Show Placings
Windsor Championship Dog Show
4th Jul 2009
Judge: Miss Elspeth Jackson (Clipstone)
Many reports start with a thank you and I would like extend one to all the exhibitors who provided me with an entry which really reminded me why I love this breed. I thoroughly enjoyed my day and would have been very happy to have had a handful of top honours to hand out. In a number of classes, especially in bitches, the quality went right down the line and even beyond the cards.
Open - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Brockfox Beretta
Placing Critique
A close decision between these two stylish girls. Active bitch with keen expression, narrow in rib and racy in outline. Good in head with short strong muzzle. In good coat and condition showed with activity.
Paignton & District Fanciers Association
3rd Aug 2009
Judge: Mrs Nancy Hogg (Raeburnfoot)
I would like to thank the exhibitors for a lovely entry. Some quality exhibits to go over in both dogs and bitches and I was pleased with my winners. Temperament was excellent throughout. Such a shame we couldn?t be outdoors.
Open - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Brockfox Beretta
Midland Counties Championship Show
22nd Oct 2009
Judge: Professor A S Milton (Baillieswells)
The first sentence of the Standard reads, General Appearance: Essentially a working terrier. Bearing this in mind, I was most impressed with the quality of the coats. The great majority had really tough outer coats, and nice loose pelts. Though some of the blue & tans were showing white hairs (ticking), which is the hallmark of the blue & tan, there were some black all over which is incorrect. Pads were on the whole good with well shaped feet. Ears should be neither too thin nor too thick, and should hang correctly. Not always the case today. There were several atypical heads, with a few over long noses, and several being overlarge. Only one suspect mouth. Some with narrow muzzles had rather crowded incisors. In the past I have been very critical of movement, for if a Border cannot move properly it is not put together properly. Today there was both good and bad movement. There were problems with front movement, where many exhibits were moving too close. Strange to say there were very few wide in the front. Previously, from the ringside, I had thought there were too many Borders with overlong tails. There were some today, but a lot of this was due to the tail not being groomed properly. Tails should not be scissored, but over long hairs at the end should be judiciously removed. In every class there were always two and generally three exhibits which shone out. In some case it was difficult to pick out the remaining places. ( I was slightly perturbed when picking up my documents from the secretary’s office, that though I had a “Judging Book”, I was not in fact a judge but an “Adjudicator”, or so my badge said. Have we taken leave of our senses?
Open - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Brockfox Beretta
Ladies Kennel Association
12th Dec 2009
Judge: Mrs Jayne Alpe
Thank you to the LKA committee for this appointment, my first time giving CC’s, my thanks to my stewards who kept the judging flowing smoothly. I thoroughly enjoyed my appointment and overall was pleased with the quality of my entry. My final line ups were all good examples of the breed, both in type, conformation and also in movement, which is what I was looking for. In some classes I was delighted at the quality forward, in particular limit and open bitch, which meant some very good bitch’s were unplaced. Overall I found movement better than I have seen it in the past, although there is still a lack of drive from a number of dogs. Not sure that they could do a full days work as they were meant to, without tiring. Front movement still needs looking to as well. I was disappointed to find one or two with misplaced teeth and some with untypical expressions and light eyes. My principal winners were exactly what I was looking for in the breed, as I do feel that what we are lacking in the breed at the moment is real stallions of dogs and femininity in the bitch’s. I was delighted to learn after judging that my best puppies were litter brother and sister.
Open - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Brockfox Beretta
East Anglia BTC Championship Show
18th Apr 2010
Judge: Mrs Trak Fryer (Irton)
I would like to thank the exhibitors for a lovely quality entry, the Club and committee for the appointment and my stewards Simon and Bev Jackson for their efficient help throughout the day. I was generally pleased with the overall quality, heads were good, pelts generally good and movement OK with many very typical exhibits on show. I was disappointed to find a number of poor mouths in the dog entry and to find a few exhibits presented down to the minute but totally lacking muscle, something that I find unacceptable in a dog with the Borders outlook on life.
Open - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Brockfox Beretta
Placing Critique
Exceptionally good bitch, showing very well. I love her head and expression, beautifully made throughout with good bone and lovely rib. She is a very good mover. I have awarded her high honours before but sadly today she was very short of coat and had to pay the penalty in this strong challenge.
Joint Border Terrier Clubs' Championship Show
1st May 2010
Judge: Mr Arthur Cuthbertson (Ashbrae)
My thanks to the Committee for my appointment, and a well run show. The stewards Doreen Rushby and Dave Mitchell, and the exhibitors for the entry.
I was looking for a Border that could fulfil the standard, essentially a working terrier. Judging is about achieving that balance of the desired essentials of the standard, breed type, construction, movement, condition, and the true otter like head. I was disappointed to find so many lacking strength of muzzle, and some with narrow set eyes, with a lot, light in eye colour giving an untypical expression. Some with very small teeth and others very big on the rib, also some very long tails!
That said there were some lovely borders present, and I was pleased with the final line ups, all fulfilling my interpretation of the breed standard.
Best In Show
Name at show: Brockfox Beretta
BCC
Name at show: Brockfox Beretta
Open - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Brockfox Beretta
Placing Critique
Lovely keen expression with dark eye, neat ear. Nice neck and straight front. Good lay of shoulder and length of rib. Comes to hand balanced and spans well. Good coated with thick pelt, in good condition. Moved out with drive. CC & BIS.
Class Critique
A hard decision between the first three as all are excellent bitches and worthy CC winners.
Bath Campionship Show
28th May 2010
Judge: Mrs Melanie Lewis
Thank you to the exhibitors for an extremely nice entry and for the sporting manner in which my decisions were accepted. A warm sunny day with a welcome breeze made conditions ideal. A bonus was the neatly mown grass in the ring which was ideal to assess movement. I was fortunate to have two extremely efficient Stewards who ensured the smooth running of the ring, enabling me to finish my task in good time, despite a delay in the start of judging.
On the whole I was pleased with the exhibits presented to me which were clean, although many lacked the correct double jacket that the standard asks for. Front movement is still a concern as indeed was the variation in the size of some of the exhibits. Heads generally were good although some exhibits were rather heavy in ear. Temperament’s were excellent, just one or two not too keen on being handled on the table. Two exhibits had teeth missing and I found a couple with incorrect dentition.
Feet can tell you a lot about a dog and its lifestyle. The standard asks for feet to be small with firm pads. Flat feet not helped by long nails are most undesirable and indeed would be a drawback if the dog was carrying out the task for which he was originally bred. Scissor marks unfortunately were very much in evidence on some exhibits which spoilt their overall appearance.
Open - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Brockfox Beretta
Placing Critique
one of the breed’s newest champions and such a live wire. She has a pleasing head with keen expression and dark eye. Good lay of shoulder and length of rib. She is strong in loin and has well muscled racy hindquarters. She had a correct double jacket covering a thick pelt and was spannable.
Crufts
12th Mar 2011
Judge: Mrs Elaine Cuthbertson (Ashbrae)
It was an honour to be invited to judge this prestige show, and a privilege to be able to handle so many good borders. With an entry of 254 dogs, 306 entries, and with the help of my very efficient stewards this enabled me to finish on time for the BOB to go forward into the group. With the large classes it would have been nice to have had more time and more prize cards.
Many borders were in very fit condition and in gleaming coats, others sadly were not. I was very surprised at the numbers that were overweight, a few under and some in poor coat. There is a difference of being short of coat and being untidy which some were, several having scissor cuts in evidence which is totally unnecessary.
Some nice otter type typical heads were in evidence, some with quite large ears which seems to be creeping into the breed, and close set eyes giving an alien expression. Quite a few were upright and heavy in shoulder, with a shorter back than desired. Most were spanable although many had a rounder rib than required. This reflected in my placing's as the fitness and welfare of the dogs is of the uppermost importance, as the breed standard states, the breed being essentially a working terrier.
I thought my principle winners were excellent representatives of the breed, and I enjoyed seeing my BOB being short listed in the group.
Open - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: CH Brockfox Beretta
