Breed Notes 13th May 2022 Margaret Deuchar

NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS

Pastoral Day at Birmingham National was the Sunday, the show is now well established in its’ home in Bingley Hall on the Staffordshire County Showground. The first show was held in 1859 and over the years has had a number of homes, in the late 1980s it moved from the National Agricultural Centre to Perry Park in Birmingham which is where I first knew the show, they had what at that time was the new ‘in and out ring’, which are now so popular. Security however became a problem and the show moved to the lovely setting of Arbury Hall, but the inclement weather and ground surface meant that after a couple of years in 2002 the show moved indoors to Bingley Hall. Of course, if the weather is lovely everyone would like it to be an outside show, there 8 rings outside under a marquee, but I have never known the Buhunds to be outside. Last year the show was one of those to move dates with Buhund day on 24^th September, there were no benches and being inside Gazebos were not allowed, so we had a little group of Buhunds by the back door of Annex 1, the same Annexe we were in this year. There were of course benches this year and we went in after 25 Lancashire Heelers just after 11am.

Our judge was Debbie Penniston Fleming (Ailort) who last judged the breed at Driffield in 2018 and gives CCs in 11 breeds and has judged several times on the Continent. She started showing Belgian Shepherds in 1982 awarding CCs in the breed in 1988. She first met Buhunds when she became friends with the late Elisabeth Coleopy 1987, and in 2001 she had Fullani Farek of Ailort who gained her title and bred her first litter in 2007. Over the years Debbie has had 20 plus CCs, 4 Champions and 3 Junior warrants and numerous group placings. Debbie was friends with Brenda Soloman who lived in the USA, and was offered the loan of a Buhund and in 2012 he arrived, he was called Am Ch/Visions Dino at Trollheimen (Casper), the idea was to help the gene pool in the UK and to show him, he had already been BOS at Westminster. The rest of course is history, he certainly helped the gene pool, being in the pedigree of a number of dogs in the ring today, both here and on the continent and is the great grandsire of the top winning Buhund in the US at the moment. Although lightly shown as Debbie had a busy career, he won 10CCs the group at Driffield in 2012 and was BOB at Crufts three years running 2013-15. He never went back to the US as Brenda gave up breeding Buhunds and sadly died very unexpectedly in 2017.

Debbie found her DCC & BOB in Sarah Stonton’s Ch In Di Ana Jack (Jack)this was his 9^th CC he also has 9RCCs and is by Ch/Ir Ch Arnscroft Di To Be A Sailor x Ch Arnscroft Di Or Comply. RDCC his 5^th he also has 5CCs my and daughter Debbie’s Ch Rikarlo Gable JW L3ex (Time),he is by Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall x Ch Kimura’s Vera At Tapui.(Imp Nor).Lisa Strong had a day to remember when she and her husband’s  Leggatts Dancing Queen at Draccus (Eris) won her first BCC, she also  has RCC and  is by Frostisen Winsome x  Knytshall Noor Ul Ain. RBCC her 8^th Maddy Norman’s Ch Arnscroft Delilah at Veekay (Lottie) she also has 6CCs and is Jack’s younger sister.BV Lillian Rumsey’s Ch Arnscroft Di Nah May(Anja) by Ch/Am Ch Visions Dino At Trollheimen x Arnscroft Di Sing On Ice she has 6CCs and 7RCCs.

 Those of you who were not at the National but watched the groups on line, will have probably recognised Jenny Shorer-Wheeler doing all the commentary on the groups that were held in the main ring.

 Those of you who have been in the breed sometime will remember Carolyn Soloman and will be sad to hear that her husband Ron has died. Carolyn told me that he went into hospital in April last year and then to a lovely care home near the sea (they live in Cornwall). He was in no pain and died peacefully. She said they had a wonderful life together and until the last few weeks she was able to take the dogs to see him, they were always very pleased to see him as when he was at home, they spent all the time lying beside him. Although she has not been at a show for many years, she is a great supporter of the breed and has been a club for many years. She has Torren (Ch Tokyn Sequoia) and Freya (Tokyn Bonyava). I am sure you will all want me to send her our condolences.

Stay safe everyone.