West Of England Collie Society

Thank you to the officers and committee for inviting me to judge one of my favourite breeds, the Smooth Collie. Quantity was low, but quality was very high. I was very privileged to be able to judge the Best of Breed at Crufts. An extra bonus for me was East Huntspill is so close to where I live. Thank you for the lovely hospitality to both my husband and myself.

VETERAN DOG (2)

1. Denton’s Ch Brackenhaye Fields of Gold. A quality dog of super shape, who I expect was ‘top notch’ in his day. Up to size and very masculine. Super, clean head of very good proportions. Flat skull, dark, almond eyes giving correct expression. Nicely placed ears of right size nicely tipped forward. Good neck and shoulders. In good condition and nicely bodied for his age with good bone and neat feet. Well bent stifles with well set and carried tail. Moved well but appeared not to like the grass, wanting to step a bit high. In good coat of rich sable and white colour.

PUPPY DOG (1)

1. Seager’s Blamorder Magic Maker with Freejack. A very promising 11-month-old sable puppy dog. Masculine, of good size but not coarse. He is a real charmer, a bit naughty with a lovely personality that you can’t ignore. He has a well-proportioned masculine wedged head forming two parallel planes. Strong under-jaw, good bite and black nose. Flat skull, with ears set correctly, nicely tipped. Correct oblique eye placement. A well arched muscular neck, flowing into well laid shoulders. Forelegs are straight and strong with moderate bone and chest deep enough for his age. Well sprung ribs. Hocks are strong and stifles well bent. He moved well, when settled and behaving. He was reluctant to stand still too long. BEST PUPPY & RESERVE BEST DOG IN BREED.

JUNIOR DOG (2)

1. Seager’s Blamorder Magic Maker with Freejack. See above.

2. Warren’s Coldelee Jupiter Rises with Blamorder. A nice tri coloured dog. He did not appear as masculine as above. Good wedge shaped head but appeared to have a pronounced stop. Correct eyes giving the kind, intelligent expression. Correctly placed tipped ears. Muscular arched neck. Body of good proportions with a reasonable spring of rib. Well bent stifles with good tail set and carriage. Moved well up and back. Presented in very good coat.

POST GRADUATE DOG (2)

1. Warren’s Coldelee Jupiter Rises with Blamorder. See above.

2. Riva’s Manordeifi Rock On. Nice head with correct parallel planes. Good ear set. Well laid shoulders. Appeared to stand rather wide in front detracting the look of his chest. Well boned legs and firm back. Just enough turn of stifle. Movement OK. He had a good coat.

OPEN DOG (1)

1. Denton’s Rylance Moonshine Over Brackenhaye. A very handsome 5-year-old merle dog, with good bone and strongly made throughout. Lovely blunt wedged head of two parallel planes. Flat skull supporting well-set ears. Although he is a merle colour, his almond eyes are dark brown in colour. Very good lay of shoulders, with elbows below withers. Correct width between front legs, who are straight and muscular with moderate bone, going down to oval feet with well arched toes. Deep chest with well sprung ribs and firm topline held on the move. Developed hindquarters and well bent stifles. Correct tail set and carriage. Very sound mover with long strides and power from the rear. Floating around the ring. Excellent dense coat with correct harsh texture. BEST DOG.

VETERAN BITCH (1)

1. Denton’s Ch. Brackenhaye Shape O’My Heart. What a lovely ‘oldie’ with a beautiful outline, who again must have been ‘top notch’ when younger. A strikingTri colour, just wonderful in every way. Super head, flat skull with excellent ear carriage. Almond eyes giving a lovely kind, wise expression. Well arched neck flowing into well placed shoulders, good straight front legs. Well-proportioned body with firm, level back and slight rise over loins. Hindquarters not so muscled, but older and semi-retired. Well bent stifles and straight hocks. Good tail set and carriage. Moved quite sound bearing in mind her age and she had an operation in January. I see she is the mother of the Best in Show winner and has certainly passed on her excellent qualities. BEST VETERAN IN BREED & BEST VETERAN IN SHOW.

OPEN BITCH (2)

Two excellent quality bitches.

1. Denton’s Ch. Brackenhaye Heart and Soul. I judged this lovely bitch at an Open show in January 2022 and thought she was gorgeous. I was delighted to read later she became a champion and went Best of Breed at Crufts this year. My comments then were: - As the standard says – ‘stands with dignity governed by perfect anatomical formation, with no part out of proportion.’ Well-proportioned wedge-shaped head with flat skull. Well placed tipped ears and excellent almond eyes, giving the true Smooth Collie ‘sweet expression’. Good conformation, which was reflected on the move, producing the distinct breed movement, covering the ground with an effortless stride. Not much more to say other than she has grown and developed into a very top-class bitch, which like her mother should be able to stay at the top for a long time. She is so good at standing so dignified, like a Smooth Collie should. Thank you for bringing her today. BEST BITCH, BEST OF BREED & BEST IN SHOW.

2. Sweeney & Lusty’s Blamorder Do Quite Nicely. I thought this was a gorgeous feminine blue merle bitch, full of quality. A shame she has to come up against the above. She did not have a lot of animation with that extra showmanship needed to beat her. Super outline. Excellent well-proportioned head, flat skull, well placed ears and almond shaped eyes giving a super sweet expression. Well arched neck flowing into nicely well laid shoulders. Super body and topline. Excellent hindquarters and well bent stifles. Moved very well with longish strides, lightly and effortlessly. RESERVE BEST BITCH, RESERVE BEST OF BREED & RESERVE BEST IN SHOW.

Felicity A. Snook

JUDGE