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In the fall of 1990, my friend and fellow goatkeeper,
Spencer Pexton, noticed an elderly doe in the milking string of a commercial
dairy in which he worked. Feeling that this doe might produce a nice last
kid for him, Spencer purchased the doe from the dairy and had her bred
to a buck that had been leased from Clovertop.
In April of 1991, Fiasco Farms Ivory 99% Pure delivered
two dead kids and a live buck kid. Right away it was apparent that the
living kid was blind, so I brought him into the house and raised him in
a cardboard box in the kitchen.
By the time he was eleven days old, the kid got
his sight and was moved outside to live with the other kids. Spencer named
the kid Ivory Tusk, and gave him to me. I wanted to use him as a herdsire
because I felt his dam had the most ideal Saanen body style I had seen.
And from the start, Tusk showed his mother's frame and scale.
Jennifer Jackson, who had the White Wave herd,
leased Tusk and bred him to a number of does. GCH White Wave Tusk Ivory
was one of the first of many champion Tusk daughters.
In 1994 I sent a kid sired by Tusk to Laurie Action,
des Ruhigestelle Saanens. This kid was out of one of my first freshners,
but was noticeably one of the nicest kids I had that year. The kid grew
into a beautiful doe, GCH Squaw Mountain Sunglow *6M, LA 4-04 90 VEEE,
3-00 302 3122 86 92.
Tusk was shown a total of 8 times in his lifetime,
and was Res GCH three times and GCH five times as well as Best in Show
at three shows.
In 1997, Tusk was leased to des Ruhigestelle. Laurie
was impressed with the frame style that the Tusk daughters were showing,
and in using him it is evident that Tusk fulfilled her wishes. His offspring
in her herd include: Gch des Ruhigestelle Olympic Gold 7*M, who was
GCH Saanen and BUOB at the 2001 California State Fair and has won 5 X
BOB, 6 X BUOB and 4 X BIS; des Ruhigestelle Elowah, LA 89 (VE+E) with a
current lactation (in progress) of 3-0 220 4083 161 (3.9%) 117 (3.0%) and
is projected for 4750 191; and des Ruhigestelle Evie, LA FS 86 (VEVV),
2-10 219 2891 106 85, projected for 3370 126.
Tusk also sired some notable sons, including +*B
Companeros Cascade, sire of numerous high producitng does and champion
daughters, and *B des Ruhigestelle Elwah, brother to Elowah and sire of
tall, long, strong does.
Thirty three daughters in ten herds had an average
production of 2945 105 (3.6%) 86 (2.9%). Appraised duaghters (18 in 6 herds)
had an average final score of 85.5 (2000 data).
Tusk inherited his mother's correctness and longelevity.
After an illness that left him lame, I had him put down by my veterinarian
last month, at the age of 10 1/2 years.
While I feel that Tusk has left his mark on the
Saanen breed, producing get with his style and size and very good productivity,
his most oustanding trait was his kind, sweet, gentle nature. His offspring
have typically inherited this.
GCH ++*B North Coast Ivory Tusk was
a beautiful animal, a nice buck, a fine sire, and a sweet friend. He will
be missed around here, but I have plenty of semen for future kid crops,
and his descendants will be plentiful in years to come.
Lorrie Echols
9652 Bodega Hwy
Sebastopol, CA 95472
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