Show Placings
The Terrier Club of Scotland Open Show
16th Oct 2022
Judge: Brenda Brown
Junior - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
The Border Terrier Club Open Show
25th Feb 2023
Judge: Mrs Julie Fletcher North (Northborders)
Firstly I would like to thank the Committee for my invite to judge my first Club show , also my 2 able stewards Judy and Kathy for keeping me and the ring in order , mostly I thank the exhibitors for their wonderful entry and allowing me to go over their beautiful dogs , I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I was really pleased with both my line ups , I loved all my main winners and look forward to following their futures
Reserve Best Bitch
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Best Puppy - Bitch
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Best Puppy
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Puppy - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Blue and Tan 11mth old puppy , Beautiful, so well made she really caught my eye , nice for bone and good rib carried well back, easily spanned , good angulation throughout beautiful thick tight feet , amazing jacket and good undercoat, lovely femine head , good expression good dark eye and short strong muzzle with correct bite , moved well once she settled, I loved her and look forward to watching her in the future, RBB
The Border Terrier Club Championship Show
25th Mar 2023
Judge: Mrs Charlotte Archibald (Tweedburn)
What an absolute honour and a privilege to be invited to judge this show, my thanks to the Officers and Committee of the Border Terrier Club, and my two excellent stewards for the day, Judy and Marina.
My sincere thanks also, to ALL the exhibitors for making it truly memorable, with 196 dogs, 233 entries.
Some very close decisions had to be made!
On the down side, I found some very short muzzles and small teeth, and quite a number of filthy teeth!! Temperaments were generally good, there were 2 kinked tails and 1 suspect mouth, a lack of muscle tone and condition in some exhibits, which is essential for a terrier to do it’s job.
That said, it was an absolute joy to see so many super dogs.
Junior - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
B/t lovely headed bitch with neat ears, excellent bodylines, well ribbed, straight front, just needed a little more jacket, moving well.
Northern Counties Sporting Terrier Association Group Open Show
26th Mar 2023
Judge: Anne Higham (Comberdown)
I would like to thank The Northern Border Terrier Club for nominating me and the committee of the Northern Counties Sporting Terrier Association for inviting me to judge at this wonderful friendly and hospitable show. Thank you to my two stewards who kept everything running smoothly and to the exhibitors for their entry and attendance on such a cold day.
I found all males entire and one level bite.
Best Of Breed
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Best Bitch
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Junior - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
12 month old blue & tan bitch that one fully appreciates once you get your hands on her. Beautiful feminine head with shallow stop and dark keen eyes with a lovely expression. She has a strong enough muzzle and correct bite. Properly placed and shaped small ears. Well balanced proportions. Sound in bone and small feet with thick pads. Ribs carried well back and of the right shape. Spanned with ease. Superb coat with correct ticking. She moved very well coming and going. Best Bitch. BOB.
The Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
8th Apr 2023
Judge: Mrs J Carr (Wreighaugh)
My thanks go to the Committee of the NBTC for their invitation to judge their Open Show. I was honoured to receive this appointment and am incredibly grateful to the exhibitors who gave me such a great entry. It was a most enjoyable day and special thanks go to my Stewards, Andrea Pitt and Mark Atkinson, for keeping me on track and helping the ring to run smoothly.
Reserve Best In Show
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Best Opposite Sex
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Best Bitch
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Junior - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
13 month old Blue and Tan. A lovely young bitch with a well proportioned feminine head, keen expression, nice neat ears, good dentition and a strong jaw. She has a good neck leading into a well angulated shoulder and narrow front with straight legs with neat tight feet. Good length of rib, easily spanned, strong loin and narrow throughout. Nice tailset and carriage, she moved easily with good reach and drive. She has a thick pelt and very good ticked coat. BB; BOS; RBIS
East Anglia Border Terrier Club Championship Show
16th Apr 2023
Judge: Miss Tracey James (Blackmine)
A bit thank to the committee of EABTC for inviting me to judge their championship show. I really enjoyed my day and when I later looked at the catalogue to see my winners I found it interesting reading, as all my major winners were of similar lines.
Junior - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
racy b/t, strong but feminine head with keen expression, straight front, nicely angulated front and rear, ribbed well back and easily spanned with good underline. Moved true. Not always making the best of herself.
West of England Ladies Kennel Society
27th Apr 2023
Judge: Mr Mark Walshaw (Janmark)
Many thanks to the officers and committee for the invitation to judge at WELKS, it was quite a few years ago now, as I was due to judge them at the beginning of lockdown. Due to the heavy rain that had fallen over the preceding days, all judging was inside. It was slightly draughty, but we were allocated a double ring, so plenty of space, to see the exhibits stride out. I must thank the two stewards Lynn Jones and Celia Vines who kept the ring flowing beautifully and the exhibitors for making prompt appearances, we did well for time, starting approx. 0930 and finishing around 14:45. I thank all exhibitors for a wonderful entry (123 dogs making 172 entries} for a Thursday in Malvern and appreciate their time and expense for entering under me. There was plenty of quality to choose from and I was happy with my final decisions. Dentition was very good and a pleasure to judge dogs with clean teeth. I did find muscle tone to be poor/average in a lot of the exhibits, which must be one of the key areas for any working terrier. Jackets were mixed as was movement.
RBCC
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Junior - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
RBCC.A very smart blue & tan bitch that took my eye as soon as she went round the ring. Well balanced throughout with no exaggerations. She does not disappoint hands on. She has a beautiful feminine head, correct stop and dark alert keen eye, correctly shaped and placed ears, which gives a typical keen lovely expression. Muzzle strong with good dentition. Clean through body, with ribs carried well back. Easily spanned. Has good bone and adequate substance. Racey hindquarters and a well set tail finished the picture. Stood correctly at all times on small tight feet with good padding. Sporting her best jacket today and in good muscular fettle. She moved very well coming and going and maintain her clean profile and topline. Pleased to award her the RCC
Joint Border Terrier Clubs' Championship Show
30th Apr 2023
Judge: Mrs Hilary Gilpin (Otterbobs)
A very big thank you to the SBTC for inviting me to judge this very well run show, to Marina for stewarding and to the exhibitors for entering under me.
Junior - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
BL/T a real feminine type, a little bit narrower in muzzle than 1st, she has wonderful shoulders, good hind angulation and moved steady, A nice bitch with plenty to like especially her tail set, and good bone.
The Scottish Kennel Club (May) Championship Show
21st May 2023
Judge: Mr Frank Kane (Hirontower)
Junior - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Open Show
4th Jun 2023
Judge: Mrs V Atkinson (Raedwulf)
Thank you so much to the society for inviting me to judge this wonderful show. To my steward, Judy Carr, thank you for running my ring so efficiently, especially in the heat. Thanks must go to the ladies for our delicious lunch too. I was presented with some super examples of the breed and there were some tough decisions, especially in the bitches. I do also think the heat affected the performance of some as the day progressed. On the whole mouths were good, but a couple of very knotted tails and some dogs I was unable to span, even with generous allowance which would preclude them from fulfilling the breed standard of ‘essentially a working terrier’.
Junior - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Blue and tan bitch with a straight front, narrow throughout and a handy size, in good coat with pliable pelt. Good rear movement just preferred the overall picture of my winner.
Border Union Agricultural Society
17th Jun 2023
Judge: Mr Colin Girling (Benattivo)
I would like to thank the Officers and Committee for giving me the opportunity to judge Border Terriers in their spiritual home territory. My stewards, Audrey & Judith did a great job in running the class changes efficiently on a hot humid day. It was a lovely entry, with many exhibits that I had not judged before – thank you all. I found some exhibits which could have been better prepared with attention to coat, body condition and clean teeth. A few level bites a couple of kink tails influenced placings but all dogs were entire and overall a nice group of BT’s to go over. My main winners had breed qualities that outweighed any imperfection, that in my opinion wouldn’t impact on its ability to perform its traditional work.
Junior - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Nice Blue and Tan bitch in great condition with keen expression and narrow bodylines, moved really well on tight cat like feet.
Blackpool & District Canine Society
25th Jun 2023
Judge: Mrs Jayne Gillam (Orenberg)
Many thanks to the officers and committee for inviting me to judge Border Terriers at Blackpool & District Canine Society Championship show. Grateful thanks must go to my very efficient steward Gisela Duran who did an excellent job in making sure everything ran like clockwork. Finally thank you to the exhibitors for giving me such an excellent entry of 142 dogs making 183 entries, the largest entry across all breeds on the day. It really was a privilege to go over such a large entry of dogs and I thoroughly enjoyed my day.
The size of dogs has always been a perennial topic, but I was pleased to say overall, many of the dogs were of correct size on this occasion, with very few oversized dogs and only the odd one or two I couldn’t span. Bites were good and only an odd one with teeth out of line, although a few had broken teeth, quite a few had dirty teeth and some had small teeth which is something I really don’t like to see on, essentially a working terrier. It was good to find some really lovely tails, with not too many long thin, spindly tails we have seen in the past, although I was surprised to find four kinked tails in the entry.
Overall I thought it was a good entry, I found some quality exhibits and I was very pleased with my winners, and in particular will watch the progress of my puppy and junior placings with interest.
Junior - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
East of England Agricultural Society
6th Jul 2023
Judge: Joyce Martin (Merumhor)
Many thanks to the officers and committee for the invitation to judge Border Terriers at the East of England Agricultural Society Show, which was to be the last one run by this society. It was a super venue with lovely big rings which gave the dogs a chance to stride out. Many thanks to my ring stewards Peter and Lesley Armstrong for keeping things running smoothly and efficiently. I was delighted with my entry of 109 dogs making a total entry of 149 and pleased with the overall quality of dogs shown. Thank you to the exhibitors for giving the chance to go over your dogs and for the sporting way the placings were taken. It is indeed a privilege to have the opportunity do so. I was thrilled to be able to watch the terrier group and see my BOB - Stineval Lambert JW take group 1 in a quality line up. I also was delighted to hear that my BPIB - Glebeheath Ophelia went Group 3 in the Puppy Group.
Junior - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Driffield Championship Show
26th Aug 2023
Judge: Mrs. Liz Wright (Totherend)
My thanks to Driffield Championship Dog Show Society for the invitation to judge today and thanks to my stewards Peter and Lesley Armstrong, who kept the ring running smoothly. Thanks also to the exhibitors for allowing me to go over their dogs. Front movement in the breed still needs some improvement, but overall I had lots of quality exhibits. Bites were good and only one kinked tail.
Junior - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
The Scottish Kennel Club
1st Oct 2023
Judge: Mr M Armstrong (Bitcon)
Post Graduate - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Excellent breed type, good head and eye, nice neck and shoulder, good jacket, good length of ribs, ok top-line and quarters, moved well, easy span and pelt, good bone and feet.
The Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
7th Oct 2023
Judge: Mrs Norma Ellis (Normbar)
Thank you to the Committee for organising such a well run show. The quality of the the dogs was very good, making my decisions more difficult in a good way. Nice atmosphere plus friendly sportsmanship prevailed.
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Close up will change places many times. Looked a picture stacked, good head and keen eye, narrow front and easily scannable, good length of neck into clean shoulders , well ribbed back and pleasing outline, harsh jacket, moved soundly.
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Members Limited Show
28th Jan 2024
Judge: Mr. P. Appleby (Hollexby)
Firstly I would like to thank the committee for inviting me to judge this show, it was an honour and a privilege, secondly thank you to the exhibitors for entering a lovely selection of dogs for me to go over, and lastly but not leastly to my Stewards, Liz Barret and Val Mason for keeping me right.
Best Bitch
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Best In Show
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Post Graduate - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
22 month blue and tan, eye catching bitch with a good feminine head with a keen expression , bright eyes, good coat and pelt, once settled moved well with good movement front an rear. My BiS
The Border Terrier Club Open Show
24th Feb 2024
Judge: Libby Tanton-Joy (Itsaso)
Thank you to the committee for inviting me to judge their open show held at Jedburgh, the home of the border terrier. It was a great privilege, and I had some amazing dogs present who are a credit to their owners, thank you for bringing them.
Thank you to my stewards for organising the rings so smoothly and keeping me on track so we finished at a reasonable time. The hospitality was second to none and I would like to thank the whole committee for this.
Reserve Best Bitch
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Post Graduate - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
This bitch really took my eye when entering the ring and she didn’t disappoint. She is such a lovely size and very easy to span. Her blue and tan coat has depth and texture. Varminty expression, strength of jaw, large teeth and small ears give to a typical head. She is very balanced with nothing overdone, straight font, neat feet and lovely rib and loin. Moved effortlessly around the ring, pleased to award her reserve best bitch.
Crufts
10th Mar 2024
Judge: Mrs Lesley Gosling (Akinside)
A tremendous entry of 275 Borders ( 25 absentees on the day)to enjoy handling, judging and placing. I must extend my appreciation to my two valiant stewards for their patience and skill in keeping classes moving. Thank you all.
I do believe our breed is changing, but in subtle ways. The lack of opportunities for true terrier work below ground for some Borders has been replaced by agility and other energetic pursuits, but lack of hard muscle tone has produced a ‘softer’ body on some exhibits. Some feet are slacker, pads are more spread and thinner and some fronts are wide. Movement is not always positive and a ‘driving’ action is lacking. Size is fluctuating too. We have a ‘working’ breed - let’s ensure that features defining the breed are not lost, i.e. ‘spannability’; a hard, harsh top coat and soft protective undercoat (not enough of those today); a dark, expressive eye, a broad skull and strong quarters – ‘the engine is at the back!’. Heads generally were good, but some bitch heads veered towards coarseness.
One thing not lost is the Border’s kind temperament – curious, interested and ready for anything.
RBCC
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Post Graduate - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Blue and tan bitch in 100% top condition. Tight feet on thick pads; Beautiful feminine breed head. Good dentition; easily spanned and in great harsh jacket. Tail of good length and thickness, well set on. Moved out with drive and parallel. Pleased to award her 1st place and RBCC.
The Border Terrier Club Championship Show
30th Mar 2024
Judge: Mrs Lynda Ward (Roundtown)
It was an honour to be invited to judge this, our parent club’s show. My thanks to the committee who ran such a lovely event with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. My judge’s gift is much appreciated and will be a treasured momento of the day.
My superstar stewards, Janice Johnson and Liz Barrett, worked hard and unobtrusively whilst keeping the classes moving smoothly over a long day – well done ladies.
Many thanks of course to the exhibitors who made the journey on a major bank holiday weekend giving a large and quality entry of 190 dogs making 229 entries plus 10 NFC.
I had some lovely sound and typical Borders to go over and, had I had them, I would have had no qualms in awarding 4 dog tickets and 5 bitch tickets.
Unfortunately there are always downsides in a big entry and today size was an issue with some overly large exhibits who were not spannable and very heavily built.
There were a number of youngsters which were obviously unused to having their mouths examined and more practice in a calm atmosphere would help to make them comfortable and avoid stress for them and their handlers.
Ears need watching as some were quite large and spoiled the head.
Sadly, as in the past I must complain about long tails. Tails are an integral aspect of the overall picture of a typical Border outline and long is simply wrong. Our breed standard is spartan compared to many others but for tails the description is clear and begins with, “Moderately short; fairly thick at base, then tapering.” Hopefully the issue will be addressed before the untypical becomes the norm.
On a positive note …
Feet were overall small and thickly padded although some would benefit from trimming and shorter nails.
There was a good number of lovely otter-like heads of correct proportions with well placed dark eyes and a keen expression.
As is usual these days coat presentation was generally good and today there were plenty of dense coats of correct texture and thick skins.
Do I think the quality shown in this entry bodes well for the breed? Yes.
Post Graduate - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Handy sized b/t. Has a good head with strong jaw. Neat front and easily spanned. Fit and in good double coat with plentiful ticking to head the class.
National Terrier Club
6th Apr 2024
Judge: Miss Elspeth Jackson (Clipstone)
Thanks to the National Terrier Club for their invitation to judge at this prestigious show and to the exhibitors who did me the honour of judging their dogs. I was lucky to have two efficient stewards who kept things running smoothly, thank you Laura and Dave.
The entry showed a good depth of quality. In many classes the places were hotly contested with decisions needing to be made on the narrowest of margins. I was very pleased to find that there were some good coats on thick pelts and the nice thick short tails which set off a good border so well.
Post Graduate - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Loved this blue girl’s type and size. Neck of moderate length, well laid shoulders, well let back ribs to strong loin and good hindquarters give her a pleasing balanced outline. A lovely double coat, on a thick pelt, completed the picture.
The Midland Border Terrier Club Championship Show
12th May 2024
Judge: Mrs Laura Illingworth (Thorneyhurst)
Firstly thanks to the Midland Border Terrier Club for inviting me to judge their show, and to all the exhibitors for the massive entry which would of been hard to get through without the help of my two stewards Sharon Pickering and Margaret Bailey who did there best to make sure no exhibitors missed there classes
The quality of the exhibits was exceptional, Most dogs were in fit hard condition and presented well, the old saying many good dogs went without a card was only too true, We were blessed with good weather and a nice sized ring.
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
National Dog Show
12th May 2024
Judge: Mr Patrick Glover (USA)
I wanted to thank the committee for the honour of judging your show. I sincerely apologize for the delay of the critique due to ill health. Coming from another country it was especially grateful to have such excellent Stewards to help guide me. And I thank all the exhibitors that came to exhibit under me. It was a pleasure to see so many quality Borders, and have them in hand. I was very satisfied with my final lineup. I enjoyed the depth of type that you have in the UK. Part of that may be seeing Borders with a proper coat. Unfortunately, Borders in the USA are not shown in such coat anymore which I do not understand. I only saw two bad bites, and I see you are battling some of the same issues we are in the US, one being straight fronts. A good Border must have some prosternum to be constructed in a proper way where the legs are under the dog rather than in front of it. The second being is the loss of rib. Your standard states “ribs carried well back” Our standard states the same thing, only adding the word deep “deep ribs carried well back. Both proper fronts and rib are essential to a working terrier, and attention must be paid to both. Overall, I enjoyed going over so many good Borders and again I thank you for the opportunity
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Scottish Kennel Club (May)
16th May 2024
Judge: Miss Rebecca Barber (Alcumlow)
Thank you to SKC for inviting me to judge at their show, I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I was very pleased with my entry, thank you to all the exhibitors who value my opinion enough to enter their dogs under me. There were some very strong classes and some very pleasing youngsters. I was very pleased with my principle winners and I was delighted to see my BOB get shortlisted in a strong group and my BPIB get TPG3 in the puppy group. It was also an honour to make up two new well deserving champions, making it three new champions in one day over the two shows, which I believe is a new breed record.
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Scottish Kennel Club (Ocober)
16th May 2024
Judge: Mr. Stewart Golding (Beaconpike)
Sorry for delay in critiques, work commitments had to take priority. Thank you to the committee for inviting me to judge the October show which was brought forward in conjunction with the May show. Thank you to my two stewards for keeping the ring running smoothly, which wasn’t easy with two shows running side by side. Thank you to the Exhibitors for a lovely entry and accepting my decisions in a sportsmanlike manner. I had some difficult decisions especially in the bitch classes where I just didn’t have enough cards to hand out. Coats from last time I judged had improved and it was a pleasure to see so many in correct double coat of depth. On the whole movement was good. I did find a couple of incorrect bites and one kinked tail
Post Graduate - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Blue and tan with a lovely head and expression, correct bite, good shoulders and narrow front, strong loin, nice tight feet with thick pads, she’s nicely balanced and easily spanned, short tight coat with plenty of ticking, moved out well.
Bath Canine Society
26th May 2024
Judge: Mr Ian Higham (Comberdown)
I would like to thank Mr. Lee Cox and the officers and committee of Bath Canine Society for making my wife and I feel so welcome at their show. Also my two amazingly competent stewards Mark and Joyce who were just brilliant at their job.
I found nothing obviously untoward or concerning, apart from, surprisingly, a few too heavy ones, which cost placings. We need to remember functionality.
In general, overall, this was an entry of terrific in-depth quality. What an absolute privilege it was to go over them. Thank you all so much!
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Open Show
2nd Jun 2024
Judge: Dr Margaret Armstrong (Ploughdown)
Thank you to the officers and committee of the Scottish Border Terrier Club for inviting me to judge their June 2024 Breed Club Open Show. The day was marked by very good weather conditions: a mixture of sunny spells, brisk breezes and cloud. Just right for the dogs. The dreaded rain kept at bay so the Gods smiled down on us. What a super venue to hold a show. There was a large indoor hall if needed. However, given the clement conditions, we were outside for judging on a large paved area surrounded by raised grass banks that afforded for spectators a good view of events. The welcome from officers and exhibitors alike was warm and hospitable and I’d like to thank exhibitors for the super entry I had and for their good grace in accepting their placings. There was a great sense of collegiality among members and good humour was in plentiful supply. The catering was second to none; the poached salmon salad at lunch was super. And I was sent on my way with enough food to see me back over the sea to Northern Ireland. Finally I’d like to thank my two stewards on the day: Kath Lothian and Pete Appleby. They were welcoming and fulfilled their duties with quiet good humour.
Limit - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Blue and tan bitch, showing some blue in her coat. Rangier type than 1. Some length and depth to her rib and ok for bone. Standing on good strong, tight feet. Good bend of stifle and shoulders laid back. Level topline with good tail set. Moved well around the ring.
Three Counties Agricultural Society
8th Jun 2024
Judge: Mr Eddie Houston (Earthwise)
My thanks to the Society for inviting me, to my very capable stewards, Bill and Tricia for their efficiency and helpfulness and especially to the exhibitors who afforded me the honour of going over their dogs.
The weather was kind and the ring of sufficient size to allow dogs to get into their stride.
Overall I felt that there was more quality in the bitches but was more than pleased with my main winners in both sexes. Size and front movement continue to be problems and coats were at all stages of growth-this did affect some placings. I only found one undershot bite and all males were entire. Several dogs were carrying rather too much condition but more worrying were the few who were almost painfully thin which also meant that these dogs couldn’t possibly possess the muscle needed for work. A number of dogs would benefit from more exercise to improve their muscletone.
Limit - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
The Southern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
9th Jun 2024
Judge: Mrs. Margaret Bailey (Grindelvald)
I would like to thank the officers and committee for asking me to judge their show, it was an honour. Also for making David and myself so welcomed and the enjoyable lunch. The quality of the Borders were pleasing to go over. Big thank you to my stewards Julie and Robert, keep the classes running smoothly all day. Finally thank you to all the exhibitors who braved the cold weather, it did stay dry and allowing me to go over their dogs. All the males were entire, as usual the coats were at various stages which cost some dogs higher placing. Some wide fronts let them down, large ears were a problem in some exhibits. I was delighted with all my winners such quality.
Limit - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Nice handy size, narrow throughout could get anywhere, pleasing head, nice length of rib, neat tail, excellent front and rear angulation, pin wire coat.
Blackpool & District Canine Society
23rd Jun 2024
Judge: Mrs Beverley Barber (Alcumlow)
Thank you to all of you who entered your dogs for me to judge. I really enjoyed my day and having the privilege of judging your dogs. The weather was kind and our ring was good. I had excellent stewards and I thank them for their hard work.
Limit - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
The Northern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
13th Jul 2024
Judge: Mr. Mark Ord (Marnadee)
Having attended & a long association with this breed club I was very honoured when I received the invitation to judge this show. It is pleasing that the club has such a wealth of supporters who do such sterling work and put on shows that make you want to return to. Walking into this venue today brought back many memories of the past and I am sure the pioneers of the club would be thrilled to see how it has prospered from humble beginnings. The Border Terrier continues to hold its own compared to many of today’s terrier breeds both as a companion and show dog. Breed standards were compiled by looking at the dogs of the time and their working capabilities fitting this purpose, this should still be adhered to now despite hunting no longer being allowed. This being said dogs should be presented for the show ring to the best of an owner’s capabilities, in hard muscular condition and coat presented clean and fit for the purpose of working in rough terrain.
I today found mouths to be good in the majority and I like to see large dentition along with a correct scissor bite. Several had eyes that needed attention in the way of cleaning before coming into the show ring. We still are seeing the incorrect flipping front action due to short upper arms and if not addressed this will become the norm. After my last appointment, I was pleased to only see a small minority where scissoring had been used on the coats which should not be the case. I did find today several coats that I would class as broken rather than the desirable tight harsh top weatherproof coat with undercoat for warmth. On a positive note, the bitches were easy to span and only a minority of males could not be. Pelts were pretty good being both thick & loose.
Limit - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
very appealing in profile & did not disappoint on handling her, very nicely proportioned all through with highly desirable head, lovely otter head & strong jaw with strong dentition, well set shoulders, correct in rib & firm in her loin, stands firm in rear with sound hocks, compact feet, double bl/t coat quite close & she is in the hardest of condition. Strong consideration today for top honours but in the challenge began to look sluggish on stack & owner had her front too far forward. One I am sure will go to the top
Leeds Championship Show
28th Jul 2024
Judge: Mrs Linda Coleman (Hartswelin)
I enjoyed my judging and appreciated the good sportsmanship around the ring with applause for all class placings, this is so often lacking these days. In the males there were a lot shown in single coat so these were not in contention on the day, also quite a few were difficult to span. I did not find these problems in the bitches However as many judges before me have commented, good front movement is the exception rather than the norm and these Borders would easily tire following a horse all day.
BCC
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Limit - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Handy sized blue, all of a piece viewed in profile, lovely angles front and rear so moved true covering the ground. Loved her varminty expression. Her pelt was good and her coat so tight I had a job to check the rest of her coat colour coming through. Presented a balanced overall picture and I was pleased to award her her first CC
The Midland Border Terrier Club 40th Anniversary Championship Show
4th Aug 2024
Judge: Mrs Jill Stevens (Cobstoneway)
I would like to thank the officers and committee of the club for inviting me to judge this 40th Anniversary show, and for the hospitality on the day. Thank you also to the hardworking stewards, it was a long and very busy day. Most of all, thank you to the exhibitors for giving me such a fabulous entry. I appreciated each and every exhibit, and had the privilege of going over so many quality dogs that difficult decisions had to be made and many lovely dogs went cardless. Foremost, I see the Border Terrier as ‘essentially a working terrier’ and was therefore looking for construction that would render this possible. A few exhibits were too big, too wide or too deep in brisket which might prevent them from going to ground, or even cause them to get stuck. A few had very thin skin – skin must be thick. Most bites were good, just a few with teeth out of line or missing. Coats come and go, so were understandably at different stages. However, on a working terrier a good hard coat does complete the picture. Good movement and a strong, even, economical gait comes from soundness of construction and the muscle tone of a well exercised dog. Therefore I looked for good layback of shoulder and the correct length and angle of upper arm to give a good reach in front, a strong loin, good bend of stifle and well angulated, well muscled hindquarters to give matching drive from the rear.
RBCC
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Limit - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
This lovely sized blue and tan bitch really caught my eye with her lovely flowing body lines and sound construction. She had a beautiful head, strong but feminine and very ottery, with very little stop. Her neck was of moderate length flowing into well placed shoulders, and her ribs carried well back. She was straight and narrow in front and moved so well coming towards me, whilst good angulation front and rear gave her lovely movement in profile. Her coat was absolutely wonderful, so thick and impenetrable, one of the best I have seen. Pleased to award her RBCC.
Cartmel Agricultural Society Open Show
7th Aug 2024
Judge: Pam Cox (Cushatlaw)
Open /
Second Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
2 and a half year old well proportioned blue grizzle bitch. Moderately broad head with good dark eye and keen expression. Short strong muzzle good pigmentation. Moderate neck into well laid shoulders and good return of upper arm. Well padded feet. Ribs carried well back, strong loin. Carrying the harshest of coats with good undercoat. Moved out well but wasn’t playing ball with her handler today
Welsh Kennel Club Championship Show
16th Aug 2024
Judge: Mr Stuart Plane
Limit - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
Another B/T who pressed the winner. I liked her balance and overall picture, she has a first class head giving a good expression, true front spans easily, lovely rib and enough substance, on the move she kept her topline
Joint Border Terrier Club's Championship Show
31st Aug 2024
Judge: Mr Graham Pickering (Picer)
Thank you to The Scottish Border Terrier Club for asking me to judge the Joint Show. It’s been a long time coming as I was invited to judge in 2019 and COVID 19 got in the way! I would like to thank the exhibitors who managed to attend the show after the problems caused by Storm Lilian at Driffield. I also appreciate that the absentees were higher as a result of many people having prior appointments on the day that the show was rearranged. The City of Birmingham Society where very accommodating, we had a lovely ring with plenty of space.
However, I had a super entry, and I had lots to choose from in the dogs that were able to show under me. Thank you to everyone – I really appreciate being asked to give an opinion on other people’s dogs, it’s a real honour. I would also give a special note of thanks to my steward Bill Shorthose who single handedly managed the ring and made sure everyone was in the right place at the right time. Particularly with the challenges of a partnership show and the clashes that this can cause across two rings. Thank you to all the exhibitors who managed to negotiate two shows with good heart.
When judging, I look for dogs with good heads, plenty of strength under the eye, very little stop and a good strong jaw – essentially a’ Head like that of an Otter’. I also like to see straight fronts, correct shoulder placements and tidy small feet. I found these characteristics in all of my top winners. Generally, mouths were good, although there were a couple of dogs with a tooth out of place. Movement was ok in generally, but as breed we do need to keep an eye on front movement as there were some dogs who did not move as well as they should walking towards me. All the males were entire. I was very pleased with all my placings and when choosing my top winners, I had some difficult decisions to make and so were some dogs that were very unlucky on the day.
RBCC
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Limit - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
A smart looking blue and tan girl that caught my eye from the ring side and having gone over her, she didn’t disappoint. She is appealing to look at and is without any exaggeration. She has a excellent otter head of correct proportions, well filled under the eye and a strong jaw, good scissor bite and clean white teeth. She has a lovely reach of neck which flows into smooth shoulders, a straight front, nice tidy feet with thick pad and is correct for bone. She is pleasing in profile and is balanced throughout. She has good muscle, correct bend of stifle and good rear angulation which allows her to cover the ground with ease. I considered her for top honours but was unsettled in the bitch challenge. Pleased to award her RBCC.
Class Critique
Lovely class of border terriers, with plenty of quality for me to judge. Again, as in other classes I had some hard decisions to make
The Yorkshire, Lancashire & Cheshire Border Terrier Club Championship Show
28th Sep 2024
Judge: Mrs Anne Heathcote (Saxheath)
I would like to thank the YLCBTC for giving me the honour of judging their Championship Show . My thanks also to my very efficient stewards Tracy and Marvin who kept both the ring and myself in order . It also goes without saying that I very much appreciated the exhibitors who trusted me to go over their dogs , Thank you .
BCC
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Best In Show
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Limit - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
A balanced b/t girl I have watched with interest . She had a super head and expression with excellent dentition. A good reach of neck led to well laid back shoulders , her straight front , good bone , level topline , well set carrot tail and good rear angulation with well let down hocks presented a complete picture . Her movement was true coming and going and she had good reach and drive in profile . I was delighted to award her the BCC and BIS
The Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
12th Oct 2024
Judge: Mrs. V. Mann (Valger)
I would like to thank The Committee for their invitation to judge their Open Show. I thoroughly enjoyed my day. Thank you to my very efficient Stewards Mark & Julie for keeping everything on track & The Club for their hospitality & splendid gift.
Limit - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
This 2yr old blue & tan bitch presents a lovely balanced picture on the stack. Her head has strength of muzzle, well shaped eye of good dark colour with an alert expression & shows little to no stop. Her neck is of good length & fits neatly into well laid shoulders. She has a good return of upper arm. Straight front & not too deep her ribs reach well back to a short firm loin. Good strength to second thigh & short rear pasterns. Her coat has a harsh texture with undercoat. Easily spanned with a thick loose pelt. Sound up & down with good reach & drive in profile.
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Championship Show
9th Nov 2024
Judge: Mr A Horner (Stineval)
I would like to thank SCBTC and committee for the privilege of judging this years Championship show and thank my very capable steward Euan Castell for keeping the ring flowing and the exhibitors for their lovely entry. There were some really nice dogs for me to go over. But I must say that looking at them in general heads are starting to stray away from that of the border terrier, the other thing that I think needs addressing is the general cleanliness of their exhibits. I found three suspect mouths and two kinked tails . thank you one and all for an enjoyable day,
RBCC
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Limit - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Haystoun Cosmic Dancer At Paleside
Placing Critique
B/tan lovely head and expression, correct bite, good shoulders and narrow front, strong loin, nice tight feet with thick pads, she’s nicely balanced and easily spanned,shame her coat was not at its best today, moved out well. RCC