First Place in Open - Dog, Judge: Lesley Armstrong-Rodgers (Atron/Scottsway)
It was a great honour to be invited to judge The Midland Border Terrier Club Open Show and therefore my thanks go to the Committee for the opportunity. I thoroughly enjoyed my day at this friendly well run show. It was advantageous in having such a good sized ring in which to watch the dogs move. Borders need room to get into their stride and show their effortless movement and profile when viewed in side gait.
A special thank you also to Richard and Sharon, my two stewards for keeping things running smoothly. It is always a great help for any judge to be blessed with competent stewards. Finally a big thank you to all the Exhibitors for bringing their dogs under me for my opinion and for accepting my decisions with good grace. As always coats were at differing stages, often reflected in the placings, but coats do come and go, construction does not !. Overall I found temperaments excellent, as well it should be, which bodes well for the breed.
A trio of very nice dogs.
A lovely profile on this young Grizzle and Tan dog who may well be up to size but certainly fills the eye on first appraisal. Owns a lovely otter shaped head with dark correctly shaped eye. Large teeth with a correct scissor bite. Stands on a straight front with neat feet. Ample length of neck leading into well placed shoulders, spannable, with a thick pelt. Well muscled hind quarters and a super level topline finished off with a neat tailset Shown in a good jacket today. His true movement covering the ground effortlessly and with enthusiasm showing he could quite easily follow a horse. Delighted to award him BEST DOG and eventually RESERVE BEST IN SHOW.