Alida

Memories of a True Friend

I first heard about Alida from Jens Kollenberg when he was in America for the Westminster Show in 1986. Jens was saying how much better he thought the bitch he had in Germany was than anything he had seen here in America. Of course, he and I didn't hit it off too well. So we ended up in a little bit of controversy right off the bat.

But Jen's confidence and how good he thought Alida was took my curiosity to the max--I flew to Germany to see her and her get. What was really convincing was seeing her and her kids (who were about 6 months old at the time, sired by Int/Ger/Spanish Ch Ebo vd Groote Maat, SchH 1). They were without a doubt the most impressive pups I had ever seen. Alida herself was just breathtaking, with an exquisite head and expression and an air about her--she strutted as she walked. I instantly fell in love with her.

I started trying to negotiate to buy her; she really wasn't for sale, so it was quite a struggle. At that time she only had a SchH 1 degree and had just gone Bundessiegerin (meaning she was best Doberman bitch in Germany in 1985).

To make a long story short, I worked out a deal where I would purchase Alida, but only after she had a SchH 3 title. Needless to say, she earned her SchH 3 within 8 weeks--which is easy to believe because she was that type of dog, quick to learn and a very sensitive and willing worker.

Living with Alida was a great pleasure; she was the easiest dog to live with I had ever been around. She was tough but controlled. She gave you the confidence that she could literally do anything you asked her to do, and that she would want to do it. I could leave the house with the greatest confidence that there wasn't a soul who was going to walk through that door without Alida voicing a heavy objection; yet my children and grandchildren could run in and out at will. Alida had the ability to discriminate.

Alida was not perfect. But she had strong instincts and drives and passed those qualities (together with physical beauty) to her children and grandchildren. She was, without a doubt, one of the breed's greatest of all time. I don't say that because she was my closest friend, but because of everything she has done and everything she stands for. She represents a long line of producers: her mother, herself, her sons and daughters and now her grandchildren. It's something that's in the genes that stamps their get one or two notches above everyone else around them. Her offspring are successfully represented on every continent and in 28 countries, as show dogs, working dogs and outstanding producers. She was only bred 3 times, yet her impact on the breed has been tremendous. The ability to produce quality in quantity--that's depth of pedigree.

I bred Alida twice; first to Ch. Electra's the Windwalker and last Ch. Akela's the Vindicator , to blend together the best of the best, offering the American public a high quality alternative.

I have Alida's offspring, including Skeeter (Ch. Cara's Skeeter, SchH 1, ZTP-V1A ROM CAC), a double grandson, around me all the time, and they are all special to me. But Alida was my "once in a lifetime dog," my best friend and teacher. Alida lived her life as an example of excellence.

Pedigree