First Place in Junior - Bitch, Judge: Mrs Sue Baxter (Mysulan)
Firstly I’d like to thank The Border Terrier Club Committee for their very kind invitation to judge this Open show, I felt honoured and privileged . I thoroughly enjoyed my day and the hospitality on offer , the lunch certainly hit the spot..thank you Nancy Hogg. My two stewards, Jane Morton-Shaw and Marina Fleming kept things running smoothly and I am grateful for their support .
To the exhibitors , my thanks go unbounded as I had a lovely selection of good quality dogs to go over and there were certainly some tough decisions in many of the classes. It is an education to finally go over some of the dogs I have admired from the ring side. I am grateful that my decisions were taken, mostly in a sporting manner.
My general findings were , all males were intact , I found no kinked tails ( 1 dog had a bump on the underside of its tail , not a kink in my opinion), jackets were, as usual , at various stages of growth. I was impressed by the fact that all animals before me could be spanned , some a little easier than others.
Once again I feel compelled to comment on the state of nails and feet. In my opinion , many dogs had nails that were too long and some needed drastic fur trimming to enhance the shape of the feet.In my opinion it is a shame to groom your dogs for the ring but forget that ,especially whilst on the table, the judge has a perfect view of any, long nails and/or woolly “ Yeti” feet .
One I’ve admired from ringside, nice to get the opportunity to go over her, has terrific breed type and no hint of exaggeration at any point, super head with good jaw depth and a set of teeth to complete the work kit. Eyes dark and expressive,
Legs straight and front narrow . Moderate neck , smooth lines into great shaped shoulders , just the right depth to the brisket and under line. Ribs flat and a good length , strong in loin . Topline and tail set very good . Cracking double coat with lovely texture and a great loose pliable pelt. Tail a lovely short carrot shape coming straight off the back . Rear angles good with a nice turn of stifle … All feet were well shaped and small with thick pads underneath . She moved true in all directions. Best Bitch and B.I.S