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Origins of the Breed
Statements in this article can be verified through Denny Dayton's database
It might be of interest to our readers to know how the Original Ragdoll breed came into being. Breeders and non-breeders alike may not be aware of the work, time, vision and goal setting, as well as talent and luck that the creation of a new breed requires.
How is a new breed created?
It's not as simple as mating a stud and a queen from two different breeds. This may result in a litter of cute kittens, but what happens next? How do you choose which stud or queen from which breed to mate with these adorable kittens? To what end? What is the desired appearance going to be, and what important and unique features should this new breed display?
The earliest documentation from Ann Baker doesn't supply all the answers, suggesting that she may have kept some of the 'trade' secrets to herself.
Just because Josephine (white Persian queen) was mated with Birman (stud with color and pattern similar to a Birma) or Burman (queen with similarities to a Burmese) was mated with Daddy Warbuck (a first generation stud and first official Ragdoll with seal mittens) does not necessarily result in exclusively standard-typical Ragdolls. Josephine, Birman, and Burman are from very different breeds as is reflected in body type, temperament and overall appearance. This suggests that there was more work involved in creating the Original Ragdoll.
This is why the VdOR bases everything on the generation that came after Birman, Burman and Josephine (cats obviously coming from Burman and Josephine). Because only this first generation (F1) had the Ragdoll's typical mitted and colorpoint pattern, and from these animals came the typical Ragdoll patterned and colored progeny which is the basis of today's Original Ragdoll breed.
In other words, the foundation stock consisted of the following cats. It is from these animals and with these animals that the third generation of Original Ragdolls was created.
First Generation: Daddy Warbuck, Buckwheat, Gueber, Fugianna,
Second Generation:
Kyoto, Tiki, Gilda, Deenie, Joshua, JB Bumble, Ming Toi, Woo Wong, Gretel, Thumper, Harry James, Fugianna II, Dalmation, B'Wana, Cinderella, Pancho Villa, Sleeping Beauty, Rosie.
Anne Baker knew why she only wanted the Ragdoll in the base color seal with colorpoints. She knew that a new breed should have a very distinct characteristic, one that did not exist in any other breed at that time.
A breed with points (Siamese pattern) and half-long fur did not exist. And until a few years ago, neither did a bi-color point. In order for the breed to keep its distinctive characteristics, Ann Baker would not allow any crossbreeding with the color red or other patterns. Her Ragdolls were supposed to keep their unique characteristics so that they would attain a certain recognition value.
We know that Denny Dayton bought his first Ragdolls from the F2 generation to start his breeding stock for Original Ragdolls. Recognizing that this was a special breed, he gained possession of the bloodline information of the foundation stock and used it to create the genetic card for all Original Ragdolls that existed worldwide; a system that came to be known as the Denny Dayton database. He maintained that database for twenty-five years, until 1994. No other breed has the full traceability back to the foundation stock.
If a breeder wants his or her breeding program to consist exclusively of Original Ragdolls, all ancestors of the breeding cats must be listed in the Denny Dayton database. There are no exceptions.
The name “Original-Ragdoll”
Due to the fact that the Ragdoll breed has been crossed multiple times with different breeds, and because some of these colorful Ragdolls have been recognized by the Dachverband FIFé without giving them a new breed name, we felt that there was no choice but to distinguish our Ragdoll with an addition to the name.
The word “original” means “genuine, initial”. As all ancestors of the Original Ragdoll can be traced to the initial breeding animals that formed the foundation stock, we call the genuine Ragdoll “Original-Ragdoll”.
"Translated by Karin Heger, Edited by Susan Wenck"
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