Crufts

Crufts 2025

Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit)

I would sincerely like to thank the Crufts committee for my invite to judge 2 wonderful breeds and to the exhibitors for bringing such lovely dogs & for accepting my placings with good grace.

Finally a huge thanks to Jan & Paul Shepherd for working tirelessly without a break from their 10am start to 4pm when I finished judging.

464. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Veteran Dog

Entries: 7 Absentees: 1

1ST 2556 - Beaujons Vagabond of Monkhams (Mrs L C & Mrs J Skerritt & Betts). 7.5-year-old boy with a beautiful head & eye, super neck & shoulder, straight front & pleasing feet although his nails could be shorter. Level topline, good depth of chest & spring of rib, strong loin, well made & muscled quarters with short hock. On the move he went soundly out & back, with style & coverage in profile. Shown in excellent coat & condition.

2ND 2501 - Erylan Loki Maitre Du Mal VW (Mr T & Mrs D Bartley). 8-year-old boy out of a larger mould, he has a beautiful head & dark expressive eye, super neck & shoulder with straight well boned front & neat feet. Super through the body, lovely topline, tailset & quarters. Stylish side gate with good reach & drive, he wasn’t quite as positive out & back as the winner.

3RD 2531 - Linphil Kili (Mrs T M Eaton)

465. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Puppy Dog

Entries: 2 Absentees: 0

1ST 2509 - Soletrader Finger Lickin (Ms J C Brown). This very roly poly boy of 9 months is a very special pup. He has the most delightful head & expression, with dark eye & lovely leathers. Superb neck & shoulder into straight well boned front with excellent feet. Good depth of chest & spring of rib for age, he is well ribbed back & his topline is good, well-made quarters with good turn of stifle & well let down hocks. On the move he is so free & easy with an excellent footfall, yes, he is a little loose but as he matures & pulls it all together I’m sure his future will be very bright. BPIB.

2ND 2507 - Vysaris Baccus Dieu Du Vin (Mr C, Mrs L & Miss S Brown). Well-schooled 8-month-old boy with a beautiful head & eye. Shorter coupled than the winner, he has a lovely outline & holds a good topline. Pleasing shoulder, good front, feet & excellent quarters. He moves out very well but lacked the forward reach of the winner.

466. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Junior Dog

Entries: 4 Absentees: 0

1ST 2529 - Jour Après Jour Sky Rocket (Mrs A N Huikeshoven). Exquisite head, eye & expression on this 14-month-old boy, the very best forehand with super neck, into correct shoulder placement, straight well boned front with super feet. Level topline, super depth of chest, spring of rib & strong loin. Good turn of stifle & well let down hocks which he used with purpose allowing him to gait round the ring with reach, drive & that little bit of style! Sound & true with the true petit character, shown in excellent jacket & conditioning he pushed very hard for one of the green cards.

 2ND 2548 - Maudaxi Billy Bookcase (Mr P & Mrs D Reid). Lovely sized boy with a dark eye, giving an appealing expression with a hint of naughtiness. Excellent neck & shoulder, good front, super ribbing & topline, strong loin & well made & muscled quarters. He moved soundly out & back & looked good on the go around, but he just didn’t quite have the reach in front of the winner.

3RD 2552 - Overbecks Finn Shelby (Mrs L & Mr J & Mr T Scott)

467. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Post Graduate Dog

Entries: 5 Absentees: 2

1ST 2535 - Soletrader Ed Sheeran (Mrs G L Mccartney). Lovely head & eye, super leathers, pleasing forehand, excellent topline, underline & tailset. Good hindquarters with plenty of muscle, shown in excellent fettle, he moved out soundly with style.

 2ND 2526 - Nykarth's under Wraps (Mrs Kim Holt). Pleasing head & eye, good earset with lovely leathers, good forehand with nice bone, level topline, good underline & quarters. Moved out well.

 3RD 2519 - Valefell Savannah Journey (Mrs D Fairhurst)

468. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Limit Dog

Entries: 5 Absentees: 0

1ST 2502 - Erylan Poseidon De La Mer JW (Mr T & Mrs D Bartley). Quality dog out of the top drawer, beautiful head, eye & expression. Excellent neck into clean shoulder, straight front & good feet. Super topline, good depth of chest, spring of rib & fill in front, good underline, strong, short loin. Excellent tailset, super quarters with good width & short hocks. Super coat & conditioning, he was sound, true & moved out well with a good stride.

2ND 2525 - Cynetkoy's Tinker Tailor (Ms L & Mr P Guernari & Dane). Typy boy with a dark mischievous eye set in a well-shaped head. Super forehand, level topline, good depth of chest & spring of rib, well ribbed back to strong loin & super quarters. He moved soundly out & back & covered the ground with ease, just preferred the slightly better reach in front of the winner.

3RD 2550 - Maudaxi Fonzie Foxtrot (Mrs D D & Mr P & Ms M Reid & Reid & Crowe)

469. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Open Dog

Entries: 6 Absentees: 0

1ST 2527 - Aust Sup Ch Dance Monkey Van Tum-Tum’s Vriendjes (Dr G.m. & Mrs M Huikeshoven & Marshall). This boy is the total package. Super head carried on a strong neck, into correct shoulders, straight well boned forelegs with strong pasterns & neat feet. Level topline held at all times, good depth of chest, fill in in front, good spring of ribbing which is carried back to strong short loin. Excellent tail carriage, super turn of stifle, good width & well let down hocks. His coat & conditioning was first class, sound as a pound he moved out with reach, drive & a bit of class & style to take a well-deserved DCC.

2ND 2546 - Black Majesty Pause 4 Applause Est/lt/lv/balt Jch (Dr I & Mrs K M Raic & Siitan). This stylish boy is a force to be reckoned with, he has a beautiful head, eye & expression. Lovely reach of neck, into well laid shoulder, straight well boned forelegs with strong pasterns & super feet. Super depth of chest, good prosternum, super ribbing carried well back to strong well-muscled loin. He has super quarters with good width, turn of stifle & short hocks used well. On the move he covered the ground with ease, with excellent footfall & sound out & back. His conditioning was first class & he was shown in super jacket, the old cliché “I was splitting hairs to make the decision” was never more apt than here! A very well deserved RDCC, a lovely boy.

 3RD 2508 - Ch Soletrader Fabioquartaro (Ms J C Brown)

470. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Good Citizen Dog Scheme Dog

Entries: 1 Absentees: 0

1ST 2503 - Erylan Zeus Roi Des Dieux ShCEx (Mr T & Mrs D Bartley). Pleasing head & expression, good eye & leathers. Super neck into straight front & good feet, excellent topline, good depth of chest & nice underline. His quarters were well made & well-muscled, shown in great jacket & good condition, he moved out soundly with a ground covering stride & a happy attitude.

471. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Veteran Bitch

Entries: 6 Absentees: 1

1ST 2499 - Ch/ir Ch/int Ch Erylan Hebe La Fille Jeune (Miss M & Miss E Anderson & Mcaulay). Stylish girl who has just turned 7, she has a beautiful head, eye & expression. Crested neck into clean well laid shoulder, straight well-boned forelegs with super feet. Level topline, with good depth of chest, spring of rib & fill in, short strong loin. Textbook quarters, with good musculature, shown in gleaming coat, she was sound out & back & filled my eye completely on the go around. BVIB.

2ND 2557 - Monkhams Luna Luvgood VW (Mrs L C & Mrs J Skerritt & Betts). Pretty 8.5-year-old with a kind dark eye, excellent neck & shoulder, good front & feet. Level topline, good through the body& quarters, she moved out well all ways.

3RD 2523 - Ir Ch Clonallan Just Beginning avec Erylan ShCM Ir Vch VW (Mr R, Mrs G & Miss E Foote & Mcaulay)

472. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Puppy Bitch

Entries: 3 Absentees: 0

1ST 2512 - Soletrader Queen Lizzie (Mrs E Cadmore). Naughtiest puppy in the entry, she is rather special & she knows it! 9 months old, she has an exquisite head & expression, super forehand with straight well boned front, good through the body, lovely topline, tailset & quarters. On the odd glimpse I got of four feet on the ground, she was sound & true with an excellent stride. Probably a little more mature through the body than the dog pup at the moment but he was steadier on the go-around & this clinched it in the BP challenge. BPB.

2ND 2500 - Vysaris Lys Tigre En Fleur (Miss M & Miss E & Mr J Anderson & Mcaulay & Gibson). Another quality pup with a melting expression & good head shape. Super forehand with good bone & feet, good topline & depth of chest for her 9 months, a little longer in body than the winner she will take her time to mature & pull it all together, but the essentials are there. Sound & stylish on the move & presented in great bloom.

3RD 2522 - Erylan Phoebe Petit Bijou (Mr R & Mrs G & Miss E & Miss M Foote & Foote & Mcaulay & Anderson)

473. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Junior Bitch

Entries: 4 Absentees: 0

1ST 2511 - Soletrader Splish Splash (Mr K D & Mrs E Cadmore). She came into the ring with attitude & panache & continued in the same vein. Stunning lady of 17 months, she has the most beautiful petit expression from those dark expressive eyes, lovely head shape & correctly set leathers. She has a super neck into correctly made shoulders with good return of upper arm giving correct fill-in in front, straight well boned forelegs, elbows close to the body, slightly sloping pasterns & super feet. She holds her topline correctly at all times, has good depth of chest, spring of rib reaching well back to short strong loin. Her tailset is spot on & her quarters have an excellent turn of stifle, good width & short straight hocks. Her coat is crisp & there was no evidence of over trimming or coiffuring. On the move she was sound & true with excellent reach & drive, shown at the correct pace for her size. She totally captivated me & fully deserved the BCC & ultimatly BOB in a quality entry. Was delighted to hear this win gave her, her well-deserved title & she showed her socks off in a star-studded group to get a well-deserved shortlist. Although she is lovely now, I’m sure she will only get better with maturity & will be very hard to beat.

2ND 2528 - Jour Après Jour Cherry Bomb (Mrs A N Huikeshoven). Another quality lady, 14 months old & loving life. Pretty head & eye, super forehand, excellent topline, depth, body & quarters. As you would expect from this kennel, shown in super coat & conditioning. This young lady had reach & drive & was stylish on the go-around, but she wasn’t as positive behind as my winner.

3RD 2545 - Black Majesty Some Say I’m Superstitious Cro Jch (Mrs I & Mrs D Raic & Kurjak)

474. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Post Graduate Bitch

Entries: 6 Absentees: 0

1ST 2521 - Erylan Passiflore (Mr R & Mrs G & Miss E & Miss M Foote & Foote & Mcaulay & Anderson). This kennel is certainly producing the goods when it comes to heads! Another beautiful girl, she has a super eye & expression, excellent forehand, great through the body & super, curvy quarters. She is typey & sound with good coat & in hard condition. Moved out well in all directions.

2ND 2520 - Tangaer Iced Bun (Mr R D & Mrs C A Fleetwood). Pleasing head & eye, super neck into well-made shoulder, good topline, depth of chest, ribbing & hindquarters. She moved out well & was shown in super condition.

3RD 2539 - Probert Calypso (Mr & Mrs R Moore)

475. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Limit Bitch

Entries: 7 Absentees: 0

1ST 2549 - Maudaxi Joanie Loves Chacha JW (Mr P & Mrs D Reid). Beautiful head & eye, mischievous expression. Super through the neck, shoulder & front, good depth of chest, good ribbing carried well back to strong loin. Level topline, super tailset, good width to thigh & turn of stifle. She is all of a piece when stacked & presents a lovely outline on the move where she is sound & true, with a reachy & stylish side gait. A quality girl in excellent condition, she pushed hard for the green cards.

2ND 2562 - Cynetkoy Winter Romance (Mr S D & Mrs A S Watson & Kenna). Pretty head & eye, super neck into good shoulder, well boned front & neat feet. Lovely through the body with good depth to chest, level topline & quality quarters with super muscletone. She moved soundly with an excellent footfall.

3RD 2558 - Monkhams Nightingale JW (Mrs L C & Mrs J Skerritt & Betts)

476. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Open Bitch

Entries: 12 Absentees: 4

1ST 2544 - Am/cro Ch Black Majesty Some Say Ww24 Euw24 (Mrs I Raic). When checking the catalogue, I see this lovely girl is half sister to my RDCC winner & it’s no wonder as they possess the same quality throughout. She has a stunning head & expression from her dark captivating eye. Excellent through the forehand, with super bone down to lovely feet, super topline, good depth of chest & spring of rib. Ribbing carried well back to strong short loin, excellent tailset & well carried stern. She has good width in 2nd thigh, good turn of stifle & short, straight hocks. Her coat texture was superb & she was presented in super condition. On the move she came into her own, with an excellent side gait & true out & back. A really lovely girl, who impressed me greatly – RBCC.

2ND 2498 - Ch Soletrader Fun Times for Rangali JW (Mr R & Mrs H Allenby). Lovely outline on this classy girl. She has a super head, dark expressive eye & lovely leathers. Super forehand with good bone & feet, excellent topline & underline, good ribbing & loin. Her quarters are well made & well-muscled & she moved out soundly with a good footfall in profile. Shown in gleaming coat & excellent muscletone.

3RD 2547 - Fox's Nightmare Lara Fabian at Maudaxi (Imp Rus) (Mr P & Mrs D Reid)

477. Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) - Good Citizen Dog Scheme Bitch

Entries: 0 Absentees: 0

SERENA PARKER