| We
first saw Salukis at Crufts 1973, we had to wait for two years
for the dream to come true until we bought our first home
and got married in spring 1975. |
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Salyda
Samarrah of Altaya
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We
managed to track down a 16 week old puppy bitch who
had been due to go to Greece, but the sale had
fallen through, her name was Salyda Samarrah and we eventually
added our affix to her name. She
was sired by Ch Yazid Burydown Yehudi out of Montravia Tamarella who was of Tahawi and Daxlore ancestry. Samarrah came home with us from Sussex while Elaine
was still living with her parents, she was without doubt the most
intelligent Saluki we have ever owned and soon learnt numerous
words, she was very naughty and wreaked absolute havoc in
the garden, jumping over every fence or enclosure we
erected to keep her away from the carefully tended flowers. She
was very mischievous and loved to steal personal things from
people she liked, we lived near Epping Forest and when we let her
off the lead she often used to take herself home when she felt
like it, much to our horror. We asked a neighbour to call in and
look after her on the day we got married but Samarrah was not impressed
with this idea and hid under a bed. |
| Our
second bitch was Sedeki Malake (Int Ch Jen Araby Mahal Bey of Sedeki
ex the smooth Sedeki Eddea) she was a gentle and placid mahogany
grizzle who gave us a lot of pleasure in the nearly 11 years we
owned her, although she was never shown or bred from. |
Samarrah
had one litter sired by Yazid Rashid 1CC a black fringed red
son of Ch Almanza Kafiat and Ch Yazid
Burydown
Vasara. Two cream bitches went to a home together and we soon learnt how heartbreaking breeding could be when
one was run over and killed at just 10 months
old, the remaining cream Camilla is pictured at 11 years
old.
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Altaya
Camilla
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Bedouin
Irian Jaya of Altaya
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The
year after our first litter was born we purchased Bedouin Irian
Jaya from Jean
James.
Jaya
was a very feminine bitch with a beautiful
outline sired
by Ch Geldara Corin ex Bedouin Elvi, a Ch Burydown Valmiki daughter. |
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Jaya
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| When
Samarrah was nearly 12 years old a tumour on her spleen ruptured
and it was estimated that she lost nearly three quarters of her
blood. Our vet held out little hope but agreed to try and operate.
Several times during surgery they thought they had lost her but
she clung on to life and came home almost against all odds and
died in her fifteenth year. Samarrah really was a special Saluki
and we felt that we grew up with her as we were only in our early
twenties when she came into our life. |
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Dasuki,
Danae, Daniel and Deimus of Gingerberry
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Our
second litter was from Samarrah's black fringed fawn
daughter Altaya
Circe sired by Ch Timotheus
of Chandav, our D litter pictured with us and Vivienne Davis
at White Cottage
Kennels in 1982, we got more interested in showing at this time
and were able to start going to shows Dasuki
and Danae gained their JWs and Daniel was a Ch Show winner, Deimus
became the first Ch we bred as well as winning his JW, he was owned
by Sandy Austin but sadly he died at an early age |
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Ch
Altaya Deimus of Gingerberry JW 1982-1985
from a painting by the late Diane Merchant Giles
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| Dasuki
hated shows but had many of the qualities we had hoped to gain
from the Chandavs and we mated him to Jaya to give us our first
Champion Messalina. Unfortunately we never managed to mate
either Messalina or Danae who lived to be nearly 16 years old, but our
line continued through Altaya Mariamne 2ccs. |
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Ch
Altaya Messalina 1985-1999
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Mariamne at
7 years with her daughter Ch Altaya Lachesis at 2 years by Ch Mumtaz Camelot of Saruk
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The
7 litters we have bred over thirty years have produced
9 Champions and several other CC winners. |
