PROOF 34
FOUND ON
DOUMA/DYKSTRA'S
WEB-SITE :
THE CHARLIE SEMEN SCANDAL
Int'l CH and FC Carromers Charlie Chalk
CH Rocheby Royal Oak x Carromers Glamour Girl
Felicity Leith Ross has chosen to air her dirty laundry publicly by posting
some very defamatory information about me on her web site.
Felicity has attempted to steal my good reputation. Fortunately she has been
largely unsuccessful. My track record as an honest and reputable person stands
me in good stead.
Felicity's reputation worldwide for unconscionable and viscious attacks on
those who dare disagree with her has actually resulted in very heartening support
for me from European breeders.
A sincere THANK YOU to breeders worldwide who have expressed their support
and their condolences for my having fallen afoul of the Frenchwoman.
This is just to try to set the record straight.
In 1997 I made an ill-fated decision to ask about a breeding to Charlie Chalk,
who resides in France. A well-respected breeder in this country warned me about
doing business with Felicity. I wish I had listened to her. When I contacted
Felicitiy Leith Ross, she not only agreed to the breeding, but urged me to
import enough semen for several breedings. She suggested that I could then
recoup the transportation costs. So this venture was born.
This is just to try to set the record straight.
In 1997 I made an ill-fated decision to ask about a breeding to Charlie Chalk,
who resides in France. A well-respected breeder in this country warned me about
doing business with Felicity. I wish I had listened to her. When I contacted
Felicitiy Leith Ross, she not only agreed to the breeding, but urged me to
import enough semen for several breedings. She suggested that I could then
recoup the transportation costs. So this venture was born.
I worked very hard to get through all the red tape with customs and with AKC.
AKC required that the semen be owned in this country and therefore I am the
sole owner of the semen. It was determined that the 142 straws, because of
inconsistent quality, would allow about 7 breedings. After much work was done,
and despite repeated queries on my part, Felicity waited until IMMEDIATELY
prior to shipping, to inform me that she wanted $1500 for the "collection" of
the semen. I should have back out at that point, but I paid her the $1500 thinking
I could recoup that money and my other expenses. I would still be paying a
stud fee for my own breeding.
My initial costs for importing the semen was over $2000. I paid all the expenses.
Felicity NEVER paid a dime and was obviously more than reimbursed for the cost
of collecting the semen.
Over the next two years, I placed advertisements for Charlie in the LQ and
ILD. Felicity NEVER advertised that the semen was available in this country.
In two years, I had only two people express interest in breeding.
Litters were produced for Betty Beulteman and Rita Wagoner. FELICITY WAS PAID
HER STUD FEE FOR THOSE BREEDINGS and I did have some reimbursement of expenses
from those breedings. Those were ONLY breedings that were done IN THREE YEARS!
My own bitch failed to conceive.
Despite Felicity's statement in one of her original letters to me that some
provision would be made for repeat breedings, she was furious that I wanted
a repeat breeding. She complained that the breeding was my vet's fault because
of timing. Isn't it true that nearly all missed breedings are because of timing?
Frozen semen breedings, at best, have only a 50/50 chance of success, particularly
with straws. Felicity wants people to pay $850 for a breeding, whether or not
any puppies are produced. I refused to do that.
After the initial breedings and despite their successs, NO ONE else was wanting
to pay the stud fee of $1100 ($850 plus $250 for my expenses, which would STILL
not recoup all my costs) and I am still paying for storage of that semen. I
suggested that Felicity allow me a breeding for my expenses and I would just
charge people her $850 stud fee. SHE WAS FURIOUS THAT I WOULD SUGGEST SUCH
A THING and has continued to be completely unwilling to compromise. She states
that Charlie is getting a $1000 stud fee in Europe. That may very well be,
but despite Felicity's statement that there are no dog's comparable to Charlie
in this country, American breeders have been unwilling to pay $1100, plus $500
in vet expenses, for a roll of the dice breeding. Could it be that US breeders
think that there ARE dogs in this country that are as good as Charlie?
I own Charlie's semen and I have paid dearly for it, both in dollars and in
emotional torture from Felicity.
I finally decided to do what I needed to do to allow the semen to be used and
the recoup some of my expenses. I lowered the stud fee to Felicity's $850.
Since that time, I have had a few requests to use Charlie. Allison Hillius
bred her bitch. I applied the stud fee to my expenses, with Allison's knowledge.
To date, my expenses have been $2445.20. I have received $1608 towards those
expenses. I still have over $800 in outstanding expenses. Felicity has received
$1500 from me plus $2500 in stud fees.
Felicity has publicly accused me of being a thief. It has certainly been a
costly theft on my part. I have had NO financial gain and I have not even had
the litter that I wanted that got this whole mess started. I have offered on
SEVERAL occasions to return the remaining semen to Felicity. She has declined
to even respond to that offer.
So what have I stolen?
POSTSCRIPT: Charlie semen is no longer available.
PPSS: I'd rather get hit by a train (again), than
deal with Felicity
