Show Placings
Coventry (Foleshill) Canine Association
3rd Nov 2013
Judge: Andrew Goodsell (Livewyre)
Puppy /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Graduate /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Ladies Kennel Association
15th Dec 2013
Judge: Mrs Jayne Alpe
I was honoured to accept this appointment at short notice, due to Kathy Wilkinson’s ill health. I was impressed with the new halls and layout this year.
I was able to judge with no preconceptions, as I have only been to two shows this year, so the majority of dogs were new to me. A good size entry with some good quality dogs present in a number of classes in which I was splitting hairs I had two very good stewards who handled the large classes with calm and efficient precision allowing me to get on with my job.
Overall movement, has improved considerably. In my opinion Borders should move soundly, positively and with the minimum of effort needed to cover the ground well, this means that they use far less energy when travelling distances, and my principal winners all fitted this criteria. Nice large teeth and good bites were very much in evidence. At long last I am starting to see definition between dogs and bitches, I like to see a masculine dog and a feminine bitch. The other thing I was pleased to see was the majority had good tight feet. Some exhibitors seem to be under the impression that an underweight dog is a way to make them easier to span, it doesn’t work! I hate to be able to feel bone and not muscle.
I learnt after judging that there was some kind of aggression in one of the classes, unfortunately I did not witness this personally, as I was going over a dog on the table, if I had of seen it then I would have taken appropriate action as this type of temperament is totally unacceptable in our lovely breed.
Puppy - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Good Citizen - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Placing Critique
Nice B/T puppy who needs to settle in movement, head, front and feet OK.
Cheltenham & District Canine Society Open Show
9th Feb 2014
Judge: Eillen Coles (Towden)
Yearling /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
The Midland Border Terrier Club Open Show
16th Feb 2014
Judge: Mrs Ann Maltby (Pherjan)
Junior - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Novice - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Placing Critique
Handy size bitch with a good head and expression, good layback of shoulder, level topline and well set on tail. Well angulated rear and good bend of stifle, easily spanned, moved well.
Special Challenge - Dog or Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Wellingborough & District Canine Society Open Show
30th Mar 2014
Judge: Mr John Dace (Cassacane)
Junior /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Birmingham Gundog and Terrier Open Show
20th Apr 2014
Judge:
I was delighted to be asked to judge at this show. It was Easter Sunday therefore the committee had provided Easter Eggs for all best of breeds which was a nice touch. Thank you too to the very able and competent stewards who kept things running smoothly and to all those who entered.
Junior - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Dunstable & District Canine Society
21st Apr 2014
Judge: Mr Mike Blay
Junior /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Derbyshire County Show
22nd Jun 2014
Judge: Mr Robert F Taylor (Foxthorn)
Junior /
First Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Novice /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
The Midland Border Terrier Club Championship Show
3rd Aug 2014
Judge: Bainbridge & Dandy
*Dogs*
Many thanks to the Midland Committee for this appointment and to all those especially the stewards who made for an enjoyable day. The entry in general reflected the type the exhibitors by now know I like. However there were a number up to size and exhibiting poor front angulation and short deep ribs and paid the price. I was looking for dogs with a typical otter head straight narrow front well laid shoulders ribbed back spannable and racey rear quarters with thick pelt in harsh double coat all of which we should be looking for in the ideal Border Terrier that is essentially a working terrier.
I was very pleased with my winners overall and had good depth of quality in the limit and open classes that generally displayed the above attributes.
The dog CC and ultimately BIS Ch Olderhill Afortunado is the ideal border terrier that shows with confidence and has class. He has a good border head of otter type strong jaw with keen expression on strong neck set into well laid shoulders ,narrow ribs carried back ,ideal length strong loin and the desired rear quarters ,shown in double coat and top condition moved with drive to cover the ground. Pleased my co-judge agreed this boys qualities worthy of BIS.
The RCC Tythrop Timepiece this excellent blue and tan displayed similar qualities to the above and with his good turn of stifle and short hocks and tight feet moved so well and with top presentation took this award over the quality 2nd in Open and Limit winner and with time maturity should complete the picture.
The Bitch CC winner and BOS,RBIS Ploughdown Placida is a top quality exhibit but for me just not the strength in loin of the dog but a close decision .
*Judge: John Bainbridge*
*Bitches*
A great honour to judge bitches at this breed club show, my grateful thanks to the Midland Border Terrier Club for their warm and friendly hospitality and to my two competent and hardworking stewards. I had a most enjoyable day and was delighted that my final line-up comprised of excellent and true to type examples of the breed, with some really promising youngsters amongst them. It is always foremost in my mind when judging this breed that it is essential that the dog’s conformation and movement should demonstrate its capability to work and follow a horse. I found this a challenge today, rather too many exhibits failing to demonstrate free ground covering movement or any length of stride to ‘follow a horse’: with weak pasterns resulting in uneconomic paddling action and poor reach; and sickle hocks impairing effective drive. I was also struck by the number of short ribs and untypical ‘cut up’ underlines. On a positive note temperaments were uniformly sound which is of great importance, although I felt numerous exhibits were neither ‘active’ nor ‘game’ in their demeanour. I was delighted to co-judge BIS with John Bainbridge and pleased that we agreed on all of our joint decisions today.
*Judge: Sarah Dandy*
Special Challenge - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Placing Critique
B/T of moderate size with right amount of bone. Nicely made with good head, neck, shoulders and front. Balanced quarters with a sound topline. Moved out well.
Milton Keynes & District Canine Society
23rd Aug 2014
Judge: Mr Tony Allcock MBE
Post Graduate /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Leicester City Canine Society
25th Aug 2014
Judge: Mrs Elizabeth Barrett (Howthwaite)
Post Graduate /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Placing Critique
Blue and tan bitch. Good expression with correct bite, well set ears and lovely shaped dark eyes. Although carrying a little more weight than I would have liked, she was spanable and well ribbed back with a good length of body. Strong loin and excellent hind angulations with strong well let down hocks. In a tight coat that would have benefitted from a little less trimming which would give her a more typical tweedy look but she did have a good undercoat and pelt. Moved well coming and going.
Bedford & DCS Open Show
28th Sep 2014
Judge: Mr W Gray
Post Graduate /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Hitchin & DCS Open Show
19th Oct 2014
Judge: Margaret Yates (Okarito)
Post Graduate /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Coventry (Foleshill) CA
2nd Nov 2014
Judge: Mr Paul Richardson
Post Graduate /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
The Midland Border Terrier Club Open Show
16th Nov 2014
Judge: Miss Tracy Peacock (Ragatam)
I would like to thank the committee for the judging appointment and the two stewards, Jem Thomas and Margaret Davies. I enjoyed my day very much. Thanks to the exhibitors for an excellent entry. I was pleased with my principle winners. Some dogs were penalised today for lack of coat, I know coats will grow back. Movement in some exhibits left a lot to be desired.
Graduate - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Placing Critique
Blue & Tan, good coat, ok for pelt. Moved ok.
Special Challenge - Dog or Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Ladies Kennel Association
14th Dec 2014
Judge: Mr David G Winsley (Davmar)
Though the standard calls for a narrow body I found many dogs who were too skinny & I could easily feel their ribs! Heads were quite disappointing, many had long weak muzzles not the proportions one associates with an Otters head. Many exhibits lack the small round foot & I doubt if they would cope with the exercise it needs to follow a horse. Coats were mixed & many just a seasonal problem.
Yearling - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Cambridge & County C.S. Open Show
25th Jan 2015
Judge: Mr Paul Harding
Post Graduate /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
The Midland Border Terrier Club Open Show
15th Feb 2015
Judge: Mr C Wallace (Hobholt)
This was my 1st Breed Club Show appointment and I would like to thank the Midland Border Terrier Club Committee for the opportunity to judge the show. Thanks also to my stewards, Bob & Liz Wright who did a great job ensuring the smooth running of the ring throughout the day. Thanks also to all the exhibitors for allowing me to go over your Borders’.
All Borders were in good health, had good mouths and were complete. I was impressed with most coats and particularly pelts which were mainly loose and thick. A number of coats were clearly coming through to be at their best for Crufts.
I like “moderate” Borders, not exaggerated in any way. Of importance, straight, narrow fronts, good shoulders. Hind quarters racy, body fairly long as described in the standard. Equally I like movement to be a good length of stride with purpose & drive. On movement, some front and rear movement was not great, some wrists were astray, some “knitting” and some were better shown on a loose lead and not “strung up”. In summary, I was pleased with my winners & many down the line in some classes, I enjoyed the day, thank you all again for bringing your Borders’, it was appreciated.
Novice - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Graduate - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Special Challenge - Dog or Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Placing Critique
Blu&T, Up to size, heavier in bone than 1, Head OK , good front, neck and topline, a little deep in chest
Herts & Essex Border CS Open Show
21st Mar 2015
Judge: Meriel France (Torbrae)
Graduate /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Redditch & DCS Open Show
16th May 2015
Judge: Ella Eva (Sophyla)
Post Graduate /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
East of England Agricultural Society
10th Jul 2015
Judge: Miss Sally Leslie (Risdene)
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
City of Birmingham
5th Sep 2015
Judge: Mrs P. Clark (Gameway)
My thanks to City of Birmingham for the invitation to judge and to the exhibitors who gave me such a good entry in both numbers and quality. Thank you also to my two hard working stewards who kept the ring running very smoothly. I found the limit and open classes in both dog and bitch had quality in depth and they were a pleasure to judge Thank You
Good Citizen - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Placing Critique
A very nice jacket on this blue and tan bitch but shorter rib with too much tuck up and not the movement of 1
Bedford & DCS Open Show
27th Sep 2015
Judge: Mr R Brewster
Graduate /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
East Anglia Border Terrier Club Open Show
22nd Nov 2015
Judge: Mrs. Liz Wright (Totherend)
My thanks to the East Anglia Border Terrier Club for the invitation to judge their show, to the exhibitors for giving me such a super entry and especially to Robert Brewster for his excellent stewarding. I really enjoyed my day.
Special Beginners - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Ladies Kennel Association
13th Dec 2015
Judge: Mrs Melanie Lewis (Tonromel)
Thank you to the Officers and Committee of LKA for the invitation to officiate and to my two excellent Stewards, Barry McCartney and Sue Jones, for their invaluable assistance throughout judging. Thank you to the exhibitors for a super entry of 176 exhibits making 192 entries, the largest entry in the Terrier Group, and also for the sporting manner in which my decisions were accepted.
Numerically the bitch entry was double the size of the dog entry, but on the whole the standard in both sexes was pleasing with some very strong contenders for top honours. Coats varied from being completely stripped out with only soft undercoat to those that were completely blown, however, many were presented in good jackets of the correct texture. Feet on the whole were good, being firmly padded. On a few exhibits the tails appeared to be overly long which on closer examination revealed that it was superfluous hair. If this had been removed it would have improved the overall picture. All males were entire and the temperaments displayed by all the exhibits was very good. I was presented with some very nice puppy entries, many showing a lot of promise, which can only auger well for the future of the breed.
I was very pleased with both my final dog and bitch line ups, with some tough decisions having to be made when it came to awarding the top honours, such was the depth of quality. All of my finalists were in fit condition; moved with purpose; had good muscle tone; pliable pelts and spanned with ease and I believe that, if the opportunity presented, they would be able to undertake the functions asked for in the breed standard. My one plea to exhibitors is to please refrain from pushing treats into the dog's mouth when the dog is being judged on the table as it makes it very difficult for a judge to assess the exhibit. Reward them by all means if you have to, but only do so at the appropriate time.
Good Citizen - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Boston & District Canine Society
10th Jan 2016
Judge: Mrs Janet Lee (Tythrop)
My thanks to the Society for my invitation to judge at Boston show . Thanks too to my stewards who were both efficient and unobtrusive , great timesavers and cheerful ! I very much enjoyed my day on the woolsack and had some lovely dogs and bitches who I felt could do a days work , having the construction to enable them to run the equivalent of a marathon over rough terrain , as well as being narrow , lithe and spannable to get in underground and ultimately back out again . Some did pay the penalty of being too big in rib and thus were heavily over standard for weight when picked up or too wide in front to get in , others failed in their construction to move in a sound , balanced , long , free striding way making one think they could not follow a horse any distance ! All bar 1 male were entire , there were a few with kinks in their tails and I had more than the usual number of level bites , some with very jumbled or small teeth which I feel must be watched carefully and please try to breed out as they are the defence of a working terrier – Border Terriers should have big scissor bite dentition . I still believe a BT should be capable of free standing and moving on a looser lead as of yore , rather than having their legs screwed on and being too strung up , I understand some dogs do not make the most of themselves free stood , but a lot are pushed into a very strange shape by their handlers ,and lose the vivacity and ‘active and game’ outlook that is part and parcel of the breed , making them very depressed , even some of the puppies looked as though they would rather be anywhere else but in a show ring , either from being over shown or over handled . There were a few dogs who I felt needed more weight on them , their coats hiding their stuck up spine & pin bones – this may be to try and make them more easily spannable or weigh nearer the standard , but it is very unfair on any adult or puppy to starve them , and they did pay the price in some classes as they could not work as thin and lacking strength as they were. In other words they should be made right not starved into shape .
Both my challenge line ups pleased me , and I was especially pleased to have such a good even bitch challenge where I was spoilt for choice , ultimately the dog and bitch I could visualize most easily following horse and hounds and then working gained top honours , being well made , spannable , good coats and pelts , sound free accurate movers with quality and breed type .
Good Citizen - Dog or Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry
Placing Critique
Lovely coloured and coated blue who is of super old fashioned type – nicely balanced outline , could be a shade narrower and more lithe to handle , but she is all Border , having a very nice head and excellent carrot tail . She moves round very soundly but could be a shade more accurate out and back .
Class Critique
I have to say my bitch line up was the most even , and typical , I have been able to achieve , thank you for bringing them !
Herts & Essex Border CS Open Show
19th Mar 2016
Judge: Mr Roger Cruden (Shamsky)
Graduate /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Dunstable & DCS Opoen Show
28th Mar 2016
Judge: Wendy Cross
Reserve Best Of Breed
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Post Graduate /
First Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Coventry (Foleshill) CA Open Show
6th Nov 2016
Judge: Mrs Felicity Snook (Pitcombe)
Post Graduate /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Ladies Kennel Association
11th Dec 2016
Judge: Mr Graham Pickering (Picer)
I would like to thank the committee of Ladies Kennel Association for their kind invitation to the judge the breed at this well organised show and their generous hospitality. It was a real honour and I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I would also like to thank my stewards Tony and Katherine for keeping things running smoothly throughout the day. Thank you also, to all the exhibitors for their entries and the sporting way that they took the decisions that I made.
As for the dogs – as expected, coats varied, all the dogs were entire, in clean condition and well behaved. There were a couple of dogs with teeth not set square in the jaw or with teeth out of line. I was looking for dogs of the correct size, with a typical otter head, a harsh double coat and a thick pelt, plenty of muscle, the correct amount of bone, and shown in hard condition. I also expect to see dogs that move true and with ease around the ring and look physically capable of doing a days’ work, whether they get the opportunity or not. All my winners had these attributes and as often happens many deserving exhibits went without cards on the day.
Good Citizen - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Boston & District Canine Society
8th Jan 2017
Judge: Mr E Houston
My thanks to the Society for inviting me,to my two very able stewards, Barry and Debs,and,most especially,to the exhibitors who allowed me the privilege of going over their dogs and who accepted my decisions so sportingly.
Overall I was very impressed with the quality of the entry.The limit and open classes in both sexes had quality beyond the placings and there were some very promising puppies,especially among the bitches- this must augur well for the future.Heads were largely typical,most were spannable and considering the time of year I was pleasantly surprised to find so many in good coat.On the downside,many were lacking muscletone and front movement continues to be an issue and not just in the lower classes.I was pleased with both line ups and thought my main winners excellent examples of the breed. I was delighted to hear that my Best of Breed went on to win the Group.
Good Citizen - Dog or Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Nuneaton & DCS Open Show
15th Jan 2017
Judge: Wendy Steel (Upend)
Graduate /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Windsor
1st Jul 2017
Judge: Mr Stewart McPherson (Brumberhill)
Firstly, my thanks must go to the committee for the invitation to judge at their show and to those exhibitors who entered, for my opinion, always an honour, to judge their dogs, giving me the highest entry in the Terrier Group. My thanks, also, to my stewards, who kept things running smoothly, with good humour.
An interesting entry, most were sound and typical. The thing that struck me most was front profile movement. An alarming number, due to an incorrect shoulder and upper arm placement, lacked full reach on the move, the leg lifting, hackney like, but not straightening out to reach full extension on the move. It may appear to be accurate coming and going, but it doesn’t actually cover much of the ground, so is therefore uneconomical movement, meaning the dog would have to work twice as hard to keep up, as the Standard asks for “capable of” and the “soundness to follow a horse”. Just because it’s possible to win with this type of movement doesn’t make it correct!
I was very pleased with my top winners, shown free standing, giving the, in my opinion, correct outlines, with no need to “assemble“ them in to a shape! All were sound, free movers. Typical “old school” Border Terriers! Pleased to hear that their qualities were recognised in their respective Groups!
Good Citizen - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Placing Critique
Blue & Tan. Typical head & expression. Excellent coat, of super colour, with a good pelt. Generally good make & shape, but not quite so narrow as 1st.
Paignton
5th Aug 2017
Judge: Mr Jeff Horswell (Drakesleat)
Great characters and a sporting ringside. I thought there were some size problems, a few being rather bulky. Front action is the biggest problem, not many being accurate coming towards. Feet by and large very good.
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Dunstable & DCS Open Show
2nd Apr 2018
Judge: Mr Eddie Webster (Benjcroft)
Post Graduate /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Derbyshire Agricultural & Horticultural Society Open Show
24th Jun 2018
Judge: Mr Colin Gullon (Barnfall)
Post Graduate /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Placing Critique
5 year old blue & tan bitch in her underwear today, never the less a nice border moved & showed well.
Paignton
4th Aug 2018
Judge: Professor A S Milton
I suspect I shall retire from judging now. I certainly have no intention, when it comes into effect, of paying the Kennel Club to get on their judging lists. I have always assumed, though I may be wrong, that I have been invited to judge because people wanted me to. I have no intention of 'prostituting’ my art by paying money for the privilege. If I may reminisce, I have never sought a judging appointment, indeed in the beginning I had never even thought about judging. Then one day a letter arrived from the secretary of a large open show in Scotland. Would I judge the terrier breeds and the terrier group at their next open show? I have, to this day, no idea who suggested my name. I had never judged before, not even a match or a limited show, I was on no judging list, they didn’t exist in those days, I had never stewarded, and have never done so to this day, I have to this day never attended any hands on or assessment seminar. After my first appointment invitations came at fairly frequent intervals, including two breed clubs, and eventually I received an invitation to judge at a Championship show. However, when I replied, with my judging cv, the committee told me that they couldn't continue with my appointment, as the Kennel Club would not accept the nomination owing to the 'parochial' range of my judging, which had, with one exception, all been in Scotland. Notwithstanding that for example two of the shows had been over 200 miles apart, and from my home to the breed club show in England over 500 miles. Peter Thompson (Thoraldby) and Sybil Churchill came to my rescue and I found myself judging at LKA.
A few thoughts on Border Terriers. Size has always been a problem, right from the beginning of the breed, with there being far too many large dogs, outside the weight standard, and the numbers seem to be getting larger (forgive the pun). I blame the breeders for this. In one class at Paignton, there was only one dog, which I could span. Movement is another problem; the trend at the moment seems to be very narrow hindquarters, with the feet nearly touching. In 1991, I made a video of Crufts with the late R.A. Williams judging. Almost without exception all the dogs are in full coat. (A few years ago there was a pirated video made of this tape). In the book 'About the Border Terrier', Walter Gardner says 'It is difficult to judge Border coats today because so often the dogs are stripped, well nigh skinned'. Two personal gripes, Border should be walked on a loose lead, not strung up, and should stand naturally, I do particularly dislike those exhibitors who are continually fussing with their dogs, moving a foot a cm here, a cm there and the like.
I should like to thank the committee of the Paignton show for inviting me to judge. They were all very helpful, and also the vets at the show who kindly looked after my young puppy which I had, perforce, to bring with me, whilst I was judging.
Special Beginners - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Placing Critique
Blue and Tan, four year old bitch. Good coat and pelt. Rather short in back. Moved OK.
Derby CS Open Show
21st Apr 2019
Judge: Becky Johnson (Downstream)
Open /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Eastwood KA Open Show
23rd Apr 2019
Judge: Mr Colin Woodward (Wadeson)
Open /
Third Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Newmarket & District Canine Society Premier Open Show
9th Jun 2019
Judge: Dr Ian Gabriel (Gaybryl)
Limit /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
Frecheville & DCS Open Show
18th Jul 2019
Judge: Miss Helen Wall (Goldwyn)
Post Graduate /
Second Place
Name at show: Lady Fiona Mctarry At Thistlewhiss
