Border Union Agricultural Society

ALASKAN MALAMUTES: Border Union, 13 June 2026

Thank you to my wonderful, friendly stewards who had already endured a long morning in the cold winds of Kelso, which to be fair was a blessing for our breed enabling them to show off at their best in a good-sized outdoor ring.   

Thank you to all of you who entered and showed under me, as I know what a long journey some of you endured. I thoroughly enjoyed my day and I had some excellent dogs to go over.

Puppy Dog 

No entries

Junior Dog 

No entries

Yearling Dog 

No entries

Graduate Dog (1/1)

1st Gibson’s Boreal Routes Conundrum for Ahtohallan (Imp Swe). A friendly, happy boy, I really liked him. Well-presented and in excellent well-muscled condition. Correctly proportioned with a nice head that just needs to mature with age, with a pleasing expression and correct eye. Large, compact well arched feet. Correct angulation front and rear with good turn of stifle. Would like his hocks a bit more let down to complete his overall picture and side gait. Lovely waving plume tail.

Post Graduate Dog 

No entries

Limit Dog (8/7)

1st Partridge-Bebbs Kaskae Show Me The Monet avec Keighanya. This characterful, happy boy caught my eye as soon as he walked into the ring and hands-on he didn’t disappoint. He is what this breed is all about for being truly fit for function and working all day. Well off for bone and built for power. His sound construction with stifles well bent, hocks well let down and correct front angulation with good sternum and fore chest afforded him his effortless, powerful reach and drive. Correct feet and strong slightly sloping pasterns. A lovely waving plume finished the overall picture. Good head of correct proportions with a strong, large muzzle and a dark, oblique set eye. I understand this was his second CC and I don’t think it will be long before he’s made up. I’ll look forward to seeing him mature. CC and BOB.

2nd Aitchison and Hursts Kaskae Eiffel for You. Brother to 1, another lovely boy with all the right attributes to make a great working sled dog. A lovely looking dog with a broad head and a muzzle correct in proportion to his skull with a good scissor bite. Although slightly smaller than 1, he has good bone and overall construction. Moved out well. Just not quite the prosternum/fore chest and reach of 1. I was thrilled to award him the RCC. 

3rd Druce’s Kaskae Hell of A View at Druxie (ai)

Class Open Dog (3/2)

A difficult decision.  

1st Innes’s Icycool Hudson Bay (ai). A lovely sable boy with good front and rear construction, moving out well coming and going. Lovely tailset and waving plume. Well off for bone. Good head and a strong muzzle of correct proportions. A bit short in leg for correct body length ratio, but still was able to power round the ring with ease. He won this class on his overall substance and balance on the move.

2nd Phoenix’s Ch Nordicwinds Grtest Showman JW ShCEx OSW. Of sound construction with excellent proportions. Finer in bone than 1, well muscled and presented in good condition. Lovely head and a nice dark oblique eye. Good scissor bite. I felt today that he didn’t move as flowingly as my 1 but he could easily have swapped places on another day.

Veteran Dog (2/2)

1st Woodheads Noraisy Take My Breath Away JW. Lovely 9-year-old sable male with a good head with correct slight stop and a pleasing expression with correct shaped and set ears. It was a shame he was out of coat today. Moved freely and effortlessly and was true going up and down with good angulation front and rear. Carried with him a lovely waving plume. Would prefer a longer leg to body length ratio. He won this class on his movement.

2nd Whitakker and Wolfes Dreamwolves Just A Lil Crush. 8-year-old grey and white male, presented well and in good condition. Nice head and eye. Good rear angulation and a powerful rear drive. His front didn’t match the forechest of 1 and hence he didn’t quite have the same reach on the move.

Puppy Bitch (2/2)

1st Phoenix’s D'alkontres Spice Up Your Life Nordicwinds. Pretty 6-month-old grey bitch. Still so young with lots of maturing to do, but on the day presented herself so well for her age and once she settled down she really showed her socks off. Good conformation front and rear, good turn of stifle and hocks well let down. Moved well coming and going. Nice feet. Lovely dark almond shape eye and correctly placed well furred ears on a well-proportioned and shaped head. Good length of neck and lay of shoulder. Her free-standing topline still needs to develop which I’m sure will come with age. BPIB

2nd Innes’s Icycool's Athena. 9 months, sable bitch with good bone. Settled and moved well and held a good topline. Good tailset and carriage. Nice feet and strong pasterns. I preferred the head of 1 and with a larger skull and muzzle in proportion. 

Junior Bitch (2/2)

1st D'alkontres Spice Up Your Life Nordicwinds

2nd Whittaker’s Orsamals Juste Ma Petite Chi avec Tundrabears. Lovely head, dark eye and nice ears with a good earset. Good rear construction and movement with well let down hocks. Shorter upper arm and straight front. Moved okay.

Yearling Bitch (1/0)

Graduate Bitch 

No entries

Post Graduate Bitch 

No entries

Limit Bitch (1/1)

1st Samjoe Seelie Queen. Lovely bitch with good lay of shoulder and well balanced rear and front angulation. Lovely rear turn of stifle. Good tailset and carriage. Nice head and dark eye. Well arched snow feet. She has all the attributes of an excellent mover, however, in the challenge I felt that her movement wasn’t shown to advantage, resulting in her not having the reach and drive of my winners today. 

Open Bitch (6/4)

1st Innes’s Icycool Ottawa (ai). Lovely 5-year-old sable bitch. Presented a lovely profile with good front and rear angulation and a slightly sloping topline which was held well on the move. Lovely head with correct muzzle in proportion to her skull. Pretty, kind expression. Nice wide chest with excellent front angulation. Moved with a steady, tireless gait. Good coming and going and won on her length of leg and front movement. Well handled. I was delighted to award her the BCC.

2nd Copley-Holland’s Ch Katabatics Troubleshooter JW. There’s a lot to like about this 3 year old girl, presenting a lovely side profile both in the stand and on the move. Good to go over with correct front and rear angulation. Still lots of maturing to do. Good side gait. I called her back in for the RCC challenge, but I just don’t feel that the grass suited her movement today, particularly as she was coming towards me.

3rd Pullin and Mountstephen’s Whitewalker Winter’s Gold

Veteran Bitch (4/3)

1st Woodhead’s Koromandel Rushin Around at Noraisy. Like a fine wine this girl improves with age. At 13 years this pretty female owned the ring and took everything in her stride. A credit to her owners and handler it was lovely to see her free stand and move so naturally, freely and tirelessly whilst still holding a perfect topline. This only comes with good construction and body condition. Good bone, nice wide chest and a good prosternum. Lovely feet and pasterns. Correct tail set and carriage. Lovely feminine head of correct proportions and nice tight lips. Excellently handled. I couldn’t fault her today. I was absolutely delighted to award her RBCC and BVIB. To finish the day in style, I was thrilled to see her awarded a well-deserved Working Veteran Group 1.

2nd Nevinson’s Ch Chayo Causin Chaos. Another lovely bitch of a completely different type. Of good overall construction, again well conditioned and with powerful, effortless movement. Good bone. Good tailset and carrriage. Carried a less feminine head and just didn’t quite achieve the reach and drive of my 1 today.

3rd Perfitt-Jone’s Samjoe's The One and Only VW

ANNA BALLINGTON-GRAHAM (CATUA)