There is always one little soul who is really into his food!
I'm pleased to be able to say that legal action has been avoided and normal communications have been re-established. Let's hope that we can now go forward and sort out the problems that I and a few other people were so worried by.
Show Results - 2010
Well folks, here we go again, already a quarter of the way through the year and it's time to start updating some show results.
DFS Crufts 2010
This was a monumental task for me this year - I had 9 dogs going that I either owned (8 of them) or bred and had shown and qualified for the owners (1). I was so lucky to have so many good friends with me who helped me with all the carrying, showing and packing up at the end of the day. They did it without thought of reward or the need of asking. They did it simply because they are my friends and they wanted to help me and my beautiful dogs. I cannot say 'Thank You' enough to them and to tell them that without their help my day wouldn't have been as successful as it was. I treasure each and every one of them for the friend to me that they are. And Gail...you make fabulous cakes!!!!
So - the results... Well, the one that had me whooping with joy was our 'Puddin Pie's' (Audaxus Mydnyte Magick) 2nd in Limit Dog. He now goes into the Studbook, gains his Studbook number and has a lifelong qualification to Crufts. He also won the KC Good Citizen's Award Class - with brother Rory coming VHC (5th). Bearing in mind that Puddin is not yet 3, I didn't think that was too shabby. Many thanks to Mrs. C Wood for thinking so well of 'Puddin' and, as always to 'Grandma Hunting' for handling George so well in the class (despite me nearly blowing it for them both - but that's another story).
With the Heelers - well I knew that my type of Heeler wasn't our judges' favourite kind, so I wasn't dismayed with the results. Bruisie, much to my surprise was VHC in his class - showing better for his handler than he ever does for me. Alfie, very compentantly shown by Jess, didn't do anything in his first class and was 3rd in the KC GC class. Buster, bless him, was VHC in his Open class - the 4 ahead of him were champions. Rhea, shown by myself, was VHC in her postgrad class. When shown by someone else she came 1st in her KC GC class. Interesting.
At th end of the day my dogs went home with two 1st's, one 2nd, one 3rd and 4 VHC's. Could have been better - but then again, we could have gone home with nothing. I just grateful for what I got and the good day I had with my friends.
BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO RUBY
'Little Rubes' as she is so fondly known to us - has led the way in the showing stakes for the new Rottie pups. At a fun day for a local dog training group, 'Little Rubes' was Best Puppy in Show - coming first in a class of 25 other pups on show. This was her very first show, bless her, and she behaved beautifully. Her owner was nearly moved to tears - she was so proud of her baby. A credit to her owner/handler - and, dare I say it? - her breeder. Well done, our little lovely!!!
Eastern Counties Rott Open Show - Jan 4th 2009
At the tail end of November the motor in the fan that heats the car packed up. Have you ever tried to find a mechanic that wants, let alone needs to take the wiring in your car apart? You'd have more luck finding teeth in a hen's mouth!!! So, this very cold and frosty morning saw me heading off to Leicestershire with 3 large dogs heavy breathing in the cold car and no means of de-fogging the windscreen other than having the window open. This driving experience lent a whole new meaning to frigid! I was so, so glad I bought that new thermal underwear in the January sales!!!
For a change we arrived in good time and I had plenty of time to set up cages and sort dogs out before the first class was called. George was first in, in Junior Dog. A reasonable entry for an open show. I thought George could have shown better and so did the judge - he gave him 2nd. Next in was Rory in a small Yearling class. Again a 2nd. Then a lengthy wait for the bitch classes - which I had entered the 'girls' in but only had Hattie at the show as Bella was in season. I admit Hattie is a bit on the 'bijou' side - so I should have been expecting the 3rd out of three. Actually I think it was more because she made it quite plain that the fourth prod in the mouth to find her P1 was one prod too many. Really, Mr. Chaffe, you should've known better!!!
Hattie was also entered in the Pre-Beginners Obedience class. OK, I know I rushed the first part of the exercise and as a result I lost points for her (mental note - must slow down!) but why, when we had practised time and again the sit-stay and the down-stay to perfection did she make a right pig's ear of it at the show?!!! Oh well, maybe next time. And I did appreciate Mr. Wykes' kind words of encouragement - and yes, we will truly try again.
BOSTON & DISTRICT CANINE SOCIETY CHAMP SHOW - Jan 9th 2009
This is the first champ show of the year and my first time of entering this show. If I thought that the previous week's weather had been cold it wasn't a patch on this day. Not only was there black ice on the roads all the way to the Newark Show Ground but the wind chill factor bought the temperature down to about -7 or more. Ye Gods, I love thermal underwear!!
Once again I managed to arrive well before judging started and with just the two boys to show I wasn't to stressed out to start with. George was first in. This was his last time in Junior Dog. George's strong point is not 'standing' or 'waiting'. In fact, I'm sure that the average gnat has a longer attention span than does our George. None the less, he did show well for me and was placed first in his class. Way to go Georgie!! Rory, bless him, tried his best in Yearling, but just wasn't what our judge was looking for - result... nada! Oh well, another judge, another day. But this did mean that I had to wait with George for the final line up of unbeaten dogs before I could hurry home to our warm fireside. In the challenge George did stand and show fairly well (well, for George, he did!) and as always I went with and took home the best of the dogs there - complete with a big bag of tripe sticks for all at home to enjoy. This is to say that George did not make the CC or Reserve CC - nor did I expect him to. Many thanks to Teresa Killick (Travillion) for thinking so well of our George. This is a lady (with her husband) who has bred and shown many a beautiful Rottweiler over the years and who has contributed greatly to the breed - and who's opinion I take seriously.
Next week - Manchester and Rhea's first show!!!........
Manchester Championship Show 16/01/09
Well this is a show I won't forget in a hurry - and for all the right reasons! We didn't just have a good day - we had the big fat momma of great days!! To all who wished us well and congratulated us on our wins I say many thanks. To those who stood and looked on with faces twisted with venom and envy - what can I say - today was my dog's day and as the saying goes 'every dog has it's day'. Mind you, what I really want to say is 'Ya boo sucks to you!' Hey! At least I'm honest about it.
Getting to the show on time meant leaving home well before dawn even thought about cracking. Those of you who know me will know that I am emphatically not an early morning sort of person, so early morning starts are definitely a show of my dedication to my dogs and showing. We arrived well before judging started which allowed me plenty of time to set up, toilet the dogs and have a browse around the stands and make a few small purchases on behalf of my faithful hounds - tripe sticks and such. I was just thinking that this would be an easy day when I heard a call for the Puppy Bitch Stakes class. In an optimistic moment I had entered Rhea (Audaxus Ma Chere Rhea) in this class - not giving any thought to how young she was or that this would be her first show. As it turned out not only was this her first show but this class was her very first class and the judge, Mr Graham Hill (no- not the racing driver!) her very first judge. Usually these classes attract big entries and this class was no exception, an entry of 50 on the day. As it turned out there were quite a few absent, 20, but 25 were there in the class. Rhea looked so tiny standing amongst all the other big puppy girls. I was sure she would get overlooked in favour of the more showy, glamorous breeds. She, on the other hand, gave it all she had and she really did stand out from the crowd. It is almost unheard of for a Heeler to get placed in these type of classes - so you can't imagine how thrilled I was when the judge pulled Rhea out second in the line up! She showed her little socks off as if she had been doing it for years, bless her! I was so proud of our little Poppet.
We then had a long wait before the Heelers were called into the ring to be judged by Mr. John Patrick - a man who has had a very long and successful association with this breed. I was worried that Rhea would become too tired by all the excitement of being at her first show to have enough energy to strut her stuff when her class was called. I needn't have worried. This is a dog that never, ever has a 'bad hair' day or lacks the battery power to do one more fun thing - she is the happiest little soul you'll ever meet. She took to showing like a duck to H2O. At last our classes started and first in the ring in Postgraduate Dog was Bruisie (Audaxus Blue Moon). Now this dog is affectionately known as 'Mr. Indifferent' when it comes to showing. Today he must have had a change of heart because he showed better than he has ever done - and was placed 1st out of 6 dogs. Next up was Buster (Audaxus Blue Monday), he's a joy to show, ever attentive and eager to please and will show for just about anyone if I'm not around. He too took 1st - out of a class of 4. 'Uh oh', said to myself, 'now what I am I going to do?'. I had 2 dogs to go into the challenge and only one of me to show them both. I'm so grateful to Pat Ingram (Lancypat) coming to my rescue and ably taking Buster into the ring for me. She did such a good job that he was awarded the Challenge Certificate (C.C.)! I literally jumped for joy, hugged Pat, hugged the dog and would have hugged the judge too if the poor man hadn't looked so terrified at the prospect of it!!
Then it was on to the bitch classes. Rhea was a lone star in her class but she was showing herself off to perfection. What a little trouper she is going to be. Katie (Audaxus Blue Velvet) was in Postgraduate Bitch class and I was full of anxiety for her as she had such a bad experience at Crufts last year when some idiot, not looking where he was going, got tangled in her lead and kicked her. This had made her very fearful of crowds and shows, wanting to hide in the darkest corner of her cage when I took her to her last show. However, after a lot of hard work during the summer and autumn, I thought she was ready to try again. Bless her sweet heart, she showed brilliantly for me this day and was given 3rd out of a class of 6. By now I was elated, over the moon and one big happy bunny. All four of my little clan had aquitted themselves with honour with bells on!!! But wait... there's more!
At this show the K.C. had introduced a new class - the Best Breeder in Breed class which requires a breeder to have 4 dogs of their own breeding entered in the breed classes. You enter this class on the day via the K.C. stand - a bit of a rigmarole but I did it none the less. Guess who won Best Breeder in Breed in the Lancashire Heelers - and we weren't the only entry for the class either!!! So I now have the honour of being the first Heeler owner/ breeder to have won the Best Breeder in Breed and to have been placed in the Best Breeder in Breed Group (we came 3rd). It was no mean feat to show all 4 of my dogs at the same time in a big ring with so many people watching us and cameras flashing away. I could be heard nagging the dogs all the way around 'all in the same direction please, guys - look where you're going not behind you!' - I think for a brief nano-second I managed to get them all going in the same direction at the same time. Phew, what a task that was! Even the judge, Mr. Jack Bispham. said 'Wow, that looked like a hard job - well done for managing to do it!'. By the time all the photographs and paperwork had been done it was getting late and I desperately wanted to get home to my bed. I've never been the last exhibitor to leave a show before but I was today! I wondered whether I should have asked if they wanted me to turn the lights off as I left. We finally got home at 10.45 - by 11.15 I was asleep on the sofa, a cup of coffee with 2 sips out of it standing on the shelf beside me growing cold.
Next morning, as I was gazing lovingly at Buster's CC I spotted a mistake. OH NO - IT HAS THE WRONG NAME ON IT - it says Blue Moon instead of Blue Monday. I must have handed Pat the wrong ring number when we went into the ring for the Challenge and she had been wearing Brusie's number instead of Buster's. I phoned both the Show secretary and the judge's wife to let them know of the mistake - I'm sure Mr. Patrick would have spotted the mistake from his notes. Although I did consider for a brief second letting this stand - it would have meant Bruisie getting HIS Stud Book number - I just couldn't rob Buster of his moment of glory, so I fessed up. A new certificate is going to be issued with the CORRECT name on it. Well, now all he needs is the 2 others to go with it!! Boy, this is going to be a busy year for me! And next years' Crufts is going to be a VERY expensive show - I already have 5 dogs qualified and I've only done 2 shows so far this year!!!!!
Once again, a very sincere and big THANK YOU to Pat Ingram for generously stepping up to help me in my time of need - and well done on your dog's wins and the Reserve CC. And well done to the Simpsons on their Best of Breed. I think their little bitch is a cracking, typy little girl and richly deserved her win.
National Working & Pastoral Breeds Society - Open Show - 14-2-09
This is show I like to support with an entry when I can.
Generally, at Open shows like this, judges new to judging get a chance to try out their judging skills while others get to expand their judging experience in breeds other than their own. Well, that's the theory!
Some make a good job of it. On the other hand, there are some judges who use such appointments to publically demonstrate not only a total lack of understanding of a particular breed but also what constitues a specimen that is 'fit for purpose' - or indeed, what knowledge they possess of the correct conformation for the breed (or any dog, for that matter). Then there is the new, raw judge who is obviously a great fan of a certain exhibitor's dogs to the extent that they make it abundantly clear that they are only able to judge the wrong end of the lead!! My particular favourite is the judge, being well out of his/her comfort zone/depth, who adheres to the old maxim 'if in doubt, put up something cute and fluffy - they'll never know!'. Then these societies wonder why their entries are falling. As the economic crisis in this country deepens and the cost of entries keeps rising show societies and their committees need to take a harder look at the sort of judges they are appointing. Perhaps it is time to start asking prospective judges, even at Open show level, for a judging C.V. which would give their breed experience, showing record in their own breed, breed seminars attended and other relevant experience along with an endoresement from a general society or breed club they belong to saying that they believe the person is fit and ready to be a judge. It really shouldn't be as easy as having a friend or knowing someone on a committee in order to get a judging appointment. And it most certainly should never be a case of 'you scratch my back....'.
Having said all that above, I want to make it clear that I am in no way suggesting it pertains to our judge on the day. I decided to take my Heelers to this show BECAUSE of our judge - not in spite of her. Mrs. Maggie Bryant has had a long career in the Rottweiler world, awarding C.C.s for many years. Her name is also known in other breeds and commands the same respect that it does in Rotties. She judges to a high standard, doesn't play favourites and she certainly knows her stuff. She's not fooled by a fluffy coat - or the absence of one!! Our entry on the day wasn't huge. In fact, Heeler numbers at shows are showing an alarming decline - both at Open and Champ shows and this show was no different. Without a Puppy class, I put Rhea in the Junior class - where she was the only entry. Best Puppy in Breed was a 'no brian-er'. In the Open Dog class there were 3 entries, Buster being one of them. Jackie Cartledge's big, handsome, liver & tan dog, Nero (Ch. Foxthyme Oliver Cromewell) took 1st, Chris Norman's Ch. Normansville Lone Star was 2nd and Buster, Audaxus Blue Monday sulked in 3rd place. Yes, he really did sulk! For the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon. What can I say, he's a bad loser and he does so like a bit of red ribbon to take home!! In the Open Bitch class we should have had 3 entries but one was absent - or Katie might have been in 3rd rather than 2nd place. She, on the other hand was quite pleased with herself. I think she is finally getting over the bad 'Crufts experience' now. Since this show is juged on the Group system, we had a fairly long wait until the Pastoral Puppy Group (also judged by M. Bryant) was called. I have to admit to considering if it was worth it to stay for the Group judging. Heelers don't seem to get much of a look in the Group ring - they're not flamboyant or flashy - just rather petite, workman-like little dogs that can easily be overlooked when standing between the more heavily coated exhibits. However, if you don't enter you can't compete - so i stuck around. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised when Rhea made the short list for the Group - even if we didn't make the last 4. Ah well, at least she didn't get overlooked!!
I have to say, this was one of the better shows I have been to for some time. No nasty bitching over the placings and - at least in the Heeler breed - enjoying our day out with our dogs and our friends. If only all shows could be such an enjoyable experience perhaps we would see the entry numbers starting to rise again.
Next show is the BIG ONE - Crufts! Fingers crossed!!!
QUICK UPDATE......
A large brown envelope arrived in the post yesterday. At long last Buster's corrected C.C. has arrived - but I had to have a laugh when I noticed that someone had a slip of the pen when filling out the name of the breed on the certificate! Ever get that feeling that Fate is trying to tell you something??!
Pre-Cruft jitters !!!!
This is Friday - two days to go to Crufts for my breeds - I have 5 dogs going; 2 Heelers and 3 Rotts. I thought that without all the hoo-haa of the BBC airing the whole shabang I wouldn't get so twitchy in the lead up to the day of our judging. Not so. I'm finding that I'm contantly going over things, checking and re-checking bags, dogs, clothes and stuff that I think I will need on the day. I spent 2 frantic days hunting for a stupid pin that won't make a jot of difference if I wear or not!! This obsessing over silly details is known as 'The Banana Chip Syndrome'* in our house and I'm particilarly prone to it when I'm wound up about something (* I am NOT going to commit to print the reason why it is called this and if you want to know you'll have to ask me in person!).
I see from the official KC Crufts site that we are to have a change of judge. We were to have been judged by Mr. Ellis Hulme, who has had to pull out due to ill health. What a shame. I have shown under Mr. Hulme on several occassions and always found him to be a judge who's integrity is above question and who's opinion of my dogs was one I considered of value. I wish him a speedy recovery from his illness.
Now... blue socks...lucky blue socks...where did I put my lucky blue socks?.......And the Banana chips...I'm sure I bought some the other day........!!!!
CRUFTS 2009 -
This is the morning after the night before....and, Boy!, that was some night (and day)!!! Unfortunately, unlike the other times when I've expressed that sentiment, I can remember every muscle-shredding, bone-numbing and foot-aching minute of it.
It was quite a performance getting all the dogs in from two cars located in different car parks. By the time that I was called into the ring with Bella (Audaxus Whyte Wytch) I had already logged over two miles in walks - so the additional exercise I gained there wasn't exactly welcomed - especially as I thought she showed so well but did so little in the placings. In short, she got dumped! Oh well, thats' show business.
Grandma Hunting took her beloved 'Georgie Pordgie' (Audaxus Mydnyte Magick) into a very strong class of Yearling dogs and was paced a very respectable VHC. I could swear I saw George skipping around the ring... just for a lark . That dog is such a flipping clown. He thoroughly enjoyed his moment in the limelight and milked every second. Rory was in next, in the Undergraduate class. Although this was a smaller class there were still some drop-dead gorgeous dogs in it (imho) and Rory was placed a very pleasing 4th (ok, I would have been more pleased if he had been placed 1st but at least he was placed!!). The Rotts then had a very long wait until their last classes, the KC Good Citizen's class - which all three qualified for at Southern Counties Champ show last year. I was even more pleased with the boy's placings in this class, Rory was given second and George a 4th. Poor Bella missed her class as I was away in the Heeler ring when it was called.
The Heeler classes - hmmmm - these were interesting. As I've said above, we had a change of judge on the day. Shame, for as I have also said above, my experience of Mr. Hulme is that he is an honest, unbiased and competent judge of our breed.
In the Postgraduate class in which Audaxus Blue Monday (Bruisie) was entered I was annoyed that the judge and the ring stewards allowed people outside the ring to use flash photography while the class was being judged. In fact, while Bruisie was on the table one keen amatuer photographer was snapping away with a strobing flash within a few feet of the table - very off-putting. Bruisie hates flash cameras and will resolutely refuse to look anywhere near the place where the camera is located - his ears go back and he plays up - he gets so upset by the close proximity of a flash camera. I doubt that was the sole reason Bruisie went unplaced ... but I guess I'll never know now. I thought it was against the K.C. rules to allow flash photography around the ringside - particularly without the permission of the owner of the dog being photographed. So... I wonder why it was allowed to happen around our ring? I have known other, perhaps more experienced, judges to remonstrate with offenders when this has happened. Even to the point of halting judging for a few moments to make clear the ruling. If the person in question had asked me if they could have taken Bruisie's photo I would happily have agreed - AFTER the judging had taken place and AWAY from the ring in some place where other exhibitors wouldn't have been so similarly affected. I shall be asking the K.C. for their official view on the subject and will inform readers when I get a reply.
Buster faired a little better in his class. Despite the judge commenting on the wonderful condition of his coat he was placed fourth. Ah well - another day, another judge.
The Reply from the Chief Steward of Crufts
Yes, surprisingly...I did get a reply! In fact, I got an official apology. The Chief Steward (Gerald King) stated 'This should not have happened, as all ring stewards are told that flash photography should not take place while judging is in progress'.
He goes on to say that the stewrds should have stopped the offender as soon as they saw her snapping away. I also, apparently, could have requested that she be stopped BUT it would have been a little difficult since, at the time I was trying to steady my dog while he was on the table. Mr. King goes on, at some length, to defend his stewards saying how experienced they are and how well tutored they are in ring procedure. He may believe this to be so. I, on the othr hand, know from considerable experience that many of the 'experienced' championship stewards find it very difficult to a) keep their mind on the task in hand as they are so busy chatting to the exhibitors and the spectators and b) getting their butts off the chairs when something needs doing. So, Mr. King..apology accepted but you might like to look into the two points I now raise above.
Sherringham & District Open Show - March 15th 2009
I was in two minds about going to this show. For the 3 previous days I had been nursing a very nasty sinus infection that had invaded my left eye socket. Extremely painful and giving my eye the appearence of being belted in it! The hefty doses of antibiotics weren't making me feel too good either. Our judge for the two Heeler classes was Lisa Siggers, a memeber of the Heeler Club - so I felt that I should make the effort to support her and give her an entry.
I was glad we were first in the ring because as soon as I arrived at the show I knew I just wanted to go home asap. Rough?! A cheese grater didn't have a patch on how I felt. Rhea was in the same class as another young male pup and although she was trying to show her head off, the judge gave it to Ms. Whybrow's dog. Similar situation in the Open Class, Buster was 2nd to Ms. Whybrow & St. Clair-Pierce's Flotence. With the judging done, I quickly packed up and headed home - were I took to my bed for the rest of the day. I don't think I should have gone in the first place - I really wasn't bothered who won. Which was just as well, really.
GT Yarmouth ,Gorleston & District Canine Society - March 22nd 2009
Although we had a bright and sunny day for our show the wind that always blows across the showground at this time of year had a keen edge to it. In fact, you would have felt sorry for any brass monkeys loitering around the far edges of the rings. I was lucky as I had been able to secure a parking spot in a shaded place very near to the rings with a vantage point for me to keep an eye on th dogs while they wre in the car.
First in the ring were the Heelers under the appraisal of Mr. Moray Armstrong. The Graduate Dog/Bitch class had 5 entries, of which three were puppies and Rhea being one of them. She was placed first and so also went Best Puppy in Breed. In the Open class Buster was one of 6 entries - he got 3rd. We had a long wait for the Pastoral Puppy Group and the wind seemed to get even colder. However Rhea, being the showgirl that she is, didn't let me down and aquitted herself well by going 3rd out of 4 in the Group despite being rather cold and very sleepy by then.
In the Rottweiler classes, judged by Mrs. Gill Yeates, Bella upheld the Rottie family name by going first in the Postgrad class (3 entries). I had to put George up into the Open class, where I felt he was too imature to compete against the older lads - and this was confirmed by him coming 3rd out of 3. In th final line up for Best of Breed Bella was beaten by the Open dog.
So, all things consisered, not a bad day.
Norfolk & Norwich Spring Show - 19/4/09
We had a good entry of Heelers for this show but still mainly the usual suspects made the numbers up. It's funny how one week you can be getting top placing only to find that you're swopped about the next week with a different judge. This time around, Rhea was 1st in her class and Buster was 2nd in his. Rhea then went on to take 2nd in the Puppy Group - he's moving up slowly - perhaps next time she'll get th coverted 1st place.
Now the Rott classes were not so well supported. In fact, it was a bit of a family affair with George, Rory and their half-sister Twiggy making up the entry. Poor George had had a bad ear earlier in the week and the brisk wind coming across the field seemed to set it off again. i have to be honest, I can never show George as well as his beloved 'Grandma Hunting' - and Tracy ened up showing George as well as Twiggy in the same class. I was somewhat relieved that Twiggy took the class and BOB as I didn't feel either of the boys were really up to scratch on the day.
Lancashire Heeler Club Champ Show - 3/5/09
With the Club now under 'new management' I think everyone was feeling somewhat anxious about how things would go. There were some folk who were muttering dark things under their breath and one or two tried to get me involved in running down other people and their efforts to keep the Club afloat. With 5 dogs to sort out and show I was way too busy to pay much attention to anything other than the task in hand. As it was, I have to say I think this was one of the most enjoyable shows I've been to for some long time. It was really nice to be welcomed with a cup of coffee and some biscuits by our new Chairperson. Everything seemed to be running smoothly - as far as I could see there were no glitches in the organisation or handling of the event. I did hear, however, that the KC Field Officer was less than happy with the venue - and on that one point I have to agree with him - we have long out-grown Cottesmore Villge Hall!
Alfie (Colnestar Volare for Audaxus -aka 'Alf the Mouth' - and if you've ever put your cages near mine you'll know why!) was in Postgrad. A reasonable entry - and Alf came a reasonable 4th. Next in was Brusie - who obviously wasn't to our judge's tastes as he went unplaced. Buster was in Limit - a good class entry and I was pleased for the boy when he was awarded first place. In the Dog CC challenge we lucked out to Enid Lord's and Chris Norman's dogs - both excellent mature dogs.
Rhea was in Puppy Bitch class with 1 other little bitch - and was placed first. In the final line up - Rhea lost out to the Minor Puppy Bitch for the title of Best Bitch Puppy - and that sweet little bitch lost out to the Dog Puppy for the title of Best Puppy in Show. Poor ol' Katie was in a tight Postgrad class and her 'extra' covering was commented on (ha! - the judge should have seen her at the beginning of the year - we knew who had eaten all the pies then!!) - which is probably why she went unplaced.
Since Enid Lord had won the Dog CC and had some good placings in the other classes so it wasn't a surprise that she took the title of Best of Breeders at the show - we limped in at 3rd place. Similarly, we were a poor 4th in the Brace Class despite actually having a proper brace (ie; a dog and a bitch!).
None-the-less, I came away with a handful of rosettes, a new Heeler windchime for my garden and the feeling of having enjoyed a good day out. Oh yeah, and we also came home with 2 trophies - now I have to find the silver polish again!
Birmingham National Show - May 9th
We had the ever cheerful Mr. Jeff Luscott judging us here. I had taken the usual 4 suspects. Brusie was 3rd in his postgrad class, Buster 1st in Limit, Rhea 1st in Puppy Bitch and Katies was 4th (I think) in Postgrad Bitch. I believe Buster has now won his way out of Limit class - need to check that.
Southern Counties Canine Association - 7/6/09
Phew - half way though the year already!! Where has the time gone to? I was convinced that, because of new babies in the house, I didn't enter this show...until the tickets turned up. Hmm - talk about having a senior moment!
Mrs. Marie Stevens was our judge and I was pleased to see that some of the Liver & Tan dogs were getting their moment in the spotlight. It's a great shame that some judges can't see beyond the colour of the coat to the quality of the dog underneath. I've felt before that we have some super Liver & Tans that go unnoticed by some judges - could this be a case of colour blindness?
Well, I've done better with my guys; Bruisie 2nd in Postgrad, Buster 2nd in Limit, Rhea 2nd in Puppy Bitch (have to admit that the other bitch was better on the day tho') and Katie 3rd in Postgrad (this time out of 4!). I entered the Best Breeder in Breed Class simply because if I hadn't there wouldn't have been any entries at all. Poor show, people!!! I know I wasn't the only person there with 4 dogs of my breeding. OK, I didn't stay to go into the BBIB group simply because I was already very tired and they don't do those classes until after ALL the group judging has been done - making for a very, very long day. So, by default, I was Best Breeder in Breed again.
Norfolk & Norwich Canine Society - Royal Norfolk Show - 1/7/09
Whew - this was a blisteringly hot day - even in the shade. Rotties are never very happy on hot, sunny show days and owners find they are battling to keep their poor dogs cool. The day had started off with a disasterous discovery - my handbrake had siezed on my car. It looked as if we weren't going anywhere at that time. However, I have some truly amazing friends, one of whom so kindly acted as a canine taxi service for me. Tony - you are an absolute star!!!! So, Cinderella - we did get to the show on time!
I guess that the heat of the day put some people off making the trip to the show because I was the only one there with Rottweilers. There should have been a couple of other Rottie owners there but I guess they couldn't make it. Rory was in the ring on his own and so took first. George too was the only exhibit in his class and also got a first. Now... - I'm on my todd and have 2 dogs to show in the challenge - panic stations! I roped in a lovely lady who will shortly be the proud new 'mum' to one of my Rottie pups and who has never shown a dog before to help me (Thank you so much Delphine). She did a wonderful job for us. Rory, based on his better movement on the day, was given Best of Breed. With this win came a trophy - presented by the people who bred my first show bitch - so this trophy has a special meaning for me to win. It will be a great pleasure to add the name of Tellise Magic Touch's gt.gt.grandson to the plinth of this cup - the 3rd dog of my breeding to have won it. This show is a Premiere Show - which means that the Best of Breed winner also qualifies for Crufts. Rory's win means that I now have 6 dogs going to Crufts next year - ouch! - looks like Crufts will be an expensive affair. And the Working Group? Nah - didn't even get a look-in.
Buster and Rhea were in their respective Heeler classes. I would like to be able to say that they won good places but to be honest Rhea was second out of two and Buster was second out of three. Oh well, another day and another show and hopefully another judge who will appreciate the fact that I do have the best dogs in Norfolk, if not in the world! Well, I think so.
Aside from one unpleasant moment relating to an equally unpleasant person this was a most enjoyable show. I had the chance to catch up with loads of friends (I was so busy at one stage that I nearly missed my classes!) and owners of some of my dogs who made a special trip just to see us at the show. It was a great pleasure to see you all. You made my day. See you before too long.