About MAUREEN TAUBER - FOUNDER OF LYONNESE

Maureen acquired her first Rhodesian Ridgeback in 1989.  Her name was Cheebah, and she became Kimani’s Bad and Beautiful, UD, multiple all-breed High in Trial as well as the #1 Obedience Ridgeback in the USA for three years. It was here that her love for the Rhodesian blossomed, and she has not been without one since.

Maureen first started in purebred dogs in 1984 with a Golden Retriever named Cooper. This family pet opened the gateways to her childhood fascination with canines and changed her life forever.  Cooper went on to earn his AKC UD, Canadian CDX and was halfway through his OTCH before an injury retired him, earning multiple HIT and High Combined status along the way.  Through advanced obedience competition training, Maureen learned much about the language of canines, further spurring her interest in understanding behavior as well as training techniques and modalities.  Along the way Maureen offered up her services to rescue organizations, helping to house and train shelter or abandoned dogs until they found new homes.  The culmination of this hard work, education and experience became integral to the backbone of Lyonnese Kennels in foundation puppy rearing, training and socialization, and conformation and performance events.

Over the years Maureen has been involved in the training and showing of many Ridgebacks to their Championships, Grand Championships and beyond in Conformation.  She actively participates in Lure Coursing events for fun and Dual Champion status.  Along the way she owner-handled the 2006 RRCUS National Specialty Best in Show Winning bitch and co-owned the 2007 RRCUS National Specialty Best in Show winning dog.  Both these top winning Ridebacks were sired by her stud dog, Mozambique, DC Kimani’s Flexible Flyer, SC TDI ROM, who lived his life with her.

Lyonnese Rhodesian Ridgebacks was first used as a prefix in 2012 and started to take off in 2015 when Bango, Silver GCH Lyonnese Master’s Blend by Kimani, earned the 2015 RRCUS National Specialty Best of Opposite and #1 Stud Dog Winner, and went on to earn a Group First, Multiple Group Placements and Top Ten status nationwide. This National Specialty also awarded top honors to a sister- brother team earning Best in Specialty Junior Sweeps and Best of Opposite Junior Sweeps, who were also bred, born, reared, and trained by the Lyonnese family.  This sister-brother team were later known as Best in Field Winning DC GCH Lyonnese Jewel of the Congo, SC ROM (Katanga) and Silver GCH Lyonnese Ignite the Light (Bodhi) the Westminster BOB winner in 2020, and Top 20 Ridgeback for multiple years.  Lyonnese Kennels was on the map!

Maureen has bred, co-bred, whelped, raised, owned, co-owned and selected many Ridgebacks for the show ring, performance events, and for family companions, occurring over multiple decades.  Along the way, this includes multiple National Specialty top winners, Specialty Winners, Dual Champions, Best in Field Winner, and most recently a Versatility Master and MACH2 titled bitch (Choo) and Versatility Excellent and RRCUS Specialty Obedience HIT dog (Mason).  Notably, in the show ring, Lyonnese Kennels has produced the #1 Ridgeback and #5 Hound (Samburu), #6 Ridgeback (Thatcher) and #13 Ridgeback (Brody) for 2021, earning multiple BIS, BISS and RBIS titles to their credit! Our dogs have consistently placed in top ten and top twenty over multiple years.

Maureen has judged multiple RRCUS Supported Sweepstake shows and has been a respected member of the National Breed Club (RRCUS) for many years.  She is an AKC Breeder of Merit and Bred with H.E.A.R.T. participant and continues to breed for health, temperament, and conformation excellence.

She officially established Lyonnese Kennels in 2003 where she continues her shared passion and love for the Rhodesian Ridgeback.  The voluminous accomplishments of Lyonnese Kennels would not be possible without the immense and continued contribution of the treasured Lyonnese team.