Hundesalon Black-Rider

I would like to briefly introduce ourselves. My name is Karin Nievergelt and I was born on February 13, 1964, in Affoltern a/A. Our family includes my son Reto and my daughter Deborah, who fortunately share my love of animals, especially dogs.

Well, first things first. After endless begging, I got my first dog at the age of 11, a poodle named Jasmin. I didn't care what breed it was, as long as I got a dog, but for my mother it had to be a poodle. Over the years, I trained Jasmin to be a true acrobatic dog and she was my constant companion for many years and we had a lot of fun together.

As I was nearing the end of school, I started thinking about what the right career choice for me might be. A friend pointed out that Mrs. Vögeli from the "Kerberos" kennel, an active exhibitor and breeder of various breeds, including Cairn Terriers, had an apprenticeship vacancy for an animal keeper and dog groomer near us. During the interview, I immediately realized that this was the right thing for me, and I completed my three-year apprenticeship from 1980 to 1983 at this breeding facility. Since those years, it has been clear to me that if I ever got a small dog, it would only be a Cairn Terrier. I was taken with these small, cheeky, funny, cheerful terriers. But it would be some time before I got my first Cairn Terrier.

   

First, I fell in love with the Gordon Setter. This breed of dog would accompany me through my life for the next 25 years. In 1983, I bought my first Gordon Setter bitch, Ubine des Endroites. This bitch became my first breeding bitch and had her first litter in 1988. Breeder's luck: 11 puppies were born and, of course, one was allowed to stay, Angie Black Rider. This was followed by the B litter, and from the C litter I kept Crazy Black Rider, with whom I began to train for hunting trials and successfully competed in such trials. It was incredibly fun to see this spirited dog working in a hunting trial, how the dog, handler, and shooter had to work together perfectly, directing the dog from a distance with commands, seeing how he did what was asked of him on the long imaginary leash—it was incredibly fascinating. It was a great time!

In 1998, the first "unfortunately" red Cairn Terrier bitch, "Paperlapap's Gischpel," joined the team. I had always dreamed of a black Cairn Terrier, and it wasn't long before Cairns No. 2 and 3 moved into our household: Moët (Paperlapap's Lady of Gabrionni), a brindle female, and Knöpfli (Paperlapap's Best of Breed), the "almost" black female. From Gischpel's last litter, I kept a red female named "Fly Black Rider." This marked the beginning of my hobby and breeding program with Cairn Terriers and Gordon Setters. For more information about my dogs, see our dogs.

My professional career has always been related to animals, whether it was after my apprenticeship as an animal keeper in a boxer breeding facility or as a horse groom for Paul Hürlimann, the well-known military rider from Mettmenstetten. Reto was born in 1989, followed by his sister Deborah in 1993.

During this time, I groomed the dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs of all my colleagues until I plucked up the courage and decided to open my own dog salon. The first "salon" was located in a shed near my apartment at the time, and I moved the next salon into a garage until I found the current, beautifully located site and was able to set up an outbuilding according to my wishes, so that I can now pursue this profession to my full capacity. Needless to say, I specialize in setters and terriers, especially Cairn Terriers, but all other breeds and mixed-breed dogs are also in good hands with me after prior registration. For detailed information, see Dog Salon.