The Mikado Litter: Born 10/3/12

Torden was bred to Ch. Steamboat's Highland Piper ("Bobby"), and a litter of 7 Landseer puppies was born on 10/3/12, with 3 boys and 4 girls. You can follow their development through links to pictures on the left and below.

Bobby was the Sire of our Hyggelyg, the "Foundation Dam" for Storhode Newfoundlands. Bobby was an outstanding Landseer, with sound structure and exceptional personality, and he did extraordinarily well in the show ring for many years, including taking the best of breed at the 1997 Westminster Kennel Club show. Bobby's sperm was frozen by his owner for future breedings, and we have been lucky enough to be able to take advantage of this special circumstance.

Bobby's daughter Hyggelyg had all of the qualities I love most in a Newf: she was highly intelligent, calm, funny, devoted to people and a very loving mother. She had excellent structure, balance and movement, and had a long and healthy life. Her 9 pups were exceptionally healthy and long lived.

The decision to breed Hyggelyg's great-granddaughter Torden back to Bobby is a choice to select for intelligence, independence of character, loyalty, overall soundness and longevity in a primarily Landseer line. Over the past 14 years Storhode Newfoundlands has broadened our gene pool through breedings with several other outstanding Newfoundland kennel lines, each of which has added diversified genes for desirable traits. Many Champion dogs are represented in the background of Storhode breedings.

This particular breeding reflects my wish to reinforce the Newfoundland traits which led me to begin this breeding program and which have contributed to producing many sound and loving Newfoundland dogs.

This is "the Mikado Litter," named after characters in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic Operetta "The Mikado, or the Town of Titipu". There is Nanki Poo (the prince, son of the Mikado who is masquerading as "a Wandering Minstrel"), Pooh Bah (Lord High Everything Else) and Pish Tush, a noble of the Mikado's court. The girls are the "three little maids from school": Yum-Yum, Pitti-sing and Peep-Bo, and the noble lady Katisha, (who is in love with Nanki Poo, who is in love with Yum-Yum). Luckily, in the end Katisha decides to marry Koko, the Lord High Executioner and former tailor, and everybody is happy!

Be sure to scroll down so as not to miss pictures!

Mikado Litter