The history of the Kerry blue terriers in Czechoslovakia (Czechoslovakia as a state existed from 1918 until 1992 when peacefully divided in two separate states Czech Republic and Slovakia) begun in early thirties. Mrs. Hilda Hossner, a well known German breeder (prefix v. Haus Hossner) lived in Czechoslovakia in that time and it was her who in 1932 registered the first Kerry Blue Terrier with the Czech Kennel Club. Mrs. Hossner then imported several good dogs from England, starting in 1937 with excellent male Sainsburys Skilligalee. Her breeding was based on very good stock and soon was well known around Europe. Mrs. Hossner as a German unfortunately left Czechoslovakia after the II WW.

Mrs. Ruzena Votavova (prefix ARKUN) started with Kerries in 1940. In 1943 she imported a daughter of already mentioned Sainsburys Skilligalee. This bitch, named Blauer Aristocrat Heidi became the first after war champion in Czechoslovakia. She was bred to a Dutch male Int Ch. Blue Agonist of Kerrys Home and produced 4 champions. Mrs. Votavova then decided to import a pair from the UK, male Downsview Dante and a bitch Gladeyes of Gandria. Dante was an outstanding dog but what a shame that after Distemper he was sterile and never produced any offspring. However the bitch Gladeyes of Gandria become the new base-stone for ARKUN. She was bred to an English dog Downsview Director and produced very

successful show dog with 25 cm (nearly 10 “) long head Ch. Ideal Blue Arkun Monty. Gladeyes was then bred to Arkun males and always produced very quality offspring, all of them were graded as “excellent” at the shows, in those days you would get around 30 Kerry blues at a bigger show and excellent grading was given only to very quality dogs.

Needless to say that due to political changes in 1948 it was very difficult to travel abroad or have any contact with Western Europe. It is amazing how determined breeders can be and even in bad times they can find their own way to achieve desired goals. In the fifties an Arkun bitch went abroad to be mated to a famous British import Ch. Gilmac Grandeur. Eastern Europeans could hardly afford to pay stud fees in western currencies so the agreement was made about giving a male puppy back. As a Murphy’s law the bitch whelped 5 bitches and only 1 male. A male puppy out of foreign mating would be a treasure for the local breeders, but the boy had to go back to the sire’s owner and was sold in Switzerland and he was at a later stage very successfully used in famous kennel Buster. Arkun kennel kept a sister Ch. My Love Meredith Arkun. She was bred to another English male Int Ch. Bemel Duan. A male puppy Only Mine Arkun from this litter was sold to Stuttgart and became one of the best stud dogs in Western Germany. He sired 4 International Champions and 2 World Winners! His sister Okarina Arkun was a Best in Show winner. In 1960 Mrs. Votavova imported another bitch Hera v.d. Burg Lohenhof from Austria. She was the mother of a very successful Czech dog Ch. Urian Arkun. Urian was a very strong producer, one of these few dogs whose type can be still recognised in 4^th or 5^th  generations after them. His son Ch. Winkler´s Bürschel from East Germany was the top Kerry in his country 1967-1970. Urian´s daughter Ch. Tabu Arkun was Top Kerry several years in Czechoslovakia. I also must mention another famous dog from this kennel Xavier Arkun, Danish and Norwegian Champion, who was a popular stud dog in Scandinavia with 92 offspring.  In the seventies, Mrs. Votavova already highly respected Terrier person and a judge, decides to discontinue with her Kerry breeding and follows only with her other favourite breed Bull Terriers. But at this stage Kerry blue terriers were already in good hands of other breeders.

Gyllicuddy Solitaire

Yannick Modrovous

Alexandra Modrovous

Multi Ch. Lawrence Modrovous

At the beginning of nineties the quality of the breed rises up and we can see again many new exhibitors and breeders around the rings. Hearty Hannah was bred to Louisburgh males who were at that time available in Germany. It was Louisburgh See An’ Notice who produced with Hannah some nice males, Jeffrey and Jasper Modrovous who stayed in Czech and Julian was exported to Slovakia where he laid the foundations of the Slovakian Kerry breeding in the Mrs. Zuzana Szovenyi´s kennel Kerrydom. Another Czech breeder Mr. Jan Mares (Markerry) also used Louisburgh See An’ Notice and produced another successful offspring; especially Markerry Beretta was an outstanding bitch.

Gyllicudy Hearty Hannah 9 years old

Multi Ch. Xenie Braudag

Multi Ch. Olido v. Landsberg

Multi Ch. Kerrydom Court Dhaulagiri

Olido brought once again attention to our breed in all aspects. The gene pool widens with importing new dogs and using foreign sires. Czech exhibitors improved their grooming and handling skills and for the first time in the history they can reach the top show awards outside their country in tough competition. Two Czech Kerries did extremely well. Both were imports. I myself imported a bitch from Slovakia Kerrydom Court Dhaulagiri, which was born out of chilled semen sent over from Sweden. Her sire, American bred Int, Am & Swe Ch. Maygate’s Bogy Blue is known as a great producer. Another Czech owner imported a male from this litter Kerrydom Court Don Dooley. Both puppies became champions & interchampions and my own Dhaulagiri did really well also abroad, getting prestigious awards like Junior World Winner and European Winner. In 2000 Mrs. Eva Neduchalova, who started with the Modrovous breeding stock, imported with my help a puppy from Finnish kennel Gaeltacht out of Multi Ch. Torum’s Stormin Norman. Gaeltach Iosac Aduaidh later becomes one of the most winning European Kerries in next few years. Multiple Best in Show winner and 3 times European Winner, his biggest achievement was a Best in Show at the FCI European Dog Show in Paris in 2002.

Multi BIS & Multi Ch. Gaeltacht Iosac Aduaidh