Hound Club Of East Anglia

Hound Club of East Anglia – 04/05/24 (Whippets & Handling)  

I would like to thank the committee for inviting me to judge at their show. It was a delightful day, with the sun making an early appearance. A heartfelt thank you to my wonderful stewards for ensuring the ring operated seamlessly. I also want to thank the exhibitors who entered under me; I was thrilled to see an impressive entry of 50 whippets! 

Whippets 

I was looking for a whippet that best matched the breed standard, moved well, and could easily spend a day working in the fields. One observation was that while some whippets looked lovely when stacked and moved nicely in profile, they lacked good movement coming and going, which cost some of them higher placings. Nevertheless, I was very happy with my final lineup. 

Puppy (12, 2a) 

This was a tough class to judge, and I was pleasantly surprised to see so many good-quality puppies. As they mature, any of these puppies could change places, and some who were not placed today could move up the line in the future. 

1st Samson’s Zoraden Orange is Da New Blue at Romaclove. 8-month-old red fawn bitch of good size, still needing time to mature but with many commendable qualities. Long and lean head and skull, flat on top, tapering to the muzzle with a slight stop. Her oval eyes are bright and alert, complemented by a nice ear set. She has strong jaws with a regular scissor bite. An elegant neck leads into well-laid shoulders with lovely muscles for a puppy, and there is good space between the shoulder blades and a nice return of upper arm. Her strong pasterns have a slight spring. She possesses a deep chest with plenty of heart room and a graceful arch over the loin with well-sprung ribs. Lovely topline which she holds well on the move. Her hindquarters are strong, with well-bent stifles without exaggeration and well-let-down hocks. She has nice feet with well-arched knuckles. Her movement is true coming and going, and she moved beautifully in profile. BP. 

2nd Wilton-Clark’s Shalfleet Oliver Twist. 8-month-old brindle dog with a promising future. I really liked this puppy. Good head and rose-shaped ears. Nice oval eyes with a lovely expression. His jaws are strong with a complete scissor bite. He has a long, elegantly arched neck leading into well-laid-back shoulders and is another well-muscled puppy. Moderately angulated front and rear. He stands naturally over a lot of ground, with nice feet and well-arched knuckles. He moves well in profile. The decision between 1 and 2 was very close; I just preferred the movement of 1 when coming and going. 

Post Graduate (16, 6a) 

1st Halliday & Croxford’s Aarminias French Fancy at Whittimere JW. 21-month-old black and white bitch with an attractive head that's long and lean with a flat top. She has nice oval eyes with an alert expression and good rose-shaped ears. Her jaws are strong with a complete scissor bite. She has a long, muscular yet elegant neck. Her pasterns are strong with a slight spring, and she has a deep chest with plenty of heart room and a well-filled front. Her brisket is deep, and she has a broad, well-muscled back with well-sprung ribs and a definite tuck-up. She is strong and broad across the thighs with well-developed second thighs and well-bent stifles. She has good feet with well-arched knuckles. On the move, she is true coming and going, displaying power and grace, and was handled to her advantage. RBOB. 

2nd Searle & Rawlinson’s Reffton Tibalt at Whipsearle JW (IMP ESP). 24-month-old red fawn dog that I have admired since he was a puppy. He has a lovely head with a good ear set, strong jaws with a complete scissor bite, and an elegantly arched neck flowing into well-laid shoulders. He has a nice deep chest, a graceful arch over the loin, and well-sprung ribs. His stifles are well bent, with hocks well let down, and he has nice feet with well-arched knuckles. On the move, he is true coming and going and good profile movement. 

Limit (11, 3a) 

1st Bingham’s Wrennalla Steel. A 4-year-old brindle dog of lovely quality who might be overlooked among flashier dogs. His head is long and lean, with a flat top tapering to the muzzle and a slight stop. He has bright, oval eyes and good rose-shaped ears. His jaws are strong with a complete scissor bite, and he has a long, muscular, elegantly arched neck. His shoulders are well laid back with flat muscles, moderate space between the shoulder blades at the withers, and a good return of upper arm. His forearms are straight and upright with moderate-bladed bone, and his pasterns are strong with a slight spring. He has a very deep chest with plenty of heart room, a well-filled front, and a deep brisket. His back is broad and well-muscled, with well-sprung ribs, well-bent stifles, and hocks well let down. He moves true coming and going, with beautiful profile movement. 

2nd Leathart’s Ringmore Iona. A 3-year-old fawn bitch who is very feminine and might also be overlooked among flashier dogs. She has a good head and lovely ears, with strong jaws and a complete scissor bite. Her neck is good, and she has a lovely topline with a graceful arch over the loin. Her stifles are well bent, and her hocks are well let down. She has nice oval feet with well-arched knuckles. She moves true coming and going, and is very elegant in profile. 

Open (11, 2a) 

1st Thomas’ Aarminias Princess China of Bowdonia. A 6-year-old brindle bitch that captivated me from the first go-round. She has a beautiful outline and is very elegant, embodying everything I look for in a whippet. Her head is long and lean, flat on top, tapering to the muzzle with a slight stop. She has bright, oval eyes with a very alert expression, lovely rose-shaped ears, and strong jaws with a complete scissor bite. Her neck is elegant, flowing into well-laid-back shoulders with moderate space between the shoulder blades at the withers and a good return of upper arm. Her forearms are straight and upright with moderate bladed bone, and her chest is very deep with plenty of heart room and a well-filled front. She has a deep brisket, a broad, well-muscled back with a graceful arch over the loin, well-sprung ribs, and a loin that conveys strength and power. There is a definite tuck-up, and she is strong and broad across the thighs with well-developed second thighs. Her stifles are well bent, and her hocks are well let down. She has nice feet with well-arched knuckles and moves true coming and going, with absolutely beautiful profile movement. I hope she will be shown in veteran classes soon, as she can definitely hold her own. BOB. 

2nd Bridgman-Lewis & Wilton-Clark’s Shalfleet Making Waves. A 3-year-old brindle dog that I have admired from ringside. He has a nice head and ears, strong jaws with a complete scissor bite, and a long, elegantly arched neck. His shoulders are well laid back with a good return of the upper arm, and his pasterns are strong with a slight spring. He has a deep chest with plenty of heart room, well-sprung ribs, well-bent stifles, and hocks well let down. He can stand naturally over a lot of ground and has nice feet with well-arched knuckles. He moved well, I just preferred the profile movement of 1. 

BOB: Thomas’ Aarminias Princess China of Bowdonia. 

RBOB: Halliday & Croxford’s Aarminias French Fancy at Whittimere JW. 

BP: Samson’s Zoraden Orange is Da New Blue at Romaclove. 

BV: Samson’s Zoraden Surprise Edition at Romaclove. 

Junior Handling 

 6-11 years (No entries) 

12-16 years (2, 1a) 

1st Maisie Allenby handling a PBGV. I have admired this handler from the sidelines for many years. Even though she stood alone in the class, her performance was impeccable. She is a kind and sympathetic handler who consistently brings out the best in her dog. With beautifully straight lines and tight corners, she delivered a flawless performance. I would trust Maisie to handle any of my dogs. Best Junior Handler. 

Adult Handling 17-30 years (2 entries) 

1st Hannah Wayman handling a whippet. A brilliant handler, calm and sympathetic, who skillfully blended into the background to keep her dog in the forefront. She was always aware of my position in the ring and adjusted her movements accordingly, without overshadowing. Hannah had lovely straight lines and tight corners and she spoke calmly to her dog. I was delighted to award her Best Adult Handler in the challenge. 

2nd Trinity Robb handling a basenji. A lovely, smart handler who presented her dog well and pushed hard for 1st place. Unfortunately, she came in slightly late from a breed class which caused her to be flustered and she didn’t execute her pattern work as smoothly as the winner. Nonetheless, she still delivered a great performance and is a handler I will watch with interest in the future. 

31-50 years (5, 1a) 

This was an interesting class to judge, and I feel that on another day, any of these handlers could have easily swapped places. One point to note is that during their individual presentations, I asked each handler to show the 'bite,' but some of them showed me all three sides of the 'teeth' instead of just the bite. 

1st Hannah Wederell handling a Basset Fauve de Bretagne. A smart handler who skilfully showcased her dog to its advantage with good straight lines, tight corners, and an excellent pace. However, I felt she occasionally overshadowed her dog a bit too much when she didn’t need to which proved to be a slight distraction. A great handler who also asked for feedback after; I feel she is one to watch in future adult handling classes. 

2nd Nicole Searle handling a whippet. Another good handler who brought out the best in her dog with straight lines, tight corners, and an excellent pace. She pushed hard for first place; however, her nervousness and flustered demeanour affected the smoothness of her performance, which had been more polished earlier in the day when I judged the breed class. She is another good handler to watch in future adult handling classes.  

51+ years (2, 1a) 

1st Paul Richardson handling a basenji. A good handler, very calm and polite. He remained composed even when his dog was a bit stubborn and when the lead unclipped itself. I would prefer straighter lines and tighter corners for a more polished performance, but he is a good handler nonetheless. 

Abbeygail Longhurst (Abbeyhurst).