First Place in Veteran - 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 .
Fabulous quality & beautifully shapely , leggy & light framed 12 year old dark grizzle , who defies her years , she has a superb outline even now . Lovely refined otter head with super dark eye & expression , Clean reach of neck into long narrow well placed shoulders , good return of upper arm & medium boned straight legs . Has retained her lovely light framed bodylines ,so rib is easy to span & has a well angulated rear , finished with a good thick rooted carrot tail . Her virtues are many but today she stood out in the whole entry for coat , both texture & density & her super pelt , which is loose , plaint & very thick . Moved with a good stride very actively & thoroughly enjoyed her day , a credit to her owners & breeders & a pleasure to judge her at last ! BVIS .