In 2006 Tim and I decided that we would like to import a Griffon from the UK however none of the breeders in that country whom we contacted took the time to reply to our email of inquiry.
This was a bit disheartening however then we heard via the grapevine that Jan den Otter and Hans Bleeker, who have been breeding griffons under the vd Platte Belskes and Leo Belgicus prefixes for over 30 years, had decided that there was  more to life than dogs and were selling and placing all their stock.

We contacted them and before long the one Griffon we had planned to import grew to two and then four!  We are extremely fortunate to have such an opportunity, to obtain four gorgeous red bitches from the leading Griffon kennel in Europe with all those years experience and careful breeding behind them.  Thank you Hans  and Jan for entrusting your girls to us.  We look forward to their arival in Australia in July 2007.
      1976- vd Platte Belskes & Leo Belgicus - 2006
In 1976 Jan was looking for a tom cat to mate with his Siamese feline and saw an advertisement
in the Newspaper for a stud service. He went over to have a look but didn't like the cat. At the same place they were also breeding, on a very small scale, Petit Brabancons and Jan fell in love with them.

They had a litter in which there was Mafke vd Hesseldam, a red smooth, who became his foundation bitch. The first two attempts to breed from her were not successful  and all the pups died. As one of the dead pups was a black & tan Jan went to the black and tan rough dog Fidel Castro v Doggerbank. They produced two black and tan, rough males and a blue and tan smooth bitch that could not hold her bladder and was put to sleep. The fourth and last litter gave Jan his first Champion, the black and tan rough , Prulleke vd Platte Belskes, born in 1982.

In 1978 he also purchased a red rough bitch name Madammeke vd Heerschuur. In 1981 she was bred to the black rough Crax des Wallans (an old Belgian kennel) and produced the first litter of Griffons for 'de Platte Belskes', all three were black. Sadly Madammeke died of Aujesky when the pups were 5 weeks old.

In 1985 he imported from Belgium the belge rough
dog Ch Jakke-Plat-Belske-Babette's Pride and also
met his life time partner Hans. Jakke was
was placed at friends and could be borrowed for
shows and stud work, I didn't really like the
three bitches Jan had at the time as they were
quiet stubborn to the newcomer in the house!
I had to carry Mafke to the end of the street as
she didn't want to go with me on the walk.

The following year we went on vacation to the UK
and paid a visit to the late Ann Fenn's Starbeck Kennels.  To me it was a revelation to see the
difference between her dogs and the breed in the Netherlands. The dogs were so much more'toy',
brillant red and well put together, whilst I found the Griffons at that time here to be more 'farmers' dogs.  We fell in love with Starbeck Corsair, a red smooth, and the same year Jan went back to Ann to collect his rough red daughter, Ch Starbeck Centime. Jakke came to live with us two years later and because of this dog I started to love the breed. His magnificent big head made me understand this is a special breed. In 1987 we imported the black and tan smooth Ch Sam I Am Of St John from the USA.  The second dog from this kennel, Ch St Johns Sentimental Journey, a red rough, had a great influenece on the breed. He sired ten Dutch Champions, a record, in his ten litters.
                                                              In 1995 the second kennel name 'Leo Belgicus' was
                                                              was registered at the Dutch KC. The first Champions
                                                              with that name were the red rough Leo Belgicus Jeu
                                                              de Boules and his sister Je Maintiendrai.

                                                              We imported also the following dogs and bitches to
                                                               establish a successful breeding programme:
                                                               Ch Ukraine de la Romance du Mal Aime, a red smooth
                                                               bitch from France, Czigany Kompas Rose a  black
                                                               rough bitch from Czech Rep who was a exchange for
                                                               one of ours. The red rough dog Ch Starbeck Crimson,
                                                               the red smooth bitch Ch Red Hot Hottentot's Fatal
                                                               Attraction and her red rough sister Ch Red Hot Hottentot's Faye Dunaway from Germany (from Crimson's first litter). Also Backangens Zerlina
a red rough bitch from Sweden, Hokey Pokey of St John, a belge rough bitch, Ch Beagriff Mindy, a red rough bitch, Ch Gaystock Le Pas de Tout, a red smooth dog, Ch Elegant Gargoyle of  St John, a black and tan smooth bitch, Ch Beagriff Galliard, a red rough dog, and Ch Beauview Roses Are Red, a red smooth bitch whom we co-owned with her breeder.

We borrowed also the following dogs, not bred by us, which we showed and used in our breeding programme: Ch Rickshaw's Bare Wire, a red smooth, USA, Ch Roven's Desiderio del Mondo, a belge rough from Norway, Ch Bohous od Vlichio Pramene, a black and tan smooth from the Czech Republic, Ch Charlie Maly Pounik, a black rough from the Czech Republic, Ch Debmar Lucky For Some, a black rough from the UK, the red rough Ch Beagriff Thomas from Australia, Ch Ratcatcher's Odysseus, a red rough from Sweden and Ch Braids Boogie Woogie, a black and tan smooth also from Sweden.


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