Norwegian Buhund

Breed Notes 17th April 2020 Margaret Deuchar

NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS

As if we did not have enough to worry about with the Coronavirus, for our Canine friends there have been more reports recently of Alabama Rot, one in a dog that is walked in woods near us, but I know there have also been cases in Scotland recently. The Rot seems to thrive in the relative wet weather that we had earlier in year, hopefully now it is much drier the cases may slow down. The first signs are sores or ulcers on your dog’s paws, legs or face. It is very often fatal, as it causes the blood to clot in the blood vessels which damages the lining and delicate tissues of the kidneys, this can cause the kidneys to fail. Like Coronavirus, at the moment there is no known cure. The only way is prevention, be very careful when exercising your dogs, particularly in muddy and or woodland areas, washing off feet and legs and the undercarriage thoroughly, also the face and head as dogs tend to nose around. Our daughter Claire lives in the New Forest where there have been a number of cases; she has a Cocker Spaniel and washes him off after every walk, luckily Buhunds do not have so much hair on their legs and underbelly, so it is easier  to wash them off .Any sign of a sore place and the vet needs to be contacted immediately. Normally I would say the dog should be taken to the vet, but at the moment vets have a strict protocol of admitting dogs.

This week it is Jenny Shorer-Wheeler who tells us how she chose her affix and what made her have her first Buhund:-‘I was 15 when I registered my affix in 1997.In 1995 we had spent Christmas in New Zealand visiting family. Dad was retiring from the Army so finally the prospect of me having a dog was on the horizon. A Border Collie had been my original front runner, but my New Zealand aunt had two Labradors and so it was that Labradors became my first breed. Unsurprisingly, whilst in New Zealand I learnt everything I could about my Aunt’s dogs, her younger yellow Labrador Gemma had the registered name Dolomite of Headland having been bred by a geologist. One of my souvenirs of the trip was a small card with rock and gem samples from around New Zealand, several came from the Coromandel peninsula at the top of North Island. I liked the name and thought it fitting as a nod to the influence of my Aunt (herself a pedigree cattle breeder and enthusiastic dog trainer), to choose it as an affix. However, when I applied to the KC with Coromandel as my first choice, it wasn’t granted as someone already had it. Undeterred I reapplied with 6 different ways of spelling it! Koromandel was granted to me in July 1997, and the first Koromandel litter of 4 Labrador boys was born in 2000. Since then there have been 2 litters of American Cockers, 3 litters of Malamutes and 2 litters of Buhunds, registered under the affix. We have produced 5UK stud book entrants in Buhunds and Malamutes, a Uk Ch in each breed and in Buhunds a Canadian Champion. I have been extremely blessed with some really brilliant owners and hope our little kennel will be active for many years to come.

How did I come to have a Buhund? I had the American Cockers and Malamutes but I wanted a complimentary breed to the Malamutes (either a Working or Pastoral Breed). I had met Buhunds while working at Hearing Dogs and met Di Stirling and Lily who later became Ch/Ir Ch Arnscroft Di Di Di Delilah, when we were head to head for BPIS at NWPBS Ch show in 2008. It was between Buhunds and Portuguese Water Dogs, the Buhunds won. I also wanted something suitable for the kids to work. My first Buhund was Arnscroft Di Nah Mo Farah of Kormoandel, who was born during the London Olympics hence the name. Having got Mo I felt we could offer more to Buhunds as a breed than we could to Malamutes.’ Thanks Jenny I always find how people choose their affix and have Buhunds so interesting.

Margaret Deuchar  margaretdeuchar@gmail.com

The 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.