The Border Terrier Club Open Show (14-10-2023)

Second Place in Junior - Bitch, Judge: Mrs Sue Baxter (Mysulan)

Show Critique:

Firstly I’d like to thank The Border Terrier Club Committee for their very kind invitation to judge this Open show, I felt honoured and privileged . I thoroughly enjoyed my day and the hospitality on offer , the lunch certainly hit the spot..thank you Nancy Hogg. My two stewards, Jane Morton-Shaw and Marina Fleming kept things running smoothly and I am grateful for their support .
To the exhibitors , my thanks go unbounded as I had a lovely selection of good quality dogs to go over and there were certainly some tough decisions in many of the classes. It is an education to finally go over some of the dogs I have admired from the ring side. I am grateful that my decisions were taken, mostly in a sporting manner.
My general findings were , all males were intact , I found no kinked tails ( 1 dog had a bump on the underside of its tail , not a kink in my opinion), jackets were, as usual , at various stages of growth. I was impressed by the fact that all animals before me could be spanned , some a little easier than others.
Once again I feel compelled to comment on the state of nails and feet. In my opinion , many dogs had nails that were too long and some needed drastic fur trimming to enhance the shape of the feet.In my opinion it is a shame to groom your dogs for the ring but forget that ,especially whilst on the table, the judge has a perfect view of any, long nails and/or woolly “ Yeti” feet .

Placing Critique:

another one , of similar age, which I have liked from afar and appreciated the opportunity to go over her. Beautiful feminine head piece with lovely dark eyes . A strong muzzle with good dentition . Elegant neck and smooth transition into the shoulder . Good rib length and compatible loin , there was a new jacket coming through and pelt was plentiful… Top line and tail set were excellent , rear angles good , well let down hocks. Sound in movement. I am pretty sure these two girls will swap places many times in the future .