Show Placings
City of Birmingham Championship Show
31st Aug 2024
Judge: Mrs Clare Sansom (Tarkaswell)
I would like to thank the officers and committee of the City of Birmingham Canine Association Championship Dog Show for the invitation to judge at this level for the first time.
With storm Lillian resulting in the abandonment of Driffield, the JBTC were also able to hold their show in an adjacent ring. Hall 3 at the Royal Kennel Club building was light, spacious and an ideal venue. A certain amount of flexibility was required when classes clashed, and I am very grateful to my experienced stewards Chris Woolner and Caroline Wise for their hard work. They were calm, efficient and kept the ring running smoothly. With their help we finished in time to ensure that all those who had won major awards could get to their groups.
My sincere thanks to all the exhibitors for giving me such a quality entry and accepting my decisions in a sporting manner. We had very few absentees and I often had difficult decisions to make. In several classes, I would have liked some additional prize cards to award.
Coats did have an influence on the results, with those presented at their best, in a harsh, dense double jacket with thick pelt, being rewarded. A few exhibits would have benefitted from having their feet tidied to have achieved a neater picture. I found two kinked tails, two with incorrect dentition and all male dogs were entire.
I was delighted with my principal winners, who all fulfilled my interpretation of the breed standard on the day. It was a privilege to judge such an entry, and the lovely atmosphere, with applause and cheers for the winners, made it extra special.
I thoroughly enjoyed my day.
Minor Puppy - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
Birmingham & District Gundog & Terrier Club Open Show
5th Oct 2024
Judge: Irene Glen (Wilholme/Bessalone)
Puppy /
First Place
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
Placing Critique
Litter sister to the previous winner but not as well developed at this stage as her sibling. Balanced throughout with a pleasing head and expression. Lovely front assembly with well padded feet. Firm topline and good tail set. Pleasing coat and pelt. Good width of second thigh. Moved well.
South Wales Kennel Association
13th Oct 2024
Judge: Mrs Trudi Baird (Dowgri)
I was honoured to accept SWKA's invitation to judge at their championship dog show where I received a warm welcome,even on cold day!
A Big applause to my two fabulous stewards ( I’m so sorry I forgot to make a note of your names – you were so appreciated by myself and the exhibitors)
It was such a very cold day inside the halls ,though myself being on my feet continuously moving,I kept warm.Unsurprisingly some dogs were feeling the chill and shivering on the table which showed how cold it was.
I was honoured and humbled to have such a fabulous entry both numerically and in quality, especially the limit & Open dog classes where I can quite rightly use the old cliche “I wish I had more cards to give out “, it's unfortunate when you have to let some dogs go unplaced that had great appeal, but such was the quality today .
Before my journey back to Cornwall that day I managed to stay and watch the groups where both the BoB & BPIB gave fantastic accounts of themselves, the exciting puppy gaining PGrp 1, he went back for the final day to go all the way to BPIS.
We were sadly unfortunate to have a large Terrier breed crated close by who's owners seemed unaware of the their unattended dogs behaviour ,every time human or dog traffic went by it caused them to “ kick off “frequently .This isn't fair on dogs on the table being examined or dogs on the move, therefore I had to stop judging twice until attempts to quieten the offending dogs were made.
A few points of note were-
A small handful of youngsters lacked body condition, I could feel ribs with no covering teamed with thin pelts. I believe diet & exercise comes into play here so consider what & how much you’re feeding , plus good exercise regime
Mouths were disappointing ,some with very small teeth & more untidy bites than I've encountered in the past.
Movement was ok in the main though it let down some otherwise beautiful exhibits who looked a picture stood but sadly fell apart on the move, we had the odd flicking out front foot , plaiting fronts, crabbing , wide rears & some loosing their top lines.
Lastly a plea – it would help immensely if exhibitors didn’t use excess bait on the table while a judge is trying hard to get a good clear look at bites ,it meant a fight to get a proper view of the mouth while a dog is having bait pushed in or the dog is busily chewing . Holding off baiting until the judge has got past the head would be most helpful.
Minor Puppy - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
Grantham & DCS Open Show
19th Oct 2024
Judge: Jane Eyeington (Meadowdale)
Junior /
Third Place
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
The Midland Border Terrier Club Open Show
20th Oct 2024
Judge: Mr Ken Fraser (Ycart)
Puppy - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
Midland Counties Canine Society
25th Oct 2024
Judge: Professor A S Milton (Baillieswells)
Minor Puppy - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
East Anglia Border Terrier Club Open Show
16th Nov 2024
Judge: Sarah Pateman (Lessien)
Puppy - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
Novice - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
West Midland Terrier Society Premier Open Show
30th Nov 2024
Judge: Amelie Smith (Alncroft)
Thank you very much to the WMTS society for inviting me to judge at their show once again. It was a pleasure officiating at such a well run show, organised by true terrier enthusiasts. I was very pleased with my entries for both Border and Jack Russell Terriers. I was very pleased with my principle winners. I would also like to extend my appreciation to the exhibitors for their entries.
Puppy - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
Placing Critique
Of different type to 1. Very feminine young bitch, good length of neck, with a decent shoulder. Well boned and tight feet. Good topline and tuck up. Well bent stifle. Presented well. Moved OK when settled.
Burton on Trent KA Open show
8th Dec 2024
Judge: Helen Sutton (Benzali)
Puppy /
Second Place
Name at show: Jordith Vespera
