47 Breed Notes – NoEKC Ch &Open2024

As I’m typing these notes, looking out of my window at a white landscape, I can’t help but think how lucky we all were on Sunday for the NoEKC’s Ch show. Although there was a nip in the air portending this cold snap, it was blue skies and sunshine all day, with the weather only turning as we were all on our way home. It’s certainly come as a shock to the system, minus 2°and a good 2-3 inches of the white stuff; which the dogs are loving!!

Last year for the first time, the NoEKC tried holding both their July Open show and Championship on the same day; which certainly seemed to work – especially for attracting entries for the Open Show. This year we did the same, but also fitted in the Special Awards Classes in between the judging of the two shows. With the dwindling number of Keesies being born and subsequent low show numbers, it’s proving to be the only financially viable means of holding ‘stand-alone’ breed shows.

Judging started promptly at 9.30am and apart from a short 5 minute ‘comfort break’ between dogs and bitches, both shows carried straight on and judging was all over and done with by around 3.00pm. Surprisingly the day wasn’t as long as previous club Ch shows – I guess we’ve all quickly got used to smaller entries with consequently briefer shows and earlier finishes.

The judge for the Open Show was Donna Whincup and she had drawn an entry of 35 dogs with 10 absentees. There were no entries in Yearling Dog and Minor Puppy Bitch Dog, and with Open Dog having the largest entry.

Best Dog and Best in Show was Gill Brunt’s Ch Divnyi Drug Dar (imp Russ) (Russ Ch Cinerus Artic Prince of Star x Russ Ch Divnyi Drug Gusja Lebed) from Open; Reserve Best Dog and Reserve Best in Show was Mel Harris’ Ch Amikirs Lover Boy for Watchkees (Ch Neradmik All About The Boy for Watchkees x Ch Amikirs Bubblelicious) from the Not Bred By Exhibitor Dog Class.

Best Bitch and Best Opposite Sex was Gill Brunt’s Zandvoort Moonlight (Ch Divnyi Drug Dar (imp Russ) x Almaznyi Istochnik Vologodskie Kruzheva (imp Russ)) from Junior; with Reserve Best Bitch going to the other end of the line to the Veteran Bitch winner, Jane Saunders’ Liefkees Adina (Ch Wund-R-Y Workin For a Livin at Szaryk x Liefkees Angelika)

Best Veteran in Show was Natasha Hickson’s Ch Kichigai’s Only The Lonley (Bert von Ricara (imp Den) x Kichigai Special Edition) and Best Puppy in Show was Susi Gardner’s Bargeway Country Boy at Manzanakees (Torrikees Purple Rein x Ch Art Pride Bomb Explosive Beauty (imp Russ))

Following on was the Special Awards Classes judged by Charlotte Craig (Flatmeer) Winner of the Special Yearling Dog or Bitch class was the Cullen’s, Joan Miles and daughter Sarah Dean’s Skyline’s Outlander at Lekkerbek; Special Post Graduate Dog or Bitch was Jane Saunders’ Liefkees Aleida and Ann Burnett’s Torrikees We Will Rock You was the winner of the Special Open Dog or Bitch Class.

Our judge for the Ch show, which started around 12.00pm was Robin Searle (who last judged us at Manchester in 2022) Robin had drawn an entry of 43 Keesies with 10 absentees; there were no entries in Yearling, Novice or Good Citizen Dog and Minor Puppy, Novice and Not Bred By Exhibitor Bitch Classes.

The DCC and Best Opposite Sex was Peck and Matthews’ Ch Keitakees To Love Somebody at Byquy (Ch Neradmik Family Affair with Lekkerbek x Byquy Kinky Boots at Keitakees) from the Special Not Bred By Class, handled as usual by David Matthews; with the RDCC going to Mel Harris’ Ch Amikirs Lover Boy for Watchkees who was second in SNBB.

Winning her second CC with Best in Show was my Flatmeer Fleur’s Krystal (Milan Grey Giant Tichauspitz x Flatmeer Fleur Dilly) from Yearling and it was a first RBCC and Reserve Best in Show for an equally surprised (and delighted!) Nicky Potts with her Shelderon The Legal Eagle (Serenaubach Full of Wonder x Shelderon Super Steller) from Open Bitch

Best Veteran in Show was Joan Miles and Sarah Dean’s Ch Neradmik Family Affair with Lekkerbek (Ch Kemonts Skyline’s Game Boy (imp USA) x Ch Lady Godiva’s Guilty Pleasures with Neradmik (imp Fin)) from Special Vintage and Best Puppy in Show was Sue Pattison’s Eastkees Amber Moon (Quest’ Eastkees Del Monte Dragnone (Imp Ita) x Eastkees Purple Gem)

Susi Gardner won the Bill Purdon Memorial Trophy for Best Handler, Colin Barton won the Open Show’s £25 Lucky Catalogue number prize and Jane Saunders was the winner of the Ch show’s £50 Lucky Catalogue number prize.

(Wo)manning the kitchen was Kitti Thanki, her mum Dipti and Barbara Stott, who were kept busy selling homemade hot food and cakes and made a very tasty £116. The raffle took£118 thanks to Nicky Potts and Sue Pattison who stepped in to help behind the ‘Club table’ with the raffle and table sales. Also, many thanks to everyone who helped out on the day and to those who generously gave donations for the raffle and contributions for the kitchen – it is very much appreciated.

Yet again there were comments being made, querying the behaviour and temperament of some of the dogs – especially in the ring. It’s not the first time that this has been commented on by exhibitors, visitors and judges alike and really does not show the breed in a good light. As I have said before, if your dog doesn’t like being ‘gone over’ by a judge, having its teeth looked at or generally being at a crowded show; then you go to ring craft and/or training classes and get it socialised and trained. It’s not fair on the dog to take it into an environment in which it’s obviously not happy, no matter how many shows it has been to.

At BUBA’s Ch show in a couple of weeks’ time, Keeshonds are being judged in the Main Hall, ring 10 (same as last year) with a 9.30am start for John Moate who is awarding CC’s in Keesies for the first time and has drawn an entry of 35 dogs.

Anji Marfleet