Ch. N-Vee's Touch of Romance
"Rock"

Click here to view Rock's pedigree

Sire of (see the list of winners):
13 Show Champions
1 All-Breed Best in Show Winner
4 Best in Specialty Winners
4 ABC Futurity Money Winners
7 juvenile Field Trial placers
9 Hunt Test qualifiers
1 3x Master Agility Champion

The Beginning
There's a funny story behind Rock, because first of all, he was supposed to be his grandsire's son.  His breeder sent her bitch to be bred to DC Hybrittin's Jeremiah Weed, but over 10 years old and the breeding didn't take.  Before Gypsy came in season again, the Cohens obtained Weed's son "Jimmy", and offered for the second breeding to be to him instead.  There were only 3 males in the resulting litter.  Rock's breeder, who I corresponded with, sent me pictures of the puppies and offered to give me one, since she had gotten Holly out of my first litter.  I didn't like how Rock looked, and told her he was no better than pet quality (!!).  I passed on his brothers as well, since I already had two males at the time.  But as fate would have it, the next year I would have none -- Banner was killed by a car, and I decided to place his son in a pet home.  Rock (then known as "Rocky") was chosen by a Portugese Water Dog breeder, who took him home to show him and make him her husband's hunting dog. [That didn't work out -- they sent him to a Labrador trainer, who we think intimidated him and made him start blinking birds.]

Rock Comes To California
In 1993, I was showing Holly occasionally as a special and looking for a dog to breed her to, since her owner and I had agreed she'd have her first litter with me.  I contacted Rock's owner to get pictures, and received that plus a video.  I was astounded.  The puppy I'd thought was only pet quality was now a solid, substantial dog with some of the cleanest, most beautiful movement I'd ever seen in a Brittany.  He had true ninety-degree front angulation, something I'd never seen in our breed. I was impressed to say the least!  We then planned to breed Holly to him for either her first or second litter.  Just a couple of months later, I went to a specialty in Washington, where Rock's owner was showing him.  She told me they wanted to find him a good show home, because she thought he needed more opportunity than she could give him, and asked if I was interested.  I jumped at the chance this time!  He came home in June 1993, and became our "Rock".  He already had 4 points won from the puppy classes, and I was able to finish him easily in 8 shows, with a BOB over specials and a specialty WD (thanks to Debbie Inferrera, who finished him, since I was showing another Open Dog!).

Specials Record
He started winning as a special immediately, and won his first Best in Specialty that November.  The next year (1994) he shot all the way up to #2 in the country, winning multiple group placements, more specialties, and his first Group First.  I was fortunate enough to be working for a professional handler at the time, so I showed him all over the West, and thanks to the Cohens, I was also able to take him to the East Coast and got some wins out there.  By the end of 1995, though his campaign had lessened (I stopped working for handlers regularly at the end of '94), I felt that Rock wasn't responding to me as he once had, but that he was too young, at 4, to retire.  So I asked Amy Rodrigues to show him for me; she did, and won back-to-back BOB's.  She showed him in most of his shows in 1996.  The last time I showed Rock was at the Sahuaro specialty in November 1996, where he won a nice Best in Specialty.  (Rock and his sons won that specialty 5 times in 5 years, and the BOB trophy now is in Rock's memory.) Amy showed him the last 3 times -  winning a Best of Breed, his final Group First, and Best of Breed at the 1996 National Specialty!  We agreed at that show to retire Rock at the top.

Retirement
In 1997, I moved out of my mom's house, and Rock stayed with her.  She took him to work with her nearly every day.  He was so well-behaved, people came in looking for him, and kids loved him.  He and my mom took long walks through campus at UC Berkeley.  He went off his food in the winter of 1997, but it wasn't until early in 1998 that the vets and my mom realized that something was very wrong.  In February 1998, he was obviously failing.  The vets finally found cancer throughout Rock's intestines, and we had to make the hard choice to let him go.

Rock was a joy to live with, a thrill to show, and an excellent representative of the breed.  He never had a real chance in the field, but enjoyed the runs I used to take him on, and came to love finding, pointing, and chasing birds again.  His kids and grandkids speak to the natural abilities present in Rock's background.  To date, he has sired 13 Champions, and several that have wins in field trials, hunt tests, obedience, and agility.  His daughter Ch. Burford's Just In Kase racked up fantastic wins ever since her first show, where she won a major from the 6-9 class.  "Kay-C" won BOS in Sweeps at the '96 National Specialty, Best of Opposite Sex at the '97 National, first Award of Merit at the '98 National, Best of Opposite Sex at the '02 ABC Summer Specialty, and was the third BEST IN SHOW WINNING Brittany bitch in history (see photo below).  Kay-C's sister, MACH3 Burford's Bolt Across The Delta JH ("Murphy"), was the breed's second Master Agility Champion. Rock's heir apparent is Chase.

See a record of Rock's wins: PDF

Rock winning the 1996 National Specialty	...and on point
Rock's Parents Jimmy  and  Gypsy (Ch. Adjustor of Connie & Can. Ch. Chukar Hill's Touch of N-Vee)
Rock's daughter, BIS Ch. Burford's Just In Kase "Kay-C"