First Place in Open - Bitch, 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 type fully mature smaller bitch ( Not a fault as she is nearer standard for weight ) of 4 years , who came today in excellent deep double coat & has a super thick loose pelt . Liked her feminine ottery head that is not too deep in stop & clean flat skull , has kind well placed dark eyes , neat ears & good bite . Good reach of neck into well laid narrow shoulders , straight medium boned forelegs & tight feet , easy span narrow rib that appears deeper due to thickness of coat & big thick pelt but she handles far better , & picks up light & balanced , well ribbed up into strong loin & well made rear with very well let down hocks which she used effectively in profile & going away with firm strides , hocks above her feet with no trace of turning in or out .Correctly set & carried short carrot tail with good thick root . The further she moved the better she went & really engaged her hocks & drove forward covering ground effortlessly & coming on straight & true whilst on a loose lead keeping a good outline . Her lovely border type , handy size & soundness won her BCC ( her 2nd I was told ) & BIS , good luck for her title .