Affenpinscher. Jerome Cushman
the modern influential breeding programs is this author’s own Hilane kennels. Starting with a Kamehameha son, Ch. Sharpette’s Tiny Tim, and a female from the Stoewsands, Ch. El Cocagi Wunder Dame v. Hilane, the Hilane Affenpinschers are included in many breeding programs in North America, England, Australia, France, Sweden, Poland and Finland.
Two females from Tiny Tim and Wunder Dame won Toy Groups in the early 1980s. One of these daughters was Ch. Hilane Dress Circle Best Bet, owned and exhibited by Patricia Dresser and her daughter Dr. Christine Dresser of Medina, Ohio. Best Bet won the Toy Group from the Puppy Class at the prestigious Detroit Kennel Club Dog Show in 1980. The Dressers added several more Hilane Affens to their kennel. A black and tan, Ch. Hilane’s Dress Circle Sunray, out of Lonesome Cowboy, sired one of the top all-breed Best in Show-winning dogs, Ch. Dress Circle Good Grrief. This wonderful show dog won ten all-breed BISs handled by the well-known dog aficionado and AKC dog show official Tom Glassford. In 1989 Ch. Dress Circle Grrease Monkey, co-owned and shown by Dani Rosenberry, won the national specialty under judge James Cavallaro. Another of their breeding, Ch. Dress Circle Grrilla, owned by Connie and Marvin Clapp, won an all-breed Best in Show. Connie Clapp has been active in the breed club and is an AKC judge.
National specialty winner Ch. Dress Circle Grrease Monkey, co-owned and shown by Dani Rosenberry.
The winner of the first two AKC-licensed national Affenpinscher specialties in 1986 and 1987, the fourth Affen to win an all-breed Best in Show and, to date, all-time top-producing sire is Ch. Hilane’s Lonesome Cowboy, bred, owned and shown by Jerome Cushman. His progeny continue to be the top-winning and top-producing Affenpinschers in North America and England. Cowboy’s sire was Ch. El Cocagi’s Wilhelm. Among the other notable Hilane Affenpinschers are Ch. Hilane’s Lili Marlene, Cowboy’s dam, who won Best of Breed at a supported entry under the late judge Herr Hans Holler, who at the time was president of the German PSK (Pinscher Schnauzer Club), and Ch. Hilane’s I’ll Be Jiggered, who was a top winner and supported-entry breed winner under Edith Nash Hellerman in 1981. Both Lili and Jiggers were co-owned by William Beskie and Bonnie Sue (Beskie) Ross. Bonnie Sue Ross was an ardent Affenpinscher enthusiast and worked as the secretary for the Affenpinscher Club of America when the AKC first formally recognized this club and when the first revised breed standard was accepted in 1990. Jiggers, bred to Ch. El Cocagi’s Panda Bear, produced some important males who have contributed greatly to the breed. One of them was Ch. Hilane’s Oberon of Wicksteed, owned by Vicki Garrett-Knill.
All-breed BIS winner Ch. Dress Circle Grrilla, owned by Connie and Marvin Clapp.
Ch. Hilane’s I’ll Be Jiggered, co-owned by William Beskie and Bonnie (Beskie) Ross, produced a number of top sires for the breed.
Ch. Hilane’s Reggie White, owned by Jerome Cushman.
Bred, owned and handled by author Jerome Cushman, Ch. Hilane’s Marlane was the first group-placing Affenpinscher with natural ears and tail.
Another important Affen was Ch. Hilane’s Procyon, owned by Peter Fine and Ramona Martinez Fine. This dog, called “Al,” along with Lonesome Cowboy’s son Ch. Hilane’s Alpha Centauri, became the foundation sires for the Osgood Farm’s Affenpinschers. Their first female was Ch. Wyn Willow Sirius from Bonnie Sellner. The most notable offspring of Ch. Hilane’s Alpha Centauri and Ch. Wyn Willow Sirius was the multiple Best in Show-winning Ch. Osgood Farm’s Bull Market. “Bully” was shown by both Ramona Fine and Maripi Wooldridge and won the 1990 national specialty. He was the sire of several champions including the top-winning show dogs, Ch. Osgood Farm’s Mighty Mouse. Dr. and Mrs. Brian Shack from Long Island, New York owned “Mouse.” This specialty and multiple BIS winner was shown first by Robert Fisher and later by the famous dog handler Peter Green. Mouse placed twice in the Toy Group at the prestigious Westminster Dog Show. He has gone on to produce several champions. Ch. Terian’s Black Storm Rising is one of special note. The Shacks’ dogs included some of Nancy Bryant’s Rosehill females in their Terian breeding program. Dr. Shack passed away in 2004.
In 1988 the first female to win a national Affenpinscher specialty was Ch. Ken-Jo’s Little Affen Annie, bred by Ken and Josephine Harkins and owned by Barbara Sayres. This granddaughter of both Kamehameha and of top-producing Ch. El Cocagi’s Vampira was Mrs. Sayres’s first Affenpinscher. Soon Barbara and her husband Richard, who was from a well-known dog-showing family that specialized in Kerry Blue Terriers, became very involved with the breed. They bred Annie to Ch. Hilane’s Lonesome Cowboy, which was the start of the Gibbs Pond Affenpinschers. Later, the Sayreses purchased a female from Vicki Garrett-Knill, Ch. Wicksteed Cuddler of Gibbs Pond. Their Gibbs Pond kennel moved from Long Island to Maryland and later to Florida, where the Sayreses have retired from showing.
Ken and Josephine Harkins, also from Long Island, started their Affen program with the Mountain View dogs acquired from Dave and Marjorie Saylor. The Harkinses have produced some very fine black and red Affenpinschers including Ch. Ken-Jo’s Little Affen Annie’s red litter sister, Ch. Ken-Jo Ginger Schnapps.
In 1988 Ch. Ken-Jo’s Little Affen Annie became the first female to win the national specialty. She was owned by Barbara A. Sayres of the Gibbs Pond kennels and bred by Ken and Josephine M. Harkins.
In Connecticut Sharon and Richard Strempski, long-time breeders and founding members of the Affenpinscher Club of America, have their Vroni Kleine kennel. They began with the Aff-Kins lines along with dogs imported from Germany. Later they exported to Germany and England. Sharon has judged Affens in the US and England.
In New Hampshire Nancy E. Holmes’s FMK lines produced World and Am. Ch. FMK’s Zulu of Hilane, who was number-one Affenpinscher in 1989. He was sold to fanciers in Sweden and later went to new owners in New Zealand. The “Flying Monkey Kennel” (hence FMK) now has added some German lines to the breeding program and has exported a number of dogs to Europe.
Nancy Baybutt’s Sienna Gold kennel in Massachusetts, using Flo-Star, Doch’s, Terian and Hilane lines, has been producing some excellent Affenpinschers for a number of years.
Ch. Yarrow’s Super Nova, pictured winning the Group at Westminster in 2002. Owned by Dr. and Mrs. William Truesdale, “Cosmos” was the first Affenpinscher to accomplish this feat. Cosmos was bred by Beth K. Sweigart and Letisha Wubbel.
With the passing of Flo Strohmaier in October 2005, an over 50-year breeding program came to an end. However, Mary Ann and Shirley Welch in Santa Paula, California are continuing the Flo-Star lines and have shown and finished a large number of the Flo-Star dogs in recent years.
IMPORTANT AFFENPINSCHERS OF THE MODERN ERA
Ch. Hilane’s Solar Eclipse was born May 9, 1991 and died September 11, 2004. Solar was bred and owned by Jerome Cushman and Frederick Nuernberg. Solar was one of three puppies in the litter. His rather unique color inspired his name. On his neck, shoulders and flanks he had a dark red undercoat with a black overlay of hard coat. Many times he has thrown this characteristic coat color. He was Winners Dog under judge Sari Brewster Tietjen at the national specialty in 1992.
His brother Ch. Hilane’s Seth Thomas, owned by Carolyn (Garrity) Hamilton, won the national specialty in 1993 under judge Lois Wolf White. His sister Ch. Hilane’s Au Naturel was