38 Breed Notes – Darlington & NoEKC Ch 2025

Another weekend and another double championship show; this time it being the turn of the North of England Keeshond Club who held their Ch show in partnership with Darlington. We were really lucky with the weather, the forecast of sunshine and showers being accurate for once. Despite there being a definite autumnal nip in the air first thing, it was warm in the sunshine and apart from just one (brief) heavy downpour around lunchtime, the light showers quickly blew over.

Keesies were scheduled second in the ring after an entry of 63 Bulldogs for judge Tim Ball; which meant that the NoEKC were able to hold their Ch show first, with a 9.15am start in an adjacent ring. Our judge was Sheila Jakeman (who last judged at Crufts in 2023) and she had drawn an entry of 43 dogs with 11 absentees.

The DCC, Reserve Best in Show and Best Opposite Sex was Gill Brunt’s Ch Divnyi Drug Dar (imp Russ) (Russ Ch Cinerus Artic Prince of Star x Russ Ch Divnyi Drug Gusja Lebed) with the RDCC and Best Veteran in Show going to the Hickson’s Ch Only The Lonley (Bert von Ricara (imp Den) x Kichigai Special Edition)

Winning her crowning third CC with Best in Show was Gill Brunt’s Zandvoort Grace’s Secret (Ch Divnyi Drug Dar (Imp Rus) x Almaznyi Istochnik Tropicheskaya Noch (Imp Rus)) from the Limit class. Belle won her first CC this year at WELKS from Millie Lambert and her second came at Blackpool under Liz Dunhill.

RBCC with Best Puppy in Show was Jane Ring’s Neradmik Tinseltown at Baleissa (Torrikees Purple Rein x Neradmik Shimmer N’ Shine (Imp Can))

Graham Copley was our efficient steward and Vice President Ruth Burgess enjoyed her day ringside chatting with old friends and colleagues. The Club’s show was all done by 12.30pm and we were straight into the ring next to us, where our Darlington judge Tim Ball (who last judged us at Windsor in 2017) had been sat for a while, waiting for us to finish.

He drawn an entry of 31 dogs with 10 absentees. There were no entries in Post Graduate & Limit Dog, Junior Bitch and Veteran and Post Graduate Bitch were absent and it was all over about an hour later.

It was one of those days which Gill Brunt won’t forget in a hurry. Not only did she ‘do the double’ at the Club’s show, she did it again at Darlington’s – not bad going, winning four CC’s in one day!!
Gill won the DCC with Best of Breed with Ch Divnyi Drug Dar, with the RDCC going to Mel Harris’ Ch Amikirs Lover Boy for Watchkees (Ch Neradmik All About The Boy for Watchkees x Ch Amikirs Bubblelicious)

It was a second CC for Gill’s Zandvoort Moonlight (Ch Divnyi Drug Dar (Imp Rus) x Almaznyi Istochnik Vologodskie Kruzheva) from Limit and it was another RBCC for Jane Ring, this time with Ch Neradmik Tantrums N Tiaras (Ch Samkees With Love to Neradmik (Imp Mlt) x Ch Neradmik Grace Kelly (Imp Can)) Best Puppy was Alison Passmore’s Torrikees You Wear It Well (Jen’ndi’s New Adventure for La Lumiere D’hemera x Torrikees Freya (AI))

Then to top off her day, Gill and Darik went on to be short listed in the group under Ian Blackshaw; and Natasha and Vinnie – Ch Kichigai’s Only the Lonley won Veteran group 3 under Lee Cox

Due to Royal Mail being geographically challenged, the Club rosettes had spent all week doing a tour of West Yorkshire depots and unfortunately didn’t arrive in time for the show. If any exhibitor wants to collect the rosettes they won at our November Ch show, then please contact Jane Ring (noekcsecretary@gmail.com)

Anji Marfleet