Norwegian Buhund

Breed Notes 21st August 2020 Margaret Deuchar

NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS

The KC has published on its website operational plans for the resumption of licensed canine activities, and how they may be able to start again. The plans are very detailed and have been very carefully thought through, but as we have seen with holidays abroad things can change more or less overnight, all we can hope is that things in the country continue to improve and the various activities can start to take again, albeit not quite as we used to know them.

Now that we have left the EU, taking pets abroad from 1st January 2021 with the EU Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) may change. If this might affect you I would recommend that you go GOV.UK Department for Environment.Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and discuss it with your vet. You may to need to plan at least 4 months ahead as  the system may go back more or less the same as when we started to show abroad, with  the pet having  to  have a blood test 30 day after having a Rabies injection and then wait another 3months  before the pet can travel, we used to have to wait 6 months.

I know we all really enjoy reading the biannual Bu News produced by Anne Smith our Chairman. Buhund  News itself has been produced twice a year for many years, and some years ago the  then editors Wenna Wallbank and June Purves produced a ‘Best of Buhund News’, covering the years 1978-1982. Wenna bought her first Buhund in 1978 and in the ‘Best of’ there is an article about her attending her first show, which with her permission I reproduce below, I am sure you will all enjoy reading it, I certainly did.

“Having reached the dizzy heights of a second in the Pet Dog Show at our local gymkhana, we recently entered Sam for his first ‘real’ show. The great day dawned, warm and sunny and we nearly panicked and went to the seaside. Common sense and a lack of petrol prevailed and Magician of the Mountains was entered in four classes at the Flint & Deeside Show. First class, AVNSC meant several nail biting hours, watching well behaved German Shepherds, sparkling OES, immaculate gundogs etc. Everyone seemed to be grooming Yorkies, talcing Afgans, trimming Spaniels and attacking hearth rugs with flyspray(surely not ?).I decided I had a lot to learn and nervously brushed Sam’s tail.

Our class was called and I tripped over Boxers and Bouviers. 19 in the class, spotless Samoyed one side, solid Chow on the other. Sam looked very small and ordinary. The judge looked down the line, saw Sam and smiled. For a moment I thought he was going to do our neighbour’s trick and keel over laughing at him, but judges are too polite to do that aren’t they? My time was fully taken up trying to keep Sam on four legs. He doesn’t believe in standing when he can sit.

My turn came. ‘Is this your first show?’ Wise judge. He tried to attract Sam’s attention. Sam gazed at the floor. He tried again. Sam stared out of the window. He gave up. We walked down the aisle (or whatever it is called) and stood back in line. The judged looked along. ‘You you you …… and the Buhund’.

‘Wow, come along you buful Buhund, you haven’t disgraced us, a Green card!’

Back to our seats for 6 classes, then AV Junior. Things get complicated back in the limelight. ‘Have you been placed?’ ‘Me? ummm….’ ‘Move up the line please’. ‘You don’t know what is happening do you?’ Kind judge! Would you believe it Third!! A Yellow card & 20p.No time to sit down, we’re whizzing into AV Maiden, a Blue card and 40p!! Next class, AV Novice and another Green card. 4 classes and 4 cards! I’m on cloud 9and Sam’s gone to sleep. The judge said he was a very nice dog and to get him to a training club to gain experience. Oh, a Beautiful judge!!!

So I guess where we go every Tuesday night in our best collar and lead? What a day-I’m glad we didn’t go to the seaside!”

Wenna with the ‘Dewin affix’ went onto to be top breeder in 1986 1987 1988 1990 & 1995 (Our Dogs /P.Petfoods/NBC Awards, breeding and owning numerous Champions who won over 80 CCs between them. Wenna has given CCs in the breed 13 times, the last time was in 2018 at the National Working & Pastoral Breeds, and she recently judged one of Addrienne Frost-Treadwell’s online shows. I think it is probably definitely just as well she did not go to the seaside!

Good news, Lisa & Alex Strong’s with Leggatts Dancing Queen At Draccus(Eris) has tested clear for Hereditary Cataract.

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.