Dedicated to Ned Sengpiel
A True Dog Man and Friend, We Miss You
In 1985 a
good thing happened to the Small Munsterlander breed in North America. Ned
Sengpiel, life long dog enthusiast, competitor, hunter, and breeder read an
article about the Small Munsterlander Pointer that appeared in Gun Dog
magazine. The article was written by then Breed Warden (now Registrar of the
Small Munsterlander Club of North America, Inc.) Paul Jensen. Having been
involved with 18 different breeds over six decades, Mr. Sengpiel knew dogs. The
article inspired him to acquire his first two Small Munsterlanders. But before
going into the story, a bit about the Sengpiel Small Munsterlanders.
Fero
The Sengpiel Small Munsterlanders are the only true line of Small Munsterlanders in North America. Applying the line-breeding principles of Lloyd Brackett, "Mr. German Shepard", as were presented in a series of articles he wrote in the early 1960's in Dog World magazine, and later collectively published as a booklet called Planned Breeding, Ned and June Knowlton-Sengpiel developed a distinct line of the Small Munsterlander that is without equal. The dogs are known to be of outstanding temperament, hunting abilities and conformation. The Sengpiel dogs are very typically white with brown plates or cape, and having little or no ticking. They are unequalled in hunt testing, and one could say are the most proven line of Small Munsterlanders in North America. However, this would not be an entirely accurate statement, as there really aren't any other true lines of dogs produced from careful line breeding. Certain American breeders have bred Small Munsterlanders for some time, but have not apparently concentrated on fixing the genotype through a planned line-breeding program.
Even if other lines are claimed to exist, none has been proven at the level of the Sengpiel line. The success of the Sengpiel breeding program is represented in the NAVHDA test records. To highlight the accomplishments of the Sengpiel dogs, consider this: by the year 2000, eight Small Munsterlanders had earned a Prize I in NAVHDA Utility Tests. Five of the eight are Sengpiel dogs. Jeiko vom Jakobsbrunnen "Fritz" was the first Small Munsterlander Pointer to earn a Prize I in the NAVHDA Utility Test and ran in the Invitational at ten years of age! The first female Small Munsterlander to qualify for, and run in the Invitational was Aryan v. O'Meara/Sengpiel. A total of six Small Munsterlanders have run in the Invitational Tests in 1996, 1998 and 2000. They included Fritz and four of his offspring: Aryan v. O'Meara/Sengpiel (Aryan), Brendan Boy v. O'Meara/Sengpiel (Buddy Boy), Bridgetanne v. O'Meara/Sengpiel (Jaegerin), and Andreas v. O'Meara/Sengpiel (Hans). Hans and Aryan are littermates, and all of these outstanding dogs are full brothers and sisters from two breedings of Fritz and Blanka. Fritz was imported from Germany as a puppy. At 14 years of age, Fritz was named as Dog of the Decade by the Small Munsterlander Club of North America, Inc. Refer to the article for a discussion of his accomplishments. Hans is the first Small Munsterlander Pointer to pass the Invitational Test to become a Versatile Champion. These accomplishments are at the very highest level of versatile dog testing in the world.
How did this happen? With a new interest and a lifetime of dog
knowledge, Mr. Sengpiel believed that to develop the best line he could, he
would have to acquire the highest quality breeding stock available. He wanted
to acquire two dogs of outstanding ability and conformation without themselves
being closely related. In late 1985 he began to explore getting two dogs from
Germany. He did not want to purchase unproven puppies, rather desired to
purchase adult dogs that had already passed the German Kleine Munsterlander
club field and conformation tests.
Catja and Fero
Making contact with a German breeder, Gregor Schmidt who was a relative of someone Ned worked with, did not immediately prove fruitful. The Sengpiels turned to a long-time friend, General Andrew O'Meara. General O'Meara had spent considerable time in Germany and had the proper contacts in canine circles. General O'Meara put the Sengpiels in touch with Dale Richardson, a breeder of Drahthaars living in Germany. At first reluctant to take on the job of finding suitable dogs for the Sengpiels, Mr. Richardson agreed after Mr. Sengpiel said that he would pay all of his expenses up front. Mr. Sengpiel commissioned him with the instructions to find the best male and female dogs he could find. The reward was in Fero vom Lohebeeke, VGP I, 320 points and Catja vom Brunnenweg, VGP I, 305 points. The German VGP test is roughly the equivalent of the NAVHDA Utility Test. These were proven dogs. They arrived in Kewaskum, Wisconsin in late 1986. Shortly thereafter, the German breeder, Gregor Schmidt contacted the Sengpiels offering him an outstanding young puppy. Since the Sengpiels had their foundation breeding stock, or so they thought, getting this young dog would not prove too big of a risk. In March 1987, Jeiko vom Jakobsbrunnen "Fritz" also moved to the land of beer, cheese, and two German Small Munsterlanders. The stage was now set.
Fritz
Fero was a regal dog, demanding the attention of any dog or human in the same field. From his simple presence, it was clear he was top dog. The field was his. Fero was rather big, at the top of the height standard, well boned and muscled with a strong chest. He was an outstanding marker of shot birds. Great nose, tracking, pointing and search, he had it all. Good disposition and able to take the rather demanding training used at the time. With his white body, brown plates and plumed tail, he was a beautiful dog. As good as Fero was, Catja was Ned's favorite. Why? She was steady. Day in and day out her performance never wavered. She also had outstanding abilities and a gentle and loving disposition. Together they were a pair without equal.
The breedings of Fero and Catja produced
some excellent dogs such as Ari v. Krieger, Blanka v. Krieger and Anna v.
Sengpiel. Blanka was mated to Fritz. It was from this first mating that the
Sengpiels knew they had hit on the right combination. Fritz and Blanka produced
the four Prize I Utility dogs discussed above. Anna was bred to a Danish
import, Koko Hans Chivas, to produce Alexis of Green Acres. The mating of
Alexis of Green Acres to Fritz produced Ajac v. Ammerrel "Barney".
Barney also produced many outstanding dogs, including at least one NAVHDA
Breeder's Award for Huntills "A" litter. Barney was also mated to
Augusta v. O'Meara/Sengpiel "Auggie" (from Fritz X Blanka), that
produced Asta v. O'Meara/Sengpiel "Daisy".
Aryan, Fritz, and Hans
It should be mentioned that not all of the Sengpiel dogs carry the Sengpiel name exclusively. The Sengpiels used the O'Meara name to honor his good friend Stephen O'Meara. Ari v. Krieger and Blanka v. Krieger were bred by Ned and June Sengpiel, but the litters were named with another breeder's name as the Sengpiels desired to remain somewhat annonymous. In fact, during their early Munsterlander years, the dogs were generally known to be those of their trainer, Mr. Ray Sommers. Whatever their names, the Sengpiel line is without equal in North America, and it all began with the three German dogs known as Fero, Catja, and Fritz.
The Sengpiels are currently offering stud service and frozen semen. Click on the linked text for more information.
Gunwood Kennel is pleased to be able to carry on the Sengpiel line. We are delighted to have the opportunity, and we are dedicated to perpetuating the Sengpiel Small Munsterlanders. Our thanks to Ned and June for breeding these fine dogs, and for their assistance and friendship.
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© 1999 - 2007 J. Turner. All rights reserved.
Updated February 17, 2007
Sengpiel Stud Dogs