Norwegian Buhund

Breed Notes 1st February 2019 Margaret Deuchar

NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS

I always love receiving news from Buhund owners, so I was thrilled this week to receive the following from Sarah Stonton, who as well as owning Trelowen Andrea and Ch Arnscroft In Di Ana Jack is also a Veterinary Surgeon. “Everybody knows how lovely it is to receive appreciation in whatever form it comes: a truly meant thank you, a thumbs up when you let a driver join the queue in front of you and so on. Petplan,a veterinary pet insurance company, holds annual awards for various categories for individuals and practices as a result of nominations from animal owners or staff members. The finalists then spend a lovely evening at an award ceremony. I am lucky to have been nominated as Vet of the Year most years for the last few years, so I must have at least one fan somewhere! The practice I work in has this year gained 5 nominees-one each for Best Practice, Vet Nurse, Practice support staff and then 2 for Vet of the year (myself and my colleague). I feel honoured again as being aware that one can make a difference to an owner and the animal’s life is enough. Should I reach the final stage I will need someone to go posh-dress shopping with me.

Sunday Jan27th –cold, wet, windy and dark so why did I get p at 5.40am to leave the house at 6.00am. Because Loxy (Trelowne Andra AW(S) and I enjoy competing at agility together. Loxy didn’t compete much last year initially due to a damaged muscle and later due to recovering from a lump removal on her side but is pleased to be back.

She won her way into Grade 6 then has stuck there because as a partnership we make errors and on other occasions as a Buhund she just doesn’t have the speed of others, such as the ultra-fit working Cocker Spaniels. On Sunday we were at New Year Hurdles, held at Moreton Morrel College Equestrian Centre near Warwick. A venue I had not been to before and is an active working yard with rows of stables, overlooking some of the rings and horses going to and fro during competitions. My show man Jack used the day to become better acquainted with the equine species, and to show the world how handsome he was, then to chat up a 4 month old apricot coloured Schipperke. One ring was an indoor arena – Loxy did her first agility course here, combined for grades 5 to7. She was keen, fast and accurate except after entering the weave poles perfectly, a sniff then got her fancy so we had to re-enter the weaves with 5 faults. The result was no rosette as there were over 60 in her class, with some amazing dogs and handlers. The other 2 rings were under a roof but with open sides, so the wind was happy to blow through- This time it was a mixed error in agility, she jumped off the end of the dog walk, without touching the yellow coloured contact point. My error then was by some mannerism without realising, that I let her know that was wrong and Loxy does not like to be wrong, so went on a bit of displacement activity sniffing and so in effect refused the next jump. With a second or two we were back on course and she did the rest of the course fantastically. Win or lose when Loxy is enjoying and happy, I am as well albeit a bit disappointed at times. Rally obedience show next weekend for both, weather permitting.” Thanks Sarah

Much further a field in Eire, I heard from Brenda Bethell she told me that there is little or no ring craft in Ireland, so she uses open shows to practice, she took her homebred Minforst Galadreil (Ella ) to the National Show Centre in Dublin where under  Mrs Pamela Hunter, Ella was BOB and G2, well done both keeping the Buhund flag flying.

Back in the UK Celia Vines took Ch Ailort Highlander at Parvodene JW ShCM (Perry to his friends) to Lichfield open show at Stafford where he was Best AVNSC, 4th AV Pastoral Veteran and 3rd in the Veteran Stakes under Jeff Horswell, a very successful day well done.

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