CH Capella’s Midnight Blues HIC ROM
Top 10 Smooth ROM Sire
By Shannon Hayes,
Autumn-Sun
For Mary Landes,
Rainbow
For CH Capella’s Midnight Blues HIC ROM, two distinct collie families — Parader and Brandwyne —
melded to create this unique and influential smooth sire.
In 1993, Debbie Price brought CH Lisara’s Slick Chic, “Winnie,” to the CCA National in Kansas City. At that
National, Debbie Holland also brought along some of the first puppies sired by CH Vennessee’s Midnight
Express ROM, “Mister,” and they were beautiful. The showy blue smooth, Winnie, almost vibrated in the
ring with her intensity, but she needed fill to her muzzle and a sweeter eye. She happened to be in
season at that National. With the nudging of Mary, Pete Denbow and several others, Debbie Price
agreed to breed Winnie to Mister with the caveat that Mary would have to take a puppy. “What do you
want?” Debbie Price had asked. Mary requested a smooth.
The litter was born — eight puppies — but only one smooth, a blue male. Mary thought there would be
no way her request would be fulfilled. But Debbie Price pointed out, “What am I going to do with a blue
smooth dog in Nowhere, Texas?” Mary would get her smooth puppy. Sight unseen, she named him
“Memphis,” the eventual CH Capella’s Midnight Blues ROM.
He was a scrawny puppy with a lot of neck and a pretty eye. A bit awkward as a youngster, he was eastwest in front but had beautiful profile and skull. And when you showed him a cookie, he showed his
heart out.
Debbie Holland picked Memphis up for Mary on a visit home to Texas over the Christmas holiday. When
Memphis arrived to southern Indiana, it was one of the worst winters in memory with two feet of snow
on the ground. Coming from the warmth of a Texas winter, at first, all Memphis would do was bark.
It took him awhile to fill out and grow bone and coat. At 7 months old, Mary showed him at the Collie
Club of Kentucky Specialty to judge Larry Willeford. Memphis went Winners Dog for 1 point. In Best of
Variety, Memphis, a misbehaving puppy, jumped up and down on the diagonal three times with a finale
jump at Larry’s nose. A request to try one more time at a walk proved successful and he went Best of
Variety, then Best of Breed. Put away to pitch coat and continue growing up, Memphis wasn’t shown
again until the following August. By that October he finished with four majors.
Memphis’ impressive record includes nine Bests in Specialty Show, more than 40 Specialty Best of
Variety wins, more than 20 Best Opposite to Best of Breed Specialty wins, more than 100 Best of Variety
wins, several All-Breed Group wins and Group placements. These honors landed him in the top 10 at
least five times. He was a five-time Award of Merit winner and won the Top 20 Invitational at the
Virginia Beach National the last time it was a competition. He won the CCA Smooth Stud Dog class in
1999. With his melding of bloodlines, Memphis appealed to judges hailing from all corners of the Collie
family spectrum.
At 35 champions, Memphis currently stands as the seventh high smooth ROM sire. To his offspring,
Memphis passed on his beautiful eye and expression, head properties, long arched neck, easy
movement and fantastic personality. You never had to check the catalog to know which puppies in the
ring were his.
Memphis loved all beings, great and small. He would lick the late judge and collie breeder Vivian
Jabaay’s face, given the opportunity. These, she said, “were the best kisses she had for a long time.”
Memphis was Mary’s devoted Velcro dog, constantly at her side. She often says his spirit lives on
through the similar personality of his grandson, GCH Rainbow’s Here Comes The Sun, “Grant.”