First Place in Limit - Dog, 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.
DCC and BOB. My top winner on the day and what a lovely dog to go over. Set down in ‘tip top’ condition he has a strong masculine head with dark eyes, neat ears and varmity expression, with a correct mouth and strong underjaw. Good front and shoulders, he has a nice length of back, correct tailset, racy hindquarters and a topline that he held on the move. Spanned with ease, he has just the right amount of bone and I have to say the best feet here today. A good harsh jacket covered the most pliable of pelts and he was shown on a loose lead to advantage. There is nothing ‘flashy’ about this dog and in my opinion he is a really fit, honest, workmanlike Border that fits the standard so well.