First Place in Limit - Bitch, Judge: Mr Graham Pickering (Picer)
I would like to thank the committee of Ladies Kennel Association for their kind invitation to the judge the breed at this well organised show and their generous hospitality. It was a real honour and I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I would also like to thank my stewards Tony and Katherine for keeping things running smoothly throughout the day. Thank you also, to all the exhibitors for their entries and the sporting way that they took the decisions that I made.
As for the dogs – as expected, coats varied, all the dogs were entire, in clean condition and well behaved. There were a couple of dogs with teeth not set square in the jaw or with teeth out of line. I was looking for dogs of the correct size, with a typical otter head, a harsh double coat and a thick pelt, plenty of muscle, the correct amount of bone, and shown in hard condition. I also expect to see dogs that move true and with ease around the ring and look physically capable of doing a days’ work, whether they get the opportunity or not. All my winners had these attributes and as often happens many deserving exhibits went without cards on the day.
This was a lovely class of quality border bitches and unfortunately there were some that went without cards today that deserved recognition.
This lovely bitch caught my eye as she walked around the ring and didn’t disappoint when I went over her. She is a balanced Border of correct proportions with a lot to like about her. She is not overdone in anyway and is lovely in profile. She has a good strong feminine head, typical of the breed, with a lovely keen expression. She has a lovely reach of neck, well laid and smooth shoulders. She has just the correct amount of bone, easily spanned with ribs carried well back. Her rear angulation is good and she moved out with drive, maintaining a level top line with a lovely tail set. Her coat is just coming into its best and if anything could do with another couple of weeks’ growth, however this did not detract from the picture – pleased to award her BCC.