31 Breed Notes – Leeds 2018

The glorious weather we’ve been having had to end sometime and it was Leeds Ch show who drew the short straw, as the heavens opened just in time for the weekend. Friday was Utility day which dawned warm and sunny, but by 8.00am the sky had darkened and the temperature plummeted. We had about an hour of intermittent thunder before the rain came down; but it all blew over almost as quickly as it started and by the time Keesies got into the ring at around 11.15am we were back to blue skies and sunshine, which lasted for the rest of the day.

The start of judging was delayed as someone had ‘borrowed’ the grooming tables provided by the society from two of the rings in our marque, which were there for the ‘table dogs’ being judged. Secretary Liz Stanard was justifiably cross about this and I’m fairly certain that they weren’t ‘returned as requested’.

At the far end of our marque, there were two small grooming areas separated by benches; Shih Tzu’s were next to one area and all three sizes of Poodles next to the other. The gangways between the benches were very narrow and Keesies were benched right in the middle of the Poodles. With all the grooming tables and paraphernalia everywhere, to say it was compact and bijou was a vast understatement; walking in and out with dogs was not easy and wheeling a trolley was a nightmare!!

Our judge was well known ‘all-rounder’ Ernie Paterson (who last judged us at SKC in 2106) and he had 50+ Standard Poodles to judge before Keesies. He had drawn an entry of 36 dogs with just 6 absentees and went over his entry efficiently and purposefully.

It was another DCC with BOB for Melanie Harris’ Ch Neradmik All About The Boy for Watchkees JW ShCM (Ch Am Ch Kemonts Skylines Game Boy (imp USA) x Ch Lady Godiva’s Guilty Pleasures with Neradmik (imp Fin)). Attending only his second championship show and winning a first RCC was the Hope’s Byquy Bet Your Boots (Ch Wund-R Y Workin for a Livin at Szaryk (imp USA) x Byquy Willma) also from the open class, handled by David Matthews.

It was a second BCC for Antonia Atkinson’s Winklestar Anthe with Valindale (Ch Winklestar Hadar x Eastkees Made To Order by Winklestar) handled by David Matthews. It was another first RCC for David, Linda and Malcolm Matthews’ Szaryk Aphrodite at Valindale (Am Ch Wund-R Y Hard Habit To Break (imp USA) x Szaryk Queen of the Night) who was handled by Melanie Reed Peck in the challenge and was also Best Puppy.

The breed judging was all done by 12.40pm which gave everyone a chance to get away nice and early to beat the Friday rush hour traffic and enjoy the rest of the sunshine whilst it lasted.

Sue Lindsay and her young Cosmic Dream’s Damn You Look Good for Mezanda (Imp Nor) won a fifth place in the Leeds City Puppy Stakes under Judge Keith Baldwin.

Anji Marfleet