| Paolo Tartaro's adventure with this magnificent breed starts in 1995 with Moonshine del Mercurio, a long coat chihuahua with a prestigious pedigree of British bloodlines (Ch Happyvalley Viceroy and Juarez Paquita), who became a champion that same year. Already projected into a commitment as a breeder and not just as an exhibitor, he took courage and asked the FCI to be recognized as a breeder. That desire was satisfied in May 1997 with the birth of Brivido Nero di Rio Galeria and Barone Rosso di Rio Galeria. The former became European Junior Champion, while the latter, given to Mrs. Siirka Liisa Nyyssonen owner of the Shamaanin kennel, became Finnish champion. Francesco di Paola Nuzzo had long been accustomed to attending dog shows, first as an exhibitor, then as a breeder of Yorkshire Terriers. During these shows he showed interest in chihuahuas and, captivated by this wonderful breed, he started to get in touch with some breeders. |
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| CH Moonshine del Mercurio |
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Wanting to expand the horizons of his breeding program, based on sound principles of conservation and betterment of the breed, Paolo Tartaro imported two chihuahuas from Finland bred by Mrs. Johanna Karlsson: Finnish Champion De Gozette Dacota and De Gozette di rio Galeria, a very promising three month old puppy, a multi title holder in due course and Top Dog in 1999. It is hard to describe the emotion that Paolo felt when De Gozette Dacota was awarded CAC, CACIB, BOB and reserve BOG at Catania International dog show in 1997 judged by Professoress Bianca Tamagnone. In the following years De Gozette Dacota conquered the coveted titles of Italian Champion, International Champion and Club Champion. Paolo Tartaro, full of enthusiasm and satisfaction for the attained results, in that same time imported more dogs who were also champions in their country: CH. De Gozette Lotus, CH. De Gozette Yes, CH. De Gozette Yvette and CH .De Gozette Tereino. With the new millenium, for a sort of happy conjuncture, some great steps forward mark the way of Paolo Tartaro and Francesco di Paola Nuzzo. On 5 August 2000, Francesco breeds a long coated chihuahua bitch named Dacota Song Iowe, his first Italian champion and the first direct fruit of his big commitment. |
| CH Dacharella's Hellf Angel |
| Even for Paolo 2000 was a year that made the difference: in his continuous search for chihuahuas of serious and solid selection and of great temperament, type and movement, not only did he visit many European countries but he also went overseas, precisely to the cosmopolitan New York City where, in February, at the South Fork kennel he fell in love with a tricolour smooth coated chihuahua named Jelly Bean, already an America champion. This fabulous dog gave him huge satisfactions both as a show dog and as a producer: actually, besides being the title holder of eighteen championships and many other show wins, he sired national champions, international champions, European and world winners. South Fork's Jelly Bean is the first of a long and precious string of chihuahuas imported from the States. Actually, he was soon followed by Ch. South Fork's Contradiction, Ch. South Fork's Music Man, Ch. South Fork's Jazz It Up and, last but not least, Ch. South Fork's The Beat Goes On. |  |
| CH De Gozette Lotus |
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These American dogs's pedigrees are more or less closely related to chihuahuas bred by Dartan ,Ouchitah, Bliss Hoosier and many other kennels that contributed to make breed history; the choice to import from the USA was made then, as it still is today, to get chihuahuas of marked type as far as the head is concerned but with equally good structures that let them move in a typical way, hence a movement that is free, covering a lot of ground, elegant and harmonious. During the years this choice paid off with countless consents and satisfactions earned both in the show rings, with many BOG, BIS and European winners, and in the whelping box through the breeding of dogs that - some more, others less – embodied the sought after model; but the road to a certain type homogeneity was starting to become reality. |
| CH South Fork's Jelly Bean |
| In 2002 Francesco's breeding journey is at a turning poit; since childwood he had treasured in his heart the unmistakable picture of the three varieties of the little Griffons: red rough, black rough and smooth coated, that year he could make his dream come true by importing from the very famous Leo Belgicus Dutch kennel some important dogs with whom to start his breeding program of these little Belgian dogs, at that time almost unknown though wonderful pets to share your life with. Despite the landing in Belgium with the Griffons, in 2005 Chihuahuas give Francesco a huge satisfaction when Ch. Nothing Hikker, a dog he bred before his Music Velvet kennel name was granted, became Junior World Winner, America y Caribe champion as well as Argentine champion at the World Show in Buenos Aires, keeping on enriching the list of his titles with more championships including International champion, Columbian champion, Chilean champion, Latin-American champion and Junior Uruguayan champion. The rise to success is further confirmed in 2007 when Rasputin di Rio Galeria, bred by Paolo Tartaro and owned by Francesco di Paola Nuzzo, earned the titles of BOB, Mexican champion and World champion at the World Show in Mexico City, Chihuahuas' native country. At this same show three more chihuahuas won the Mexican championship: Haiti di Rio Galeria, South Fork's Music Man and Yo Te Quiero di Rio Galeria, the latter already owned by Mrs. Elena Antonova of Xeliantos Kennel. |
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| CH Rasputin di Rio Galeria |
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Yo Te Quiero had already achieved huge success in Europe including Reserve BIS at the EUROASIA show and the title of European Champion won in Zagreb. On the other side, Yo Te Quiero's son, Xeliantos Little Bemby, did the reverse journey arriving in Rome from Saint Petersburg where Mrs. Antonova lives; Little Bemby, apart from being a multi title holder, was awarded the title of Best Dog among all the breeds protected by the CCC. In 2010 Giorgina di Rio Galeria became European Champion, the same title won by Moses Leslie di Rio Galeria in 2011; both these champions are sired by the American import South Fork's The Beat Goes On, himself a European champion. Again this same year, another dog sired by Soth Fork's The Beat Goes On, Francisco Duval, this time carrying the Music Velvet kennel name, is leaving a mark of himself in the show rings and, at time of writing, is in the lead as TOP DOG. |
| CH YO TE QUIERO DI RIO GALERIA |
Going to the aknowledgement, our hearfelt thank you goes to all those breeders who, trusting us, and by giving us some of their dogs, let us work with their bloodlines; same as we thank all those breeders who, once again trusting us, have used our dogs in their breeding programs. |
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| CH MUSIC VELVET FRANCISCO DUVAL |