NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
The Bank Holiday weekend saw several Buhunds out and about with their owners. On Saturday May 4th ‘The Contest of Champion Show Dogs’ was back at the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport, after a break due to the pandemic, it is organised by the Canine Supporters Charity and raises money for the promotion, study, and welfare of dogs. The Contest has been going for over 40yrs with the Top Dogs in their breed being invited. ‘The Contest’ is held as a match with three judges who are not announced until the competition starts, although this year it was known beforehand that they were from Spain, Ireland, and South Africa. There were welcome drinks and the draw for the first round at 2.30pm followed at 4pm with the main judging, the grand finale was held after a 3-course dinner. The room was then transformed so that the guests could dance the night away! Muchly aka Ch Koromandel Tusen Takk JW (ai) being Top Buhund last year took his owner and breeder Jenny Shorer -Wheeler along with son Ollie. The next day Jenny wrote, ‘home from a mini adventure with Ollie and Muchly to attend the Contest of Champions. My aim was to go one better than his Gt Granny, Ch Maidofcopper For Koromandel JW (Imp Fin) did in 2017 and get through the first round, which we did, to some amusement as the two Norwegians were drawn against each other, Buhund v Elkhound and on this occasions we triumphed. All the dogs competing roughly 55 with absentees, were top of their breed last year, so the competition was tough at every round. We lost out in round 2 to Ch Kebulak Killer Queen the Kerry Blue who finished in the top 4 so no shame there. Congratulations to the eventual winner Claire with the superb Afghan Alfie, Ch Tahkira Affogato. I was very pleased to be able to do three hours of live streaming with about 450 watching at one point. The judges were Michael Leonard who judged Muchly in the first round and Gael Morison who judged him in the second round the other judge was Enrique Mate. Interestingly the final 8 had all 7 groups represented with 2 Gundogs’.
Claire Millard owner of Alfie was very pleased that Jenny did the livestreaming, as Alfie was born in Australia so his family could watch the Contest, it took 2 years before Alfie, who Claire fell in love with as a 6wk old Black and Tan puppy, could come over from the other side of the world arriving during lockdown.
On the same day but further south and west Mary & daughter Coralie Dosson’s puppy Leggatts Part Time Lover (Barnaby) who at six months is just starting out on his show career, had a very successful day at Okehampton & District CS Show held at the Grange, Okehampton where he was Best AVNSC, BP AVNSC and Puppy Group 3, under Sheila Carlton. He continued his winning ways the next day at Yeovil & District CS show held on the Turnpike Showground Shaftesbury, he was again Best Puppy AVNSC and then PG 1 under Lee Cox. Barnaby’s mum Sue Crocker’s Knytshall Noor Ui Ain was 3rd in AV Veteran also under Lee Cox. Jacqui Walmsley’s took Trelowen Amelia At Frostisen (Bunny) who was 4th in AVNSC Open and 5th in Good Citizen Stakes under Michael Masters winning money! So, despite of not having classes, it was a good day for the Breed, although I gather the weather was rather unpleasant.
Pastoral Day at Birmingham National was the Friday. When I first started showing over 30 years ago now! the show was held outside under marquess at Perry Park in Birmingham, over the years the show has had several homes but in 2002 it moved to what is now its permanent home at Bingley Hall on the Stafford Showground, here only 8 rings are outside which this this year enjoyed the sunshine as summer finally arrived. Half the stands are inside and half outside which hopefully did a good trade compared with last week ,where the rings were all inside and the stands outside in the rain .We were second in ring 13 in annexe A which is off the main hall, after 58 Australian Shepherds going in just before 11am.Our judge was Dr Annukka Paloheimo Segersven from Finland, she is an FCI All Breed judge and has judged in over 40 countries round the world, 5 World shows and judged the Toy Group at Crufts last year, here she judged 12 breeds over the 4 days. She says her love of horses and riding has helped her understand balance and structure. She began breeding and showing Cavalier King Charles in 1973 and started judging in 1988 training with Hans Lehtinen and Rainer Vuorinen. She found her BOB & BCC winner in Michael Patrick and Leigh Ashman’s Ch Tapui Starla (Freya) this was her 5CC she also has 7RCC.She is by Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall x Ch Kimura’s Vera At Tapui .On this occasion she was handled by Debbie Deuchar, because as most of you know Michael has bred and shown Huskies for many years with the Coldasice affix, and if you have two different breeds at a show so often classes clash, and on the this occasion the Huskies were at the other end of the showground in Ring 5 outside. RBCC her 5th she also has 3CCs Lisa and Alex Strong’s Ch Leggatts Dancing Quess at Draccus (Eris) by Frostisen Winsome x Knytshall Noor Ul Ain (Noor). DCC his 2nd Marie Corin and Adam Camm’s Kligenthal Almuric he also has 7 RCCs, he is by Ch Arnscroft Mo Farrah of Koromandel JW ShCM x Ch Koromandel Gild The Lily. His first CC was at Crufts 2023 when he was also BOB, hopefully his third will not be long in coming. RDCC his 9th he also has 9CCs my and daughter Debbie’s Ch Rikarlo Gable JW (Time) he is Freya’s older brother, although with a different affix. BP which he won from Minor Puppy, Mary & Coralie’s Barnaby he is by Kligenthal Bran Mak Morn x Noor. Best Special Beginners Dr Jo & Nicolas Guillod Rees Draccus Obsidian At Bucamereru, handled as usual by daughter Bethany, she by Time x Eris. There was no love in the groups, but it was great to have a representative in them all apart from the veteran group.
It was lovely to be able to meet Professor Roberta Crouch in person, she is in the UK on a business trip and came to watch the judging. She lives in Adelaide South Australia and has the kennels of Blackcombe Rottweilers and Buhunds. The evening before she had met up with Nancy and said hello to Jamie aka Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall as she has an AI son by him, she also met with Kirsty and Bodi aka Ch Blackcombe Bodil at Tapui who Roberta bred, and who after a recent trip to Norway to meet up with Nor Ch Kimura’s Harald Harfarge, is expecting puppies.
For me it was great have a benched show with plenty of chairs. After the group judging on the Saturday there was a new class, ‘Artmeis Veteran of the Year Final’ with some very respectable prize money. Qualifiers were from BVIS & RBVIS at the 19 UK Ch Shows that schedule these classes. It was judged on a points system by three judges, for type, conformation, and movement, as with all the Groups it was live streamed by Our Dogs, with our Secretary Jenny doing all the commentating so a very busy show for her. It was fantastic to be able to see so many lovely veterans being celebrated, the winner was a Beagle with Reserve going to a Schipperke.
Margaret Deuchar margaretdeuchar@gmail.com
Any views expressed in Margaret’s Breed Notes are hers and hers alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Norwegian Buhund Club of the UK