NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
I am sure you do not need me to tell you that Westminster Dog Show in the US is their equivalent Crufts, although unlike Crufts, it has a great following by the general public and press,with many public buildings lit up in the show colours of Mauve and Gold during the duration of the show, this year it even, unlike Crufts had a mention on BBC Breakfast! I have been writing about Buhunds at Westminster for many years since in 2009 they were accepted into the AKC Herding Group which gave them Championship status. Writing about the breed at this year’s show really isn’t enough you need to watch the breed, group and Junior showmanship judging, either on the various videos that are doing the rounds or on You Tube. The successes are of course down to the fantastic handlers’ breeders and owners.
The event is hosted by the Westminster Kennel Club, which is America’s oldest organisation dedicated to the sport of dogs and was founded in 1877.This year was the 148th show and is the second-longest continuously held sporting event in the US, it started to be televised in 1948 and is now the longest televised live dog show. Until the pandemic it was held in the famous Madison Square Garden in February. In 2021 and 2022 it was postponed to June and moved to the Lyndhurst Mansion New York. In 2023 it moved again to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre with the BIS being held in the Arthur Ashe Stadium. This year the show ran from 11th May to 14th May, starting with the Masters Agility Championship and Master Obedience Championship, with breed days being the Monday and Tuesday. At Crufts there is no limit on how many can compete,although they do have to qualify, but at Westminster only 3,200 are allowed to compete so competition is very keen. One of the other main differences to Crufts is that the Groups do not finish till around 11pm, so a long day when you are there by 7/8am. Invitations go to the top five champions of each breed, there are also dogs who can attend that have earned points toward their championship but were not among the top five in their breed. This year breed history was made when Amie McLaughlin handling her home bred Buzz aka MBIS MRBIS MNBISS GCHG Cloudpointe Ringside Gossip became the first Norwegian Buhund to have a group placing, coming third. Buzz is co-owned by Garrison Sharp and Laurel & Marc Denk. He is by GCHB Arnscroft Be A Sailors’s Son (Skipper) who is litter brother to Sarah Stonton’s Ch Arnscroft In Di Ana Jack x MBIS MRBIS MNBISS GCHP Jotunn Bella Binna, who also had a very successful show career. This was Buzz’s third consecutive win at Westminster, he also has 16 BIS wins and 15 RBIS. The breed judge was Mr Michael Canalizo with the group judge Mr Michael Faulkner. BOS was Ashley Martins & Karin Klouman’s Ch Riverhund Kyon’s Moaning Myrtle. Select Dog which is rather like our RCC was the same owners Ch Riverhund Kyon He Who Must Not Be Named. Select Bitch GCHB CH Fabrag’s Bravely Bewiching owned by Ted Kenyin and Michaela Kenyon.
Success for the breed continued the following day, when Octavia Stenson won the 90th Anniversary Best Junior Showmanship 9-18yrs, with her Pineapple aka GCHCh Cultiva Cruisin For A Bruisin Pineapple Express who is also by Skipper. There had been 104 entrants from whom a shortlist of eight finalists was made over the two days by Rebeccas Cross & Stacy Threlfall. The four finalists receive scholarship awards with Octavia receiving $10,000 (nearly £8,000), do not think our RKC will be doing that anytime soon! Octavia wrote ‘I truly have no words Going Best Junior it is a dream come true, a moment I will cherish forever; thank you judge Diego Garcia.’ Those of you who came to Crufts this year will have met Octavia as she represented the US in the International Handling having qualified handling Pineapple, she did not win but was shortlisted out of the 36 handlers ,the first time a representative from the US has made the short list for many years.(At Crufts they handle a dog they have only met an hour or so previously). With her mum Autumn they visited the DD stand on the Friday and then came down to the benches on the Saturday. It was lovely that Autmn posted on FB, ‘we had an amazing time watching the Norwegian Buhunds at Crufts. Everyone was so friendly and so nice and welcoming. Amazing to meet so many people I follow on FB in person. Thank you, Sue Crocker, for lending your pup to show’ Octavia showed Knytshall Noor Ul Ain in the Good Citizen Bitch Class, they looked amazing and won the class. It was great to watch as Octavia had only met Noor a few minutes earlier. I know we were all thrilled to hear of her win.
Back in the UK, Devon County 389 class 3day Premier Dog Show took place in conjunction with Devon County Show held at Westpoint Clyst St Mary Exeter from 16th /18th May, Pastoral/Working/ Toy Day was the Thursday. The Buhund judge was Martin Saunders awarding BOB to Mary & Coralie Dosson’s 6month old puppy Leggatts Part Time Lover (Barnaby), who beat his dad Mary & David Dosson’s Kligenthal Bran Mak Morn (Teddy) who was RBOB, Barnaby is x Knytshall Noor Ul Ain and is definitely on a roll as he was later PG3 also under Martin Saunders, this was his 3rd Puppy Group placing in as many weeks.
Much further north The Scottish Kennel Club Double Championship show was held from 16-19th May, it was held for the 50th time on the Royal Highland Showground, which is next to Edinburgh Airport. For many years it was an outdoor show until one year the showground flooded, so now it is held in the Highland and Lowland Halls with the Trade Stands in the Central Hall, with the Agility outdoors which this year enjoyed some lovely weather .The double show is the May All Breed Ch show run alongside the October Ch show, this of course gives exhibitors an opportunity to compete in two Ch shows on the same day and has a great saving for the SKC for the hire of venue etc, it was unbenched but there were plenty of chairs! Running two shows on the same days, using the same rings needs a great deal of organisation by the committee, not sure how they do it. A few classes started at 8.30am and on the first day the Groups which included Puppies, Veterans and Special Beginners were all prejudged but with the finals in the main ring, these did not finish till nearly 8pm! The next day apart from the main groups most of the other groups were judged in other rings so the groups finished at 6. 15pm.Pastoral /Toy Day was the Saturday, for the first time the October show had Buhund class but without CCs. At the May show the judge was Jeff Horswell who awards CCs in over 100 breeds across all the groups, he found his BCC & BOB winner in Michael Patrick and Leigh Ashman’s Ch Tapui Starla (Freya) winning her 6th CC she also has 7RCC.She is by Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall (Jamie) x Ch Kimura’s Vera At Tapui. RBCC her 3rd she also has a CC Jenny Shorer-Wheeler’s Sturtmoor’s Ffascination With Koromandel (Fable) she is also by Jamie x Sturmoor’s Eezee Luuva. DCC his 15th he also has 4RCCS Jenny’s Ch Koromandel Tusen Takk JW (ai)(Muchly), he is homebred by Multi Ch Trollheimen JR Made For Cascilius x Fable, so quite a family affair. RDCC his first Mary & Coralie Dosson’s Leggatts Part Time Lover (Barnaby) making the long trip from the West Country worthwhile, he is by Kligenthal Bran Mak Morn x Knytshall Noor Ul Ain. BP Debbie Penniston Fleming’s Leggatts Isn’t She Lovley Of Ailort (Quinn) she is Barnaby’s litter sister. October show no CCs with judge Richard Kinsey who gives CCs in 31 breeds across 3 groups, this time the BOB was Muchly he was later shortlisted in the October Pastoral Group under John Purell. RBD &BP Barnaby BB& BV Jenny’s Ch Maidofcopper For Koromandel JW (Imp Fin). RBB Freya. The Scottish Siberian Husky Club show was held on the same day and venue. Michael had a successful show, when his Ch To Bombadil Poliarine Arktika at Coldasice JW at 10.5yrs won the DCC BOB & BVIS and his Winter Siberiadrift was RBCC. So, a very busy day for him.
Congratulations everyone.
Margaret Deuchar.
Any 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