CW BIH Ch BIH JCH BIH Happy Fiery Lucifer

Thanks to Scottish Border Terrier club for inviting me to judge at their 2025 Ch show , hospitality as ever was excellent . My two Stewards kept things running smoothly , so thanks to Judy & Pam too . I enjoyed my day with some very nice borders and only one or two folk were obviously unhappy , the rest took my decisions sportingly & I thank all for coming . Overall the good dogs & bitches pleased me a lot , but some were simply not workmanlike enough to easily get to ground and back out again . Feet were very flat and thin in quite a few , one kinked tail , 2 rather poor bites & several lacking any muscle …. Active and game , capable of following horse or hounds , with the lithe build to enable earthwork in tight places is what we need …. I found a few good quality males & slightly more top quality females that could do the job if given opportunity , some however were too big in rib & wide in front and weighed well over standard . So some adjustment in future breeding plans may be necessary I felt , to return to a smaller narrower frame .

Thank you to the Crufts committee for inviting me to judge and bringing my appointment forward one year. Many thanks to Pam Cox and Judy Carr for the professional stewarding they provided. I enjoyed a full day’s judging and was very pleased to hear the applause from around the ring when dogs were placed, good sportsmanship. Out of 264 entries, I had one wry mouth, one kinked tail, 6 very underweight dogs none of them placed. Dogs that had no coat were penalised as were very thin pelts. As a dog groomer of 48 years, I know when coats are chalked, not nice to feel. One exhibit while on the table had only one testicle the owner was gobsmacked but felt it and agreed there was only one, I was blamed for having cold hands!!! what after handling dogs in previous classes, ten minutes later the said dog came back for me to check again and yes there were two. I was disgusted to find an exhibit with sores on both cheeks; I was told what happened. And I’m leaving it there. Teeth were very clean, only one tooth lost in an oldie. I thought movement really should have been better than it was today, as I said thin pelts and no coats were penalised. If I repeat myself with the first two placings that’s because they were what I was looking for.