First Place in Puppy - Bitch, Judge: Mr Phil Sharp
I would like to thank the committee of SWKA for their invitation to judge & their hospitality on the day, my stewards for all their hard work, & the exhibitors for their support making Border Terriers the highest entry in the group.
I was recently reminded just how long I have been involved with the breed when a photograph was circulated of the exhibitors at the very first open show of the Southern Border Terrier Club, held in a field close to the rectory at Hawkesbury. I guess this must have been in the early 1970s. It also prompted me to think that I must have judged for the first time some 40 years ago & I have seen a lot of Borders over the years since then. Each time I have judged I have been fortunate to find a few outstanding dogs, some very good ones, mostly good ones & very few poor ones. This was the case once again at this show.
Dentition was good, there were no kinked tails & movement & coats were variable as normal. A couple of the dogs were spooked by the loudspeaker announcements, which was a great shame for the owners. I believe that everyone knows the faults of their own dogs, so it is the plus points that I have noted down for the most part.
For one reason or another, I have not got to a show for a year or thereabouts, so seeing most of these dogs for the first time was a real pleasure.
had slightly the better head & expression & was also sounder on the move than 2. Good pelt & topline. Kept her shape moving. Very nice tail, something that was not always evident today. BPB