Bramblebrae Alpine Swift

I would like to thank the Officers and Committee for inviting me to judge this show. I had a lovely day and a special thank you to all the exhibitors who braved the dreadful driving conditions. Thank you for the lovely gift which I shall treasure and the very good lunch! A big thank you to Chris Wallace and Jem Thomas who were my very able stewards.

Many thanks to the Southern Border Terrier Club for inviting me to judge their limit show. Also special thanks to my stewards for their smooth efficient help during a most enjoyable day. Also big thanks to all the exhibitors for giving me such a nice entry. On the whole I thought the quality was of a good standard, coats were at various stages which is to be expected. I did notice that a few exhibits were scissored which did spoil them. A couple had tails that were cut straight at the end which did upset the overall picture somewhat. Borders should have a “carrot” tail, but not a chopped carrot! Mouths were good, with a lot of big strong teeth on display, even right through to the veterans. I was very happy with my principle winners and feel confident more success lays ahead for them.

I would first like to thank the Club for the invitation to judge one of the most prestigious shows in the calendar. I have looked forward to the appointment for several years and I must say I was not disappointed with my day. The entry was full of quality, especially in the bitch classes, with the open bitch class being the best class I have ever judged. I have been concerned, over the past few years, on how the breed would develop after the fox hunting ban. If todays entry is typical of the breed as a whole, I can only say it is in safe hands. Movement is still a problem but a much smaller problem than the last time I judged. The number of exhibits with short carrot tails pleased me greatly and the majority of the entry had good double coats, some exceptional and thick pelts. There were a few exhibits with level bites and one with a crowded mouth. One exhibit had a kinked tail. The show was very quiet with little noise from the exhibits, well done everyone, terriers need a bit of spark but should not show aggression to each other and the temperaments here today were to be commended to the dog`s owners. I didn’t have any under fed dogs showing all had a good covering of flesh but there were a number of poor, soft muscled dogs which needed more exercise.` The ability to follow a horse` is there in the breed standard, get the dogs out and get them fit. I thank my stewards for their unobtrusive efficiency and attentiveness which made the day run smoothly.