Switzerland, June 2019
At the end of June, we spent a beautiful holiday in Switzerland. We planned to go under Matterhorn and Jungfrau, visit Entlebuch and the original breeding kennels in this area, and finally to participate at the treibball race in Murten, Switzerland.
Mountains
Our first trip was planned under the Matterhorn. By train, and further on foot. During our stay in Switzerland, the weather was extremely hot, the heat was even at an altitude of over 2000 meters, so we had to change the trip including spectacular views of Matterhorn so that it does not include the long uncovered parts without the opportunity for the dogs to freshen. Our next goal was the Jungfrau massif, on which we had a beautiful view from our guest house. We could observe the low green hills ascending to the higher hills, the green parts diminishing, and the rocks and snow enter. A close-up view of the snowy giants was also worth it. There were many Asian tourists in the area, who probably had a guide mentioning the Swiss mountain dogs. So, they took pictures of Barnie and Aisha under high mountains. In the heat, it was pleasant to swim in the mountain lakes and streams. In the mountain saddles covered by snow there was the temperature about 20 degrees.
In the footsteps of the Entlebuchs
With our two females, we set out to explore the Entlebuch valley and the roots of this breed. The book "Historische Zuchstätten: Entlebucher Sennenhunde" was our great guide and thanks to it we found the original kennels easily. In Entlebuch and its surroundings, the Entlebuch breed has its historical roots, but the active kennels are no longer there. We have not even met any Entlebuchs there. We visited several original kennels and although we were not announced in advance, our two Entlebuchs in harnesses with Swiss crosses, our kennel business card and the book describing the kennels helped us to talk to the original breeders and their children, some showed us photographs documenting the local breeding before many years. The Entlebuchs no longer work with cows in this area, as elsewhere, but when we visited the farms where they originally worked with them, it was very easy to imagine how they were chasing them up the surrounding hills. We couldn't miss a visit to the Entlebuch and the usual photo with the Entlebuch sign, but we were glad that we had time to see something more.
The Rothöhe is the true cradle of Entlebuchs. In this place Franz Schertenleib owned the restaurant and the hotel, and here in 1912-13 he embarked on the reconstruction of the breed. The thriving building burned down in 1972 and today there is a cruise restaurant. From the original beautiful atmosphere of the place remained only photos in the basement and a view of the countryside.
Treibball races in Murten
The work of Entlebuchs with cows and in Switzerland has been replaced everywhere by electric fences, so Barnie and Aisha chased at least balls at the treibball races in Murten. And they did great. Aisha won the race and Barnie placed the third.
© Stoklasovi, 2012