GCH Glenmegan's Flanders Fire, DD OJP CGC
BMDCA Versatility Excellent
"Mac"
Berner Garde # 53223
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Mac and Poppy (and Shamus, and Rugby, and Gunther, and Chief) were conceived in Arendonk, Belgium – (see Mac’s story of that journey below). At times during his puppyhood, Mac would take after his namesake, General Anthony McAuliffe. When I’d tell him to do something, he’d look up at me and say “Nuts”. Obedience class was the answer, (it always is, folks).
Mac turned out to be the star of the class. He loved the praise and the rewards and the one-on-one time with me. He’s been a joy to live with ever since. I think Mac physically resembles his Dad, the Danish CH Aeyq van de Klaverhoeve. His personality is a wonderful mix of his sire and his dam. He can be totally full of himself one minute, and mushy as all get out the next. He’s a sweet, stubborn, sensitive, stinker. Like all of Sophie’s pups, Mac moves beautifully. His eyes are a lovely dark, dark brown, his bite perfect, his head correct, his forechest incredible, his topline level, and his bone and balance very good. He can also jump a five-foot gate from a sitting position!
He has done extremely well in the show ring. Thanks to the beautiful handling of Michelle Scott, Mac finished his championship in only 18 shows at 16 ½ months old. As a Special, he won an Award of Merit at Westminster, and became the 7th Grand Champion in the Breed.
Under Mary-Ann Bowman’s expert tutelage, Mac added two agility titles and two draft titles to his already impressive list of accomplishments. Mac is now a BMDCA Versatility Dog Excellent! Once again he has taken after his namesake, and turned out to be a real winner.
Health Clearances
| Cert/Test By | Tested | Cert # / Report # | Findings | Test Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
OFA |
Elbows |
PRELIMINARY |
Normal |
Feb 05, 2009 |
OFA |
Hips |
PRELIMINARY |
Good |
Feb 05, 2009 |
CERF |
Eyes |
BMD-4698 |
Normal |
Feb 11, 2009 |
VETGEN |
vWD genetic |
50323 |
Clear |
Feb 11, 2009 |
OFA |
Thyroid |
BMD-TH326/18M-VPI |
Normal |
Feb 16, 2009 |
OFA |
Heart |
BMD-CA1756/18M/C-VPI |
Normal |
Feb 19, 2009 |
OFA |
Elbows |
BMD-EL-6910M14-VPI |
Normal |
Aug 11, 2009 |
OFA |
Hips |
BMD-15296E24M-VPI |
Excellent |
Aug 11, 2009 |
OFA |
DM |
BMD-DM142/29M-VPI |
CLEAR |
Jan 27, 2010 |
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My Dad Aeyq and my story . . .
DAN. CH Aeyq Van De Klaverhoeve
Hey, I’m Mac and I’m a Glenmegan Bernese Mountain Dog. Though I almost wasn’t any kind of dog at all. I started out as a gleam in my Daddy’s eye, and a dream in my Mama’s heart - and I almost stayed that way. But here’s how I came to be.
My breeder, Megan McTavish, was looking at photos of beautiful males on the web, trying to select one for my mama, Sophie. “Hold it right there!” said Mama Sophie, staring at a pic of a knockout male Berner. “Who’s that?” “Aeyq van de Klaverhoeve,” replied Megan. “That’s who I want!” said Mama Sophie. “What a hunk!” “But he’s in Belgium,” said Megan. “And we’re in Connecticut.” Mama Sophie didn’t care. “Look at his bone, his coat, his structure, those dreamy dark eyes in that utterly gorgeous head,” said Mama. “But he’s in Belgium,” said Megan. “And we’re in - “He’s a son of Sennetta’s Sixten! He’ll give me beautiful babies!” said Mama Sophie. Megan shook her head and tried once more to explain, “But, Sophie, he’s in” – Mama Sophie barked her loudest bark and glared hard at Breeder Megan. Mama Sophie is a very determined bitch. Breeder Megan picked up the phone. “Hello, is this Belgium?”
It was all arranged. Aeyq liked my Mama’s picture, too. He was eagerly waiting to meet her. Andre and Maria Verschueren-Claes, who bred Aeyq, had even invited Megan and Mama to stay with them. All Mama and Megan had to do was get to Arendonk, Belgium in time.
Breeder Megan thought she had it in the bag. She had gotten all the paperwork together, including the USDA official stamp on Mama’s health certificate. She had hired a very nice man with a van to drive her and Mama Sophie to JFK airport in New York City. She had booked herself and Sophie on the 6 PM direct flight to Brussels, where a rent-a-car was waiting to take them to Arendonk. Mama was now safely in her crate at the American Airlines Cargo department. Breeder Megan was at the gate, trying not to be scared of flying. She didn’t succeed very well, but she knew Mama Sophie would never forgive her if they didn’t get on that plane. So she gritted her teeth and resolved to stick it out. When they announced the flight to Belgium was starting to board, Megan got in line. Then she heard the gate agent say, “They can’t put the dog on the plane.”
Breeder Megan froze in her tracks. “That’s my dog,” she said. “Why can’t you put her on the plane?” “The cargo ventilation system is broken,” said the gate agent. “If she doesn’t go, then I don’t go,” declared Megan. “Then you don’t go,” said the gate agent. Before Megan could say another word, the agent called the baggage man and told him, “She’s not going, get her bag off the flight.” Then she turned away. She was finished with Megan. But Megan was not finished with her. “Hold it right there!” said Megan. “Sophie and I need to get to Belgium and we need to get there by tomorrow or it may be too late! We’ll fly to Amsterdam, to Paris, wherever! We just have to leave tonight!” “Sorry, can’t help you,” said the agent. “Go return your duty free purchases.” Then the agent walked off.
Well, that’s where I almost ended before I began. But Breeder Megan turned out to be as determined as Mama Sophie. She went to agent after agent, trying to get on a flight. She had no luck. In fact, several agents were very rude to her! They didn’t think it mattered very much whether I got born or not. But Breeder Megan did. So she didn’t give up. Finally she found Sharon Miller, a very nice lady who understood that dogs are important, too. She got Mama and Megan on the 10:00 PM KLM flight to Amsterdam. Megan canceled the rent-a-car in Brussels and arranged one there. Then she went down to the American Airlines baggage department to retrieve her suitcase. Only it wasn’t there, and nobody seemed to know or care where it was. They certainly didn’t help Megan find it. But that didn’t stop Megan either. She got on the plane to Holland without her suitcase, but with my Mama! They were on their way.
Mama and Megan arrived in Amsterdam. Mama was very glad to be out of her crate, and Megan was very glad to be back on the ground! But their troubles weren’t over yet. The rent-a-car people gave Megan a car with a stick shift. Megan went pale. “I haven’t driven a stick shift in twenty-five years!” she protested. “I can’t drive that car to Belgium!” “Take it or leave it,” said the Hertz Man – who seemed to have a lot in common with the American Airlines employees at JFK. Megan looked desperately at Mama Sophie. Mama Sophie fixed Megan with a steely gaze. “I didn’t spend all that time in a crate in a cargo hold just so we could quit now!” said Mama Sophie. “Get in that car and drive!” Megan looked down at the gear shift, then up at Sophie. Then she turned to the rent-a-car man and asked, “Which way is Belgium?”
Mama told me it was kind of a scary journey. Megan really wasn’t very good at driving the stick shift car. But she managed not to stall it out on the highway, where trucks were going lickety-split on every side. And she actually managed to find Belgium! Mama and Megan finally arrived at Andre and Maria’s house, only 8 hours late. And our Mama finally met our Dad. It was love at first sight.
Mama wouldn’t tell us pups much about the honeymoon. She said we’d find out about things like that when we got older. But Megan said she and Mama had a wonderful time. Andre and Maria were the nicest people ever, and became good friends. Maria even took Megan to help her buy some clothes, since her suitcase was still missing. Then, mysteriously, the suitcase turned up at the Brussels airport. When Megan went to get it, she also managed to exchange the stick shift car for one she could drive better. Mama Sophie breathed a sigh of relief at that!
Megan took a side trip to the beautiful town of Bruges. And, on Memorial Day, she drove down to the Ardennes Forest to see the memorial to the American Airborne troops who had held the line during the Battle of the Bulge. She was very moved and impressed. So she named me “Mac” after General Anthony McAuliffe, who, when the Germans told him his guys were surrounded and demanded his immediate surrender, told the Germans, “Nuts!” Megan liked that story very much. I like being named for a really brave hero who helped win WWII!
The trip home was a breeze. Andre and Maria helped Megan and Mama at the Brussels airport. The Belgian AA agents were all nice and helpful and smiled a lot. They obviously thought dogs were important, too. Mama, now pregnant with me and my sister Poppy and our four brothers, got back into her crate with deep regret. She was very sad that she had to leave Dad. But at least she had some company on the flight back to the USA. Megan also brought home a twelve week old pup she had gotten from Andre and Maria. He’s pretty cool, his name is Gustave Van De Klaverhoeve, but us pups just call him Gus. Megan met a very nice woman in the ticket line whose husband was the First Officer on the flight. She made sure that her husband made sure that Mama and Gus got safely on the plane. And the nice man with the van picked them all up at Kennedy and got them safely back to Colebrook, Connecticut. And there, on July 24, thanks to Megan, Andre and Maria, and most importantly, my Dad Aeyq and my Mama Sophie, I was born.
I’m awfully glad about that. I love living at Glenmegan with my Mama, and my sister Poppy, and my second cousin Gus, and our sort of Aunt Faith. And by the way, Mom, more brothers and sisters would be fun!
P.O.Box 208 ~ Colebrook, CT 06021