NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
The funeral of our Patron Shirley Dobson who passed away on 23rd December aged 90, was held on Tuesday 23rd January in the Old Chapel City Road Crematorium Sheffield. The officiant taking the service welcomed the mourners which included her daughter Rachel, her daughters and grandchildren, and close friends including Di Striling and Chris Cross, and those watching online like myself, and other Buhund owners past and present who knew Shirley. The coffin was brought into the sound of Bag Pipes. The service started with the funeral poem Afterglow remembering Shirley, this was followed by prayers. The obituary was read, which was written by Rachel in the first person as though talking to her mother going through her life, starting with the fact she was born on Derby Day and her dad forgot to put a bet on the winning horse! Rachel mentioned all the things her mum had done in her life including her teaching and being founder member of the Buhund club with her husband Alf, who died on the same day as the funeral 3years ago. It was also mentioned that she and Alf had been made Patrons of the club and had received a certificate thanking them for their loyalty and service to the club Buhund Club. Rachel also said how her mother had enjoyed owning Ch/Ir Ch Arnscroft Di To Be A Sailor (Sirius) with Di. A prayer was then said for Shirley’s life, followed by the Lord’s Prayer. The congregation stood to join in the singing with a recording of the hymn ‘O Love That Will Not Let Us Go’, sung by the Celebration Choir which was formed in Sheffield in 1966. The committal prayer was then said, and the congregation left to the playing of Glen Miller’s Chattanooga Choo Choo. The club has sent a donation to Shirley’s chosen charity ‘The Gurkha Welfare Trust.’
Sarah Stonton has sent me details of her recent successful scent trial. ‘Jack aka (Ch Arnscroft In Di Ana Jack RL1ex) and I continue to enjoy out scent work adventures together, competing in trials run by Scentwork UK where he will have his Level 7 debut on 28th January and National Nosework Association. Presently I am particularly enjoying working him at different and more environmentally challenging venues, so set off last Thursday January 18th on the 250-mile round trip to the Malvern Hills. I have regularly done the trip at least twice year over 20+ years to show at Three Counties Showground so why not for scent work? The venue was Boundless Outdoor centre near the top of the hills. The vehicle searches to find 2-gun oil hides from 2 cars was pretty standard, as was the selection test from a row of scent boxes but the other 2 areas were more interesting. Interior search was a small entry foyer (one scent on the rim of the entrance door), games room where half the room was a bowling alley and the other a lounge area with wooden slat seating, easy chairs, tables and a table football game plus a small kitchen; the 2nd hide was in a crease of one of the chairs. Exterior was on a pretty sloping woodland area with lots of trees, leaves & grass underneath, plus a row of tyres on the floor for humans to run through, a raised large tyre, tarpaulin raised to shelter or crawl under, a network of rope to climb through plus ropes intermingled about a foot from the floor to negotiate with our search area marked with coloured cones. The 2 scents could be anywhere within this but within reach of dogs’ noses if they stood on their hindlegs. With the warning of deer and squirrels being present, Jack was worked on a long line, but I was dreading it as the area was so complex to negotiate and try to remember. I need not have worried, Jack’s nose got to work, and he found both hides within the 3 minutes allowed. To my joy, totally unexpected, he was the only dog to find all 7 hides and won the trial. He contently slept all the way home with a smile on his face knowing he had done well and pleased me while I, his chauffeur, drove us home.’ Many congratulations both, 4sucessful searches, 4 badges as well as the winner’s medal, think that was a very good day at the office.
The following is an obituary written by Jenny Shorer Wheeler for her first Buhund who went to play over the bridge on 16th January.
‘Mo was born in 2012, on the evening of the Olympics opening ceremony, and his show name Arnscroft Di Na Mo Farrah reflected this. We chose to add a Buhund to the family as a suitable dog for the children to show if they developed an interest, my main breed at the time being Alaskan Malamutes. His show career had some spectacular highlights, at 10mths old he won his (and my) first Championship show BOB under Unto Timonen at Southern Counties, then went on to win the Pastoral Group under Paulo Dondina, to everyone’s huge surprise and delight. He gained his first 3 CC’s in just 6 weeks after his first birthday and was crowned at the club show by Michael Quinney, which was very special. He also became the first and only Buhund (to date) to qualify for the KC JW Final and the Eukanuba Champions Final, where he competed in 2014. He was also handled to two RBIS at Open shows by a very small Isaac, who was only 4 years old on the first occasion! Isaac gradually took over showing him and won his 12th and final CC and a Group shortlist just before his 7th birthday. When he was 8, Nancy and Phil Terry needed a Buhund in their lives and the difficult decision was made to give Mo a trial with them as an only dog (with a new Siamese cat best friend), he had the most wonderful retirement time with them, going on holiday to France and cuddling up with the cat and Phil, and I’m so grateful to them for the care they gave him at the end. A special boy who kindled our love of Buhunds and leaves a wonderful legacy in his kids and grandkids.’ Thank you Jenny and I am so sorry I missed out his group win at Southern Counties when writing about Buhunds winning groups in last week’s notes.
For club members the ‘Hare & Hounds’ Watery Lane Keresley Coventry is now booked for our AGM and fun day on 6th April, so hope to see you all there.
Margaret Deuchar http://margaretdeuchar@gmail.
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