The tale of Arik and Julia

In 2017 I was contacted by Lotta Soderberg of the world renown Sweetax Kennel in Sweden. I had just posted news of the second dog in my kennel that achieved very good test results from the IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) screening. CH WILDERVALE DARET'BE TYRION certified with zero calcified discs! Excellent news considering Back problems are the leading health concern in the Dachshund. As an advocate and great proponent of IVDD health screening, Lotta wished to congratulate me not only on the results but also as a breeder participating in the IVDD program run in conjunction with KUSA and our Dachshund Clubs. To date I remain the only mini wire breeder in SA doing so.

We discussed the posibility of semen exchange or import. In early 2018 with Lotta's assistance and blessing, I imported sufficient semen for two separate matings. The donor dog being CH (DEN) SWEETAX XANTE XO (ZLATAN) who she co owns with Karin Breinholt in Denmark. A few months later I took my girl CH TAFARI BREEZE OF WILDERVALE to the fertility vet, Dr Nathalie Rouget who performed one surgical insemination using the frozen semen. Four weeks later we were delighted to find her pregnant and on the 16th of September 2018, I was overjoyed when our beautiful red pups arrived. The first ever mini Wires in South Africa resulting from such a proceedure and the first two progony from the Sweetax Kennel on our home soil.

The odds for success were certainly stacked against us with a mini breed, but with the support and encouragement of my friend Linda Harker who had joined forces with me as we strive to preserve and improve this breed, under the banner of my KUSA register WILDERVALE KENNEL.......we decided to take a chance and see if dreams do come true!

A few weeks after Arik and Julia were born, Lotta Soderberg, who had scheduled her SA holiday to coincide with their arrival, got to meet the Zlatan pups when I met up with her in JHB. I sneaked the pups into her hotel room undetected. Lotta used her magic touch as she appraised them and we took their first stack photos. She was impressed with their quality and absolutely delighted by these..... and I quote "Two little diamonds!"

WILDERVALE QUID PRO QUO (ARIK) lives with me in Gauteng
WILDERVALE QUANTUM LEAP (JULIA) lives with Linda in the Western Cape Debbi de Jong