NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
Due to the holiday period these are the first notes that I have written since before Christmas. It has been a difficult time for many with the loss of close family members and friends, and in some cases much loved canine companions.
The sad news came on December 21st of the passing of our Patron Shirely Dobson at 90yrs of age. I am sure you will all want me to send our condolences to her daughter Rachel and granddaughters It is the end of an era for the club as together with her husband Alf who sadly passed away on 23rd January 2021, they were founder members of The Buhund Club.
Buhunds came into the country just after the last war and there was an article written about them by Croxton Smith chairman of the Kennel Club in Country Life in 1947, he also wrote a book called dogs since 1900 which showed a photograph of Mrs Powys -Lybbe’s Ryfjelds Truls, after reading about them and seeing the photograph, Shirley and Alf became involved with the breed. In the 60’s Shirley imported the bitch Sonja, who produced Ch Fossfell Eric Bright Eyes who was born on 6th October 1967, he was Wolf Sable as was his litter sister Fossfell Helga, they were often shown in brace classes, Bright Eyes gained his title having won his first CC with BOB in 1971 when the breed was given CC status. The Buhund club was officially recognised by the KC in March 1968 and Alf agreed to be Secretary. In 1969 registrations had risen so the first set of CCs was granted for the breed in 1970, 8 sets in all, and a bitch bred by Shirley, a masked wheaten Fossfell Cora became the first Ch bitch winning 6 of the 8CCs she also won the first Junior Warrant in the breed, she was owned by Michael Quinney and Terry McHaffie. Sirley and Alf both gave CCs in the breed and although they both lived busy lives, they still found time to go round clubs giving talks and testing candidates on KC Rules & Regs for anyone wanting to judge.
More recently they were both the proud owners of Ch/Ir Ch Arnscroft Di To Be A Sailor (Sirius), although Sirius lived with breeder Di Stirling, they would always be at the shows to support him and the breed, and were especially thrilled when he was Best in Show at the Working and Pastoral Breeds Ch Show in 2015.They were both made Patrons of the club and enjoyed the Club 50th Anniversary show and Dinner on 22nd July 2017.InAugust 2019 they were presented with a framed Certificate acknowledging their loyalty and service to the breed, which said ‘The Norwegian Buhund Club of the UK would like to say thank you and to warmly honour the loyalty and service you both have given to the Breed and Club’. A fine tribute and so thoroughly deserved for 70 years of dedicated service. A truly remarkable achievement for which the club gave heartfelt thanks.
A lovely photograph of them both at the Anniversary Dinner and the certificate can be seen in the Autumn Bu News 2019.
Two much loved Buhunds also passed over the holiday period. Jacque Cobb’s Knytshall Angel Delight collapsed on the December 21st was rushed to the vets but could not be saved. She was just a couple of days short of her 11th Birthday and was by Ch Arnscroft Di Nah Sawr Us Rex SHCM VWSHCEX x Ch Trelowen Veryan To Knytshall. She was a member of our successful Obreedience Team and then went onto to compete successfully in Rally winning out of L2. Very sadly while Jacque and Michael were preoccupied with Angel, Knytshall Sashenka Bear went missing, he was born on 13th June 2021 and was by Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall ex Knytshall Eloise, in spite of extensive searches it was not until 10days later that he was found but he had passed over the Rainbow Bridge, profound sympathies to Jacque and Michael losing one canine companion is bad enough but two that is so very hard and sad. The only thing positive thing is that he was found. I lost a cat years ago and never found her, and I always to this day wonder what happened to her.
We have Junior Handlers in this country and have a competition for ‘Junior Handler of the Year’ but in the US the Junior Handler of the Year also wins a $5,000(nearly £4000) scholarship. The Junior Showmanship competition is for handlers 9- 18yrs of age and was held at the AKC National Championships on Saturday 16th December with the final being judged by Dr Adam Stafford. The thrilling thing is that the winner was Octavia Stensen with her 3yr old Norwegian Buhund ‘Pineapple’ aka GCHB CH Cultiva Cruisin For A Bruison , the first Buhund to be represented in the Junior Showmanship finals. Octavia said it meant the world to her as she also bred Pineapple.
Showing news. Koromandel Kullamuru (Fanni)was shown at the Winners show in Helsinki on the weekend the 16th and 17th December, the show is held in the Messukeskus Expo Convention Centre, and on the Sunday Fanni became a Helsinki Winner also winning the CACIB (International CC) under judge Wendye Slater from Australia. Fanni is owned by Anna-Leena Laakso and bred by Jenny Shorer Wheeler, she was born on 8th August 2019 and is by Ch Arnscroft Di Na Mo Farrah of Koromandel JW SHCM x Ch Maidofcopper For Koromandel JW (Imp Fin) who was bred by Anna-Leena.
January 6th was the first day of the two-day Lichfield Canine Society show with the Pastoral, Working, Utility and Toy Groups, it was held in Bingley Hall on the Staffordshire County show ground. The show won Best Open Show at the Paws Cars in 2018. Lisa Strong took her and husband Alex’s Leggatts Dancing Queen at Draccus (Eris) and her daughter Draccus I Have A Dream (AI)(Raven) and Marie Corin took her and Adam Camm’s Kligenthal Almuric (Bergen). No Buhunds classes so they were entered in AVNSC under Krystyan Greenland. Bergen was Best AVNSC and PG3 also under Krystyan, Raven was Best AVNSC puppy and Reserve Best AVNSC and made the final cut of 6 in the Puppy Group, and Eris was 4th in the Eternal Pride Champion Stakes under Maxine Mellish.
Much further south and west, Taunton & District Canine Association held its two day show over the same weekend, at Wellsprings Leisure Centre Taunton Somerset with the Pastoral, Working, Toys and Terrier Group on the Saturday. The AV Good Citizen Dog Scheme stakes class was won by Jacqui Walmsley with her Trelowen Amelia at Frostisen aka Bunny the judge was Sharon L Bower. So, congratulations to all a great start to the show season.
Stay safe everyone, I know some of you have been flooded, hopefully with the drier weather things have improved but the clean-up I know is not easy and takes time.
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