First Place in Open - Bitch, 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.
G&T, really caught my eye as she entered the ring, looked every inch a Border, lovely head and typical expression, neck of moderate length going into a well laid shoulder, narrow throughout and ribbed well back into strong loin, racy hindquarters with well let down hocks. Moved well and looked good both standing on really good legs and feet and in profile movement, a really good thick wiry coat and pelt completed the picture.