Hello - Leonberger friends all over the World !

This is a short message from Edith Steffen conc. several articels against "puppy-mills 
= Hundehaendler/Dog producer".

It seems to be that it is the same problem everywhere in this world and we are glad 
to recognize that 
everywhere are people who try to fight against that.

The story itselfs mentioned that there is a "puppy-mill" in the South-East of Bavaria, close to the Czechy boarder, buying puppies from several breeders (esp. from East- and South-East-European countries), transporting them to their own "kennel" - which is in fact not a kennel but a great departmentstore, all breeds from A - Z available, papers not correct, puppies health condition not correct and much more ........

And this "kennel" gives all the puppies, no matter where they originally come from, their kennelname - and to the harmless people who are interested into a puppy everything seems 
to be allright, they think all the puppies are bred there.

The owner of this institution did the same with cars (exporting them to Russia and other 
countries and most of the time by finding a way to avoid the time-consuming regular procedure - but remember: cars are cars = things without emotions and an animal is not a thing but an alive creature !!!

•   Remarks conc. STERN report so-called "Ammerreuth-kennel"
  

• 
  this is the judgment of a well-known cynologist from the University Kiel/Germany
  conc. Clif's expectations (social behavior that much influenced that no chances
  for a normal dogs life with the normal qualities of a "good bred and brought-up"
  dog are given due to the bad influences at the very sensitive times period of very 
  early age  ).
  
  
  Above I gave already a short view of what the story goes about.
  Because I can't make the complete article available to the English readers I will bring it into a brief form.
  
  Some important questions arose when getting knowledge of the matter, those are:
  
  1. Where is the Leo-puppy Clif Dunajska Luzna living now ?
  
  2. Is Clif the only puppy from the Dunajska Luzna kennel ?
  
  3. Because Clifs reaction where not quite normal, who are the other puppies in character / behaviour ?
  
  4. Which litters / puppies - Leonberger - from which kennel have been available (at that time and in the past)
  at the Ammerreuth-kennel and how came those puppies to Ammerreuth ?
  
  There is a very strict but very clear rule all the Clubs / breeders (Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, French) 
  have to stick to and this goes like that:
  
  No puppies must be sold to pet-stores, to pet-dealers e.g.
  if one would get knowledge of doing that
  this person would be kicked off from the club.
  
  Therefore the next questions have to be:
  
  1. Was Mr. M. Klacko - breeder Dunajska Luzna kennel, president of the Slowacja Club,
      involved - and if yes - which way ?
  
  2. If 1st would be "yes" there would be expected that due to the common rules for Leonberger breeders
      is reacted from those which have the power and responsibility to do so.
  
  3. If Mr. Klacko might be "innocent" on all this - and one must consider that too - he should get information about the
      whole story to find out who "played dirty tricks" at him (the person(s) which bought the puppies, in case the puppies
      where bought from the kennel directly)
  
  This knowledge would be of utmost importance to Mr. Klacko - or each breeder confrontated with such an situation 
  - to claim it's right on the puppies (selling-back) and to avoid furtherone such "bad experiences".
  
  But all the necessary reactions to proof his innocence on that "dirty business" to avoid furtherone bad experiences
  to "keep his reputation" on the good side depend on the fact of being informed about all that.
  
  As the dog magazines always warn people to buy puppies without knowing the parent dogs, to be very careful with buying puppies from East- and South-East-German countries all the above mentioned would be much more important - because it is an East-European country and kennel concerned.
  I would not mention puppy-prices because it's up to everybody how to spend the money ... information is available everywhere .... and surely there are also "good dogs and good breeders" from other cynolog. associations .... it not up to me to judge about this ... even if I must admit that this would explain why many people bought their puppies from the Ammerreuth-kennel (Ammerreuth-puppy 1000 DM - reg. breeders puppy might be 2000 DM or more).
  
  But I really don't like to talk about the money in this article - because some more questions arose, such as
  
  1. Did the Club (Germany - because report from German magazine) search out for
      background-information conc. this matter ?
  
  2. If yes, why was no "official statement" given to the members and breeders belonging to the German Club ?
  
  3. As Mr. Klacko is as well a member of the German Club (and Leonberger Union) was the story discussed within
      a "secret meeting" - where any solutions found (to avoid such happenings in the future) ?
  
  4. Unluckely - it was the year of the 150-birthday-celebration - and I must admit, this was an important event ..... and       even I am able to understand that such things be put in "second row" .... but to be put in "second row" very   
      often means "be put to be forgotten as some time had passed by" ..... and this I am hardly able to
      understand !!!
  
  
  Well - where do I took the right from to mention the story ?
  
  Where do I took the right from to expect the authorities to "bring some light" in this nightmare ?
  
  I am no member of the German Club (not any more after being one for 10,5 years and I know what I left for - for some very good reasons - but this doesn't belong to that story) - but I am somebody much more important
  
  I take myself the right from being a Leo-owner (since many years)
  being a Leo-Fancier (since many years)
  being with the dogs and being interested in the success of the breed
  
  not for money (I bred only 3 litters - and not at the time the story was "in"), not for being honoured (no position in the club), solely for the dog because this is the creature I love and this is the creature we all are responsible for .... and for the "sake of the Leonberger".
  I made this statement (even if I know that it bears the risk of "somewhat trouble" as I've got them before due to other statements I've made in the past)!
  
  If people would like to understand this as

                                                                    an affront / insult / accuse

                                 then - please - understand it as an accuse on behalf of the breed !

If one has found a "good" breeder and decided - 
after thinking it over thoroughly - to add a "4-legged kid" to the family 
this means being obliged for the dogs lifetime !!!

It takes as well a good breeder as a good owner to get a dog
one can live with in almost every situation ! 

            E. Steffen & Leos

January 1999