Dog and cat showing, breeding, and training
Welcome to the del Mango pets page! Here you will get a little background on the wonderful animals we call friends, and maybe even a sense of why we think they are so special...

The del Mango page has to begin with the dog who started it all, Spitfire Mango Madness. I (Sara) had been working for Ted and Dawn Hoppe (of American Street Ring fame) when Mango was born in a litter from one of their sweetest and prettiest brood bitches, Nip. I adored Nip and her mother Cobra (who was really sweet once you got to know her, although most people felt she really did live up to her name), and the littlest runty puppy became mine.

I was in my early twenties then, and Mango grew up as my best friend. It was her and I against the world! True to her Malinois nature, she was "game" for anything - we not only did Obedience, but Tracking, Protection, Agility, Herding even Water Work! Unfortunately, when she was about three and a half years old, she developed Idiopathic Canine Epilepsy. Of course, I did everything possible - went to specialists, tried alternative therapies, you name it - I tried it. For years it was manageable, but as she got older the "breakthrough" seizures got worse until, at eight and a half years old, I had to let her go. My whole family was devastated. Everyone loved Mango. She just had such a vibrant, intelligent and truly kind nature - she helped raise, and even rescue, guinea fowl keets, wild fledglings and baby squirrels, cuddled with guinea pigs and kittens, and she was always gentle and patient. On the flip-side, my Schutzhund club members at the time (Garden State Schutzhund club), used to call her "Mangle" due to her overly "civil" aggression on the field. She was a great personal protection dog and a true show-off at the shows we entered and as the Monmouth County SPCA's Demonstration Dog at events. She is missed every day.

Following in Mango's wake is MacLeod, or "Cloudie." I had always wanted a collie - I grew up on Albert Payson Terhune books and swore one day I would have a great collie of my own... I found MacLeod's breeder, Tanya Volovnik of Orion Collies, through word of mouth from several different collie breeders in the NJ area. I had been searching for a breeder who shared my ethics and preferences in the breed and Tanya was it. Having a small breeding program, she had no puppies available at the time, but she did have two 18 month old males she had "grown out." I went to go look, and that was it. I fell in love with the large mahogany sable male (named "Leo" at the time), and he was mine.

MacLeod has far exceeded my expectations. He was so easy to train, it scared me. His sensitivity and intelligence are more than worthy of a Terhune novel. He currently serves as an Assistance Dog for me on occasion (I have prosthetic hips and I have trained him to help me in and out of bed or bath as needed, retrieve dropped objects, support my weight while walking or climbing stairs, etc.) and my girlfriend of many years, Bonnie Giacovelli (we met while attending College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME), shows him in Conformation. MacLeod even served as the ringbearer at our wedding - a dream come true for me.

Shortly after Mango's passing, my husband Ed told me that the house was too quiet. MacLeod was very ill from grieving for her, and I, too, was suffering from Malinois withdrawal. So I contacted Tri Sorts Malinois kennel in Vienna, VA, whose dogs I'd seen on occasion and liked. I have very specific ideas about the "type" I like in both collies and malinois... in collies I prefer a more old-fashioned look - the "stovepipe" head and squarer body, and in malinois, I tend to like the typey French dogs - finer heads and lighter bones than you see in the coarser "working" lines, and that deer-like grace I feel is a hallmark of the breed.

I spoke at length with Carol Knock, and the next thing we knew, Ed and I were driving down to VA to meet with them, be interviewed, and hopefully adopt a dog. At the time, I didn't want a puppy - I was looking for an adult to work, show and love, and the Knocks had a couple of females they were willing to adopt out. We fell in love instantly with a demure little female they had retired from showing and spayed. She was (and still is) the most gorgeous Malinois female I have ever seen. We took her home and named her Maiya.

To my chagrin, Maiya made herself Ed's dog. MacLeod took her under his wing and showed her how to be a pet - he was instantly cured from his grief, and happily allowed her to steal his treats and take over his special snoozing spots. She is a very sweet, but reserved, girl. She was not the personality I was looking for when it came to working in Obedience or Agility, but Ed loved her and she loved him, and once she came into our home, that was it. Two dogs was the limit in our little Brick, NJ condo, so I resigned myself to waiting until I had the room for another Malinois to show and work...

About a month after moving to FL, Carol Knock contacted me about a litter due on the ground in early April. She wanted me to have a pup - it was an amazing breeding (I had met the dam the last time I was there, and had noticed how pretty and sweet she was) and promised some super pups, physically and temperamentally. After some serious consideration (OK, it took me less than a New York minute!), I said YES! Zorro was born April 7, 2003, and we drove up to VA to bring him home late June. From the start, he was an amazing puppy. He was pick of the litter, and it was easy to see why - his personality was sweet, inquisitive, patient (an unusual enough characteristic in the breed!), very self-possessed, and even a little naughty sometimes. He still is. Zorro very obviously made me his human. I am his sun, moon and stars, and his devotion is complete. He easily finished his AKC Championship, and also works as my Service Dog as needed (much to Cloudie's dismay).

So far, he has matured into a very good-looking boy, and has a temperament to die for - his sweetness and mild (well, milder than a hard-core "working" line Mal!) personality suit exactly what I am looking for, and want to promote in the breed. Carol Knock co-owns him with us and has provided invaluable guidance and support. We think very highly of her ethics and breeding program, and intend to continue with her to satisfy the cravings of our "Malinois habit."

January 2007 brought a new bundle of joy into Casa del Mango - a beautiful European-bred German Shepherd Dog female named Kiri (her "official" name is Fayr van Corsalabroek). Friend and mentor Shelly Leibowitz selected her for us, and he couldn't have done a better job - she is everything that we hoped for, and shows tremendous promise for a future of conformation and performance titles, as well as replacing MacLeod when he is retired from Service.

We also currently have three cats here at del Mango. The first feline to join us was Mallory, a tortoise-shell colored kitty we adopted in Key West the weekend we got engaged in January 2000. She was the only kitty in the shelter to come right up and rub against MacLeod.

Our next cat, Sea Bass, came into our home in a more novel way... I was driving home one day and nearly hit his brother, who had wandered into the road. Three kittens had been born under a backhoe in a marina in Highlands, NJ where we were living at the time. After fishing them out from under heavy machinery, I took them home to clean them up, feed them and figure out what to do with them. Of course, the runtiest kitten was in terrible shape - I didn't think he would even survive the night - he was cold, unresponsive and had maggots in his eyes (Ewwww!). All three of them were anemic, dehydrated and loaded with fleas.

That night, we bathed them, fed them a thick formula of kitten milk replacer, and I was able to clean out the runt's eyes. They survived and were raised by a very attentive MacLeod and Mango. Two of the brothers were adopted by friends of mine, but I couldn't find anyone to take the runt. His eyes turned out to be fine, despite the maggots, and of course once it's in my house... Sea Bass has turned out to be a very affectionate cat, and was a favorite of my late grandfather. We are glad to have rescued the cuss.

We also have a Siamese - a little Seal Point "Traditional" girl, Dharma, who thinks she is part of our dog pack. Siamese are the most loveable, smart, social and comical cats I have ever met. I am looking forward to a special show Siamese in the near future...

We also have 2 ornamental show chickens - little Dutch Bantam hens named Amelia and Sally. They are adorable and we get fresh eggs daily.

So, it sounds like we have a zoo or an ark here at Casa del Mango - someone told me once it must be like living in a Disney movie or Wild Kingdom... well, I can tell you everyone here gets along pretty well. Of course, the cats tease the dogs sometimes, and Maiya gets a little annoying with her cat-herding behavior... Zorro is obsessed with the chickens... but all in all, it's pretty peaceful - almost as if everyone here knows they have to get along. If only the rest of the world would take a lesson on that score...