NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
We are having to get used to the ‘new normal’, whether we will be able to have all dog activities with this we will have to wait and see, with Bournemouth, Blackpool and SKC still scheduled to take place later in the year.
I had a phone call from my dentist at the beginning of last week, saying that my husband and I could have our delayed appointment later in the week, but we would have to go in one at a time obviously with face masks on. My temperature was taken at the door, then the hand sanitizer, once in straight to see the dentist, and then once I had washed my hands, I could take off my mask. The dentist and his nurse had PPE on for which, apparently, they had had to be measured, to make sure it fitted correctly. It turned out it was the dentist’s first day back and we were his first and second patients. I have been his patient for many years, he said like 33% of the population including us, he had not really wanted to go out or back to work, but as we said we can’t stay in forever, we just have to be very careful.
I would like to thank all of you have sent articles in for these notes without which I could not keep them going.
I have found them very interesting leaning how so many of you started out in dogs and Buhunds.
This week thanks go to Jacqui Walmsley who tells us how her life in dogs began-: “I have truly been around dogs all my life, from the day Mum brought me home from hospital. We had a slate grey Labrador cross called Thumper, my sister’s dog who lived to the ripe old age of 18. Next came Lucifer, my Mum’s Black Labrador and her Obedience dog. I remember practicing Obedience in the front garden. Heel work, off lead, recall, retrieve and my favourite hilost. I would place raw eggs around the garden then send Lucifer hilost to find them. (Hilost is Gun Dog Term for Hunt There). He would search and bring them back to me. He would hold them in his mouth until he had finished the exercise, (returned to heel), then I would let him eat it. When I was 7 my Mum’s friend brought in a Rough Collie. She had owned Collies for years, and used them for Herding, Guarding and Obedience. Sox was to be her first Show dog. Unfortunately, Shirley slipped a disc in her back, and was not able to deal with new puppy, so she gave him to me. Well she gave him to Mum, but Dad thought he was mine! We started showing and never looked back. Shirley bred a litter, Blackie then joined the team, I was hooked.
When I was 9, my Dad was sadly diagnosed with cancer, and after a very short illness he passed. I spent the last few days of his life at Shirley’s (Different times). She has just purchased a Tri Colour and a Blue Merle Bitch.
The Merle was Haggis, and she was my heart dog. We bonded during this difficult time, and when I went home, she came with me, we were inseparable. I was showing Haggis, Sox and Blackie, and it turned out I was pretty good at it! I also started showing other breeds, sometimes people would ask me to show for them, other times I would ask people I knew, if I could borrow their dog for Junior Handling. I qualified for the JHA Semi Finals in each of the 6 Groups and competed in 5 of them. I handled a Cairn, Toy Poodle, Flatcoat, Greyhound and Haggis. I was placed or shortlisted in every Semi Final I entered. Then in 1991 I won, there were 101 competitors in the Working Group (this was before it was split into Working & Pastoral), and Haggis and I took the top spot. At the final held at the Metropole in Birmingham, I won through to the final six. My swap dog was Claire & Dennis Coxall’s Tiopepi Typhoon, a stunning Miniature Poodle. When I hit 16 I lost interest in showing, no more Junior Handling. We still had Collies, but they were getting on in age. Mum decided to change breeds, and we welcomed Mikey, a Wire Haired Hungarian Vizla.
I was leaving school and needed to find a job, so I stuck with dogs. I had an interview at Tiopepi and was offered a job. I turned it down, what a fool, but it was a long way from home, and all my friends. I spent two weeks with Sue and Andrew Thompson, where I learnt to hand strip terriers, but never took it any further. It all worked out in the end, as I met Andy when I was 17, and we are still going strong 33yrs on.
I had known Kerry and Emma Frost for years, we lived close by and I saw them at shows. When Emma went off to University I started to travel to shows with Kerry, and we all became close friends. I was hooked again and fell head over heels in love with Buhunds. I remember the originals Snoopy, Fluffy, and Tuska. I also remember Kerry arriving at Companion shows with 10plus Buhunds, all impeccably behaved, until you said HELLO, then all hell broke loose. Showing wise I was more involved with the next generation, the Maggit x Bikka litters. I won my first CC under Jean Lanning at the Bu Champ Show, with Mr Butler (Frostisen Leif). I had the honour of winning Squaddies (Frostisen Quadroon), third ticket, funnily enough under Claire Coxall at SKC. In fact we did the double, and took the bitch ticket with my Gucci (Frostisen Pye Gucci), well worth the journey from Dorset. In 2002 Mr Butler took his 2nd BOB at Crufts, and I had my 15minutes of fame on that Green Carpet.
It has not all been great memories, I was with Kerry and Fritz when the dogs were poisoned, struggled through the court case and cried my eyes out the day they left for Ireland. 30yrs on, and I now part own the Frostisen Affix, and the Frostisen Dogs with Kerry, Fritz and Emma. I have my wonderful Mole,(Blakk Extacy Van Koekie’s Ranch (Imp Ned) my guardian, my hero, and Bunny Wabbit my little fighter (Trelowen Amelia at Frostisen ). I can’t wait to get back in the ring with the new Frostisen gang, and of course to meet up with all the other Buhunders.” Thanks Jacqui so interesting.
I expect most of you will have seen that from 20th June the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye testing sessions will begin again. If you need your dog’s eyes tested go onto the BVA site where you will see where the sessions will take place. Bear in mind that with social distancing not so many dogs can be seen in a day, and with a back log of dogs needing to be tested you may have to wait several weeks.
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.