It’s been years since we have attended Windsor and what a great pleasure to return to the magnificent venue. I dare say it is as fine a venue as one will find worldwide with a tent set-up that dwarfs the fine Long Beach location. Fortunately the weather was more than cooperative, which made for an even more delightful dog show experience. Entries totaled close to 10,000 exhibits during the four-day event with Working Pastoral held the first day. We did not arrive until 1 p.m. on Thursday so we finessed the first day and slept in. For the first time we stayed outside of Windsor at a very comfortable (but extremely busy) Marriott less than a 10-minute car ride away.
Thursday a.m. dawned too early, nonetheless we were on the grounds at 8:30 for early 9:00 a.m. judging. Most judging began at 10 a.m. each day. A very civilized time as compared to the 8 and 8:30 a.m. U.S.A. rituals. I watched some Sussex Spaniels (not too impressed), some Welsh Spaniels (very impressed), some Labs, IWS and Bracceo Italianos, too. Oongh Gore, the show chairwoman, is a most interesting and gracious lady who I had the good fortune to be seated next to at the very impressive club luncheon. Also at our table was the very knowledgeable Liz Cartledge who along with the extremely able and competent Secretary Irene Terry see to every detail for the four-day event. The group was won by the Vizsla, an Australian import (I forgot to say that Working was won on the first day by a Bouvier bitch and Pastoral by an Australian Sheepdog – I did not see them until BIS the last day) which was the top dog all-breed in the U.K. last year. I either did not see him or remember him from Crufts. He looked to be a nice example of his breed. The exhibit that truly excited me was an ESS bitch which placed Group IV. I understand she won the Group at Blackpool the week before. Since English Springers are so different in our two countries, and this bitch is very typical of the British type, I wonder what the reaction would be to her here. I for one thought her to be an extraordinary Springer. I also saw a young Spinoni of what I consider to be of great promise but I will admit my Spinoni credentials are less than sterling.
Saturday was Hound and Toy dog, and I spent a good deal of time at the English Toy Spaniel ring. (King Charles Spaniels in the U.K. as they should be called in the U.S. – I believe.) Why we in America continue to show this breed divided by color confounds me. The four varieties are bred interchangeably and should be shown as one breed. Obviously the motivation behind the split is a desire to make up more champions. This ends up diminishing overall breed quality and perhaps even breed temperament since there is a strong differential, I find, in personalities among the four different colors. I thought the breed judge basically did a good job with what she had to work with and that the bitches were far superior to the dogs. Indeed I saw a number of lower class bitches I would have been happy to take home with me. Watched Bloodhounds, too – there was one nice young puppy dog and an influx of Czech breeding, too. Whether that’s a new thing in the U.K., I don’t know. I have seen some Russian-bred dogs, which really impressed me at World shows. The Czech pups were nice but hardly breathtaking. What was breathtaking to me was the Irish Wolfhound breed and eventual Group winner. A dog of large size, he was as sound coming as he was going. I can’t remember when I have last seen such a massive dog of any breed move so soundly. He has a great head and a docile temperament. I’d love to see him in the States, but whether a dog of this size could endure the kind of show schedule we impose on our dogs is another matter. Of course a re-evaluation of what we put our dogs through when they are being actively campaigned should be on everyone’s agenda but it is a topic rarely spoken about in the upper echelons, is it!
Toys were won by a cute, showey IG. I would have had a tough time denying both the BG and/or the Maltese (which I was told walked out of the Group) but the IG was no slouch for sure.
Last day was Terriers and Utility which for me are the best days at show in GB. Leonard Pagliero, a former chair of the Kennel Club and a guarantor of Windsor was in attendance. Leonard is one of the fine gentlemen of the dog show world, and at age 91 looks and acts remarkably well. I always look forward to seeing and talking with him. In Terriers I did see a wheatan Norwich pup of promise and a young Wire dog. In a year or two it will be interesting to see how they turn out. Borders had high entries, which were not only high in numbers but in quality as well. Two wire Lakie puppies bred in Belgium with a handsome sort of Lakie winning the breed and the Group too. He won the group at Blackpool as well – wonder what color he would be shown as in the States – should he ever some here permanently. He would be very competitive here too, or so I think anyway. Watched Airedales – forget about the results – it was like watching “grass grow.” Saw a pretty Boston pup and a pretty Tibetan Spaniel pup, too – neither available for sale in the States – too bad, too!!
You know they are on quite a health kick in the U.K. such that Shar Peis and Bulldogs are being observed outside the ring to see whether or not judges were putting up entropined problem eyed Shar Peis or Bulldogs with breathing problems. A good idea, but how practical and workable this is remains to be seen.
Oops – almost forgot to tell you the Utility Group was won by the Standard Poodle, which also was awarded BIS. This is the dog which was shown in the States and really never took off. I always liked the dog and he certainly is coming into his own in GB today. Actually, I was so taken by the Irish Wolfhound in the finale I could not look at anything else. I long have been a proponent – rightly or wrongly – of rewarding a dog of any breed which does not win as much in the higher levels over a breed that constantly is awarded Best in Shows. That is to say if you have exhibits of comparable quality, showing at their best I lean to the less successful breed winner than the usual breed winner. But of course the caveat in that kind of thinking is to demand from the less successful breed winner a performance equal to or one which surpasses the oft-awarded breed winner. I hope that makes sense.
Well, as I write this we are about to land in Stockholm for “that week” of festivities. That’s next to be reported about presuming we all survive the next six or seven days!