Show Placings
Midland Counties Championship Show
26th Oct 2023
Judge: Mr J Gilpin (Otterbobs)
I would like to thank the officers & committee for giving me the opportunity to judge the Border Terrier classes, & also a big thank you to Penny Winger & Gavin Argill my two ring stewards who kept things in order & also made sure we finished on time, and a special mention to my Best of Breed winner for attending the terrier group, and being rewarded with being short listed in the final seven.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
A well proportioned grizzle youngster, with a clean cut outline, good typical head, nice length of neck down into lovely shoulders & on into a level top line & tail set which he held well on the move.
Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
see above.
Selby Canine Society Open Show
28th Oct 2023
Judge: Jill Young (Chadbrook)
Best Puppy
Name at show: TPG1, Raedwulf Moonlight
Puppy /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Junior /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Houghton le Spring CS Open Show
29th Oct 2023
Judge: Lesley McNally (Conekesheved)
Open /
Second Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Championship Show
11th Nov 2023
Judge: Mr Mark Lowry (Ravenside)
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for a lovely entry and also to the Scottish BTC for this opportunity. Special thanks go to my two stewards for the day who kept everything running smoothly and for their good company. Although the lighting in the hall isn’t the best, it was adequate and the large square ring was perfect for watching movement, something I feel is very important in a border terrier. On that note I found my main winners to excel in this department. I was pleased to judge some strong puppy classes and also some strong adult classes
Best Opposite Sex Puppy
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Reserve Best Puppy
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Best Puppy - Dog
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Minor Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
Smart grizzle & tan pup with excellent head and keen dark eye. Narrow front with tight feet He moved well around the ring holding a level top line and good tail set. He is a handy size, easily spanned. Lots of promise BPD
Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Novice - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
The Sporting Terrier Association of Yorkshire Open Show
12th Nov 2023
Judge: Sarah Pateman (Lessien)
Best Puppy
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Puppy /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Junior /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Manchester & District Sporting Terrier Club Open Show
19th Nov 2023
Judge: Sonia Connell
Puppy /
Third Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Junior /
Third Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Ladies Kennel Association
8th Dec 2023
Judge: Mr Ken Bartlett (Dwilencia)
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
Good ear set, dark eyes giving keen expression, thick pelt, spannable, standing on good legs and feet.
Manchester Championship Show
20th Jan 2024
Judge: Mr Richard Allen (Penparc)
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Puppy - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Yorkshire, Lancashire & Cheshire Border Terrier Club Open Show
27th Jan 2024
Judge: Mr R Wright (Borderexpress)
Thank you to the committee of the YLC Border Terrier Club for this appointment, a very hard working team that pulled a lovely show together at a great venue and also my two very capable stewards Bridget Singh and Margaret Davies. To the exhibitors that also supported me on my wonderful entry for the day and generated a great atmosphere around the ring.
The lunch time interval also kept me busy with 6 lovely puppies taking part in the puppy walk, a great idea successfully carried out by the club and an opportunity to get the youngsters out and into a show environment – some promising youngsters to go over made the interval very pleasing.
I was really pleased with my final line ups on the day although I felt that the bitch classes were stronger than the dog classes, jackets with Crufts up and coming in a few weeks were varying so again thank you for putting exhibits forward that we all knew could do with some more jacket to just complete the picture.
Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
9 month old grizzle and tan dog with the best of heads, nice length of neck into clean shoulders and lovely rib – super top line and tail set. Lovely and narrow throughout and covers the ground with ease, just a little short on jacket today which just cost him in the challenge for best puppy dog.
Junior - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
See 1st in puppy dog
Novice - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
See 1st in puppy dog
Cumberland CA Open Show
4th Feb 2024
Judge: Mr Keith Derry (Vistca)
Puppy /
Second Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Junior /
Reserve
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
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.
Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
Another 10-month-old puppy developing well. Sporting a good coat of texture and depth. Conditionally sound and balanced who moved well around the ring. I just preferred the size of the winner today but can see these two switch places on numerous occasions as they progress through the classes.
Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
Repeat – 2nd in Puppy Dog
Novice - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
Repeat – 2nd in Puppy Dog.
Northern Counties Sporting Terrier Golden Jubilee Open Show
17th Mar 2024
Judge: Mrs Margaret Davies (Glenorchy)
Many Thanks to the Society for inviting me to judge at their Golden Jubilee Open Show. Thank you to my two stewards who kept things running smoothly and also my grateful thanks to all the exhibitors who came under me and gave me a lovely entry.
Most of the exhibits were presented in a good clean condition, but a few could have done with a little finer tuning on their presentation. Just one level bite.
I find the true otter head is disappearing and movement left a lot to be desired, fronts were knitting and rears were moving close behind. Apart from that, I had an enjoyable day, thank you all.
Best Puppy - Dog
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Best Puppy
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
lovely pup with good otter head, dark eye with keen expression, neat ears, correct dentition, good front, neat feet, not too deep in his brisket, good lay of shoulders, good tail set, nice level topline which he maintained well on the move, super jacket and pelt. Pleased to award him Best Puppy
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.
Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
11 months old very fit, masculine and workmanlike with super dense jacket on thick pelt.
Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Placing Critique
2nd in Puppy Dog.
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.
Puppy - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Class Critique
A class headed by two very nice puppies
Graduate - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Southern Counties Canine Association
1st Jun 2024
Judge: Dr Ian Gabriel (Gabybryl)
This was my first-time awarding Challenge Certificates in Border Terriers and many thanks to those that entered under a non-breed specialist, and well done for braving what was a bitter wind. If this was a representative entry, then I am heartened by the general health and condition of the breed. Good coats, good pelts and super large dentition were the majority. There are some nice youngsters in the lower classes. Just two points as a non-specialist if I might be permitted, firstly the standard calls for a small ear and I found quite a few otherwise nice exhibits with large houndy ears which did somewhat detract from the overall expression. Secondly several dogs broke quite markedly at the front pastern which spoilt the overall impression on the move, these points need watching.
Yearling - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight
Class Critique
Not an easy class to sort out.
The Royal Cheshire County Premier Open Show
19th Jun 2024
Judge: Mrs Laura Jordan-Smith (Jordith)
Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight JW
Placing Critique
14 month male grizzle and tan. Up on the leg compared to the first, but still a balanced dog. He has a straight front with a nice narrow spannable rib. Good angulation both ends. Shown in good double coat, pelt not quite that of the first. Movement sound both ways.
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.
Junior - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight JW
Placing Critique
impressive youngster quite mature in appearance, scored well for size & balance of profile, in excellent hard condition & correct double coat presented to perfection, has neat feet, easy to span his rib & holds topline firm, shown to perfection he is particularly sound in rear just needs to tighten in his front with maturity.
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.
Yearling - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight JW
Placing Critique
Beautifully turned out grizzle and tan of rich colour and thick pelt with good undercoat and harsh protective top coat. He had good angulation front and rear, and moved out steadily and accurately. His head was otter like, with strong jaws and big teeth, and I loved his varminty expression. He was a handy size, narrow throughout and looked as if he could do a day’s work.
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.
Junior - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Raedwulf Moonlight JW
