Griffon Bruxellois Club

The Griffon Bruxellois Club Open Show – 6th September 2019

It was an honour and a privilege to have been invited to judge this wonderful club show, having won the member’s ballot & I was so grateful for the opportunity to be surrounded by so many wonderful Griffons and their sporting owners. A fantastically run show, a spacious hall allowing each & every dog to show themselves off to best advantage and the committee go above and beyond to make everybody welcome. Thank you for the invitation and the wonderful judges’ gifts; I will treasure the gifts (particularly my very own copy of ‘The Second Book of the Griffon Bruxellois, which was so thoughtful!) & the memories of the day for a long time. Thank you to my steward, Kelsey Suggitt, who was ultra-efficient. I was delighted with the entry of 48 & with only 7 absentees, it certainly made for a good show.

Minor Puppy Dog (1, 0)

1st) Donnellan’s Shevilan Scrum Master (NAF TAF), lovely start to the day with this b/r dog of just over 6 months. Good size to his head, dark nose and definite stop, some width to muzzle for age & good chin, dark eyes, boasting high set ears, his expression comes together to appear quite delightful. He has good depth to his chest with plenty of width, enough bone all through, short backed & stocky; very sound both ways & put down in a harsh jacket, most promising.

Puppy Dog (4, 0)

This class made me think, with all four being at varying stages of development & puppyhood.

1st) & BPIS, Donnellan and Robets’ Blacktsar Banjo Vonici, b/t rough chap of 9 months & a super cobby shape, good balance & almost square. Good breadth to his head, some rounding to his skull & ears of good size. Excellent facial features, with good open nosepad and turn-up. Medium neck & lovely chest, excellent ribbing and short in back, high set tail carried correctly when moving. Good to go over on the table & on the floor strutted his stuff nicely, driving from the rear & returning in front correctly. A looker & he knows it! Presented in a neat jacket of good texture and colours.

2nd) Suggitt’s Aptrick Sacha, b/r of almost a year old; also a very nice shape & well balanced. Good head and eye, enough turn up & chin, dark round eyes & very alert in expression. Good to go over, correct neck & topline, good depth to him and bodying up nicely, short coupled & tail set correctly, goes well & he is accurate up and back. Presented in a harsh jacket and handled well.

3rd) Swinge’s Balthazar Dream Lover

4th) Conway’s Stormjac Vader Forcin Black

Junior Dog (4, 0)

1st) Donnellan and Roberts’ Blacktsar Balloo Vonici, 9 months r/r instant eyecatcher being cobby & well balanced with a square outline, excellent head and eye, large enough skull & good stop, smallish ears set high, correct neck of medium length & well laid shoulders, good chest, well ribbed & short loin; tail set & carried correctly, shapely & sound, he went with good drive away and very true in front. One to watch perhaps. Presented in a good harsh jacket & handled expertly.

2nd) Hughes and Crawford’s Beauborne Endeavour, r/r of about 18 months & perhaps slightly rangier at this age, having now left the ‘chunky’ puppyhood stage and moved into the ‘teenage’ stage; loved his head, dark round eyes & good stop, nice turn-up & well defined features. Lovely chest, firm topline & he stands on good legs and feet. Well-muscled all through, made the best of himself on the move & showed himself off for all he was worth, very accurate up and back & a showman in profile.

3rd) Murray’s Operastar Manrico

4th) White’s Emjaycee Time Flies at Whistleyhill

Graduate Dog (2, 0)

1st) Conway’s Stormjac Diesel In Black, b/r dog of decent size & good shape. Loved his outline standing and moving, fairly large skull, rounded and with good stop, dark nose and wide nostrils, good texture to the coat on his skull & lovely width to his muzzle underneath his beard. Good forehand and nice depth to his chest, correct width & correct shoulders and topline. Loved the texture of his coat all through, went with good drive away and reaching in front when returning to me. Eye-catching on the move.

2nd) Swinge’s Harpersband Oscar Award at Balthazar (Imp), a little demon! He is a beautiful shape and size, glorious head and eye, correctly pigmented & open nostrils, tidy ears set & used well. Well bodied, good depth to his chest & cobby throughout. Not overly keen on the floor today which was a great shame as he is such a lovely griffon. Skilfully & sympathetically handled and very well presented.

Novice Dog (2, 0)

1st) Murray’s Operastar Ernanie, 18 month r/s dog & very ‘griffony’ in expression & overall balance but terrier in his attitude! Lovely to go over, beautiful head and eye, dark rims & nose pigmentation with well-set ears, all coming together nicely to give a truly delightful expression. Good depth and width to his chest, well laid shoulder; could have been slightly more level in topline & tailset, well-muscled hindquarters & this showed in his movement as he strode out easily & soundly, and returned true in front. A lovely colour and I liked him very much.

2nd) Donnellan and Roberts’ Blacktsar Ballo Vonici, see Junior Dog.

Limit Dog (2, 0)

1st) & RBD/RBIS Sturmey’s Foxfly Secret Society, loved this well balanced and shapely r/r, large enough head & good ears, dark, round eye & excellent width through his muzzle; excellent depth of brisket & cobby all through, each part fitting neatly into the next, medium neck, short back & well ribbed, tail set correctly & carried well at all times. Loved him moving in profile, beautifully free & true. Presented to perfection in a super harsh jacket of good colour, very eye-catching. I thought at this point he would be the one to beat, indeed he came very close. RBD & in a close run off with the lovely bitch, RBIS. I thought he & the BIS winner made a very nice pair at the end of the day.

2nd) Carpenter’s Sabai Flax, smart r/s dog, perhaps a fraction smaller in head than Secret Society, but good facial features & stocky chap; good width to his chest & short in back, a sound accurate mover & well handled by his sporting owner.

Special Open Smooth Dog (4, 1)

1st) Murray’s Cobblehill Joker, 3 yr b/t sired by the same owners famous Ch Beauview Brave As A Blizzard; balanced & cobby, good head and eye, well set ears & enough breath to muzzle, liked his arch to neck & correct shoulder placement, level topline & well set tail. A good mover all directions & the icing on the cake, richly coloured tan points to his well-presented coat.

2nd) Carpenter’s Sabai Flax, see 2nd Limit Dog.

3rd) White’s Emjaycee Country Playboy of Whistleyhill

Special Open Dog (Black & Tan) (2, 0)

1st) Selby and Whitehead’s Zilcan Colour Me In, b/t rough dog with a harsh, wiry coat which was impressive & notice half-brother to the BIS winner, sharing many of his r/r brother’s attributes. Particularly liked his head, good open nose-pad, correct skull & excellent turn-up, with good with. Looked at me with an air of importance & stood his ground with the attitude of a terrier. Short and stocky, excellent tailset & carriage, presenting a very nice picture all through. Easy, precise and accurate on the move, with so little to change. A close contender & a Ch in the making.

2nd) Roberts’ Amore Mio of Legends Heart (Imp UKR), liked this b/r dog too, excellent head and eye, good turn-up and width though head smaller than the winner, shapely and correct all through, well ribbed & cobby; not so precise as the winner going away but a stylish chap in profile. Coat of excellent wiry texture and very well handled.

Special Open Dog (Red) (1, 0)

1st) Swinge’s Balthazar Johnny Angel, r/r dog & so smart all through. Liked his head and eye, good skull & correctly proportioned for his size, good shoulder & so medium neck; good chest & firm front, excellent topline, tail coming perfectly off his back as so well set, accurate on the move so as to be eye-catching from all angles. Excellent shape and type and another contender in the challenge. Perfectly handled and presented.

Special Open Dog (Black) (2, 0)

1st) Conway’s Stormjac Spocktacular Nite, a b/r chap of super quality & substance. Excellent facial features, large head, good ears & a super expression. Liked his angulation and balance, short coupled & excellent to go over. Put down in super coat of great texture, so little to change & very stylish on the move. Cobby and thick set all through. Most impressive.

2nd) Suggitt’s Ir Ch Aptrick Alexander, b/r & deserving of his Irish title; good head although smaller than Spocktacular Night; with correct turn-up and width to underjaw, ears could be smaller, excellent shape & size, fiery attitude and a really sound mover with good drive from his well-muscled quarters & very true in front. Liked him a lot.

Veteran Dog (2, 1)

1st) Conway’s Cremetoppen’s Danny Black Drambuie (ATC AR01029NOR), this b/s dog was a real gentleman & very refined in his outlook on life. Large dark eyes, enough width to underjaw & facial features well placed to give a lovely expression; good neck of medium length and enough width in front. Well ribbed, short in loin; excellent topline and tailset. Well-muscled and accurate on the move. A pity he did not challenge for BV. Put down in smashing condition.

Open Dog (4, 1) A good class.

1st) BD & later BIS, Selby and Whitehead’s Ch Zilcan Fly The Colours, r/r dog of 2.5 years old & fully mature all through. Large head, beautiful open facial features, good dark eyes & large nose-pad, correct turnup & width, ears set well & all come together to give a lovely alert expression. Medium neck & lovely chest with width and depth all through, good forelegs & level in topline; short backed & tail coming out at correct angle; enough coat, of rich red colour & of good texture, sound away & back, carries himself well in profile and a real eyecatcher. My eye was drawn to him all the time. Perfectly handled and presented.

2nd) Swinge’s Ch Harpersband Case In Point at Balthazar JW (Imp), r/r dog almost exactly a year older than 1st, he too boasts a lovely head & eye, beautiful features, large eyes and a good open nosepad, small enough ears & set well. Good neck & shoulder angulation, firm topline & tail set so as to be carried correctly at all times. Goes well, particularly in profile & very proud at all times. Slightly taller than 1st & close up both here and in the challenge for RBD.

3rd) Donnellan and Roberts’ Brus Konfident Step Vonici (Imp UKR)

Veteran Bitch (2, 1)

1st) RBB & BVIS, Spittle’s Ch Rhodon Maid To Measure, beautiful r/s bitch who I can see from my catalogue is only just a veteran! Certainly, showing no signs of letting the youngsters take over, as she was on the most super form today & going so well; beautiful head and dark eye, enough breadth and width, good turn up and correct nose-pad, small ears set high and carried nicely. So good to go over being cobby & correctly square with a beautiful outline. Good with to her chest & firm in topline, tail set and carried correctly. Well-muscled all through and a free, accurate mover from all directions. Delighted to award her a well-deserved RBB & BIVS. Not surprised to see she carries a crown.

Puppy Bitch (1, 0)

1st) Suggit’s Aptrick Primavera Fresa; r/r bitch & what a sassy madam! Gorgeous shape and size, excellent head and dark eye, good neck & shoulder, could have more return of upper arm, excellent chest, well ribbed back & firm in topline, tail set well & carried correctly; she is sound and showy, could make more of herself & was my headache of the day as she is so sweet but in BPIS refused to perform! Will watch her career with interest as I am sure there are fun times ahead. Excellent rough jacket & sympathetically handled.

Junior Bitch (3, 0)

1st) Donnellan and Roberts’ Rotterr Griff Nait Drim (Imp Rus), b/t r; import but with an English sire, very typical and well-built all through, cobby & square, beautiful head and eye, fabulously sized ears set well (my notes said ‘best so far!’), good to go over & a really sound, accurate mover.

2nd) Haigh’s Darkle Harriet Houdini, r/r bitch & as is to be expected, at a junior stage in terms of body, so lacking a little in ‘cobbiness’, but there is time for her to body up and mature. Nice head and dark eye, good underjaw with width and turnup; she did have fabulous teeth too! Liked her on the move, very precice and accurate and a really nice bitch all through. Maturity will sit well with her.

3rd) Suggitt’s Aptrick Black Starlight

Novice Bitch (2, 0)

1st) Haigh’s Darkle Harriet Houdini, see 2nd Junior Bitch.

2nd) Roberts’ Amore Mio Of Legends Heart (Imp UKR), beautiful r/s bitch of 18 months, coming together nicely with everything in the right place for an exciting career. Good head and eye, open features & very expressive. Medium neck with arch, good width to her chest and she stands on well boned legs and feet. A little longer in back than the winner at the moment, but she has plenty of time to mature. Tail set just off her topline and carried perfectly. Goes with drive away and returns true in front. Well handled.

Graduate Bitch (2, 0)

1st) Hershaw’s Beauview Sunblessed, interestingly bred r/r bitch, being by the sire of the BIS winner ex the BIS winners grandmother! Liked her shape and beautiful size, lovely cobby body and square in outline. Large enough head, good dark eye and enough good so expressive. Enough width and turnup, good forehand and lovely chest. Cobby, short body & tail set at a perfect angle and carried well all the time. Moved with drive going away and returned with reach; lovely in profile, well presented & one to watch.

2nd) Haigh’s Darkle Harriet Houdini, see 2nd Junior Bitch.

Limit Bitch (5, 2)

1st) Flax’s Sabai London Pride, expressive in head and eye, dark enough nose & ears of fair size, good neck and shoulder, enough depth to chest; level in topline and a good tail in both set and carriage. Very smart on the move, so attentive and all she wants to do is please, really enjoying herself & I was drawn to her neat size and cobby make and shape.

2nd) Haigh’s Darkle Harriet Houdini, see 2nd Junior Bitch.

3rd) Payne’s Beauborne Babe of Hearts.

Special Open Smooth Bitch (3, 0)

1st) & BB, Selby & Whitehead’s Ch Ru Paul's Twerkin For Birkin With Zilcan (IMP SWE), r/s bitch of a smashing colour, who has just celebrated her second birthday. Almost ‘human like’ in head & expression, beautiful dark round eyes & excellent facial features. Good ears & skull; some arch to neck & excellent width to her chest. Good to go over all through, firm topline and well ribbed, tail set correctly & carried well. Loved her bone & neat feet. Goes with great accuracy & drive, reaches in front and carries herself well in profile; a pleasure to award her BB.

2nd) Flax’s Sabai London Pride, see 1st Limit Bitch.

3rd) Payne’s Beauborne Babe of Hearts

Special Open Bitch (Black & Tan) (1, 0)

1st) Hughes and Crawford’s Ch Cobblehill Gucci with Beauborne, b/t r bitch & such a beautiful make and shape. Everything you would want, large head and open nosepad, dark eyes and good turnup, all correctly aligned to give a beautiful expression. Neck so correct with arch and excellent shoulers, good depth and width to chest, short cobby body and to that end, firm in topline and excellently set and carried tail. A real eyecatcher on the move from all directions. Presented in a harsh, wiry jacket & very close up in the challenge.

Special Open Bitch (Red) (2, 0)

1st) Swinge’s Balthazar Tainted Love, r/r bitch and a glamour girl. Nothing to dislike as she is so correct and so well made all through. Gorgeous head and dark eye, good neck & well laid shoulder, correct depth to chest & good spring of rib, short loin and firm topline. Liked her tail in both set and carriage, good feet & lovely bone. Well-muscled all through and such a sound, easy mover. Coat of lovely texture and superbly presented.

2nd) Payne’s Beauborne Steal My Heart, r/s bitch & she is a heartstealer! So willing to please. Sweet head and expression with dark pigmentation and neat ears, good neck & shoulders, some width to chest & level in topline, tail not set so well as the winner but she is a truly sound mover & catches the eye from all angles.

Open Bitch (4, 2)

1st) Swinge’s Vandettas Tangerine Balthazar (Imp), have always admired this r/r and today was no exception. Beautiful facial properties & lovely pigmentation, good nosepad and eyes well placed, correct width and turnup giving a truly fabulous expression. Good to go over, being cobby, well built & all of a piece. Sound and accurate on the move, driving & reaching as one would expect; close up in the challenge & always a contender. Liked her a lot.

2nd) Haigh’s Darkle Harriet Houdini, see 2nd Junior Bitch.

Brace (2, 0)

1st) Donnellan and Roberts’ b/t r pair and what a well matched duo! Going so well together and like two peas in a pod. Very smart.

2nd) Suggitt’s black couple and another so matched and alike; close up & so well matched, liked these two also.

Evan L Ryan (Cavalli/Cavallibrook)