Marc Linner was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1969 and got his first dog 10 years later, a Golden Retriever called Zita who he got after his Mum realised that his interest in dogs was a serious one!

Marc was already a Swedish KC member and had joined the Youth section and competed in conformation and obediance with Zita with some success. Then came Golden number 2 Gina, followed by a racing Greyhound named Donna, who he raced with and who was one of the top winning 'rookies' on Round-Track in 1986, when Marc was just 17 years of age.

Marc is a well known figure in the world of dogs, none more so than as XLNT, his stage name and the name under which he has recorded the very first dog show song, the Best in Show Anthem, which he recently performed live at Helsinki, to race reviews.

Here we catch up with Marc, Ali Smith asks the questions:

AS: So Marc, first things first: after your Golden Retrievers, where dd you go from there:

ML:I had seen Afghans at shows even before I got my first Golden, but my mom said that I couldn't have a dog that was higher than our living-room table, so after weeks of measuring and a couple of hundred dog books, we decided that a Golden was a suitable breed for me! I actually decided overnight that the Golden maybe wasn't the breed for me (after a hunting-trial high up north in Sweden, close to the Norwegian border where I had spent a weekend in the pouring rain, sleeping in a tent with 2 wet Goldens and a bunch of dead birds!) I'm more of a hotel kind of guy!

I got my first Afghan in 1984. Chappi was a re-homed one-yea-old male who had suffered from parvo as a puppy and was almost bald when I got him, but to me he was an Afghan and the most beautiful creature alive!

I entered him in some shows and we were, of course, thrown out because of his coat (which was three centimetres) but I didn't care, I just enjoyed showing off what was, in my eyes, a spectacular dog! Sadly Chappi had to be put to sleep after a little over a year, after suffering an oxygen loss to the brain following surgery.

It took me years to get over the loss of Chappi, but in 1998 I got another Afghan, Ch. El Kyrias Tell Me A Secret (Alf), who I had some great wins with. I know for a fact that he was admired by a lot people in the UK too, and the UK's Top Winning Afghan of all time, Multi.Ch.Exxos Gameboy at Zharook, had Alf at least twice in his pedigree.

AS:What is your best win to date?

ML:Three wins pop up in my head. I got my dream Afghan by fate actually, but that's a long story, I had admired this dog from American magazines and videos for years, Multi.Ch. Boanne's Rosenthorn (Thorn) was five-years-old when I got him from the USA and we had some great wins together. We won BIS Veteran twice (04 and 05) at the Stockholm Int show in Sweden and made history after the second win, being the ONLY dog in the history of the Swedish KC that has won twice there. He also won BI Veteran at the big Stockholm Easter Int. too

Another win was when I won BIS 3 at EUW in Zagreb, Croatia, with my 2nd generation homebred Afghan Multi Ch. a wbari Confetti Rain (Glitter) (who was also shown at Crufts).

Pictures had been spread around the world by now of me doing the 'ugly-cry' on the podiium! y es, snot, jumping shoulders, tears, the lot!

Before that show we won the JWW in Poland, and she also won the CAC at the World show in Mexico before the Zagreb win, where over 20.000 dogs were entered. That was with my own dogs.

AS: How many dogs do you have, and what breeds? Is it just Afghans?

ML: I'm an all-breed handler, and as a handler my greatest achivement happened in 2008 when I handled the Afghan Multi.Ch.Polo's Top Gear to Dog of The Year of all breeds in Russia and we represented r ussia at the Eukanuba World Challenge in Long Beach California last year, a very proud moment.

AS: How did you get the name Awbari?

I was still in my teens when I got my mother, who's not even into dogs, to sign my registration (I was too young for the KC). At the time I thought a supe catchy kennel name was Greygold and my second choice was Goldgrey, because of the two breeds I had then (clever huh?). Then a miricle appeared!

The Swedish KC advertised that you could change your kennel-name if it contained some of the most common words and I was thrilled to find Gold in the list, (by now I was an adult). So, I came up with the name Awbari, which is a place in the Arabic desert where they have found some of the oldest remains of Afghan hounds. I wanted to honor that little spot in the midde of nowhere!

AS: What made you decide to record the Best in Show anthem?

ML: I've been singing as a profession for a long time, and I released my first CD-single in 1993. I've have toured around Europe several times and done some performances outside that continent too.

My latest release was in 1995!

I've been recording and performing through the years without releasing anything, because I found myself being a very popular underground 'cult' artist. It might sound a bit strange to some, but I am a quite private person and even though I love being on stage, my private life I keep to myself as much as I possibly can.

Anyway for some reason, the record companies started to knock on my door again and now I'm in the process of recording a full length album.

The BIS anthem has been in my head for at least two years, but I couldn't find the right time to release it, and the record companies didn't understand what I was talking about! So I decided to record it and release it myself instead and hopefully I will find some 'doggy-related' companies to help me spread my song instead.

The response has been overwhelming!

AS: Tell us something else about you? A Marc Linner fact!?

ML: When we first put the song on Myspace it got over 3000 hits within 24 hours and now, after just a month about 15.000. I performed at the Finnish Winners Show in December and on the Stockholm Int. on the 13th, which was awesome! You can see pics & videos on www.xlntmarc.com otherwise you'll find me on f acebook.

AS: Finally Marc, there is a growing band of people who really want to see you perform at Crufts. How do you feel about that?

ML: Yes I saw the petition of people that want me to come and perform at Crufts and i 'm really touched and I just want to say to the producers that my bags are already packed and I'm more ready than ever and would LOVE to do it! - Just waiting for your call! Thousands of hugs

www.xlntmarc.com

Marc has kindly signed 10 copies

of his CD for OUR DOGS' readers.

To be in with a chance, simply e-mail your details and postal address

to alismith@ourdogs.co.uk

or post your details

to Ali Smith,

OUR DOGS,

1 Lund Street,

Trafford Park,

Manchester, M16 9EJ

View Marc Linner pictures by clicking here

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