So recently (1959) the Flag bearer for the German Borzoi breeders, the “Rasswet” kennel owned by Robert and Grete Kerler, Memmingen is ended. Until after the Second World War, “Rasswet” was the oldest active borzoi kennel in Germany. Unfortunately, the bombs hit this kennel very badly and after the death of Mr. Robert Kerler, Miss Kerler was too busy with business to be able to continue the kennel to the same extent as before. Rasswet’s started with lines from Holland/Germany.
The first litter traceable was born in 1924, the B-litter, that indicates there must have been one earlier? The first Champion came in the C-litter (Bojar Kosak -Bessberks Freude) Rasswet’s Clown and “Rasswet’s Columbine” also became Champion in 1927.
Ch Rasswett’s Clown
Both parents of this litter was from Holland. The D-litter was a repeat breeding and held among them “Rasswet’s Disque” and also another big winner
Rasswet’s Disque
Rasswet’s Dalaika 6 Rasswet’s Jo
“Rasswet’s Dalaika” (Bojar Kozak x Ch Bessberk’s Freude) in 1926, and four years later Dalaika was again Grand Champion – (Bundessieger?) One of the last great champions was Rasswet’s Lasso, who is represented in many American pedigrees. This kennel formed a rich foundation for most kennels on the continent breeding back to “Rasswet’s Fanal” to get this lovely type. In 1959, the last, a second C-litter (Ayesch von der Froschen-Rasswet’s Bulba), were born at kennel Rasswet’s. (Not to be confused by todays “Rasswet’s”, established in 2003, by Marion Wille)
In a letter to Mary Taviner, Hanne Mueller (vom Bergland) writes; You mentioned the lovely Rasswet’s Fanal, he was the sire of my Kyrill and Kismet von Bergland, Kyrill was the same as Fanal in figure and the same colors, Greta Kerler, owner of Rasswet kennels has not bred for many years. Her father died in 1945 and a short time later she lost her house by a great fire and her mother died in the fire, Also her best dog, Ch, Rasswet’s Furor, died in the same fire, he was a litter brother to Rasswet’s Fanal. I do not think she will breed Borzoi again./ Hanne Mueller
Rasswet’s Nike & Orik, with their offspring Sonne and Sieg
From Rasswet’s family The German winner 1937 and three-time contender for the International Beauty Championships, Rasswet’s Orik, is presented here with his two children who were eleven months old at the time of the photo: Sonne (left), Sieg (right), who were bred from Rasswet’s Nike (right Outside). This connection brought extraordinarily typical offspring to the kennel, such as “Orik” in general, which has proven to be excellent as a breeding dog. If you consider that his pedigree goes back to all four offspring of the famous Asmodey-Ptitschka-Perchino litter, this seems to be one. The photo shows the dogs quite casually on one of the daily walks in the meadow area.
The following is showreports from Germany shortly before and during Second World War:
German cynologist newspaper 08/25/1938 Exhibition Dortmund 07/10/1938 Judge’s report H. Stumpf: Males Exc.2 the magnificent Eiler von Wehland breed by. Wehland (Rasswet’s Orik – Coquette v. Wehland), owned by Mrs. Dr. Bein-Bertuch Eiler completely shaped, fine Perchino type, large, strong bones, very beautiful, long head, good back, good forehand and hindquarters, well carried tail, good chest, finishes late like all Wehlanders, next year he will be fully haired have a say in the strongest competition! The best imaginable blood, he can be of great value to the Rhenish-Westphalian breed. I think he’s a very good racing dog and I hope he gets a chance to prove it.
Male Sehr Gut 1, Rasswet’s Stoltz( Rasswet’s Orik – Rasswet’s Nike), own. Herr Dr. Symons, Dortmund. Stolz is a one-year-old male, a real Orik son, heavy dog with a very good type, a magnificent head and dazzling hair. He still has mistakes from his youth, but in 2 years he will make a name for himself. I am happy for his owner, Mr. Hauptmann Symons, that he was so lucky when he bought this male dog and I am convinced that he will still have a lot of fun with this magnificent fellow.
Rasswet’s Schöne
Bitch Very good 1, Rasswet’s Schöne own.. Wöller, litter sister of Stolz. Like her brother, high-class, especially nice in the back and hindquarters. Vorhand has yet to outgrow, she’s still a little tight and soft in the pasterns, but she surely outgrows and then she’s a high-class Excellent bitch. I advise Eiler v. Wehland and I hope that this good advice will be heeded.
Exhibition Dortmund 3./4. June 1939 Judge: Dr. Waizenegger:
Males. Limited class. Here is a surprising appearance, Rasswet’s Stoltz, just 2 years old, who lives up to his name. An exceptionally beautifully marked, white and red male with healthy bones and rich fur, an expressive head with well-shaped eyes, impeccable, strong teeth. Good shoulder, impeccable front, nice paws, good back, strong, well angulated hindquarters. Only the chest needs to get deeper. His gait is pleasing. I only have to deny him the CACIB because his chest is not yet ready.
His litter brother, Schmuck, is missing and won’t show up until Sunday morning. For him, who looks confusingly like his brother, everything said applies to his brother, maybe he has a deeper chest, but his gait does not reach it, since he is apparently restricted in the right hind leg as a result of an injury. The barrel is delicate when touched. He is only rated: Good. The breeding class brings the third litter brother, Rasswet’s Sieg, whom I saw last year in Baden-Baden in a full coat as a harmoniously proportioned dog. In the meantime he seems to have been resting on a guano sack, because he has only grown upwards and currently looks very long-legged without his rich coat of hair. Wonderful head, beautiful neck, good shoulder position, but he still looks a bit steep in front due to the missing forechest, good back and strong hindquarters, a lot of nobility and impeccable gait. Because of his size – it’s time he stopped growing – the chest still seems insignificant. He also has the beautiful teeth of his brothers. His gait ensures him Very good.
Female dogs. open class The quality of the three Rasswet bitches, in which I rightly would include Bellona v.d. Wildbahn (Rasswet’s Nobeler – Rasswet’s Märchen). It is a pledge that we in Germany do not have to worry about the degeneration of the borzoi. The placement made some difficulties, as all three showed a gait that I would like to describe as music. The same impeccable step and the light, elastic float at the trot. Finally I had to place Rasswet’s Salve, the litter sister of the above, at the top because of the harmony of her anatomical structure, her bone substance, her splendid coat and her mature skill. The racy dark head, reminiscent of that of her father Rasswet’s Orik, how the daughter takes after her father in general, has an effect through the narrow white center line and the beautifully cut fiery eyes. Strong bite, straight front with good paws, deep chest, firm back, wide croup and strong, well angled hindquarters, plus a good tail. Excellent 1 CACIB and FSA.
Rasswet’s Nike, which I described in the Mannheim report as probably the best borzoi bitch on the continent, owes the defeat at the hands of her beautiful daughter to the fact that she is a bit tired. Whether this is caused by the 24-hour journey or because she is expecting children in the foreseeable future remains the same. In any case, she only comes out of herself after a long time and straightens her back so that she presents the usual picture. Limited class: Rasswet’s Schöne, who lives up to her name and which I would have liked to see exchanged with Fatma in the open class, which would have complemented her in a harmonious way. If Salve is a fully blossomed beauty who has to be careful to keep her figure and not get too bulky, then the beauty has something extremely aristocratic, like her sister Sonne, who won with a heartbeat, and which I judged in Mannheim. These two sisters take after their mother. This bitch, which is still in the middle of development, has the potential to be a first-class representative of her breed. All the prerequisites are there, the only thing missing is depth and unity of the building. Like her litter sister, she also impresses with her gait, which she excels in. That in combination with her type and nobility. brings all together.
1940 Sighthound special exhibition Stuttgart September 8th, 1940: Judge Dr. Waizenegger: males open class: Rasswet’s Stolz 3 years, red-white, wonderful hair; I would like to see him in winter fur! Typical, highly noble male, greatly improved since Dortmund. Very good gait; Exc. 1.Matador Ural, a month older than Stolz, to whom he is inferior in size, dark red with white. Beautiful head, also impeccable teeth, fair in all respects, just not as angled at the back as Stolz. Good gait: Exc.. 2 Novice class: Bichti v. Bergland (Algol v. Bergland – Kosirka Ural), 2 years, typical dog, good shoulder, but steep upper arm, gaps in the teeth. Rests in front right, apparently due to injury, consequently hindered in movement; Good. Breeder class: Rasswet’s Sieg, the big proud brother, a rarely noble male, good in hair, improved since Dortmund, also in chest depth. Due to its size, it definitely needs much more time to mature than its already finished siblings. But when he’s finished, he might surpass them, as evidenced by his strong bones, flawless conformation and very angulated hindquarters. In the meantime, a well-deserved Very good 1 prepares the Excellent sure to come in the future.
Rasswet’s Nike
Bitches Open Class: Rasswet’s Nike, gorgeous in coat, though not as gorgeous as Stolz, 7 1/2 years old, often described, shows the full splendor of her assets today, especially in her magnificent gait. This time she would definitely have left her conqueror from Dortmund, her beautiful daughter Salve, behind! She became best sighthound of the show; Exc. 1
Dt. Kynologezeitung 25.10.41 Borzois at the 6th National Exhibition in Stuttgart
Males open class: Rasswet’s Stoltz, a four-year-old red coat male, often described, is still the undisputed leader, although he has only just overcome a serious illness. An ideal overall impression, elegance of the lines with very good substance, despite heavy hair loss still in the full, beautiful coat, which has lost its silky shine a little at the moment, but still shows its good quality, its beautiful, highly typical head, impeccable conformation, all topped off by a magnificent gait. sign 1, CACIB Reichssieger and the most beautiful male of the breed. In addition, he later won the title of “Most beautiful borzoi in the exhibition” in a fight with the Reichssieger, of the other Sighthound breeds and 3rd place in the BIS competition.
Matador Ural
Matador Ural, a four-year-old, also red male, who also gives a good overall picture. Coat, head, ears, eyes and teeth are very beautiful. The sufficiently arched back goes into a good croup. Unfortunately, the pelvic bones are a bit narrow, which means that the hindquarters suffer. In front it is very steep in the upper arm, which is why it falls so far back; sg 4 Geza Wergei, a now eight year old, black and white, powerful male of a bomb caliber. His head is not the ideal shape. The eyes are too light for me for the black and white dog. At the trot he seemed a bit stiff, which was probably due to the insufficient preparation of the male, because what is in the gait of the male – eight years old! – he showed at the Reichssieger race, where he fought his way forward against fierce competition in four runs, sometimes from the last position, and became Reichsrennsieger 1941. In the racing class he would have been judged better; Very good.5. Bitches open class.
Judging the borzoi bitches was a special pleasure, because I was presented with really nice material. Rasswet’s Salve, a stunningly beautiful four-year-old bitch with wonderful lines, very good coat and excellent gait. The ideal head will show a pair of very pretty dark eyes and a pair of well set on small ears, chest, back, croup and tail as one might wish. In terms of gait, she outperformed all of her competitors. A brood bitch that we don’t see every day; ex. 1 CACIB and Reichssiegerin. Right behind her and only slightly separated from her, so that the decision was difficult, Rasswet’s Schöne, a bright red litter sister, who is also ideal in all respects. Beautiful, flowing lines, very nice coat, particularly good paws. She is also a bitch with whom breeding can be recommended at any time. In the ring she appears a bit timid and therefore shows a slightly less good gait than her sister, which earns her second place; Exc. 2
Bitches open German class:
Single Zenith v. Silberhof. An all-round good bitch, which shows that her food is good tasting. Anatomy, type and overall appearance very good. The well arched, deep chest is striking. Her coat is in order and her gait shows a beautiful, lively trot; Exc. 1 Beginner Class: Rasswet’s Umbra. It is a pity that this bitch was not shown in the open class. It would have been an interesting fight. The bitch, from the same connection as Salve and Schöne, but from a later litter (Ch Rasswet’s Orik – Rasswet’s Nike), is already completely breathtaking at the age of 2. She is flawless from tip of nose to tip of tail and a fine breeding bitch; Exc. 1. One can only congratulate the owner, who also owns Schöne, on the acquisition. I think we’ll be hearing from her from time to time.
BIS-winning Hound Group from the World-Show
Best Hound Group of the world exhibition: from left ReichssiegerRasswet’s Lasso, World Winner and I. Rasswet’s Stoltz,Rasswet’s Nike, Rasswet’s Nobler, Rasswet’s Nichevo
The Rasswet kennel surprises us with a picture from the world exhibition, which features the breeding group that came out on top as the best hound group. These five red and white dogs were a picture in themselves. The reproduction does not even come close to reproducing the impression that this group of five made on the visitor. It was an image that drew the eye again and again. Truly a highlight of breeding work and breeding achievement, crowned by the presence of the international champion Rasswet’s Hochmut, who also won the world champion title in Frankfurt.
Int Ch Rasswet’s Hochmut
Note that balance of heads, same noble expression of bearing, all in all borzois of the highest grade.
Single Zenith v. Silberhof. An all-round good bitch, which shows that her food is good tasting. Anatomy, type and overall appearance very good. The well arched, deep chest is striking. Her coat is in order and her gait shows a beautiful, lively trot; Exc. 1 Beginner Class: Rasswet’s Umbra. It is a pity that this bitch was not shown in the open class. It would have been an interesting fight. The bitch, from the same connection as Salve and Schöne, but from a later litter (Ch Rasswet’s Orik – Rasswet’s Nike), is already completely breathtaking at the age of 2. She is flawless from tip of nose to tip of tail and a fine breeding bitch; Exc. 1. One can only congratulate the owner, who also owns Schöne, on the acquisition. I think we’ll be hearing from her from time to time.
