NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
Friday the 21st June the longest day, now the days will start getting shorter and at the moment summer seems to be on hold. This time last year it was very hot but at the moment we will all soon be suffering from rust. I know here in the South East it had been very dry and I wanted some rain for the garden, but it can stop now. With a people organising outside events with no real cover it is a real worry, and even if there is cover there are always the car park conditions that can cause a real problem.
Border Union Ch show was held last weekend where there are no classes for the breed. The show itself has caused some controversy this year, as it refused live streaming of the groups. They obviously had their reasons but I personally think it is a shame. There are people who used to show that can no longer get there, and who I know really enjoy watching groups, and also like myself might have an interest in another breed but would not go on a second day. It was quite exciting watching the Elkhound puppy go best puppy in show at Birmingham National. Then there are the shows aboard, I have loved watching the Buhund judging at Westminster and Crufts of course have been live streaming their main ring events for some years, which I know is watched from around the world.
The KC has brought in Premier Open Shows to try and help stop falling entries at open shows. These shows have to schedule 50% of the breeds that are awarded CCs in each group, and have to be judged on the group system, with 1-4 in each group qualifying for Crufts. Some of these shows are scheduling Buhunds, one of these this year was at the Royal Cheshire County show. The show is only 10miles from Nancy Kent’s home and below is the report she has kindly sent me about this year’s show. “The show is held on a Tuesday and Wednesday in mid June and takes place on a field in Flittogate Lane in Tabley. There are two ways to see the show, one is in blazing sunshine with lots of people and sun hats on sale, the other is in the rain, no crowds and lots of wellies on sale. This year it was rain and wellies! The driving was sticky getting in and stickier going home. Negotiating the mud on foot was also a challenge; I almost lost a shoe twice! Still not without its bright side, I could safely leave the dog in the car and have a look in the food and livestock tents. The show is dear to my heart, so near home, and down country lanes to avoid the traffic. I started attending the show before I had kids, going with my husband and in laws; it was a great day out. Then of course, with my kids, and once foolishly with a group from my daughter’s class from the Infant school, (how many times can you count to 5??). There is so much to do, and something to appeal to everyone. We saw all the livestock, vintage vehicles, sampled the cheeses, bought exotic liquors, ate ice cream, saw the shops, WI cakes and floral displays and always went home tired and happy. I saw Sophie Wessex the first year it became the Royal Cheshire Show. Once I had show dogs I showed them of course. The dog show was a large open show with the emphasis on Sporting Breeds. The hounds, terriers and gundogs are on the first day, the other groups are on the second day. I entered my various Buhunds in AVNSC with some success. It is a challenging venue as the land is used to graze sheep, so there are tasty morsels to distract and the grass is a bit long, up to the tummies of Chihuahuas! With it being a Premier show this year there were many more breed classes including Buhunds. We had two classes, junior and open and our judge was Cath Moffat, Jamie (Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall) was BOB, he is co owned with Jacqui & Michael Cobb).I didn’t stay for the groups, I am glad I made the decision to leave early. I got stuck in the mud on my way out, with a kind gentleman helping me to get going again. I can’t imagine what it was like later on in the day when more cars were moving about.” Thanks Nancy well done but a shame about the weather. I do hope if you see Premier Shows with Buhund classes you will enter if you can, it is a great way for more judges to see the Breed, especially now so many open shows do not schedule the breed any more.
I was just about to send these notes off when I heard on the weather forecast that this time next week it is going to be hot especially in the South East, so probably at Windsor we will be trying to keep the dogs cool rather than dry, such is the summer in the UK.
Margaret Deuchar margaretdesuchar@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