First Place in Post Graduate - Dog, Judge: Mrs Margaret Sneddon
Many thanks to my stewards who had everything running smoothly in a calm and good-humoured manner, it makes judging such a pleasure. I had a good entry of 132 dogs with a lower than usual absentee rate of 14%, which was good for a Friday in the present economic climate and I was very pleased to be able to judge outside, although I understand some of the exhibitors found it rather chilly. Quality was rather varied but some of the classes were closely contested and I was delighted with my top winners. Front construction is still a problem with some and coats were rather varied but that could be due to the unseasonal weather which we have had recently. I was also pleased to see a number of the dogs moving freely, with reach in front and good drive from the hindquarters, Border Terriers could not work as they were intended to do without this asset.
blue and tan with a strong head, dark eyes, good mouth. Good length of neck leading into well laid shoulders, narrow throughout with ribs carried well back, excellent topline and underline. Harsh topcoat but would have benefited from greater depth of coat and perhaps a little more condition would complete the picture. Moved well, especially in profile , all of this exhibitor’s dogs covered the ground with a long, easy stride.