THE AGE OF ROVER A CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL HILL
by Susan Shephard
W ho would have thought that a semi-casual inquiry about using CH Wendessa Crown Prince in an already success- ful breeding program would have resulted in Michael Hill purchasing what has probably been the most pre- potent sire of the decade? After seeing Mr. Ed Jenner’s CH Wendessa Crown Prince at the Cana- dian Kennel Club Centennial Show in 1988, Michael Hill of Akarana Pekingese was rather impressed. “A grand and shapely body, firm and sturdy construction, and the desired tailset and carriage, and a great atti- tude.” Uncertain as to where to go for an outside breeding, as CH St Aubrey Laparata Dragon had died, Michael inquired about sending a bitch to Crown Prince. When asking about what Crown Prince had produced, Mr. Luc Boileu mentioned that he had sired a nice dog that had finished at the Chicago International Show with a Group Two. As Mr. Jenner and Mr. Boileu were keeping the litter sister, and concentrating on Crown Prince’s career, this young dog, CH Knolland Red Rover, would be staying home. At that time, Michael Hill asked if the dog might be available for sale. “….a few months later I met Luc under the tenting at a dog show and he pointed to the wire crate where the most beautiful, rich red dog was resting in a glorious cloud of coat and black fring- ing, intense pigment, and the blackest of eyes. I’ve never reached into my
pocket and given anyone a check so quickly in my life. Luc was sure that I should take him out for a walk first. I wasn’t… he might change his mind!” And, the Age of Rover began. What a classic pedigree this was! Six lines to Dragon in five generations through six DIFFERENT dogs, with the combinations of half brother- sister, grandsire-granddaughter, and a grandson-daughter. On paper, it was flawless. Simply from looking at the pedigree, one would assume that what Rover would produce [would be]
typical of his relatives. When Rover arrived in Canada, he had already sired two litters; Knolland Red Robin and Knolland Red Rueben, both des- tined to become champions and great producers in their own right, and what was to become Roger and Judy Sankey’s first homebred champions, Sanrae Second to None, Sanrae Head of the Class, and Sanrae Delta Dawn, all of which have gone on to produce champions. “I quickly realized that it was not that there were one or maybe two good puppies in a litter, but that “And, the Age of Rover began. WHAT A CLASSIC PEDIGREE THIS WAS! SIX LINES TO DRAGON IN FIVE GENERATIONS THROUGH SIX DIFFERENT DOGS, WITH
THE COMBINATIONS OF HALF BROTHER-SISTER,
GRANDSIRE-GRANDDAUGHTER, AND A GRANDSON-DAUGHTER. ON PAPER, IT WAS FLAWLESS.”
26 • T op N otch T oys , S eptember 2021
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