Joan Urban - Fort Merrill Basset Hounds

(Joan Urban - right in the picture)

Joan Urban has made it possible for me, with Basset Hounds from her breeding program, to be able to look forward to a very promising future in my kennel.

A very special thanks also to my family, my wife Silvia, my son Marcel and his wife Irene for everything they have done for me and my dogs.

In all the years that I've dedicated to breeding, large numbers of litters of puppies have never been crucial. My goal was, and is, a good and uniform quality of puppies in the litter. When I look back now, I can only say that, for me, all the years of breeding were a process of learning. For the future, I hope I will be lucky enough to be allowed to use many years for the welfare and health of the breed.

From my kennel, dogs have emerged with the titles

• Dt. Ch.
• VDH. Ch.
• Can. Ch.
• Clubsieger/innen Clubjugendsieger/innen Best puppy
• Gruppenplazierung
• Europajugendsieger
• Bundes- Vize- Siegerin
• Brauchbarkeitsprüfung

and many other awards and rankings emerged.

Outside Germany, there are basset hounds from my kennels located in

Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, USA, Canada and Chile