The 2014 RKNA Klub Sieger

It’s funny how plans change. I had actually planned on not attending the 2014 RKNA Klub Sieger, held in Gainesville, GA and hosted by the Southeastern Working Rottweiler Klub. Gainesville is a solid 9 hour drive from Dayton, OH, which is further that I really want to have to drive to go to a dog show. But when my dog Zeus went V1 in the 12-18 mo. Males division, and took Best Youth Male at the Nashville Rottweiler Klub Breed show in September, all that changed. Given that two of the top judges from Germany’s ADRK (German Rottweiler Klub) would be judging the event ( Uwe Petermann & Helmut Weiler), it became very important to attend. The wins in Nashville proved that the V2 placement Zeus received at the American Rottweiler Klub Nationals Sieger Show in April wasn’t a fluke. If we could back up the V2 rating in Wisconsin, and the V1 rating in Nashville with a V rating from a top ADRK judge, Zeus, we would have a very convincing body of evidence to support the notion that Zeus is a fantastic representative of the breed. So on Friday, October 24th, we drove 9 hours from Dayton, Ohio to Gainesville, GA for the 2014 RKNA Klub Sieger, hosted by the South Eastern Working Rottweiler Klub:

In the grand scheme of things, the Rottweiler community is a pretty small one – once you starting doing shows, it becomes pretty easy to get to know folks. It really is a very nice community, and it was great to see old friends and make new ones:

The show itself was very nice – it was held at the Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center, which is an equestrian park. The covered horse ring proved to be an excellent Sieger venue:

Here’s a photo with the show Master of Ceremonies Brandon Bright (left), along with RKNA apprentice judge John Bernard, and ADRK Judges Uwe Petermann and Helmut Weiler :

Coming off of Zeus’s big win in Nashville, one would think we would have been confident going into this show, but that was hardly the case. This the RKNA Klub Sieger – the biggest RKNA show of the year for our region which would be sure to draw the top Rottweilers in the country. Indeed, entries came from as far away as California, Louisiana, and New York. Also, with two of the top ADRK judges presiding over this event, I knew the standards being applied would be the strictest possible. Still, we hoped we could come away with a “V” rating from an ADRK judge for Zeus.

when it came time for the 12-18 month males to enter the ring, I was even more concerned. I had been asked to be the photographer for Saturday, so I had a bird’s eye view of how the show was being judged. I got to see what kind of dogs each judge was favoring before we got into the ring, and I was convinced we wouldn’t get a “v” rating, let along place. I had some some VERY nice dogs not place and get less than V rated. I resolved myself that Zeus and I would just enjoy ourselves in the ring and make the best of it:

After running several laps around the sizable ring it became apparent that judge Uwe Petermann was having difficulty placing the very competitive class of 7 dogs. When Petermann moved us next to the number “2” I was beyond shocked, and elated when he awarded a “V” rating to Zeus – only the 1st and 2nd place dogs in our class received “V” ratings:

I was thrilled for the V1 winner (Black Onyx You Bet I’m Somethin’ of Quarterwoods) of our category who is a breeder of very nice Rottweilers not far from me in Cincinnati, Ohio – a very well-deserved win!

Both myself and my wife Karen feel truly blessed – thank you to both the South Eastern Working Rottweiler Klub, and to the Rottweiler Klub of North America for putting on an excellent show. This was Zeus’s final competition in the 12-18 month category, and he’ll only have one more opportunity to compete as a Youth Male (18-24 mo.) at the American Rottweiler Club’s Nationals Sieger Show in April of 2015.

We had an excellent time in Gainesville, GA but had to leave on Sunday to make the long drive back. Always the loyal servants, our dogs let us know they would be more than happy to drive for us if need be 😀 😀