A CLASS ACT
Castlewytch Touch of Class has gained her Junior Warrantat 11 months of age. Bred and owned by Anne Bayliss she is by Maibee Perfect Touch of Charnavale out of Kaishmar Kristina. Well done Anne and Amber
Britain's Top 10 favourite
dogs
1. Labrador Retriever 2. German Shepherd 3. Border Collie 4.Yorkshire Terrier 5. Boxer 6. Cocker Spaniel 7. Golden Retriever 8.Cavalier King Charles Spaniel9. Bulldog 10. West Highland White Terrier
The Labrador has topped a poll as the nation's favourite dog, receiving almost double the votes of second-placed German Shepherds. The survey showed that the Labrador is the favourite breed across England, Ireland and Scotland, with only the Welsh preferring the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
A long-running and well-loved ad campaign, for toilet paper brand Andrex, featuring a cute Labrador puppy may have helped cement the place of the breed in the nation's heart. "The Labrador Retriever has always been a firm family favourite, so it's not surprising it topped the poll."
The poll, which was coincided with International Dog Day, showed that the nation is patriotic when it comes to choosing its canines - 80 per cent of the top 10 are British breeds.
Despite the old adage of a dog being a man's best friend, it seems that women are actually closer to their dogs, with 65 per cent of women seeking friendship in dogs compared to 54 per cent of men who tend to prefer larger dogs than women, according to the research. Loyalty, cuteness, cleanliness and discipline are the top qualities Brits look for in their dogs, with half preferring a dog that is quiet, the survey revealed.
THOSE DANES WERE GREAT
Gordon and I were invited to judge the entry at the Danish Cavalier Club Festivalin Stoholm on 25thand 26 July 2015. This was only our second visit to judge in Denmark, the last time being 7 years ago in 2008 in Silkeborg when I judged the entry at an All Breeds show. As we live in the North East of England, close to Newcastle, getting to Jutland is not the easiest route but we managed! Gordon was judging in Sweden in the Gothenburg area just shortly before the Danish show weekend, so we decided to look into getting a ferry from Gothenburgto Fr
edrikshaven in Denmark and then driving to Viborg to our motel.
The plan worked out really well. One small hitch was that the ferry we had booked on, collided with a tanker a few days before we sailed! Thankfully another Stena Line ferry was provided and transported us on the 3 hours sea journey from Sweden to Denmark
We arrived Friday and booked into our accommodation and then went out to look around the area. It was a glorious day and Denmark looked beautiful, bathed in sunshine.
Not so the next day…we awoke to torrential rain. The show, which had been scheduled to be outside, was rethought and quickly moved indoors. Secretary, Suzanne Gamborg met us at the show and introduced as to our Ring stewards who proved to be excellent and a lot of fun.
No language problems at all. On day one I judged Bitches and Gordon judged Dogs and on day two we swapped. The organisation was first class with an airy, well lit hall and two good sized rings.
On Saturday there were 74 Cavaliers entered (37 males and 37 females). The absentee rate was low, only 5, leaving 69 for assessing. On the Sunday there were 71 (35males and 36 females) with 6 absent, leaving 65
The 14 classes (7 for each sex) consisted of Baby, Puppy, Junior, Intermediate, Open, Champion and Veteran.
As happens in most countries there were more Blenheimsexhibited than any of the other colours with 30 on Saturday/34 on Sunday but surprisingly it was the Rubieswho took second place with 15/13 followed by 13/10 Tricoloursand 11/8 Black/Tans.
Over the 2 days we awarded
Adults…72 Excellent, 24 Very Good and 1 Good
Babies and Puppies….31 Very Promising and 6 Promising
Overall, the stats show that we were pretty happy with the quality of the Cavaliers and on a personal note, I was pleased to see that the quality was generally higher than in 2008. I think the biggest problem that we saw over the weekend and a fault that is being seen more and more worldwide in the breed, is sloping croups. Perhaps in attempting to deal with gay tails this has taken us to the point of extreme. Now we are seeing tails set too low accompanied by a steep croup that falls away. However, the curling tail dilemma has not been solved and is still there but now with the added flaw of a sloping croup and incorrectly set tail. It is so nice to see a well-placed tail that is set on as a continuation of the spine and I am pleased to say that there were Cavaliers in the top awards who displayed this feature. Never double up on a fault if you are breeding and don’t over compensate by going too far in the other direction. Use dogs where possible who are correct in the area you are trying to improve upon. On the plus side, there were some exciting puppies and many adult dogs who were the correct size with gentle expressions. Light eyes were in the minority and coat textures were good. Temperaments on the whole were as expected with friendly, cheerful Cavaliers.
Some of the dogs exhibited were obviously much loved family pets and came for the day because their owners were members of the Club. I hope they enjoyed the outing. It was the Rubieswho impressed us most in the entry and that was reflected in the placings. Well done to the breeders who made this possible. As always we were seeking a small, balanced, well-made dog with a typical head and expression and outgoing personality. We tried to judge and appreciate the whole dog and not over penalise an exhibit for any one feature that was not exactly what is described in the Standard. Grey areas that do not stray too far from the ideal can still be acceptable when considering the total package. No dog is perfect, so we were not looking for perfection.
THE WINNERS…….DAY 1
BEST DOG AND BEST OF BREED ...... CHECKER VOM ERLENBACHER –HEMMERICH
BEST BITCH.....TIMON’S PRINCESS LEIA
RESERVE BEST DOG.....EMMETT VOM KANINCHENGARTEN
RESERVE BEST BITCH.....NORWEGIANCH LILJESKOGENS JAMAICA PLUM
BEST PUPPIES days 1 and 2...the litter mates ….YOUR LOVING EXCELLENT FIRST CHOICE and YOUR LOVING HOLGER DANSKE
BEST VETERAN at 11 years (both days) NORWEGIAN/DANISH CHAMPION MAGICS CHARM TEABAG
At the end of judging on Saturday night, we enjoyed the social side of the day at the Club Dinner where we were able to relax, eat and drink. The food was delicious and the Danes were in good singing voice!
The next day we swapped over and went through the entry again. The top dog and bitch were not the same but the variation was only slight and we had no problem agreeing on the ultimate winners. A different day can see a dog improve or show less favourably. Some dogs show better the second day, whilst others tire after day one.
THE WINNERS …..DAY 2
BEST BITCH and BEST OF BREED.....CASSIOPEIA CAVALIERS IT’S MY MOMENT
BEST DOG.....CEPOS CINNAMON
RESERVE BEST DOG...CHECKER VOM ERLENBACHER –HEMMERICH
RESERVE BEST BITCH......DANISH CHAMPION CAVA CHOICE HOT CONSTELLATION
BEST BITCH AND BEST DOG
...a couple of Junior Handlers
When asked for advice we always say….”Be honest with yourselves. Look at your dogs, read and understand the breed standard, look again at what you are breeding/showing and be critical. See the areas that need improving and acknowledge them. There is always room for improvement. The opinion of honest, knowledgeable judges is a help but at the end of the day it is you the breeders who make the decisions and chose in what direction your breeding programmes are to go.
Travelling with dogs has never been easier and the Internet and technology has made it easier to consider using dogs around the world. Do what it takes to breed the best to the best."
"It was indeed a feast of Cavaliers, good sportsmanship, super organisation and totally enjoyable. " Norma
BEST IN FESTIVAL(OVER THE 2 DAYS) was CHECKER VOM ERLENBACHER-HEMMERICH bred by Claudia Hansch, owned by Lars Norgaard Jensen and Charlotte Frandsen and exhibited to his success over the weekend by Claus Jensen
BELLA THE BRAVE
Hero dog Bella,a one-year-old Cavalier, could be in line for an animal bravery award after she saved her family from a fire that caused extensive damage to their Belfast home on Tuesday morning.Relatives and neighbours of the Spence family from Campsie Park in the Ballybeen estate in Dundonald say they are lucky to be alive after the blaze broke out.
Bella barked to alert her owners to the fire, thought to have been started by a tumbledryer, and they were then rescued by the Fire Service. Tanya and Paul Spence and their children Amy (13) and Taylor (7) were checked over in hospital and subsequently discharged.
Niece Nicole describes the incident "The dog was in the kitchen in her wee cage and she was barking," she said. "My uncle heard her from upstairs, thought someone was trying to break in, so he went down and opened the door. There was so much smoke. He grabbed at where her cage would be and grabbed her out. They couldn't get out so had to go upstairs and lock themselves in a bedroom and put towels at the door. The fire brigade were then able to get them out.
"The dog is fine, she is showered and fed and happy and really should get an award. She barked and barked and barked. Bella is not a barker, so they knew that something was wrong."
Neighbours said the family had a lucky escape. Among them Jim Nelson, who backed the idea of an animal bravery award for Bella, saying "the wee dog deserves something.I will nominate her".
Fire Service commander Michael Harkin said the family escaped serious injury thanks to the dog and stressed the importance of having a fitted and working smoke alarm.
MICRO MOSAICS
Whilst almost impossible to find these days, these circa 1880, rare and set in gold, dog Micro Mosaic earrings and pin can be found at the Hamshere Gallery costing £480 and £1800.
TOYCLUB OF PORTUGAL
Judge Michael Leonard from Irelandhelped the Toy Club of Portugalcelebrate their 25th Anniversary on 21st August 2015. Bruno Castro(Monte Santa Maria)sends results and photos
Honey Magical Melody de la Fieffe au Songeur and
Gayhalo Roulette
Dom Sebastião do Monte Santa Maria
Pam Lewis (Daraste) has a new email address...she can now be contacted on
The Northern Cavalier show held at the Stafford County showground is a popular one where many start off their "Cavalier camping" fortnight moving on after the show to Top Barn Farm near Worcester where they congregate and have a holiday with their Cavaliers taking in the accessible shows at Paignton, Bournemouth and then ending with the Cavalier Club Open show held on site. This year the respectable entry at the Northern club show was judged by Brian Claydon (Brymarden)and Robert Lamont (Moorfields). Here are a few pictures of the day.
The judges
Diane Whitfield with Andy and Dave Sedgbeer
Janet Waller
Katherine Li and Lindsey Gow (suitably shocked!)
you got me Laura...
Richard and Kelly Lee
Lorraine Crozier and Mary Drewett
Caroline Ackroyd Gibson and hubby John
Sue Brooks
Becky Wileman and Michelle Chapman
Bottoms Up with Barbara Maddy! .....celebrating Marc Spall's birthday
Christine Bell, Alison Walker and Maureen Richardson
John Tranter, Malcolm Spark and Michael Brook
DOG CC/BEST IN SHOW withAngela Price
BITCH CC, BITCH RCC and BEST PUPPY IN SHOW
RESERVE DOG CC AND BEST PUPPY DOG
BEST VETERAN IN SHOW with BITCH CC
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Marlen Blessmannhad a great day at the RHA show in Hamm, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, under judge Dennis Homes (Leogem) when her Miletree Solomon bred by Ruta and Peter Towse in the UK, won Best Male, BEST OF BREED and BEST IN SHOW. Marlen wrote "It was a nicely organised show and we are proud to own a "Leogem Award" now. Nice show, great judge and lovely presents for allexhibitors! Spoiled boy "Solly" now has a nice dog pillow on which he can relax" well done Marlen and Solly
30TH AUGUST 2015
.....waiting to go public...TOP BARN, CKCSC OPEN SHOW, CAVALIER CLUB OF VICTORIA, CAVALIERS SUCCESS IN OBEDIENCE......stay tuned folks!