Ripley
SABREFIELD ZIMPLY ZUPER
Malinois bitch, d.o.b. 15th April 2000
Fawn with black mask
Sire: Sabrefield Right On Cue CD Ex Dam: Sabrefield Quite A Story
Breeder: Liz Richardson
Hips: 5/6
KC Good Citizen Bronze, Silver and Gold awards
Passed Character assessment
Works in obedience and has many excellent confirmation show results inc. at Crufts.
9 Best of Breed and several Reserve BOB, Best Bitch, Reserve Best Bitch, Best Veteran etc,
at both Open and Championship shows; all breed and breed shows.
** CLICK HERE to see Ripley's travels ! **
My daughter Rebecca's funny card about Ripley. All her own work -card and ratings!
Photo with Tosca the cat by www.photocat.co.uk
FROM PUPPYHOOD UNTIL NOW:
The Belgian Shepherd Dog -Malinois.
A very rare breed in England, and only suitable for few.
Used as police dogs, army dogs, sniffer dogs etc, the
Malinois needs to work.
I first came across the breed in the USA.
I have always tended to prefer softer breeds of dog,
with long fur and floppy ears.
The Malinois certainly does not match that description !
But when I felt I needed a tougher breed who could
help guard the house and one which I could work in obedience,
then the choice was easy.
I was lucky enough to be put in touch with Liz Richardson
of the famous Sabrefield Kennels.
I was even luckier to be offered a puppy.
I had bought puppies many times in the past, and the
usual questions you face from breeders are
"Do you want the dog as a pet or for showing as well ?"
This was different, because the Malinois is different !
The question was "What kind of work do you intend to do?"
My answer was, of course, obedience.
I may never reach the obedience ring at Crufts, but I
have a LOT of fun training my dogs, and even after having
attended dog training classes for over 20 years I still
learn more every week.
Above is a picture of my son Benjamin, then just 5 months old, and I trying to chose
a puppy.
I believe it took me nearly 4 hours, but in the end I picked this puppy.
I wanted to pick a puppy on temperament only,
wanting a bold and strong dog,
and this one was forward and came to ME.
When she walked over to Benjamin in his car seat and put
her head on his lap, I knew she was the one.
She barked for 2 hours non-stop on the long journey home.
She was not afraid or lonely, just angry at being restrained in a car cage !
This puppy needed a name suitable for a tough bitch.
The suggestion of RIPLEY came up -after the Alien movies.
Sigourney Weaver's character certainly was a TOUGH BITCH !!
Here is Ripley at 10 weeks of age.
Ripley soon made friends with Emma the Golden Retriever, then a year old.
It did not take Ripley long to overpower Emma, although in a friendly way !!
Ripley at 10 weeks.
She has never been allowed on the furniture but was placed on the
couch for her photograph to be taken !
One ear still had not decided whether it wanted to be up or down.
Here Ripley is 6 months old and already almost adult size !
Ripley at 18 months of age.
Although I had kept and trained a lot of dogs over almost 20 years of
time, and believed I was prepared for a Malinois, Ripley still
came as a bit of a shock to me.
I HAVE NEVER MET SUCH A STUBBORN DOG BEFORE !
(Nor one so IMPOSSIBLE to tire out.)
I knew I would NEVER give up on training her,
but she proved to be a hundred times more hard work
than any of my previous dogs.
Ripley wanted to be in charge, and of course
I had to prove to her - kindly! - that I was the boss
and nobody else.
It took a LOT of hard work, both at dog training classes
and private lessons -thanks to my friend Violet Hurd
of Man's Best Friend Dog Training Club.
IT ALL PAID OFF.
I cannot imagine ever being without Ripley now.
She is my dream dog, my dog of a life time.
She is extremely loyal to me and anybody that she considers to be
part of her pack or family.
She is eager to please, fast and accurate, although we still have
to work hard and practice a lot.
We haven't quite mastered retrieves yet -she considers
that to be work for the Goldens !
All she would retrieve initially was a yellow toy chicken !
We have now progressed to a furry toy mouse !
Ripley is also a very good guard dog, and is very
protective. She will let anybody she knows as well
as show judges and vets handle her -and she'll happily greet
strangers away from home, especially if they offer her liver !
But if anybody dares to go near her or us without
being invited to, especially at home, Ripley will get angry.
Yes the Malinois is a tough breed,
but it can also be very loving and friendly and above all LOYAL -
in the right hands. I feel very honoured to own a Malinois.
Ripley even chose my second husband. She told me John was a nice person and
liked him from day one, which is not her usual style at all.
This is one of my favourite pictures of Ripley, when she is looking in at
me inside the shed where I was seeing to my hamsters.
Ripley goes to shows too. The Sabrefield dogs have an impressive record.
Ripley's mother was Best of Breed at Crufts in 2000.
Her aunt Gabby (Sabrefield Raring To Go CDex) was BOB at Crufts 2001 AND 2003.
In June 2001 Ripley was graded "excellent" at the Northern BSD Club's
Championship Show, by a French judge.
In September 2001, she was awarded her first ever FIRST at a championship show.
There has since been MANY more awards.
She was shown at Crufts 2002.
(In fact she qualified 4 times in 2001.)
Next she qualified for Crufts 2003.
Here we are in the ring at Crufts in 2002, waiting our turn.
She also passed the KC Good Citizen Dog Test Bronze Award at the Darlington
Championship Show in September 2001, and the Silver award in May 2002 -whilst 7 weeks pregnant!
(Read her puppy story on Maligold page.)
In November 2003 she finally got the chance to go for Gold -
and passed the KC Good Citizen GOLD test -alongside Dandy and Arnie.
Ripley in early 2002.
Headstudy of Ripley, taken at a show in October 2002.
We have come to realise that Ripley handles best for John,
so he now handles her at all the shows.
Here they are in the ring at Crufts in March 2003.
Ripley was placed third !
A moment of a life time for us !
Another moment of a life time came on the 2nd of August 2003,
when Ripley and I took part in a real obedience show for the first time,
at the Northern Belgian Shepherd Dog Club's Championship show.
We came FIRST out of 6 with only 1 and 3/4 of a point lost!
(Pre-beginners.)
The next day she was once again graded Excellent in a show, by a Dutch judge.
During 2003, Ripley qualified for Crufts no less than 6 times.
Guess who was placed FIRST at Crufts 2004 ?!
1st in Malinois Bitch KC Good Citizen -the first time this class had been held.
3rd in Post Graduate Malinois Bitch.
What a day !!
The pictures didn't come out very well.
But if you have QuickTime, you can view this little movie of Ripley and
John in the ring at Crufts:
http://www.goldmali.co.uk/cruftsmovie.html
Broadband best connection!
Dial up will take several minutes.
Next came the Belgian Shepherd Dog Association's open show in April 2004.
Ripley was Best Bitch and Reserve Best of Breed!
In October 2004, at The Northern BSD Club's open show,
Ripley was BEST OF BREED.
She now (2004) has won a total of 2 BOB and 4 Reserve BOB.
She was also Best in Show at a Companion Show summer 2004.
*Ripley had Malinois puppies in April 2005! See HERE *
How did we get Ripley to pose so well?
She was watching a hamster!!
After the puppies in 2005, Ripley was away from shows for several months.
At her first show when she returned, she was BOB.
Then Rambo started beating her, getting both RBOB and BOB above his mum !!
Photo by Lewis Baucutt in 2005
In April 2006, Ripley had her final litter of pups. See HERE. After the litter in 2006 she
was BOB and Group4 at two open shows the same weekend!
Further BOB in February 2007 -I am losing track of the numbers now, need to count them up........
With Rio (left) at Crufts Discover Dogs.
The next day at Crufts, in the show. (No she didn't do much this year.)
7 years old and officially a veteran !
"How long do I have to sit and stare at this cake? Hurry up with those photos!"
"Aaaahhhh!"
So far, Ripley has won all breed veteran classes she has been entered in. See the news page for show wins.
Ripley September 2007 in front of our new home.
She's just looking better and better with age.
Not even much greying of the muzzle yet
This photo took Best in Show in October 2007 at the Northern Belgian Shepherd Dog Club's photo competition.
Do I look cute? September 2007.
Okay, what am I supposed to do with a HAMSTER??
What do you mean Malinois don't like cats?
It took my owner 8 years to breed a kitten of this colour so I better look after him !
Ripley (front) with her son Z, early January 2008.
A bad cut on the leg in Janaury 2008. Ginny keeping Ripley company.
Thankfully it looks like Ripley is healing just fine.
It has its advantages having a poorly leg. It's far more comfortable in the living room than in the kitchen.
Working at Discover Dogs at Crufts 2008. Rio, Ripley, Z.
Ripley and family at Crufts 2008, where Ripley got a first. Left to right: Rio, Z, Ripley.
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?
Snow, Easter 2008.