Dear Mr. Hevener:
I have a great brood and she's a Molotov daughter. Every one of the pups from
her first litter made the track. Against the advice of my trainer, I repeated
the breeding. What do you think my chances are for the same success?
VC
Orlando, Florida
Dear VC:
I think your chances are very good. Although a lot of breeders might think it
doesn't work, I see no reason not to go for it. Many valuable mares and dogs
are bred to the same sires year after year. If you've been lucky enough to
find a "nick" that works (or as we say, "The Golden Cross") go for it! You can
always try a different combination on down the road.
Dear Mr. Hevener:
We have just purchased a mare that almost set a track record and we are
planing to use her for breeding. How important is pedigree or do you think we
should just breed her to the fastest stud out there?
MD
Applachicola, FL
Dear MD:
I'm a believer in the value of pedigrees, but experience has taught me that
pedigrees prior to DNA or blood typing are only as good as the breeders who
wrote them. Over the years, we have had a firm policy at our farms. If we must
take a dam to an outside sire, we always witness the breeding and we never allow
her to stay overnight. If we are breeding the dam more than once, we bring
her back to the stud for those breedings. In cases where we cannot be present,
such as with surgical breedings, I personally travel to see the sire firsthand.
I run my own hands over the animal, noting various things about the animal
that might be inherited. Shape of ears, markings, head-set, tail-set, teeth,
anything I can find. Then, I look for those things in the offspring. In cases
where I have not been able to see the sire, for example, if it's a frozen semen
breeding and the sire is long-gone, I find people who knew the animal and rely
on their firsthand familiarity with him. More than that, I can't suggest. The
bottom line is, the animal itself is the thing to go by. Pedigree is a guide,
but it's second.
Dear Mr. Hevener:
Have you ever lost a horse to colic?
D.F.
Foreman, AR
Dear DF:
Fortunately no, but we've had some close calls. When I see it coming, I'm out
there wherever that horse is, walking, walking, walking; and praying for the
vet to hurry!
Dear Mr. Hevener:
Your kennel has been raising dogs since the 1940s. With so many champions
being from out crosses, what is your opinion on line breeding?
TH
Humble, TX
Dear TH:
Having bred everything from horses and cattle to birds, and just about
everything in between, I'm not afraid of it. Years ago, when I was raising Black
Angus cattle, I knew of "The Black Watch" herd. That breeding herd had been
closed to outside blood for fifty years with no problem. Upon learning that, any
reservation I had about line breeding or even inbreeding went out the window. Of
course, you must start with animals in good health.
As a side note, we recently imported the Irish Greyhound winner Elbony
Polaris, a daughter of English, Scottish and "almost" the Irish Derby as well. (You
can see why we wanted a daughter of his). Some Picture died a few years ago
and there was no frozen semen, since Ireland doesn't allow such breedings. In
Kansas, there is a son of his named Derby Day, sire of the record-setting
sensation WW Apple Jax, considered by many to be the fastest American Greyhound
alive (and recently sold for six figures). Did I have any hesitation breeding
this daughter of Some Picture to a son of his? Not on your life. And we have nine
healthy pups to show for it.
Dear Mr. Hevener:
What do you really think about the effect of slots on racing?
RJ
Wellsburg, WVA
Dear RJ:
Personally, I'm for it. Not everybody is. But, I also believe it's up to us
to glamorize our sport and make it more popular than ever — with or without
slots. My new novel, High Stakes, was written with that very thing in mind. We
need movies, TV programs, magazine stories. We need everybody to be reading The
Northern Star!
Dear Mr. Hevener:
I've been to your website. With all that you have going, how do you do it?
KS
Chicago, IL
Dear KS:
Excellent question. (When you have the answer, let me know!) Seriously,
though, I couldn't handle things without the help of my staff and partners. It
takes ten of us to run this operation and that doesn't count our trainers and
handlers at shows or tracks around the country. Growing up, I always heard that
it takes a strong team to make big things happen. This team has been with me
for many years and I've come to believe that.
Dear Mr. Hevener:
How did you get started?
AS
Mequon, WI
Dear AS:
My life as a designer started with my family's background in farming. When
you think about it, animal husbandry is a form of design. Growing up, I
apprenticed under the preparator of exhibits for the North Museum of Natural History
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where the retired professors of Franklin and
Marshall College had their studios and offices. In effect, I was their only student
and it was a blessing. In order to support myself, I made souvenirs of clay
animals for tourists at the local farmers markets. People began collecting them
(even people on The Antiques Road Show) and the rest is history. Today, the
restoration of animal-related collectibles, paintings and antiques is something
in which my studio specializes.
Dear Mr. Hevener:
I loved your novel, "Fate of the Stallion." Do you plan on writing any more
horse novels?
BT
Dear BT:
All of my stories have at least one character who is into horses, no matter
what else the story may be about. My next novel is due out this spring, and
right now I'm working on a follow up to my novel "The Blue Ribbon" in which some
of the characters move on to horses. As for myself, I love life and all the
animal sports and I'll be out there at the shows and racetracks with my "stars"
this year. See you there!
Dear Mr. Hevener;
If you could only have one, racehorses or racing dogs, which would you choose?
C.B., Lake Mary, FL
— Talk about a question! As you may know, I'm lucky enough to have both. My accountant says stick with the dogs because you get ten in a litter and they're racing at 18 months. But, you are talking to an artist here, and I have to say they're both so beautiful, I could never choose.
Dear Mr. Hevener;
They're getting slots in parts of Florida at the tracks. Do you think slots will spread across the U.S.?
J.T., Athens, AL
— They'll probably denounce me in some quarters for saying this, but in many ways, slots are more fair than taxes. As grown ups, shouldn't it be up to us to decide for ourselves what we want to play? Yes, I do think they will spread, because of the present economy. My sources in Washington and elsewhere do not agree that "things are on the upswing."
Dear Mr. Hevener;
Are you married now and, if not, would you marry in the future?
C.M., Naples, FL
— A personal question! Well, they say "Three strikes and you're out." I already have two, so I'm being extra careful. Maybe I'll just go for a looooooooong engagement.
Dear Mr. Hevener;
How did you get started in Greyhounds and where do you run your dogs?
C.A., Waverly, TN
— Like a lot of people out there, I didn't know where to buy a Greyhound or how to get into the sport. So, I adopted one. And I really liked him. After that, a friend of mine put me in touch with a breeder in Kansas and the rest is history. Today, Hevener Greyhounds have run at tracks in Florida, Connecticut, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Kansas.
If you would like to write to Ron Hevener, send your e-mail directly to Hevener@dejazzd.com or info@canadasguidetodogs.com and include "On With The Show" in the subject line.
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Canada's Guide to Dogs