Having heard the news that Scottish Utility Breeds are losing their CC status from 2029, I think that it’s worth repeating what I wrote in my April breed notes: Whilst it is generally agreed that we have too many CC’s on offer, which shows are ‘surplus to requirements’ is a trickier question; so, as many…
Our judge for South Wales was Howard Ogden (his second appointment was at Southern Counties in 2023) who had drawn an entry of 17 Keesies with 6 absentees and we were first in the ring with a 9.30am start. There were no entries in both the Minor Puppy, Puppy, Post Graduate, Good Citizen Dog Classes,…
For over 20 years the North of England Keeshond Club has posted the results and critiques from the General Ch Shows and all breed club’s shows on its website. This is freely available for all to see and I know that it is appreciated, especially by ‘non-showing breed enthusiasts’. Now that Our Dogs has gone,…
At Richmond, Keesies were again first in the ring with a 9.00am start for judge Marion Sargent (her first appointment was at Bath in 2024) and she had drawn an entry of 16 Keesies with 2 absentees. There were no entries in any of the Puppy classes, Yearling Dog and the Veteran Bitch was absent….
At the City of Birmingham, we were in the same ‘new hall’ as last year, although it felt more crowded and less spacious than before. What did surprise me though, was how few trade stands there were. I suppose it’s not surprising that with increasing entry fees and costs in general, the subsequent drop in…
A last reminder that entries for the NoEKC’s Ch show, held in partnership with Darlington Ch Show, (Ripon Racecourse, HG4 1UG) close this Friday – 4th September. On-line entries only via Have A Dog Day. The judge for Darlington is Caron Bell (Allforus) and judging starts at 9.00am in Ring 26. The Club show will…
I can’t believe that I’m writing this. We are now two thirds of the way into this year and so far, there has only been 1 litter of 6 puppies born and at least 4 misses that I know of. As far as I’m aware there might be a couple of litters ‘in the pipeline’,…
At Paignton Keesies were first in the ring with a 9.30am start for judge Sue Bird awarding CC’s for the second time (her first appointment was at Southern Counties in 2024) She had drawn an entry of 21 dogs with 4 absentees and there were no entries in the Special Beginners class or Post Graduate…
On Sunday it was the Central Scotland Keesie walk; with the weather being almost perfect conditions for the dogs, being much cooler with a small shower halfway through. The walk started just before 11.00am looping around Beecraigs Country Park. By the time they got back to the visitor centre’s café around 12.30pm the sun had…
The show season is now in full swing; if there’s not a Championship show, there will probably be an Agricultural show somewhere; many of which still have a dog section. I’m always going on about value for money (or the lack of it re the general Ch shows) and this has been reflected for a…
Windsor Ch show was cancelled at the last minute due to the heatwave which showed no sign of letting up. I feel so sorry for the trade stands, as it’s hard enough with declining numbers at the shows without having to contend with the vagaries of an English summer. The following week, certainly up here…
At Border Union we were second in the ring after 43 bulldogs for judge Dawn Gregory (Amikirs) who last judged at LKA in 2019; and had drawn an entry of 22 Keesies with 6 absentees. After a 20 minute or so wait, judging started just after 11.00am, there were no entries in both the Yearling…
The Ch show season is in full swing with virtually one held every weekend now until the end of September and it’s not easy remembering which one is coming next! It was another warm sunny day at Southern Counties where Keesies were first in the ring with a 9.30am start for Finnish judge Kimmo Mustonen…
Utility day at Bath was forecast to be the hottest Bank Holiday Monday on record and it most certainly was; even up here in Yorkshire it was ‘cracking slabs’ weather!! Our judge, Donna Whincup, was awarding CC’s for the first time and well done her for writing such a prompt critique! She had drawn an…
Starting these notes with a reminder that the Keeshond BAD with group mentoring is being held on 18th July at Nether Whitacre Village Hall, B46 2EH. Hosted by both breed clubs, there are still places available; if interested, please get in touch with Melanie at byquyfamily@gmail.com for an application form. To all those candidates who…
Still on my soap box about Ch shows and dwindling entries, there’s also value for money which needs to be taken into account when considering entry levels etc. It seems now that most, if not all of the General Ch shows add an extra £2 surcharge onto all entries made after postal entries have closed…
Continuing my theme of General Ch shows and CC’s in general, I think that two reasons which contribute towards a good entry is the venue and choice of judge. If the show isn’t on an exhibitors list of favourite venues, then getting a half decent entry will all boil down to the society’s choice of…
After welcoming everyone to the Keeshond Ch show the other weekend, chairman Melanie Reed Peck announced that this was the last time their Club shows would be held at Roade Village Hall. Starting next year, the Keeshond Club’s April Ch show will be held in partnership with Birmingham National & their January Open show will…
At Scottish Utility Breeds at the weekend, we were first in the ring with a 9.00am start for judge Gill Brunt (Zandvoort), who was awarding CC’s for the 2nd time (her 1st appointment was at BUBA in 2023). Gill had drawn an entry of 20 dogs with three absentees; Post Graduate Dog was the only…
It was a last-minute change for the Keeshond Club’s Ch show at the weekend, as Geraldine Clark had to withdraw from her judging appointment due to ill health. Krystyan Greenland was the replacement judge and was awarding CC’s in the breed for the first time; (he was due to judge the September Ch show in…
Joan Miles has asked me to let you know that Geraldine Clark has drawn a very good entry of 50 dogs making 51 entries for the Championship show on 4th April at Roade Village Hall. The Committee looks forward to welcoming you to the show which will open at 9 am, with judging starting at…
As expected, it ended up being a very long day for Keesie exhibitors at Crufts being second in the ring after an entry of 117 Lhasa Apsos; who for some reason hadn’t been given an earlier start, despite being following by another breed. We were also in Hall 2 this this year, where our ring…
At Crufts, Keesies are in Hall 2 Ring 14 after 117 Lhasa Apsos, so there’ll be plenty of time for exhibitors to have a look round and get some shopping done before we’re in the ring. A Breed Appreciation Day is being held on Saturday, 18 July 2026 at Nether Whitacre Village Hall, B46 2EH…
Despite a few fraught days and a bit of reorganising, the Club’s open show went ahead at the weekend at the new venue, Elsecar Parish Hall and many thanks to them for coming to our rescue at such short notice. It was cool and cloudy, but considering what the weather’s been like, we were lucky…
Due to circumstances beyond our control, the North of England Keeshond Club have had to change venues for our forthcoming open show this Sunday, 15th February 2026 Many thanks to Elsecar Holy Trinity Church Hall (aka Elsecar Parish Hall) for coming to our rescue at such short notice. Our show will now be held in…
Just a few bits this week:- A notice which I’m sure will be of interest to many appeared in the Vet times the other week re Virbac unveiling a new L2 leptospirosis vaccine for dogs, which it believes will play a “crucial role” in minimising the disease’s risks. Virbac is pleased to be able to…
The Keeshond Club held their open show at the weekend at Roade Village Hall which started with the Special Awards Classes judged by Karen Bugg. Winner of Special Yearling Dog or Bitch was Alison Bennett’s Zandvoort Mr Sunshine, Special Limit Dog or Bitch Shelly Johnston’s Winklestar Namid and Mark Redler’s Ch Keitakees You Are My…
A reminder that entries for the NoEKC’s open show close on Friday 30th January – entries on-line only via Have A Dog Day. It’s being held at Netherton Village Hall, WF4 4LR. The show opens at 11.30am and starts at 12.00pm with the SAC – judge Linda Divers; followed by the main show – judge…
First show of the year and it was all back down to Stafford again, this time for Manchester; who along with LKA which was held there before Christmas, is now one of the few shows which still provide benching. For those of us who don’t have cages and trolleys, benching makes life so much easier….
Last weekend two intrepid exhibitors braved the elements to support their local open shows. Continuing his success this year was Sue and Alan Hill’s Bargeway Dark Knight at Plymkees; where at Wiveliscombe & DCS Premier Open Show at Taunton on Saturday, Ozzie won Best of Breed, Best Puppy in Breed, Utility group 4, 2nd in…
It was a successful weekend (& a nice start for the year) for Keesie puppies as on Sunday at Consett & DCS Premiere Open Show, Nichola Kerr and Bargeway Dancing Queen won Best Puppy & Best of Breed; got shortlisted in the Utility Group & then went on to win Puppy Group 3 from judge…
When I wrote my ‘Doom and Gloom’ for the November issue of the magazine, I thought that things wouldn’t improve much and unfortunately, I was correct. In 2025, there have only been 12 litters resulting in just 60 puppies – 34 dogs, 26 bitches and with 9 fatalities. At least there haven’t been as many…
And it was all back down to Stafford the last Ch show of the year, LKA with another bright and early start. Keesies were first in Ring 15 in the Main Hall for judge Keith Nathan (who last judged at the NoEKC’s Ch show in 2021) and he had drawn an entry of 38 dogs…
It was a long day at BUBA on Saturday, as Keesies were first in the ring with a 9.30am start for judge Sally Pointon who was awarding CC’s in the breed for the first time. She had drawn an entry of 39 dogs with 5 absentees and all the classes were filled apart from both…
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 combined Open and Ch show. Storm Claudia had blown herself away by Saturday evening, leaving everywhere somewhat damp and muddy; but with blue skies and sunshine…
At Midland counties our judge was Jean Sharp Bale (Neradmik) (who last judged us at Richmond in 2022) and she had drawn an entry of 26 Keesies with 7 absentees. We were second in the ring as Jean was doing Jap Spitz first, so judging didn’t start until around 11.30am. There were no entries in…
It was another mid-week show for Keesies at South Wales KA as Utility day was on Thursday and we were second in the ring after 33 Chows for judge Lorraine Bolton, who was awarding CC’s in the breed for the first time. She had drawn an entry of 26 dogs with 4 absentees; there were…
No news this week, so just bits and pieces! Been doing anything exciting with your Keesie this summer? Got a story to share? Some fab photos?? In which case, send them to Andy Fitches, who is waiting for all your contributions to the Club’s Walkee Talkees magazine. His deadline is the end of October latest,…
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…
At Richmond, Keesies were third in the ring after 48 Bulldogs and 36 Chinese Crested for our judge Keith Baldwin (who was an emergency judge at Border Union 2023) and he had drawn an entry of just 11 dogs with 1 absentee. There were no entries Minor Puppy Dog, both Puppy and Post Graduate classes…
It’s been a few years since I last went to City of Birmingham, so I was pleasantly surprised by the ‘new’ hall we were in. Unlike the dark cavernous hall (with only large doors allowing natural light in and a concrete floor) which I remember, this hall was light and airy with the pale lime…
At the Welsh Kennel Club, Keesies were second in the ring after 54 Mini Schnauzers for our judge Espen Engh (he last judged us at Darlington in 2019) who had drawn an entry of 26 dogs with 6 absentees. The Minor Puppy dog was absent and there were no entries in either Junior or Post…
The show season is in in full flow, with a Ch show being held every weekend; miss doing one week’s notes for whatever reason – et voilà, another bumper set of notes!! At Leeds Keesies were first in the ring with a 9.00am start for judge Tom Johnston (who last judged us at South Wales…
There was a really good turnout of 19 Keesies for the Central Scotland Walk on Sunday, with everyone meeting up at Beecraigs Country Park at Linlithgow. Despite the dreadful forecast for the weekend, the weather was ideal for a walk, as it was dry with the sun making the occasional effort to break through the…
It was a very hot and sticky day at Windsor where we were second in the ring after 40 Jap Spitz; where our judge Colin Barton (Collcrist) (who last judged the Keeshond Club Ch show in 2021) had drawn an entry of 38 Keesies with 7 absentees, with judging starting around 11.30am. All the classes…
Miss a week with the notes and before you realise there are three shows to write about – so it’s a bumper issue this week!! The championship shows season is now in full swing; as apart from a couple of show ‘free’ weekends between Windsor and Leeds and the August Bank holiday (Keesies have no…
Last weekend at Southern Counties, our judge was Tiina Taulos from Finland, who was awarding CC’s for the first time in the UK. She had drawn an entry of 34 Keesies with just 2 absentees; we were first in the ring with a 9.30am start and it was over by 11.30am. There was just about…
Although Keeshonds were scheduled second in the ring after 18 Schnauzers, our judge Frank Kane (who last judged us at SKC in 2023) had an entry of 48 Chow Chows to judge first in an adjacent ring, so it was lunchtime before Keesie judging actually started. He had drawn an entry of 29 dogs with…
Last weekend it was all up to Edinburgh for SKC’s double show. Keeshonds first show was the SKC all-breed Ch show, where our judge was Sue Butterfield who was awarding CC’s in Keesies for the first time. We were second in the ring after 32 Standard Poodles, so our judging started around 10.15am. Sue had…
Last weekend it was Scottish Utility Breeds Clubs’ second Ch show, which this year was held at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) at Glascow. I think that the change of date and venue (from Kelso in July) was reflected in the lower number of entries. Our judge was Jeff Luscott (who last just us at…