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Handsome,
as we call him, was born on May 27, 1983. His father is
Ch. Skansen's Der Figaro V. Kobuch, a top stud dog with
over 25 champion offspring. His mother is Ch. Skansen's
Exquisite V. Happy, the top producing Giant Schnauzer female
in our breed with 14 champions so far and several more getting
close. Exquisite's mother Kajsa was also a top producer
with 10 champions.
It
is rare that any dog is so well bred on both parent's sides
- two top producing lines combined. Handsome himself is
proving to be a top producer with 20 champion offspring
so far and he is only 4 years old.
When
he was a very young pup and his litter was graded I thought
he was an outstanding pup except for one thing, he was very
soft in top line. I could not make up my mind if he should
be sold as a pet because of the top line or if I should
grade him top show, gambling on his top line strengthening
as he got older. A brother of his, future Ch. Skansen's
Man O' War V. Winzel was graded show and sold to the East
Coast, later to win our silver anniversary show, and I decided
to keep Handsome till 9-10 months old and see how he developed.
Well
he just got better and better, his top line stronger and
stronger by good exercise and by the time he was 2 years
old he was the No. 1 male Giant in US.
Unfortunately
he was then forced to be retired and could not be shown
or bred for an entire year, due to an accident. He was given
heavy doses of antibiotics and cortisone for several months
to save his life and as a result lost all his hair. We did
not know if he would survive and if he did recover, would
he become sterile from all the drugs.
Luckily
he came through this horrible year in great shape. He is
now in top condition, is again siring a lot of outstanding
pups and in both 1986 and 1987 was one of the top ten Giants
in US despite very limited showing. He is also a top producer,
only 2nd to his half brother Ch.
Skansen's Gentleman Thief. Handsome is OFA cleared excellent,
which is a very rare grading for any Giant Schnauzer and
best of all he consistently throws good hips. In fact as
of this writing I am not aware of a single pup by him that
has developed hip dysplasia.
Handsome
is considered a very large Giant, he measures 28 inches
tall and weights approx. 120 lbs. His temperament is superb,
he loves life, people, other dogs (excepting our other stud
dogs). He is gentle with children and puppies and is 100%
trustworthy. Structurally he is very sound, with a lot of
bone and substance and he does have an exceptionally good
rear or hindquarters with a well - let down hock. He is
without question one of my all time favorites, as well as
the best stud dog after Thief.
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