DanBar Ranch
Diane Jessup
I have been involved in dog sport since the 1970s, earning my first AKC "CD" title in the mid 70s and graduating from the very well respected Mandelyn Kennels Police Kennels "K9 Master Trainer/Instructor" two month course in 1979 - with her fully certified Police K9 Trained Doberman, Soldat's Bold Challenger, CD (Otto). I have spent a lifetime working with dogs including: managing breeding/boarding/training kennels, working as a veterinarian assistant, training and handling dogs in several movies, TV series and commercials, speaking internationally on dog related subjects including animal control professionals in five countries, has been seen on shows such as Oprah, 48 Hours, McNeil/Lehrer News Hour, Bryant Gumble Eye on America and dozens of local television news programs speaking on dogs, was an animal control officer for 20 years, have authored fiction and non-fiction books and over 100 articles on dogs as well as putting over 70 training titles (old school! not agility, dock diving, etc.) on my dogs.
My dogs are first and foremost my life-companions, and dog sport is simply a way to enjoy the dogs and prove their mettle. Several serious physical issues have forced me into retirement now and I can no longer trial my dogs.
In my retirement I have decided to do a little breeding to try and send some truly quality animals into the future for the next generation of serious dog folks. I have chosen the Doberman and the cairn terrier. I earned my first schutzhund and obedience titles on Dobermans in the late 1970s. I have loved this breed for over 4 decades - I was the Doberman editor of the popular working dog magazine DogSports from 1979 to 1983.
My cairn terriers are the love of my life. Happy, tough, bold and friendly, they are the "little dog without little dog faults". She is on a mission to educate people that cairn terriers are a far superior pet to the many mongrels being marketed today as "designer dogs". There is a reason the cairn has endured all these centuries! She is also researching the DNA of the rare CORRECT hard coat found on so few cairns today.
Below... A few of my past dogs... RIP
Bandog Dread
SchH III, IPO III, U-CDX, CD, TD, (Tracking) WH
IWPA WDS (weight pull), ASCA STD-sheep/ducks (herding)
American Pit Bull
Diane's first American pit bull, her soul mate, and one helluva dog. Dread was a crash course in what it means to own an authentic pit bull. Dread earned multiple AKC High In Trials in major competition (ILP'd as an Am Staff) and several UKC High In Trials. He earned his schutzhund degrees with High Protection and HIT for his level 3. He worked in several movies, including The Good Son with Macauly Culkin and the Simon and Simon movie In Trouble Again with Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker. Dread earned sheep and duck herding titles through the Australian Shepherd Club of America, and at his last trial earned High Scoring Dog on ducks. He was a useful dog with livestock, but he was highly dog aggressive. Dread was an exceptional dog and an exceptional friend and is missed very much.
Bandog Brittania
SchH I, U-CD, IWPA WDS (weight pull)
American Pit Bull
Britt was like Ginger Rogers to Dread's Fred Astaire: she did everything Dread did only backwards and in high heels! She really matched him step for step, but was always in his shadow. She was a pure Colby bred bitch, a bit lazy, but tough. She earned 95 in protection for her SchH I, and a 97 while trying for her SchH II. Unfortunately she was gun shy, and was retired. Britt was a very typical authentic American pit bull: she loved kids, didn't start trouble with other dogs but finished it, and was possessed of a great sense of humor.
Boldog Grip
SchH I, IWPA WDS (Weight Pull Silver Medalist)
American Pit Bull
Grip was a lovely bitch, but developed gunshyness and was unable to continue her IPO titles. She was an impressive weight puller, and in limited showing was a silver medalist in a competitive region and weight class even though she was accidentally poisoned by a (dumbass) co-worker while in first place for the season.
Boldog Old Yeller
SchH I, IPO I, STP I (article search)
American Pit Bull
Yeller was a Grip son. He was placed with a trainer in Canada who, it was found out later, kept him in a shipping crate and trained him with electric shock. When she abandoned him to run off with a new boyfriend, I paid $1000 to bring him home. He had been considered "untitleable" in bitework, however, with patience Diane rehabbed him from his shock collar training and earned his SchH I with 95 in bitework. He also earned his IPO I and Article Search title and then was retired.
Boldog Dirk
SchH III, IPO III, French Ring Brevet,
American Pit Bull
Dirk was a pure Sorrells dog whose parents came from Bert Sorrells yard. All his relatives were game fighting dogs, and Diane wanted to prove a male, gamebred pit bull could be trained using pure positive marker training. Dirk earned his French Ring brevet title winning 3rd out of 7 dogs on his first try, out scored only by two very experienced Ring 3 handlers. Dirk was always a handful, but remains Diane's idea of the Perfect Pit Bull. Friendly, happy, playful and tough as hell. Dirk was the foundation dog for Boldog Kennels.
Boldog Grimbo
SchH II, WDA Regional SchH I Champion, TRII (tracking)
American Pit Bull
Grimbo was a Dirk son. His dam was Washington State Patrol K9 X-Dog (Scout) an explosives detection dog. Grimbo had a brother in NY state with Suzanne Bunney, Boldog General Burkhalter, SchH III, who earned his titles in three straight trials. Another brother is WSP K9 Dilly, a narcotics detection dog with the WSP. Grimbo starred in the movie "The Green Room" where he played Patrick Stewart's dog. Patrick and Grimbo got along splendidly.
