About EKARA
I am Dirk Tijssen, KUSA member 1040961, and owner of the EKARA Affix. Thanks for visiting my website, and enjoy this page about me and my dogs!
Although "Ekara Beagles" is still a new name in the dog show world my passion for, and experience with, Beagles is rooted much deeper.
We got our first Beagles when I was only 13 years old. Before that, we had owned Labradors and a few mongrels. However, we were on the lookout for a new breed, a breed that was not only cunning, but also loving, playful and fun to have around. I did my research and after many weeks of investigating different breeds, we eventually decided that the Beagle is the breed for us. I've read just about every article and website I could find, reading about all the pros and cons of this breed, but we were sure that this would be just the right breed for us!
Luckily, we were not proved wrong! Our first two Beagles immediately stole our hearts. Their funny antics, playful barks, loving disposition towards children and their strong sense of smell. In short, we loved just about everything about the BEAGLE!
As these things usually happen, we bred a few litters from our first pair of Beagles. Although this is not a good, nor responsible way of breeding, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing either... I have learned a lot from it, and it reinforced my love for the breed. However, in those first few years I made a lot of mistakes. Mistakes that I'd try to avoid in the future, mistakes that I've learned from!
The change in my disposition towards breeding started when I got involved with another awesome breed. Together with John Dunsdon, I became more and more involved with the showing and breeding of German Shepherd dogs. To this day, I am still involved in the breeding of German Shepherd dogs under the kennel name la Clarochel. Doing this, I’ve learned about the importance of genetics in a good breeding program, along with the absolute importance of the show ring. Without showing your dogs, I’ve learned, you have no measure of the quality of your dogs, and thus you cannot breed to improve the breed. Although showing means paying the judge for his opinion (this is where good sportsmanship comes in), the show ring is still a great place to measure up your dog against other specimens, and compare it to the official breed standard. Furthermore, the show ring is a great place to meet other canine- and breed enthusiasts, and learn new things.
A few people had a huge impact on my road up to where I am now. It is impossible to thank them enough for their influence!
My kennel name, Ekara, the Maori word for Eagle, is named after my late grandfather, Arend Kuipers, who, along with my other grandfather, Dirk Tijssen, always stood by my side, encouraging me to do my best in everything I do, to learn something new every day, overcome difficult times and learn from my mistakes, instead of just giving up. My grandfather’s name “Arend” is the Dutch/ Afrikaans word for “Eagle” and I really hope that my new breeding program will live up to his legacy.
My father, Johan Tijssen, also had a huge influence on everything I did. From teaching me how to work with money (he had many practical ways to do this) to helping me with the day-to-day tasks of breeding, he has always been there for me. No words could possibly describe how thankful I am to have such an awesome father, even though we bump heads from time to time.
My mother, Corrie Tijssen, was (and will always be) the one who brought back the balance when I tended to get overly excited. She always managed to change my point of view just enough to see things in a different, and usually better, way. Her listening ear and good advice will always be remembered and appreciated.
Michaela Schroeder, and her husband, Bruce, also deserve more than just a word of thanks. Many hours of training – show ring and obedience – but also many hours of chatting went into what I see as a very successful and fruitful friendship. Michaela always has good advice with regard to genetics, diseases and whatever else I might want answered. Even better – she’s been great at teaching me more about the structure and anatomy of German Shepherds, along with movement, and all the other important factors that must be considered. Both Michaela and Bruce, with their practical ways of teaching, has had a vast impact on my way forward, and I appreciate everything that these two awesome people have already taught me. I hope we will always be friends!
I have to mention another wonderful lady. Regrettably, I’ve only met Candice Theron years after I've started off with Beagles. She could have had much more of an influence on my earlier breeding, had I met her earlier. However, her expertise and knowledge helped me a lot diving into the show world of Beagles and launching my new breeding program. Candice has supported me on my search for new foundation stock, helped me with my research about the genetic health of Beagles, and reinforced my understanding of the importance of showing my dogs. Without Candice’s influence, it would take me much longer to reach my goals. As the the person who linked me up with my foundation dogs' breeders, Candice deserves a heartfelt thanks for all her efforts!
Karla Magnus, Lesley Childs, Katarzyna Sapierzynska, Donna Flew and Coralie Finck, Jennifer Bell, Gabrielle Vadi are all overseas Beagle breeders and exhibitors, who would usually not be mentioned in one breath. However, I own all of them a word of thanks for their patience with me when I was looking around for new dogs and their advice (some of which I will never forget) about the way forward! I hope that we can build on what I hope to be a long and fruitful friendship, and that they will allow me to ask questions and be willing to answer them!
I have to also thank a few people for technical details they helped me with. Caitlyn Wragg and John Dunsdon for proof-reading my website. Bianca Palmer and Corrie Tijssen for their suggestions with regard to the colour scheme and layout of my website and designs in general. Ingrid Matchke for the photographs that she allowed me to use especially for the photo of Ranger on my logo. For more awesome Ingrid Matchke photos, click here.
Enjoy the rest of our website, and feel free to contact us whenever you may have questions or comments!
Although "Ekara Beagles" is still a new name in the dog show world my passion for, and experience with, Beagles is rooted much deeper.
We got our first Beagles when I was only 13 years old. Before that, we had owned Labradors and a few mongrels. However, we were on the lookout for a new breed, a breed that was not only cunning, but also loving, playful and fun to have around. I did my research and after many weeks of investigating different breeds, we eventually decided that the Beagle is the breed for us. I've read just about every article and website I could find, reading about all the pros and cons of this breed, but we were sure that this would be just the right breed for us!
Luckily, we were not proved wrong! Our first two Beagles immediately stole our hearts. Their funny antics, playful barks, loving disposition towards children and their strong sense of smell. In short, we loved just about everything about the BEAGLE!
As these things usually happen, we bred a few litters from our first pair of Beagles. Although this is not a good, nor responsible way of breeding, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing either... I have learned a lot from it, and it reinforced my love for the breed. However, in those first few years I made a lot of mistakes. Mistakes that I'd try to avoid in the future, mistakes that I've learned from!
The change in my disposition towards breeding started when I got involved with another awesome breed. Together with John Dunsdon, I became more and more involved with the showing and breeding of German Shepherd dogs. To this day, I am still involved in the breeding of German Shepherd dogs under the kennel name la Clarochel. Doing this, I’ve learned about the importance of genetics in a good breeding program, along with the absolute importance of the show ring. Without showing your dogs, I’ve learned, you have no measure of the quality of your dogs, and thus you cannot breed to improve the breed. Although showing means paying the judge for his opinion (this is where good sportsmanship comes in), the show ring is still a great place to measure up your dog against other specimens, and compare it to the official breed standard. Furthermore, the show ring is a great place to meet other canine- and breed enthusiasts, and learn new things.
A few people had a huge impact on my road up to where I am now. It is impossible to thank them enough for their influence!
My kennel name, Ekara, the Maori word for Eagle, is named after my late grandfather, Arend Kuipers, who, along with my other grandfather, Dirk Tijssen, always stood by my side, encouraging me to do my best in everything I do, to learn something new every day, overcome difficult times and learn from my mistakes, instead of just giving up. My grandfather’s name “Arend” is the Dutch/ Afrikaans word for “Eagle” and I really hope that my new breeding program will live up to his legacy.
My father, Johan Tijssen, also had a huge influence on everything I did. From teaching me how to work with money (he had many practical ways to do this) to helping me with the day-to-day tasks of breeding, he has always been there for me. No words could possibly describe how thankful I am to have such an awesome father, even though we bump heads from time to time.
My mother, Corrie Tijssen, was (and will always be) the one who brought back the balance when I tended to get overly excited. She always managed to change my point of view just enough to see things in a different, and usually better, way. Her listening ear and good advice will always be remembered and appreciated.
Michaela Schroeder, and her husband, Bruce, also deserve more than just a word of thanks. Many hours of training – show ring and obedience – but also many hours of chatting went into what I see as a very successful and fruitful friendship. Michaela always has good advice with regard to genetics, diseases and whatever else I might want answered. Even better – she’s been great at teaching me more about the structure and anatomy of German Shepherds, along with movement, and all the other important factors that must be considered. Both Michaela and Bruce, with their practical ways of teaching, has had a vast impact on my way forward, and I appreciate everything that these two awesome people have already taught me. I hope we will always be friends!
I have to mention another wonderful lady. Regrettably, I’ve only met Candice Theron years after I've started off with Beagles. She could have had much more of an influence on my earlier breeding, had I met her earlier. However, her expertise and knowledge helped me a lot diving into the show world of Beagles and launching my new breeding program. Candice has supported me on my search for new foundation stock, helped me with my research about the genetic health of Beagles, and reinforced my understanding of the importance of showing my dogs. Without Candice’s influence, it would take me much longer to reach my goals. As the the person who linked me up with my foundation dogs' breeders, Candice deserves a heartfelt thanks for all her efforts!
Karla Magnus, Lesley Childs, Katarzyna Sapierzynska, Donna Flew and Coralie Finck, Jennifer Bell, Gabrielle Vadi are all overseas Beagle breeders and exhibitors, who would usually not be mentioned in one breath. However, I own all of them a word of thanks for their patience with me when I was looking around for new dogs and their advice (some of which I will never forget) about the way forward! I hope that we can build on what I hope to be a long and fruitful friendship, and that they will allow me to ask questions and be willing to answer them!
I have to also thank a few people for technical details they helped me with. Caitlyn Wragg and John Dunsdon for proof-reading my website. Bianca Palmer and Corrie Tijssen for their suggestions with regard to the colour scheme and layout of my website and designs in general. Ingrid Matchke for the photographs that she allowed me to use especially for the photo of Ranger on my logo. For more awesome Ingrid Matchke photos, click here.
Enjoy the rest of our website, and feel free to contact us whenever you may have questions or comments!
My Commitment
At Ekara I am committed to:
- Improving the breed. I only breed when I feel that a combination of certain dogs could result in progeny that will leave a legacy. Thus I pay attention to showing all my breeding prospects in order to measure them up against the breed standard and choose the most suitable partner for every dog/ bitch.
- Genetic Health. At Ekara the genetic soundness of my breeding prospects is very important. For that reason all my dogs are health tested, and the results are published on my website. Furthermore, I keep the genetic health of my breeding prospects in mind when choosing their partners.
- Puppies that are sound and healthy. Not only do we breed to better the breed, but I also pay attention to how the pups are raised. I put every effort into the little ones, socializing them as much as possible, stimulating them, and taking them for vet visits, to ensure that they are healthy and happy at the time of sale.
- Ethical breeding. My dogs are not abused, misused, overused, mistreated, My dogs are firstly my pets, they are adored by the family and loved by visitors! My dogs are pets, not kenneled breeding dogs. I comply to the KUSA and Beagle Association rules, regulations and ethical standards as a guideline in everything I do!