First Place in Limit - Dog, Judge: Mrs Janet Lee (Tythrop)
My thanks to the Officers & Committee for inviting me to judge their show , & for the excellent ring stewards Mr Brewster & Mrs Armstrong who made the day run smoothly & kept me going with refreshments ! I enjoyed being with fellow BT fanciers & their dogs , as I always do .
I had a very good entry come forward & after such a long time away from the ring , a few were ring rusty & some youngsters were a little overawed , which I considered quite acceptable given so many had missed out on their early education & socialisation & tried to give them opportunity to shine , though a few very nice dogs could have been higher placed but the occasion was too much for them .
I found very good examples , but also had some whose construction fell a little short of the standard …….deep unspannable bodies or brisket below elbow standing or on the move on much shorter than their depth legs , forward placed & too little angulation in their fronts due to upright shoulders & short steep upper arms which shorten their strides or make them goosestep , & flat croups with extra high set tails carried like hound sterns ,or conversely short steep croups with low tailsets , often thin & long tails too & some poor downhill or lumpy/hinged toplines became apparent in profile movement , however the most common thing that struck me was how many have too little bone in pasterns & east-west feet when our standard calls for straight legs & good tight feet . As I lift every dog to see how their fronts ‘’drop’’ into place I found lack of bone through pasterns into feet was a common fault today & so some had feet not facing forward naturally . Most came in good condition , but a few were too thin & their pelvic bones were sticking up & they felt shelly with no depth of loin so their rears lacked muscle accordingly , conversely a handful had indulged during lockdown a little too much ! Coats were as ever , mixed , but the top winners all came in very good order with double coats .
Lovely fully mature grizzle of 3 years , Super head eye & expression , with strong muzzle , good jaw & big teeth , & a super big nose leather ( getting rare now ) Good neck into clean well placed shoulders & narrow front with straight medium boned legs into tight feet . very nice body shape , having well carried back good shape ribs & strong loin , with good underline , spans well . Has medium angulation racy & well muscled hindquarters , with nice carroty tail which is set well . Came in tight harsh double coat & moved with total balance around the ring with equal reach & drive & good travel keeping his outline , moved straight & firmly out & back . Not a flashy dog , but true border type ,being workmanlike & totally sound , he pulled out all the stops today& showed himself off very well . Well deserved DCC , & RBIS , good luck for the future .