First Place in Limit - Dog, Judge: Mrs Jayne Gillam (Orenberg)
Many thanks to the Southern Border Terrier Club for inviting me to judge at their Championship show, it was an interesting day going over the dogs and I thank the exhibitors for their good sized entry and the sporting way in which they accepted my decisions. Thanks must also go to my excellent stewards, Tina Morgan and Felicity Freer who kept me on track and everything running smoothly throughout the day.
Coats were at varying stages of growth and there was a wide variety of types, and a few with heavy shoulders and short, round oversprung ribs and poor toplines. I was quite surprised to see some faults in the entry which I wasn’t expecting, I found a young male with only one testicle descended, three with teeth out of line, one whose mouth didn’t close correctly and two kinked tails.
I judged the entry as I saw the dogs on the day, and as always I was looking for a dog which excels in breed type, fits the standard and appears capable of doing a day’s work. I value all the essentials required in a working dog and also those who have that extra something as a show dog. I was pleased with my winners and look forward to watching show careers with interest.
A difficult class for me to judge as it had the biggest variety of different types, shapes and sizes, all had good points and something to offer but in the end I just had to prioritise which I valued most in a working terrier.
G&T, his handy size, good shoulder and rib won him this class, very easy to span and very well presented in excellent coat and pelt, not overdone in any way. Perhaps lacked a bit of fill under the eye but he did have a strong jaw and I liked his keen expression. Looked good in profile with good topline and tailset.