NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
The last weekend in September was a very busy one for a number of Buhunds and their owners. The one that definitely travelled the furthest was Nancy Kent with Knytshall Diamond Ted who she co owns with Jacqui and Michael Cobb , by Ch Arnscroft Di Nah Saw Us Rex x Ch Trelowen Veryan to Knytshall. They made the long journey from their home in Cheshire across the Irish Sea to Belfast Ch show. Established in 1880 the show is held in the Eikon Exhibition Centre Balmoral Park Lisburn. Ted was BIS at the club Ch show last year, here there were no Buhund classes but he kept the Buhund flag flying by being BD AVNSC Pastoral under Peter Jolley, who gives CCs in 44 breeds across six groups the only exception is the Gundog group.
Staying nearer home Brenda and Tony Bethell took their Zodiac’s Featuring Fredrik at Travas of Minforst,
to Tongwynlais Canine Society open show, held at Pontypool Active Living Centre, where under Kirstie Forster he was BOB .Then to put the icing on the cake he was PG 2.
Saturday saw the Obreedience team of Jacqui Cobb with Knytshall Angel Delight R1EX who she co owns with husband Michael and Nancy Kent so busy time for the Knytshall dogs, Lisa Strong with Loki Snowflake and Debbie and myself with Ch/BelCh Tonylynn’s AW(G) R1EX(Fizz) & Trelowen Ancorya, head to Green Acres Farm Daventry. This is our third year of competing, when we first started we hoped that we might qualify for Crufts and also that it would help to get the breed to become better known. We soon discovered that many teams practice and have managers and some give up doing any other canine activity apart from Obreedience for a year. Our team never practices as everyone is so busy, only getting together the day we compete , so the fact the we have been first reserve the last two years has been fantastic. This year though it has just not been our year, for one reason and another and Saturday was no exception, as we came last scoring only two points. It was still a very enjoyable day and it was lovely to see a fantastic team of Papillons win, losing only two and a half marks over the heel work and the 4 set exercises. There were also Rally classes for all six levels and Debbie and Fizz did their first level 2 with a score of 104 out of 110 they came second. Angel only needs one more Level two qualifying score of 170 or more to move up to Level 3 but it was not her weekend either, as later in the day after the Obreedience she was not quite sound. She was meant to compete on the Sunday, so Jacqui helped with scoring in the morning and afternoon instead of competing, which I am sure the organisers appreciated. Hopefully it is nothing serious and Angel will get her qualifying score at her next competition. There was a plus side, as several people asked what breed they were and interestingly one person said she did not know they could be Wheaten as she had only seen Blacks.
There were a few days to recover then on the Thursday it was Pastoral Day and Driffield Ch Show. Held on the centre of Wetherby Racecourse in West Yorkshire it is a true outside show and one that sadly often suffers from inclement weather. This year was one of them with cars having to be towed out on the morning of the first day after heavy rain over night. The sun did come out and by the afternoon it was quite hot but I think probably the tractor will be needed again before the show is over. The committee does its best, with cars being parked behind the benching tents and with the benches behind the popular in/out rings. When I first started showing Driffield was held at Doncaster Racecourse with nearly all the rings under cover or on hard standing, there were CCs for Elkhounds but not Buhunds. They have only had CCs at the show since 2007 and will lose them in 2019 when the allocation goes to Darlington. I personally doubt that the show will keep the breed on but we will have to see.
Our judge here was breed specialist Gail Hussey who last judged the breed at E of E in 2014. Gail bred and showed Dalmatians, before having Buhunds, some of her puppies were in the Disney film 101 Dalmatians. Here she found her BOB & DCC his second in Anne Smith’s Arnscroft Never Say Di (Oskar) who is on a roll this year. It started by taking BIS at the club’s 50th Anniversary fun show, followed by BIS at the Companion show at the International Agility Festival then his first CC& BOB & G4 at City of Birmingham. RDDC his 9th Oskar’s older brother Shirley and Alf Dobson Sue Cale and Nancy Evans Ch & Ir Ch Arnscroft Di To Be A Sailor Ir J Ch he also has 20 CCs. They are by Ch /Am Ch Visions Dino of Trollheimen(Imp USA)(Casper) x Arnscroft Di Sing On Ice.BCC her 10th Margaret Garvie’s Ch Rhialis Psyche Sh CM also by Casper x Ch Ailort Just Jinks she also has 6 RCCs. RBCC her 7th Jenny Shorer-Wheeler’s Ch MaidofCopper for Koromandel (Imp Fin )JW she also has 6 CCs by Nor Ch Gnipagrottens Qu x Swe/Fin Ch Cipacan Mila Magia. She was BCC at Crufts but has been on maternal duties since, only recently returning to the ring and qualifying for the Junior Warrant semi final at Discover Dogs.
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