Page 32 - WUT Magazine

Horst Kliebenstein – 80
In January 2017, Horst Kliebenstein turned 80, and we cannot miss this occasion to say what he means to us – Dachshund people and all the dog people in the world.
As for me personally, I met him first in the ring (it was a funny experience, because he told me then that my dog would never enter the fox hole with such a big forechest, and I began to argue immediately, and even suggested him to come to our trials and check), and soon after that in Vi- enna, where we came with my colleague Natasha Danilina to introduce our Dachshund Club as the new WUT member. Mr Kliebenstein was there with the report from the FCI side, and when leav- ing, he said to us: “You two, you are working, and I will always help you when you need”.
Years passed and showed that these were not just words. Our club magazine, our club seminars (the first one was organized in 2009, and it gave the start to many others, already not only with Horst), our unusual club events (like the first
“Golden Ratio” derby in 2010, or the first Bonita- tion Club Championship in 2013), our brochure on “Methodology of Judging Dachshunds”, and final-
ly, his memorable video-interview given to Nata-
sha Danilina, – he never refused to invest his
time and knowledge to all the projects which he thought could be useful for the breed.
Shorter, I would say that Mr Kliebenstein, with his true and complete devotion to what that he is do- ing all his life, is one of the most important reasons to stay optimistic concerning the dog world and its future. He is one of those few judges, who help us to understand how it should be, and who still let us believe that it can be. Thank you for everything, dear Horst, and please accept our warmest wishes for many more years ahead!
Here below is the first part of my three hours long talk with Mr Kliebenstein at his home in Saarland, on April 21–22. And as the accompaniment – greetings to him by his friends and colleagues from di er- ent countries and continents.
Ekaterina Domogatskaya
The interview is illustrated with the photos by Dmitry Picollo, Michael Tra ord and Anna Shvets
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