Many of you have come to know Paul and Vibeke Jensen over the years as friends, Breed Warden, Secretary, NAVHDA judge, or dog consultants. It was only about two years ago that I had the opportunity to make their acquaintance at the 1998 NAVHDA Annual Meeting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was at that meeting that a group of members met to discuss formalizing the Club through development of by-laws and holding election of officers. The past year saw the fruit of that effort grow. We have By-laws and a Code of Ethics in place; interim officers have given way to the first officers elected under the new By-laws, and in a sense have reached another milestone for the Club. As we look towards the future, it may be an appropriate time to take a minute to look back and say thank you to Vibeke and Paul.

The Jensens first became interested in the Small Munsterlander Pointer in the late 1960’s, shortly before moving to the states from Denmark. I believe I remember Paul saying that during research of various breeds, he became very interested in our little bird dog because one author described the dog as intelligent. That is, the author said it was intelligent, not that it looked intelligent, as is so often written. I guess this captured the Jensens’ curiosity, and in 1973 they imported their first Small Munsterlander, Misty. The Jensens soon found that a lot of people were very interested in the breed, and they started looking for an acceptable stud for Misty. However, before breeding her they attended a seminar about "The Dog in Motion" given by Rachel Page Elliot, locally well known golden retriever breeder and show conformation judge. Vibeke and Paul were so excited about what they had learned that when they came home that evening, they immediately took Misty out on a lead and paraded her in front of each other under the street lamps. They studied Misty’s gate from the front, sides and from the back. After about 20 minutes or so, they decided that Misty was not a good specimen of the breed, and they chose not to let her become the birth mother of a "new breed" of dogs in North America. All breeders and potential breeders should think about that decision. How easy it would have been to breed her, but how important it was not to breed her. They then imported Bliss in 1975. Next came Chris and Peto’s Alpha within the next two years. Peto’s Alpha was the first Small Munsterlander to be Utility tested in NAVHDA ND EARNED A Prize II, 193 points.

Paul and Vibeke bred the first litter of Small Munsterlanders in North America that was whelped on April 12, 1977. Chris and Bliss produced five male puppies. Two years later, Peto’s Alpha and Bliss added seven more brown and whites to the Jaegerbakkens Kennel. Many of your dogs probably have some Jaegerbakkens dogs in their ancestry.

Paul and Vibeke have served their favorite breed well. As I visit with fellow Munster people and talk to prospective puppy purchasers, I am comforted to know that I can refer them to knowledgeable people like Paul and Vibeke. I try to imagine what it was like for them when there was virtually no one else, and the few people interested in the breed had not come together as a breed club. Perhaps it was just that need for camaraderie, sharing of ideas and information that caused the first club in North America to be formed. Because the Small Munsterlander and Large Munsterlander were under a common club in Denmark this seemed like a logical place to begin. The Small Munsterlander group joined the Large Munsterlander group under the banner of the Munsterlander Club of North America in 1980, and Paul was elected Breed Warden for the Small Munsterlander. Paul also served as the combined club’s President from the spring of 1985 to the end of 1990. Then in March 1993, with the growth in the population of the Small Munsterlander and a desire to differentiate between the two breeds, the Small Munsterlander Club of North America was formed. Paul continued in the capacity as Breed Warden and Vibeke served as Secretary.

I’m sure in some ways it must be hard to see the Club change. New officers and new ideas. Something like watching your children move out on their own. As I wrote to the other officers several days ago, after only bout three months as Secretary and responsible only for a few tasks, it makes me really appreciate the hard and tireless effort that Paul and Vibeke have contributed to the Club. Where the Club goes in the future is up to all members, but it is fair to say that where it has been, and where we are today is in large part due to their efforts and foresight. For this we all owe them our heartfelt thanks. I believe Paul’s and Vibeke’s response would be …. We just did it for the dogs.