How it all started
Already
at the age of 13 I became interested in
falconry and collected newspaper clippings and
reports about falconry and tormented my
parents that I wanted a falcon.
A
year went by and I visited a bird of prey
breeding center in Lower Austria with my
father. There came a big turn in my falconry
career, namely I was offered the opportunity
to help look after the animals and in return
to be instructed in the art of falconry.
So
over the next few years I spent all my free
time at the falcon station and learned how to
deal with falcons, eagles, vultures and
whatever other birds of prey there were.
Unfortunately,
there was not as much hunting with birds as I
would have liked, so I got my hunting license
at the age of 18 so that I could become active
myself. But
no proper hunt without a good dog.
So
I started looking for a suitable dog, and the
decision had to be made between pointers and
sighthounds because I kept seeing pictures of
both in old illustrations and in books.
The
decision fell on the English Pointer, but
these extremely fast and far-seeking dogs
don't usually work alone, so number two came
into the house. In
the meantime I came into contact with the
virus Field Trial and became more and more
involved with good dogs and imported my first
breeding bitch from Scotland from a pure
working line.
Pointer of Falconers Dream
In
1991 I started my kennel called ''of Falconers
Dream''. Since
I needed more and more space for my hobby, I
bought an old farm. There
I was able to really develop and expand my dog
breeding. I
bought pointers from the leading countries like
Italy, Spain, France and Greece over the coming
years. But
falconry was not neglected either.
I
mainly flew peregrine and red-naped hawks as
attendant falcons for partridges and pheasants
and saker and gyrfalcons for crows in the winter
months.
Falcons and Sighthounds
But
then the idea of using falcons to hunt larger
game came to me and I thought of the
illustrations of Arabian and Asian falconers
using sighthounds as partners. After
a long search I found what I was looking for in
Switzerland and bought a Saluki bitch.
Since
I always want to do everything right, I not only
trained my Saluki in the fields, but also took
her to the racetrack. There
you have the opportunity to keep your dogs fit
all year round so that they are in good
condition during the hunting season.
Saluki of Falconers Dream
But
I wouldn't be myself if I didn't breed Saluki
myself. So
in the spring of 2006 I had my first sighthound
litter. I
kept two bitches from this litter, my light wish
bitch Hayfa and the mahogany colored Hosneja.
When my partner Michaela Peterseil moved to me a
little later, the Saluki pack also expanded.
Hamra
came back to her sisters and the rescue bitch
Tami (Olimpia) has been sharing the leadership
of the pack with my Enigma ever since.
For
my second Salki litter, we chose a handsome,
high-performing male that was supposed to
improve my hunting passion. He
not only brought vitality, but also a great
variety of colors, including our beloved
particolors.
In
2016 an interview
about my Saluki breed appeared in the magazine
of the German Sighthound Breeding and Racing
Association.