MERRY JEANNE MILLNER, SENDERO BRIARDS
The Sendero Briards are widely known, highly successful and well respected. What breeding philosophies do you adhere to? I don’t really have a strict philosophy that I stick to. You study your pedigrees and then you have to look at the individual dogs and make sure that the pedigrees and the dogs are a great match. We have imported several dogs over the years that have made a huge impact on our breeding program, so learning both the American and the European pedigrees has been crucial to our program. I also have to say that sometimes you have to go with your gut. One of my successful litters was not exactly “pret- ty” on paper. But I have some beautiful and successful dogs, and they have made a huge impact on my breeding program. A key factor we never forget is to be true to the purpose of our breed. In the case of Briards, they must be able to move in “quicksilver” fashion, to quote our standard, as their job was to be a living fence for a flock. They were also guardians of the flock, so maintaining a bit of aloofness and a wary eye are important aspects of breeding proper temperaments. How many dogs do you currently house? Tell us about your facilities and how the dogs are maintained. We have moved back to my starting place and are now living in Monticello, Georgia. Our home was built in 1850 and was at the epicenter of Sherman’s path in his march to the sea. Fortu- nately, our home was saved from destruction and represents the ideal of Italianate architecture in southern antebellum homes. For us, this means plenty of room for lots of house dogs. At present, we have eight dogs in the house, all over the age of 9, so it feels like a retirement home at times. Luckily, they are all vibrant and healthy, so we are very blessed! Sadly, our oldest boy, Thunder, died several weeks ago at the grand old age of 14. Over the years, we have always had a separate kennel where we keep from six to eight young dogs. That is the case here in Georgia where we converted a beautiful horse barn into a state-of-the-art kennel. We are so lucky to have had in the past—and to have now—some wonderful people to help us care for the dogs. Lau- ren and Emily Oliva run the kennel and help with everything from grooming to training and, of course, lots of puppy playing! Who were/are some of your most significant Briards, both in the whelping box and in the show ring? Our foundation bitch, Ch. Gillian de Bejaune, had a huge impact on our breeding program. “Gilli” produced the first two black/gray AKC Best in Show winners in history (Remington and Lilli) and really set us on our way. Remington (BIS CH Sendero’s Lil Lead Shot HIC TT ROM HOF) was probably the most influential in the whelping box. While she was very successful in the ring, her one and only litter was spectacular. Most of her get have made a very positive impact on our breed- ing program. We imported Abbado Arte Cassarri and he, so far, has probably been the most influential male in our breeding program. He is found in the pedigrees of the majority of young dogs we have today. As far as our stars in the ring, I am very proud to say that we have had so many. I think if I had to pick my top four it would be the boys, BISS BIS GCHG Lightning Strike El Xargall (Thunder) and UK CH BISS BIS GCHG Sendero’s Here we Go at Charson (Neyo). It just took my breath away to watch these two handsome boys glide around the ring, and with such great outlines. Both won Briard Club of America National Special- ties. My girls would have to be BISS BIS CH Sendero’s Sterling Gray Ghost (Derby) and BIS BISS GCHG Ne Orageux’s Flash Point (Sparkles). These girls, too, would glide around the ring, and their outlines were the epitome of what a Briard should be!
A Young Boy, CH Sendero’s Peacemaker (Colt) photo courtesy of Phyllis Ensley
BISS BIS GCHG Lightning Strike El Xargall (Thunder)
BISS BIS (OH) GCHB Sendero’s Jezebel’s Daughter (Vixen)
136 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, AUGUST 2021
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