NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
The Welsh Kennel Club was originally formed in 1896 with the then Prince of Wales as President. The club faded out during the first world war and was not revied until the November of 1967 by a few KC members who lived in Wales, and who at an informal meeting formed a committee and opened talks with the KC. Following this a committee was formed with members of the KC’s ladies branch who lived in Wales and members of the KC Liaison Council who also lived in Wales. Other KC members then came forward and in 1968 the first elected committee was formed at an AGM in Llandrindod Wells, later that year the KC recognised Welsh KC. Since then, the WKC has held a Championship show each Summer on the very attractive Royal Welsh Showground Builth Wells in mid Wales which is surrounded by hills.
The show also hosts Agility on the Friday and Saturday and Championship Obedience on the Saturday. The show itself also holds seminars and this year had a ‘Have A Go Dog Show’ for those new to showing, it is an All-Breed Show giving CCs to all breeds that have them. For many years exhibitors with caravans and tents have used their visit to the show as part of their holiday, with so many things to do in the area, and this often means the groups are well supported by exhibitors who are staying on the showground. When I first started showing the rings were always outside on the main arena, I am sure there were wet weather rings but for many years it always seemed to be sunny, then one year the Royal Welsh Show which is a top event in the Agricultural Calendar and is always held in the middle of July, suffered from very wet weather leaving the main arena very churned up, so the show which was split in two meant one group went into the cattle sheds and the other stayed under marquees on the lower level. The Pastoral Group was always on the top level, then it changed again with the main ring being covered in a marquee and the halls also being used with all the benches in the cattle sheds, but the show still had an upper and lower level. This year there were major change with the show going to 4 days and without benches but there were ‘Exhibitor Set up Area’, where the benches would have been by all the rings, and all the rings were in the upper level. Some rings were also in the cattle sheds. Jenny kindly told me about the show she said , ‘this year our ring was in the South Glamorgan Building, just West of the large tented grass ring where we were last year .Although the building was perhaps a touch noisy, the change to the four day show gave plenty of space and although there were no benches we ended up with an entire ‘Buhund corner’ to ourselves which was fab ,and the grass area with the big redwoods was just out the back so easy to toilet dogs too. The weather was sunny with some cloud and a light breeze, perfect weather, and all the stakes were at a given time which made life a lot easier planning wise, Buhunds went in just after ten, after 10 Australian Cattle Dogs’
I have been writing these notes for many years now and over that time I have talked about days to remember Buhunds owners have had, but I can’t remember every talking about two days consecutive that an owner had, but Jenny Shorer- Wheelers had two such days. On Wednesday 16th she went to Scunthorpe Canine Association Open show for the JW heat and open show. Muchly made 2 cuts in fierce competition in the JW heat but was not in the final six. (I have explained the JW heats at the end of the notes). Muchly then competed in AVNSC which he won with Piika taking 2nd in AV Veteran. Muchly continued by winning the Pastoral Group and went on to go BIS under Marion Spavin. Jenny commented that it was the first time in 25yers of showing dogs that she had had a BIS, and as she said it doesn’t not often happen to a Buhund either. Jenny had not realised when she entered Scunthorpe that WKC was the next day, so any thoughts of camping overnight were abandoned, instead leaving home at 4am for the drive to Wales. It was definitely worth leaving at silly o’clock as under Mrs Raye Parry who gives CCs in 2 other Pastoral Breeds and 19 Toy breeds, and who was giving CCs for the first time in Buhunds, Muchly aka Ch Koromandel Tusen Takk(ai) JW was DCC & BOB ,this was his 9th CC he also has 3RCCs,he is by Multi Ch Trollheimen JR Made For Cascillius x Sturtmoor Ffascination With Koromandel (Fable).He was later 4th in the Good Citizen Stakes under Tim Ball winning money. Jenny then did the double as Fable, Muchly’s dam handled by breeder Millie Lambert -Dovey won the BCC this was her 1st she has 2RCCs and has only been lightly shown. She is by Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall x Sturtmoor’s Eezee Luvva .RDCC his 6th Marie Corin and Adam Camm’s Kligenthal Almuric (Bergen) he also has a CC winning BOB at Crufts .He is by Ch Arnscroft Di Na Mo Farah JW ShCM x Koromandel Gild the Lily. RBCC her 4th Lisa and Alex Strong’s Leggatts Dancing Queen At Draccus (Eris) she also has 2CCs, this was only her 2nd show this year as she has been on maternal duties. She is by Ir Ch Frostisen Winsome IKC x Knytshall Noor Ul Ain. BV was Jenny’s Ch Maidodcopper For Koromandel JW (Imp Fin)(Piika)she is by Swe /Nor Ch Gnipagrpttens Qu x Multi Ch Cipacan Mila Magia,and has 15 CCs and 12 RCCs and is great grandmother of Muchly, and grandmother of Fable and Bergen, and just to make sure Jenny finished the day in style, Piika enjoyed her trip round the huge BIS ring to gain 4th place in the Veteran Group under Tim Ball Jenny did not arrive home till 10pm saying, ‘ she was exhausted but ecstatic’ .
(The annual competition for JW Dog of the year, started in 1998 and is for JW winners to compete against each other for the title of the ‘Kennel Club Junior Warrant Winner of the Year’. There are 13 heats for dogs that have gained their JW between 1st June and the 31st May the following year. Dogs can be entered in all the heats but will have to withdraw once qualified. The qualifying heats are held at open shows held by Canine Societies around the Country, during June July and August. No more than 64 dogs can be entered in a heat with 5 dogs and a Reserve being selected from each heat and going forward to the semifinal, where the dogs are divided into 2 groups with two different judges with 5 dogs being chosen from each group to go forward to the final at Crufts. There was no competition in 2020/21 due to the pandemic.)
I finish with the very sad news that Margaret Garvie’s husband Harry passed away on 18th August after battling illness for the past year. Margaret and Harry showed and bred Buhunds for many years, with the Rhialis affix. They travelled all over the country to shows in their motor home, with Harry always being there to support Margaret, who made up her last Champion at LKA in 2019 Rhialis Lucina, she showed the following year at Manchester but then when the pandemic hit, Margaret decided that it was the right time for her and Harry to retire from showing. I am sure you would all want me to send condolences to Margaret and her family.
Margaret Deuchar margaretdeuchar@gmail.com
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