Sire: Espresso Sir M Aus Sumpfloch
Dam: CH Starhavens D Haute Chili
In choosing a name for Big Jake, I wanted to balance something symbolic of new beginnings with a connection to the foundations of both his past, through his sire and dam, as well as my own.
In 2012, I took my first ever non-family-centered vacation and went to Morocco, and through the wonderful teachings of our Berber guide learned of the fascinating struggle of the Berber indigenous people form that rich area. They have been overrun, conquered, beaten and suppressed, yet through each wave, they have found some way to evolve and maintain their own identity.
In a half-century of life, I have sought to serve and embrace those who need me, yet also maintain a sense of my own true self – the reason the Berber struggle resonated so much with me. I have spent my life working as a Law Enforcement Officer (a LEO in our parlance) with all of its connotations of the Old West marshals and the Old West code of honor: stay true to yourself, stand up for those who can’t, remember that courage and strength are often found more in gentleness than fierceness and never compromise what you believe in.
So – here is what Jake’s name represents:
- Magnus represented 2 key things for me: the German Saint Magnus, a missionary who was a protector of the Bavarian region, and also symbolic of the Magna Carta, which recognized and protected the liberty of the individual and became the basis for modern judicial law.
- Jolo comes from the Naga Jolokia pepper, also known as the ghost pepper, and is truly beautiful as well as one of the hottest peppers known. It is from the Assam region in India and was named after the Naga warriors, who were known as some of the fiercest in the region, and Jake’s sweet mother Chili was beautiful and always full of sass!
- Amazigh is the word the Berber use to describe themselves, and its root means “free and noble defender”. To me it represents the spirit of the Berber people to remain free and independent of imposed outside influence and to defend those they love – and nothing could be truer to the heart of my sweet, confident, brave boy!
- Jake was the call name I knew was his from the beginning, and honors the spirit of the American Cowboy Heritage as a reference to the original “Big Jake”, a John Wayne character, who was a model of independent thinking who would do anything for his family – it fit him from the beginning and he grows more into it every day!
Accomplishments
Jake was entered in his first show in January 2014 in Clemson, SC, taking Best of Winners and Best of Opposite against tough competition! While taking points in most of his outings, some of the highlights of his show efforts have included:
- June 2014, first of many Best of Breed wins, Spartanburg, SC in June 2014
- AKC Grand Champion and Group 3 Placement handled by Andrea Elliott-Casterline
- Top placements in Multiple Specialty and Supported Entry Shows
- Top placements in Multiple LCA National Specialties, including an invitation to Crufts
- Awards of Merit at both Westminster Kennel Club in NYC and the AKC National Show in Orlando
- Participated in the Inaugural Leonberger Club of America Top 20 Invitational handled by Cheryl Cannon
- AKC Bronze Level Grand Championship
- Achieved his Versatile Leonberger Advanced title for accomplishments in Conformation, Performance and Companionship
- Owner-Handled to Championships in IABCA and UKC
- Performance Titles in United Weight Pull, Novice Draft Dog, Farm Dog, Trick Dog Novice and Trick Dog Intermediate
- Companion Titles in Temperament Test, CGCA and CGCU
- Currently competing in rally and training in nose-work
Stud Information
Jake is a powerful, loving, inquisitive and confident companion, as quick to defend his home from frogs, bugs and those evil squeakies as he is to give a hug or kiss to everyone he meets! He has a beautiful expressive head, a strong topline and nice angulations in his front, with a well-muscled rear and clean balanced movement.
Jake is a proven natural breeder and has produced multiple litters, including a natural-bred litter of 9 born just two weeks before his own 8th birthday that included his handsome son Kane, White Hall’s Fantasy Knight of Kahina!
He is available for stud in accordance with the guidelines of the Leonberger Club of America.