Good dogs and great show

 

I had looked forward to this show all year as it has a great reputation for being something of a garden party show with a holiday atmosphere. However I was not prepared for the splendour of Topolcianky  Castle and its parklands and forest which provide a great venue on the hottest weekend of the year.The rings were laid out amongst the trees so there was plent of shade for dogs and their owners. Judging was brought forward by an hour so to avoid the hottest hours of the afternoon.What a venue for a show…and what a surprise  awaited me with my fellow judges on the first morning of the show when, with my fellow judges , Gabriela Vega from Portugal and Anita Gielisse from Holland I was led  to the equine acadamy next to the Castle and we were seated in a carriage drawn by two Lipizaners and enjoyed a ride through the park and then entered the showground to great applause. Vlasto Vojtek certainly knows how to make an entry!

 

On the first day I started with Ibizan Hounds ,  a breed with unique conformation and hovering gait. A ten month old rough haired  showed great type to win BOB  and a mature smooth bitch XY scored a close decision in the smooths.

Then to the Afghans where there was a good entry of quality. I found a few who were a little short in the leg for my taste. I loved a young black baby puppy                                                                 who already has great style and light lifting action and later that day I awarded him Best baby in show. I loved the junior male XY a black and tan with good leg length and balanced in body and correct lift on the move.He was best junior and did well later in the day.I think he has great promise for the future

BOB was a stylish and mature blue brindle XY with lovely head and eye and good balance He was immaculately presented but carried too much coat for me and this just  detracted from his elegance.He made the final cut for Best in Show on the first day . However the honour class on the day was won by an outstanding veteran black dog XY who won the Honour finals later . 

 Salukis were  varied in type- which is  allowed by the standard- and it was a family affair with a beautifully elegant and lightfooted champion bitch XY took BOB, her brother was BOS and her daugher Best junior.The breeders, based in the Czech Republic had a good weekend!

 

A good entry of 27 Irish Wolfhounds awaited me and gave me great pleasure; such great characters.It is a  challenge for breeders to get size combined with soundness and some of the breed are prone to narrow underjaws with misplaced canine teeth but these were, fortunately, few in this entry. I had beautiful juniors, an ultra sound wheaten male who impressed me a lot and a  wonderful black bitch that is going to be a great one when she is finished.She was BOS today because she was tired in the  challenge  because of this,and I gave the dog best junior over her, but the following day she went  thirfd for best junior in show under me and was back to her best form. However , two of the outstanding dogs of the weekend gave me  a great buzz; the young dog XY tall and substantial and balanced and a great mover with very good carriage was my BOB winner. He still needs a little more schooling to settle when he is being examined but he could not be denied here and whilst I had him in the last cut for best in show he threw his chances away by being a handful for his owner. However he was to go  on to better things the next day. The other eyecatcher was the honours class dog                                                                        a beautiful example of the breed and sire of some of the winners.Great movement and I can quite understand why he has won best in show  at this show in the past.

 

Finally for me on the first day I had the Italian Sighthounds- an exquisite breed with their  fineness and elegance and their high stepping , far reaching action They are not an easy breed to get the right shape- fitting into a square- with fine bone and the movement and the correct low tail carriage.Some of the entry I found a little heavy in bone but I was delighted with the superb feet most of them possessed- amazing.The junior bitch clas was wonderful with two beautiful litter sisters at the top in a very close decision.The winner was the 12 month black bitch                                                shown by her young breeder who burst into tears when she won BOB over her sire ,the  very typy blue champion male XY who is a lovely shape and a good mover but he was a little heavy in body on the day.However I can see that he is the type to be a good sire. I was delighted to see the sportsmanship in the people of the breed XY. Obviously loving the breed and not just there for winning.

 

In the main ring later I gave BIS to the Saluki  with reserve to the Whippet bitch  XY sent forward  by Gabriella Vega and in third place the Pharaoh  bitch  sent forward by Anita.

 

The show was finished by 15:30 and so time to cool off, and time to relax  for dogs and exhibitors (and three very hot judges!)

I had been told that the party night  at this show attended by exhibitors breeders and judges  was a relaxed , informal and happy event.That is an understatement!! First of all I arrived a little late after an afternoon  siesta and Vlasto had organised everybody to cheer when I arrived.  What a great crowd of people, relaxing with friends  some very elegant, some in shorts and tee shirts , and all there to have fun. The food was wonderful, many traditional Slovakian dishes (and drinks!)  a lot of laughter.I felt that this was a real party of friends. A special birthday cake for Martin who was in fine birthday form with his Norwegian chant of „ROW “ which everybody joined in. Then a giant cake for the judges to cut before being served  to the whole room. Vlasto and his family are amazing for their energy and organisation; his wife Iveta and daughter  Petra and her husband Ivan and grandson Maxim were tireless  throughout the weekend. They obviously have a  hard working and dedicrted team behind them to get a show like this on the road! I was  pleased to see so many young people enjoying the show and involved with the work; my writer Susanna and ring secretary, and student judge Lucia were a pleasure. They had great sponsorship with prizes for many of the class winners and enormous  fabulous rosettes  for the main winners. But I felt also that there was a bigger family here; the whole room seemed like an extended family enjoying the night.And these days , there is not enough of this socialising and enjoyment at dog shows, not enough of this shared enjoyment at shows….and that is one of the dangers in the modern dog world which is too often taken too seriously and where winning  is the only thing that matters. So great credit  to the Vojtek family for creating this   great event .With the DJ playing great music even I and the other judges were up on our feet and enjoying it all until the memory that we had  another day ahead made us be sensible  and go to bed.

 

Sunday dawned even hotter and we had another early start  .

Only one Greyhound but it was a good one, an elegand yet deep bodied brindle dog   in beautiful condition and holding his outline on the move XY was a worthy winner.

Then to the biggest entry for the show, as usual, with the Whippets.This is one of my favourite breeds to judge, a mixture of elegance and smooth, flowing lines  balanced by athletic power.They are a beautiful breed and there is very high quality in the show rings round the world. However there are some challenges; size which is sometimes a drawback; the right amount of curve in the right place – humped backs and short couplings spoil the outline and the movement. Overangulation of the rear is now a common trend world wide. And while the standard asks for the whippet to stand over a lot of ground , it does not call for hocks to be in the next country!! These overangulated rears often bring sickle hocks and wobbly rear movement and I found a lot of these on the day. However there were some beauties , especially in the bitch classes.

Best dog was a very typy clean lined brindle dog XY He is not flashy but he is the right shaped for me and went smoothly with clean, daisy cutting strides. In bitches all of the class winners were very pleasing with three good bitches at the top of the junior class. A lovely outlined brindle winning the intermediate class and a really beautiful fawn and white XY winning the open class.She is a series of flowing curves, just right, and she has a long clean stride.She is not yet fully mature  in chest and that just  made the difference in the challenge with the champion bitch winner for best bitch.She has a beautiful coat and skin and looked like a real thoroughbred. The open bitch class was deep in quality .The lovely size and lines of the brindle and white XY with her firm rear drive and  shape held on the  move edged her to the  front of  the class and Best of breed. She made the final cut for best in show under Gabriella Vega later in the day.Two puppy dogs  with great promise XY and XY took best baby in show and best puppy in show under me later in the main ring XY.

 

I am sure Gabriella will be  writing of her winners but I awarded best junior in show on the second day…from a wonderful lineup of  juniors with a few future stars amongst them, to the Saluki  XY with the Italian Grehyhound and the  Wolfhound bitch taking the other rosettes.

Gabriella  awarded the Wolfhound BOB winner the Best in show rosette and when the three judges had to vote for Supreme best in show he was the  winner – what a weekend for him, and when he has a little more schooling he will have a great time – a dog with huge potential.

And so ended a memorable weekend of some top quality dogs, of great sportsmanship and of people enjoying  their dogs and the company of fellow exhibitors. To use an American expression; “ That was a blast man!“

Thanks  to all of you for a very memorable weekend.

 

Frank Kane