I bought my first dog in 1979 in my home country, Germany. Mata Salamatas Pascal (an Afgahn) led me to the show ring. At almost every show I took him to I found myself at the Dobermann ring. Already at that time, the Dobermann's nobility, musculature, strength and formidable expression fascinated me.

I immigrated to South Africa in 1985 and after settling into a new home followed my feelings and bought my first Dobermann, Aaron in 1986. Aaron was a South African bred male, he was tall and strongly built with a medium character.

The South African Dobermann was at that time a mix of UK, USA, Canadian, Belgium and German bloodlines, there was no real distinguished type and the nervous costume of these dogs was too weak, therefore for my first bitch I decided to go to German bloodlines and purchased Spree Adele vom Illerdamm ZTP SG1A APT, who was out of fully imported parents (Citto vom Marchengarten x Isolde von Georgstolz) and registered a kennel name (vom Illerdamm) in 1987.

Since there were no suitable males in South Africa to breed to Adele, she was only mated for the first time when she was four years old to Odin Vom Norden Stamm (Baron Bryan V Harro's Berg x Kassandra V Norden Stamm) which produced my "A" litter. One dog from the litter was a South African champion, attained ZTP and IWT2.

In 1992 I saw a need to improve character and was in a financial position to import a male. I was lucky enough to get a dog from the well known V.'T Smeulveen kennel in Holland - Popeye V.'T Smeulveen (Hertog Conan V. Manensheide x Natascha vom Norden Stamm). Hertog Conan V. Manensheide won all the major international titles - IDC, DV Sieger, Bundes Sieger, ZTP V1A, Angekört ZVA 1A. I bred three litters from Popeye, all with very good characters.

A year later Mr Mencke, being very happy with the character and looks of the previous litter, repeated the mating and one year to the day, Quina V.'T Smeulveen SA CH ZTP V1B (Hertog Conan V. Manensheide x Natascha vom Norden Stamm) was born. I offered a partnership to a young Dobermann enthusiast and breeder JC Pieters of the (today famous) South African Trustdore kennel. We formed in this partnership the Sudroyal kennel.

In 1995 we imported a brown male, Uran Royal-Bell SA CH (Larson Royal-Bell x Niagara Nike Royal-Bell) from the world famous Royal-Bell kennel in Croatia. Uran had a very successful show career and was a South African Champion. Uran was mated to Quina three times with very good results, many of the progeny achieving South African championship status, ZTP and other working qualifications.

In 2000 I was fortunate enough to import Smart Wood Hills Paola from Heinz Grimm. Because Paola was cropped she was not able to be shown or worked in South Africa. She produced two beautiful litters with Actros von Cobra.

Again I could not find a suitable male in South Africa and decided to import two males, Hazar Altobello-Hillo SA CH ZTP V1B (Casanova Altobello x Grate Ginga House) and Actros von Cobra SA CH (Nitro del Rio Bianco x Beauty Biagotti v. Cobra). They are three months apart in age and when Hillo was nine months old I gave him to JC Pieters (Trustdore). Actros is overall the best Dobermann I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

In 2005 I met Lauren and started training her dog (Chaldonne X'Tycho) a son of Actros, he was a super dog, and although stubborn he had great potential. We were devastated to loose him to cancer so young. In 2006 Lauren and I became a couple; we share the same passion for Dobermanns. Lauren came into the relationship with 4 Norwegian Forest Cats and a passion to breed them. If you’re interested in seeing them you can visit them here.

In my opinion (and that of many Dobermann fanciers), the Italians have for the last decade had the finest looking dogs in the world and I was not able to resist importing a top winning Rui Manuel del Rio Bianco daughter to South Africa. Escada Empire von Cobra (Rui Manuel del Rio Bianco x Black Witch von Cobra) was mated to Livonijas Baron Hero Hieronimus (Nitro del Rio Bianco x Paola Penelopa Piligrimas) one of the finest males in the world at the moment. She was imported in whelp into South Africa in September 2006 and gave birth to a very promising litter in November 2006. I had offered a partnership with Escada to Donne Lucas (of the Chaldonne and Donnehaus kennels) which she accepted, the partnership with her became untenable and I sold the bitch to her. I decided to keep a bitch from this litter - vom Illerdamm Hexe Harmonie. Unfortunately Hexe has a missing tooth (p2) and whilst, according to the Kennel Union of Southern Africa, I would be allowed to breed with her, I have decided against it and placed her in a pet home.