ABOUT US
INTRODUCTION Mikudi is the kennel name of Mike and Judi Tempest in Northern Ireland. It is a combination of two top kennels from their pasts - Mike was formerly a partner in the Alilah kennel in England, and Judi Andrew as she then was, owned the Snoroma kennel in Northern Ireland. Mike's first show dog in partnership was an Afghan Hound purchased in 1969 and first shown in 1970. One of the Afghans won up to reserve CC level. An Irish Water Spaniel was added, and a dog was bred that won 3 CCs but could not be awarded the champion title as two of the CCs were from the same judge. Unfortunately the dog was involved in a road accident and could not finish his title. Mike has also owned Tibetan Spaniels. Judi started in Pyrenean Mountain Dogs in 1973 and made up an Irish Champion dog and a bitch that won 2 GB CCs. She has also owned German Shepherd Dogs and Lhasa Apsos. However the main interest of both Mike and Judi has been Tibetan Terriers. While at Alilah, Mike was the joint owner and/or breeder of 30 UK TT champions and 7 overseas TT champions. As Snoroma, Judi made up 2 Irish TT champions and had started off 4 others before Mikudi was established. Jointly as Mikudi, they finished the champions that Judi had started and have owned and/or bred 10 Irish TT Champions and 2 UK champions in the last 5 years. They have been consistently making up champions since 1978 and 1979 respectively. Between them over 50 titles in Tibetan Terriers is indeed a very remarkable achievement. A full list is given in the Roll of Honour. Mike and Judi's enormous experience of Tibetan Terriers (nearly 30 years) is coupled with experience of owning and breeding several other breeds. Both Mike and Judi are TT championship show judges - Mike approved by the UK Kennel Club and Judi by the Irish Kennel Club. Mike has also judged at Championship level in Holland, Finland and Australia, and at Club Open Show level in Sweden. Both have extensive experience of judging other breeds at Open Shows, including Groups and Best in Show. Mike is also the author of the TTA Illustrated Breed Standard. THE GEOGRAPHY OF BRITISH AND IRISH SHOWING It is often difficult for those not familiar with the circumstances to understand the "political" geography of the British and Irish show scenes. Northern Ireland, where the home of Mikudi is, is politically part of the United Kingdom, in just the same way that England, Wales and Scotland are. All the championship shows in these four regions come under the jurisdiction of The Kennel Club London, and champions are therefore UK Champions (there is no such thing as an English Champion or a Northern Irish Champion). UK Champion is often stated as "British Champion" and abbreviated to GB Ch. Dogs become GB champions by winning three Challenge Certificates (CC) under three different judges. The Republic of Ireland is a totally different and independent state, where the dog game is governed by the Irish Kennel Club (IKC). Here the title Irish Champion (Ir.Ch.) is awarded. The best dog and best bitch at Championship Shows win Green Stars (GS), each GS acquiring a certain number of points depending on how many dogs/bitches are present at the show. A 5-point GS is known as a "major", and to become Ir. Ch. a dog has to win a total of 40 GS points, which must include 4 major Green Stars. Two shows each year are International Shows at which CACIBs are awarded. Four of these make a dog International Champion (Int. Ch.). Geographically, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are attached in one island land area, and free movement of dogs is allowed between these two regions, as it is allowed between Ireland and Britain. Most of the showing for Northern Ireland exhibitors is done in the Republic of Ireland, as this involves only a car journey. However, serious exhibitors from all Ireland also exhibit in Britain, but this involves expensive air travel or ferries across the sea, and therefore it may only be for shows like Crufts or a Breed Club Championship Show. BREEDING LINES Mike's
interest in TTs started when he saw GB Ch. Dokham Cavarodossi of Tintavon at Leeds
Championship Show in the early 1970s. A daughter of Cavarodossi, Hardacre Dilys,
was acquired from Anne Matthews in 1973. Dilys became a GB Champion in 1978, and
from her with careful line breeding to Luneville lines through GB Ch. Willowbrae
Willow and his son GB Ch. Dokham Fasolt of Jemecs, a long line of 30 GB champions
was developed. There were some outcross additions en-route - a GB and multi-Ch
Cho Cho daughter was brought in and produced a couple of champions, but by far
the most successful introduction of new blood was from Tuula Plathan of Finland
with Karamain Brahmin at Alilah. Brahmin was the first of the "modern"
(1990s) introductions into the UK to have an impact, he became the 20th Alilah
champion and left a legacy of many champion children and grand-children, and has
probably been the most important influence on breed development in the UK, opening
up new horizons and encouraging others to look further afield. Another import
was from Gunilla Martinsson of Sweden in the form of S & N Ch Thu-Sangs Prince
Fabolus Firefox at Alilah, who produced champion offspring. Judi Andrew had acquired
for her Snoroma kennel a grand-daughter of Brahmin, GB & Ir Ch. Alilah Hjosie
from Snoroma, who was BOB at Crufts in 1996, and also BOB and Group Winner at
the 1996 St Patrick's Day Show (the Irish equivalent of Crufts) all in the space
of a week! A daughter of Firefox, Ir. Ch. Alilah Nadia at Snoroma (also 2 GB CCs)
became a Group and RBIS winner, and a grand-daughter of Firefox is Ir. Ch. Alilah
Tallulah at Snoroma. These became the foundation bitches for Mike and Judi's combined
Mikudi
kennel. They acquired more new breeding by way of Am. Ch. Atisha Heights Impresario,
owned in partnership with others in England and campaigned to his Irish titles
by Mikudi and his
British titles by the partners. Breeding Impresario to Hjosie produced the Top
Irish Showdog All Breeds 1999 and multi-BIS winner Ir. Ch. Mikudi
Metal Mickey (owned by Des and Joyce Manton). In 1998 Am. Ch. Atisha Kimik's Magic
Trinity was imported in whelp. She had been Best Bitch at the TTCA Championship
Show in 1997, quickly gained her Irish title in successive shows all with major
Green Stars, has 1 CC and 6 reserve CCs in GB, and was Best in Show at the TT
Club of Ireland's first independent championship show in 2000. In her quarantine
litter she produced Ir. Ch. Mikudi
Texas Cowboy (also 1CC and 2 RCCs), and Mikudi
Texas Ranger who won a CC in GB at 10 months of age, and sired the BIS at the
TTA championship show 2001. Trinity's next litter was to GB. Ch. Gemgenes Hansel,
a Brahmin son, and this produced GB & Ir. Ch. Mikudi
Gemima, the youngest double champion ever, a group winner in Ireland, third top
TT in GB and top TT in Ireland in 2001. As can be seen, there is a huge depth
of high quality breeding from throughout the world behind Mikudi,
and Mike and Judi have an enormous bank of knowledge and experience of the world's
TTs. |
