Northern Pomeranian Club

NORTHERN POMERANIAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW

21.6.24

I’ve been around the breed for what I consider to be many of the halcyon years when so many top kennels made competition really strong and quality was so high. I first awarded CCs in Pomeranians 44 years ago and have watched the breed go through some highs and lows.

Based on today’s entry which numerically would seem to be fairly representative I think there are a few areas that breeders could be keeping an eye on. When judging I believe the starting point has to be outline and in the case of the Pomeranian that is essentially a compact, short-coupled dog with that softly rounded silhouette, correct head carriage coming from a rather short neck and fine-boned legs of medium length. Today I found a lot of dogs who appeared longer in body and lower on leg than the ideal which detracts from the correct balance.

Heads were also very varied with some muzzles rather short and blocky, some stops rather deep and some eyes were smaller and deeper-set than the ideal.

Surprisingly I thought there was more depth of quality in the males than the bitches which isn’t often the case.

Studying the results and looking at the breeding of my main winners it seems that the Lireva kennel had a very successful day (with a variety of different handlers) and I seemed to particularly admire the progeny of Ch Reta Hugo’s There Lireva.

MINOR PUPPY DOG (8) A lovely class to start the day! 1. Cregg’s Lireva’s Magical Dream, 6 months clear orange so full of quality and very impressively constructed. Beautiful head and expression with neat eye, well placed ears and typical foreface. Excellent front and feet and so well bodied for his age. Perfect angulation front and back, firm level topline, well set and carried tail and the coat quality and texture is very promising. He stands so firmly on four good legs, moving so soundly out and back, going around with typical buoyancy. Best Puppy In Show and Best Special Beginner. 2. Black’s Young And Smart Tai Lauras To Zaandam, 7 months orange of excellent overall type, not quite as poised as the winner but he has so much to like. Beautiful head and expression with well-shaped eye, the requisite foreface and neat ears. Very solid in body with quality bone, a fraction longer coupled than 1 but he moves steadily, carrying himself with style. 3. Cawthera-Purdy’s Lireva’s Impossible Dream.

PUPPY DOG (2) 1. Cawthera-Purdy’s Lireva’s Wild And Wonderful, 11 months orange, very compact and in full coat. Basically good head type with neat ears, fine muzzle but eyes are a little small and deep set. Quality bone, perfectly set tail and firmly bodied. Moves accurately with an element of style. 2. D’Arcy & Duffield’s Paavali’s Ego, 7 months orange sable who would have pressed harder had he been more confident on the table and a little more settled on the move. Excellent head type, very expressive eye, correctly proportioned, well bodied with firm level topline and excellent angulation front and back. When he gets his act together, he could do some useful winning.

JUNIOR DOG (5) 1. Smith’s Sueacres Centre Stage, 11 months orange sable who makes a very appealing overall picture with his general type, compactness and balance. Excellent head with well-shaped dark eye, correctly placed neat ears and excellent muzzle. Stands well on his legs, has good angulation front and back with a high tail set and quality coat texture. Moves freely with great buoyancy and true out and back. Ideally I would like a little more consistency in the colour but the overall picture is very impressive. 2. French’s Norvanik Gold Smith At Bincombefarm, 16 months clear orange who at first glance I thought would be the winner of the class as he has a beautiful head with typical expression, handles very well on the table being firmly bodied with correct quality bone and excellent coat texture. Nicely angulated with well-set tail and he throws out of a compact, well balanced outline. On the move, he didn’t go as freely in front as 1, but he has a lot of quality and so much type. 3. Holman’s Altina’s Viva Las Vegas.

YEARLING DOG (2) 1. Carrigan’s Poseyhill Sir Isaac Newton, 23 months orange sable who handles so well on the table, being very well constructed with excellent angulation front and back if a little long coupled. High quality bone, excellent coat texture, well set and carried tail and he moves so steadily. A little overdone in head as the stop is rather deep and the muzzle could be a little more refined. 2. Charlton’s Vibrek Bring Me Sunshine, 14 months orange sable with a look of quality but again the muzzle could be more refined. Not quite as well bodied as the winner and a little shorter on leg, but he did his best on the move.

POST GRADUATE DOG (4) 1. Gooch’s Lireva’s Well Fancy That For Cassibawn, the star of the day! Light orange, full of quality and very much the overall package, throwing out an eye-catching outline when standing and not disappointing on the move. He has so much head appeal with dark, beautifully shaped eyes of the right size and the correct length and refinement of muzzle, strong pigment, neat well set ears, all creating the most beautiful expression. He handles so well on the table having a solid body, perfect topline, optimum angulation front and back and he stands so firmly on legs of correct length. High set, well carried tail and he has great style both standing and moving. The coat is pleasing in texture and was sensibly presented. For me he was a standout in the entry and I was amazed that this was his first CC. I’m sure it won’t be his last. CC & BIS. 2. Neve’s Styalways Here I Am, 16 months orange sable of excellent overall type and very well balanced. Basically pleasing head, finely boned and well bodied with good overall conformation, moved quite true and the coat texture is pleasing. 3. Smith’s Wishingate’s Black Friday.

OPEN DOG (5) 1. Cawthera-Purdy’s Ch Lireva’s Wildest Dreams, clear orange full of quality, in mature coat with a glorious head and expression, perfectly proportioned with dark, well-shaped eyes, nicely set neat ears and absolutely the correct kind of muzzle. Handles well on the table carrying optimum body weight, has moderate angulation and a well set tail. Pleased in coat texture, just a little tense in topline but moved soundly and held himself well. A very worthy Champion who today won the Reserve CC. 2. Sparrow’s Sueacres Kisses Of Love To Casarow, another quality male with pleasing basic head type, typical expression, essentially masculine yet with a look of class. Not quite the finish of coat of 1 and could also use a little more body weight but the angulation and basic construction are excellent. Moved steadily, soundly and with confidence, holding himself well. 3. Holman’s Ch Altina’s Henry Higgins.

VETERAN DOG (1) 1. Chilton & Davey’s Ch Sixth Sense Hankey Bannister By Klassna, 7½ years orange sable holding his age well, excellent balance of outline, firmly bodied with quality bone making a typical silhouette with well-set tail and quality coat texture. The head could have a little more refinement of muzzle but he moved so spritely for an elderly gentleman.

SPECIAL BEGINNERS DOG (2) 1. L. Magical Dream 2. Watson’s Vibrek You Are My Sunshine, orange sable of pleasing overall type with a well-balanced outline when set up in profile. Well set and carried tail, good coat texture but head could have a little more refinement of muzzle. Moved quite steadily.

MINOR PUPPY BITCH (4) 1. Cawthera-Purdy’s Lireva’s When Stars Collife, 7 months orange, a real little puffball full of quality. Excellent basic head type if slightly small in eye with neat ears. Already solid in body with good angulation front and back, very compact outline and so promising. Excellent high tailset and despite her age moved around with great confidence and buoyancy, being dead sound out and back. Best Puppy Bitch. 2. Chinn’s Altina’s Scarlet Ribbons To Midawn, 7 months and another orange of high quality. Beautiful head, eye and expression but she is a little longer coupled and going around she doesn’t quite have the head carriage of the winner. Still very sound out and back. Well bodied and put together with good angles front and back, well set tail and excellent coat texture. 3. Holman’s Altina’s Arizona.

PUPPY BITCH (3) 1. Black’s Verona Tai Lauras To Zaaandam, 11 months orange sable who won on her outline, general balance and overall breed type. Ears could be a little neater but handles well on the table with good rib, quality bone, well set tail and the coat is very promising. Moves steadily holding herself with some style. 2. McAlpine’s Altina Wouldn’t It Be Lovely, 9 months cream nicely presented but could have a little more head type as she is rather deep in stop but has excellent dark eyes and good pigment all through with a good basic construction. Moves quite soundly but doesn’t quite have the carriage and deportment of the winner. 3. Pike & Carter’s Breezelyn Ginnovation.

JUNIOR BITCH (2) 1. Pope’s Keisyl Honeysuckle Weeks, 15 months orange sable who won on her compactness and overall balance. Fundamentally good head type, straight forelegs with quality bone and moderately angulated front and back. Well bodied and the coat texture is promising. Moved very lightly on her feet. 2. Cawthera-Purdy’s Lireva’s Merry Fly The Bear, 13 months rich orange a little longer than the winner and smaller in eye. Needs to body up a little but well angulated front and back with promising coat and she moves steadily.

YEARLING BITCH (4) 1. Gooch’s Paavali’s Private Dancer At Cassibawn, 20 months pale wolf sable who was something of a conundrum as on the table her hindquarters seemed rather weak yet she moved very steadily! Well bodied and balanced but could have a finer foreface. 2. K. Honeysuckle Weeks. 3. Pike & Carter’s Mi Misuzi’s Flower Power For Breezelyn.

POST GRADUATE BITCH (5) 1. Smith’s Lireva’s Just On A Flutter, orange of excellent overall basic type and very much a dual purpose kind of bitch. Unexaggerated head and very typical outline with excellent overall balance. Firm body on the table with excellent angulation back and front, high set tail, quality coat and handles herself well on the move. Her many virtues and basic honesty warranted the Reserve CC. 2. Boyes & Tyler’s Parapom Vera Lynn, orange sable a little heavier in muzzle and larger in ear than the winner but a good solid type of bitch, fractionally longer than 1 but a steady mover with good coat texture. 3. Black’s Zaandam Gift Of Gemini.

LIMIT BITCH (6) 1. Lyons’ Darade Heart Of A Lyons Zolouzen, mature orange in full coat and carrying plenty of body weight who stood out in the class as far as head and expression is concerned and she throws out a very typical silhouette. 2. Neve’s Styalways I’m Still Standing, high quality black who was a little difficult on the table, apparently disliking the wind. Feminine head of excellent type, neat ears and refined foreface. Quite well bodied, very compact with good length of leg but on the table hindquarters could have been firmer. That said, she still moves with a lightness of foot and some rear drive and has reasonable coat texture. 3. D’Arcy & Duffield’s Paavali’s Shadow Heart.

OPEN BITCH (2) 1. Robb’s Ch Gleniren All Eyes On Me, rich orange in full coat and presented in bandbox condition, very petite yet firmly bodied and nicely balanced throughout with a bright dark eye in a wholly typical head. She scores heavily with her compactness, outline and steady movement. Won another CC to add to her growing collection, BOS and Reserve BIS. 2. Boyes’ Sunny Beach Silva For Poshdonpoms, shaded cream, sound and solid, good to go over on the table not the intense quality in head of 1 or her finish of coat, but she makes the best of herself on the move and is the sort of bitch that could breed something interesting.

VETERAN BITCH (1) 1. Chinn’s Gilberta Wings Magical Eyes At Midawn, 8 years orange with better teeth than many youngsters. Lovely head type with keen expression so solidly made – a dual purpose sort with good basic construction and moderate angles. In excellent coat of good texture and a steady mover. Best Veteran In Show.

SPECIAL BEGINNERS BITCH (2) 1. A. Wouldn’t It Be Lovely. 2. Cregg’s Edkbangels Zennia, well coated orange who had much more appeal in head type than 1 and was very solidly made but longer cast and was moving a little wide in front.

ANDREW H. BRACE