Dommerpresentasjon Deric Aube, Z'Bee Salukis, USA

I live with my wife Trina and Pierson, our 14 year old son, in rural Michigan which is in the Midwestern part of the United States. We share our home with six homebred Z’Bee Salukis. I have served two terms as President of the American Saluki Association and currently serve as President of the Huron Valley Saluki Club.

I clearly remember the day Trina and I were watching group judging at an all-breed show when into the ring came this outrageously beautiful creature. The sight of this animal – the way she commanded attention and knew she was better than all the other dogs around her – confirmed to us in an instant that we must have a Saluki! There was no turning back, and we fell head over heels in love with this fantastically unique breed. I developed an obsession with studying the history of the Saluki, and begged Saluki breeders and fanciers to share pictures, articles, and publications with me. Now, twenty years later, I have an extensive photo and publication collection that I constantly update and use as a reference and guide.

We soon made a trip to Canada to purchase our first Saluki, Am Can Ch Borghan Crown Blue’s Zayeed BIF. Zabee was our teacher in many ways, and we savored his accomplishments in the show ring, on the lure coursing field, and as a producer. Our kennel name is a tribute to this wonderful Saluki. Our second Saluki, from Tom and Judy Lauer’s Desert Rose Salukis, was from the much anticipated breeding of their beautiful Cleo Ch. Batal Capriole Desert Rose to Ch. Mata Salamata’s Jadaan Khan in Germany. This puppy was our handsome Am Can Ch. Desert Rose El Qahira Z’Bee. Qahir easily finished his championships and is best-known, perhaps, through his daughter, owned by the Lauers, the National Specialty BIS winner, Ch. Desert Rose Marrakesh. He produced several outstanding offspring as well. Alura, Ch. Z’Bee Alura Sundown, was a gift to us from Beverly Griffith and was sired by her wonderful specialty winner, Ch. Clarinda Sunna Sarea Bashir out of the Black’s Ch. Sundown Daraya. This famous litter produced several top winners – Alura, Treasure, Tip, Tyler, and Dasha. Alura always was a very special girl and we fulfilled many dreams together. Her quality easily earned her a place among the top Salukis of 1999.

Alura was our foundation bitch. She was bred to Ch. Mata Salamata’s Aga Khan, via frozen semen, and produced the first Z’Bee litter, a single male puppy, our beloved Khannor, Ch. Z’Bee’s Khantinental Khannor. Khannor earned many awards and we are very proud of his Best in Show at the competitive Ontario Sighthound weekend. We bred Alura a second time to Ch. Reignbeau’s Don’t Mess With Texas, and this resulted in an all-champion litter. Their accomplishments are many, and they have won at American and Canadian Saluki specialties. These littermates also have gone on to produce some lovely Salukis, including National Specialty winner Ch. Reignbeau’s Feather In Her Cap, sired by Alura’s son, Houston. We are very proud that all of our Salukis are direct descendents of Zabee, Qahir, and Alura. We see their quality and beauty in the generations that have followed, and we value the consistency of type and soundness they produced.

I applied for my judging license in 2005 and have had the pleasure of judging Salukis in several venues across the United States. I have enjoyed each judging experience and find it to be yet another means of expressing my love and passion for the breed. I am also licensed to judge Afghan Hounds and I anticipate adding more breeds in the future.

Judging in Norway will be my first opportunity to evaluate Salukis outside the US, and I appreciate and look forward to this assignment. To be in the center of a ring surrounded by Salukis is a wonderful experience, one that I cherish and consider a privilege each time I enter the ring. While I have discovered that dogs do look different inside the ring than they do from the outside, when judging I simply look for the best Saluki. Personal preferences and past experiences all play a part in forming my decisions, but I firmly believe that Salukis are a diverse breed and I welcome the variations our standard allows. Movement is an important part of my evaluation and handlers in my ring tend to get a lot of exercise! I cannot make projections as to what my winners on any day will look like or what color they may be but I can promise that I will give my fair and honest opinion of every dog I judge, and that I will make every effort to insure it is a pleasant experience for both hounds and handlers.

I am very grateful for your invitation to judge in Norway and eagerly anticipate seeing you and your beautiful Salukis.

Deric Aube