NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
Pastoral day at Crufts was the Sunday March 9th we were first in the ring at 9am,which for those not living locally meant either leaving home at silly o’clock or staying locally the night before, and for those coming from abroad the night after as well, especially as no one can leave till 4pm.This is so there are dogs that can be seen by the general public who pay to come in. Two years ago, when we were also first in the ring, we woke up a covering of snow it was not deep but did cause some travel problems, everyone though did make it in time as the judge was also held up. This year there were no such problems the day dawned bright and sunny and ended up warmer than Barcelona and the Costa del Sol.
Our judge was Di Striling(Arnscroft) judging the breed for the 5th time, the last being at the WKC in 2017,Di had said that Crufts was going to be her last judging appointment. Before having her very successful kennel of Buhunds ,Di had an equally successful kennel of GSDs a breed in which she also gives CCs . In Buhunds her Ch/Ir Ch Arnscroft Di Nahs Mite is the breed record holder and in the US in 2024 six of the top ten Buhunds were sired by GCHB Arnscroft Be A Sailor’s Son (Skipper ), and Amie McLaughlin’s very successful Buzz aka MBIS MRBIS MNBSS GCHG Cloud Point Ringside Gossip is a grandson. For a number of years Arnscroft bred dogs dominated the Buhund show scene in the UK but this has waned over the last few years, as with any numerically small breed dedicated breeders have to look to widen the gene pool, by bringing in new blood lines with dogs from abroad and using AI, although Arnscroft lines are still in some of the pedigrees of Buhunds being shown today. Di was also our club chairman from 2013 until she retired in 2017.She very kindly gave every exhibitor a lovely keyring showing a small rosette in the Crufts colours with Crufts 25 engraved on it.
Crufts turned out to be one of those days to remember for first time Buhund owners Jenny & Dave Langford, as their Frostisen Zeffer (Loki) was awarded DCC & BOB, bred by the Frostisen Kennel of Kerry and Fritz Frost,Addrienne Frost-Treadwell and Jacqui Walmsley in Ireland, he is by Ir Ch Leggatts Fernando From Frostisen Imp from the Leggatts Kennel of Sue Crocker in the UK x Ir Ch Kyon’s Dronningen Av Frostisen Imp from the Kynon Kennel of Karin Klouman in Canada. The icing on the cake turning it from a special day to a day to remember ,was when Loki was shortlisted in a huge pastoral group under Kevin Young who awards CCs in 46 breeds across 5 groups .Loki has been very lightly shown, I gave him the RDCC when I judged him at Windsor last year where he was handled by Jacqui .He then went on holiday with Jenny and Dave to stay with Addrienne do the Munster Circuit in Ireland, where handled by Addrienne at Killarney under judge Mr J Madden(IRE)he won the Green Star Dog & was BOB and was shortlisted in the Group. At Limerick he again won the GS & BOB under International All breed judge Alessandro Zeppi (Italy)and was Group 2 and given a fantastic critique. At Tralee the last show on the circuit he was again GSD & BOB and Group 4 under Dione Fitzsimons. Ireland as I am sure you know Ireland is FCI with Buhunds and Elkhounds being in Group 5 for Spitz and Primitive Breeds.
RDCC his second was Marie Corin and Adam Camm’s home bred Mazads Nom De Plume (Dexter ) he is by Ch Kligenthal Almuric SHCEX(Bergan) x Gladidegelli Arvejente For Rikarlo A.I(Lucy).He is homebred as Marie Corin had Lucy for her mating to Bergen and through to the puppies going to their forever homes.
BCC her 2nd her 1st was at WKC last year , Sue Crocker’s home bred Leggatts Jive Talkin (Noodle) by Sturtmoor Floki x Leggatts Voulez Vous she also has 4RCCS and was handled as usually by Jasmine Freeborn.
RBCC Lies Hekhuis Ned Ch Var Stolthet Liva Livsglede (Liva )who was also handled by Addrienne (busy lady)she is by Trelowen Kristopher x Var Stolthet Skua Idavoll, this certainly made Lies trip from Holland worthwhile.
BV Lesley & Liz Butterworth’s Ch Koromandel Gild The Lily(Hildy) she has 4CCs & 5RCCs and is by
Ch/Am/Can Gr Ch Kyon’s Bold Norseman x Ch Maidofcopper For Koromandel JW VW (Imp Fin) .Hildy is Dexter’s grandma.
BP Cheryl Denham-Horton & Lorraine Bolton’s Tapui Haraldsson at Jjavacobe(Hogan).Kirsty Irvine missed exhibiting her Bodi aka Ch Blackcombe Bodil to Tapui (Imp Aus) at Crufts 2024,as she was taking Bodi by land and air to Norway to visit her intended Harry aka Kimura’s Harald Harfagre. A year on at Crufts 25 two of the resulting puppies were BP and BPB this was Penny & Tom Glibbery’s Daisy aka Tapui Haldis
What ever happened I hope you all enjoyed Crufts 25;I certainly did I always enjoy catching up with friends in other breeds that I only see at Crufts. This year was extra special as I met two FB friends from across the pond. Jenny introduced me to Dawn Deeley who lives in Canada and whose Ch/Am/Can Gr Ch Kyon’s Bold Norseman, came to live with Jenny in 2017and became a UK Ch and helped to widen the gene pool in the breed before going back home, and is Time’s grandsire It was also lovely to meet Joy Arney Fowler who lives in Indiana and has Buhunds, she had come over to watch Di judge as she had Am Gr Ch Arnscroft Di Sing An Aire who was litter sister to Neil Hood’s Ch Arnscroft Di Nah Sawr Us Rex SHCM VW SHCEX (Dino).She also rides a mule and we had a long talk about that !It was also great to see Loki shortlisted in the Group, following up on last year’s shortlist of Jenny Shorer Wheeler’s Muchly aka Ch Koromandel Tusen Takk JW(ai) under Barry Croft and in 2022 Nancy Kent, Jacque & Michael Cobb’s Jamie aka Ck Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall shortlisting under Jeff Horswell ,so heading in the right direction to perhaps one day emulate Cheryl Denham Horton’s 2nd in the Working & Pastoral Group with Ch Reinark Duffy under the late Terry Thorn .Duffy was born on 12th August 1991 and was by Ch Gavalllyns Dario x Ch Reinark Kristel.
After Crufts Loki went to Eire with Addrienne for two shows over the St Patrick’s Day weekend, both held at the National Show Centre in Dublin .On Saturday 15th it was the Celtic Winners 2025 International Show, where under Elly Weggemans (NLD) he was DGS BOB and shortlisted in G5 .The following day it was St Patrick’s 2025 National Show where under Sean Delmar (Ire)Zeffer was again GSD BOB and then G3, what an amazing 8 days he has had ,congratulations. His litter sister Blakk Zitter won her third GSB.
I would like to thank all those of you who did the breed proud by doing Discover Dogs, more about that in next week’s notes .
I finish with some sad news, those of you who attended Crufts last year will remember the late Jean Platt’s Ch Ailort Just In Time(Bulah) coming third in the Veteran Bitch class, and getting applause from our judge Kevin Young. Since Jean’s passing Bulah had been living with Jean’s daughter Marinda Taylor -Smith, she was entered in Crufts this year, but Marinda has been in touch to say sadly she had died suddenly a few weeks earlier. She was bred by Debbie Penniston Fleming and was born on 23rd of October 2008 by Ch Olpenden Malchy At Parvodene JW SHCM x Ch Fullani Farek Of Ailort SHCM .Celia Vines showed her for Jean and she had 6CCs and 3 RCCs.Marinda herself has been very unwell so we wish her a speedy recovery .
Margaret Deuchar margaretdeuchar@gmail.com
