NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
A Happy & Healthy New Year to you all, I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas, here in London it was damp and very windy but I gather some actually had a White Christmas, and a few days later the snow was more widespread.
In my notes last week I should have apologised to Margaret Garvie for when reporting LKA, I said her Rhialis Psyche has 8 CCs when in fact she has 10 CCs. A couple of months ago I made a chart of the dogs being shown, so I could write down their CCs and RCCS rather than relying on my memory! Of course charts are only any good if you read them properly!
One final look back at 2017 which was a special year for the club as it was our 50th Anniversary, but it did have ups and downs.
Early in the year I had an e-mail from the AHT as I am the Breed Health Co-ordinator, saying they were looking into Cerebellar Ataxia in the breed. This can affect humans but usually only after a brain injury, with Buhunds it shows itself in very young puppies most not living beyond 12 weeks. I was quite surprised as the only cases I knew of were a number of years ago, we had assumed it was not a problem anymore having widened the gene pool with dogs from abroad. The AHT told me they had found carriers in the samples they had been sent over the years for Hereditary Cataract research, and that they would like to extend the research, now that the club belongs to the “Give a Dog a Genome Project.” I was sent cheek samples for members to test their dogs, which were duly distributed to members over the summer.
The Anniversary weekend was held Saturday and Sunday 22nd /23rd July this was a great success, it was held in the arena at the Sky Blue Connection Coventry. The Saturday started with the cutting of a fantastic Anniversary cake made by Jenny Shorer-Wheeler,after which Mr Christen Lang from Norway presided over our Ch show, he had judged the breed at the US speciality some years ago and on the continent, it was however his first time of giving CCs in the UK. BIS & DCC Ch/Ir Ch Arnscroft Di To Be A Sailor. RDCC Sarah Stonton’s Arnscroft In Di Ana Jack. BCC Lillian and Michael Rumsey’s Ch Arnscroft Di Nah May. RBCC & BVIS Millie Lambert and Mairwen Bailey’s Ch Bernegarden’s Reve Enka Av Sturtmoor. BVD & RBVIS My & Debbie’s Ch/Bel Ch Tonylynn’s Charles Lafitte AW(G) R1EX. BPD & BPIS Katharina Baier & Nat Merry’s Sturtmoor Elfinn’s Luck.BBP Millie Lambert’s Sturtmoor Eezee Luvva. At lunch time there were special classes judged by Michael Patrick. In the evening members enjoyed a dinner organised by Sue Cale with Roger Thomas as guest speaker.
The next day Christina Wilkin judged a fun dog show which was enjoyed by all with Anne Smith’s Arnscroft
Never Say Di going Best in Fun Show. Jacqui and Michael Cobb ran a Fun & Competition Rally Rings and in the afternoon there was a parade of dogs who take part in various activities, which was organised by Jenny. There was also a club show shop organised by Anne with a number of popular Buhund goodies on sale.
Sadly the Friday after the Anniversary weekend a number of committee members resigned for various reasons, this included all the officers which meant there was virtually no club. The KC were fantastic telling those remaining how to proceed, the manager of the affiliated clubs dept should I think have free membership for all the hard work she put in, helping to organise the SGM which was necessary to find a new committee. There was great support for the SGM with enough volunteers to form a new committee, the only problem was there was no Treasurer so any bills were paid by the remaining committee members, a new treasure is now in place so we have a full committee.
On the Sunday 22nd October at Discover Dogs which was held at the Excel in London, the secret that a number of Buhunds owners had kept for some weeks came to light. Liz Cartledge and Marina Scott had chosen Buhunds to be the swop dogs for the UK Junior Handler of the Year final. The junior handlers having shown their own dogs go back in to be judged again with a dog they have only met a short time previously, all of the same breed. Thanks go to Jenny for arranging the dogs and handlers and of course to the owners, many having travelled many miles to be there and last but not least the dogs themselves, for showcasing the breed so well. I believe it is still available to watch on YouTube.
The AHT sent me an email on November 20th saying that they now had a DNA test for Ataxia. Anyone who had sent a sample to them for their research from 2008 to July 2017 was entitled to a free DNA test for their dog, if they just filled in a request form. There was a list of over hundred dogs with no owner’s names so it did test my memory somewhat. A number of owners have sent off for the test and from the results returned we have over 50 clears but 13 carriers and worryingly on one occasion 2 carriers were mated together, happily no Ataxia puppies resulted. Now we have a DNA test this should never happen again as all breeding Buhunds can have the test, unless they are hereditary clear (both parents tested clear). It is a one off test, just swabbing the dog’s cheeks. The AHT have organised a day for us on Saturday February 3rd, at the AHT Newmarket where we can discuss the Ataxia results and Hereditary Cataract, we do hope as many as possible will attend.
The Top Buhund this year is Di Stirling’s Ch/Ir Ch Arnscroft Di To Be A Sailor he is by Ch /Am Ch Visions Dino of Trollheimen(Imp USA)(Casper) x Arnscroft Di Sing On Ice(Tusk),this was his third time of winning he was also Top Buhund in 2014 & 15. Top Bitch is his litter sister Lillian and Michael Rumsey’s Arnscroft Di Nah May. Top Puppy Millie Lambert’s Sturtmoor Eezee Luvva by Ch Arnscroft Di Na Mo Farrah of Kormandel x Sturtmoor Dream Maker at Gazenorth. Top Breeder Di Stirling. Arnscroft . Top Stud Dog Debbie Penniston Fleming and Pat Williams Casper by Trollheimen Oslo Fjord x Trollheimen Reba Rocks. Top Brood Bitch Di’s Tusk by Nor/Int Ch Kimura Didrik x Nor/Int Ch Kimura Frida. Many congratulations to you all.
I hope you all have a wonderful time in 2018 with your canine friends whatever you do.
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