Birmingham Dog Show Society Ltd

Birmingham National

Friday 8th May 2026

Deerhound 

Deerhounds are such a wonderful breed to be around and today was no exception, grateful thanks to the exhibitors for a lovely entry in both quantity and quality. I was first properly introduced to the breed by my dear friend, Jocelyn Duddell (Canerikie), and subsequently enjoyed many super weekends at the ‘Breed Show weekend’ together. I was really delighted to be given the privilege to award CCs at this excellent show and thank the Birmingham National Committee for allowing me the opportunity.

Deerhound Special Beginners Dog (0)

Deerhound Minor Puppy Dog (0)

Deerhound Puppy Dog (0)

Deerhound Junior Dog (3,1)

1. Peach’s Kilbourne Rossie. A very well proportioned dog, undoubtedly masculine but with pleasing shape throughout and plenty length of leg to maintain elegance. Pleasing curves to outline. Balanced head with good strength of jaw. Very good neck and front. Still has time to drop in chest. Good bone and feet. Strong rear with good width of thigh. A sound mover in all directions. Promising male.

2. Barret’s Stranwith Tor. A taller and more rangy dog but still in proportion. He is upstanding and his overall carriage is quite impressive. Lovely head, strong enough but with good shape and length. Neck of good length and strength. Not quite the balance in angulation of 1, would prefer a touch more front and a little less rear. Good spring of pastern. Good flow of outline throughout, both standing and moving. Needs to settle coming and going, went well in profile.

Deerhound Post Graduate Dog (4,1)

1. Barret’s Stranwith Tor.

2. Greenhalgh’s Kilbourne Ablaize at Leksmoor. Quite a moderate dog in many ways. Pleasing head and expression, dark eyes and neat ears. Strong neck into a fairly well angulated front. Curvy top and underline, just needs to drop in chest a little. Excellent feet. Balanced rear angulation, would prefer a touch more strength in the hocks. Needs to settle on the move but eventually moved on a fairly easy stride, if not that of 1.

3. Constantine’s Kaleginy Shogun.

Deerhound Limit Dog (5,2)

1. Peach’s Kilbourne Jagger. Quite an impressive overall look to this dog, good size, very good proportions, excellent balance and enough shape to his outline. Most beautiful head, eye and expression. He is so well made all through and stands totally square. Good infill of chest and depth of brisket. Well off for bone and has good feet. Excellent width of first and second thigh. Coat of good structure but wouldn’t like any less of it. A very sound mover in all directions. RDCC.

2. McPherson & Paterson’s Antonius Vertragus The-ngong-hills (Imp). This dog has excellent overall proportions and a very shapely outline. He too has a lovely head. Fairly well made in front, if not the layback of 1. Super depth and spring of rib. Pleasing curves to top and underline. Well rounded over the croup, though not quite the angulation and strength in the rear of 1. True mover up and down and a balanced stride in profile.

3. Sharp’s Humbiehounds Pirnmill at Coronach.

Deerhound Open Dog (5,4)

1. Peach’s Kilbourne Daniyal. Very impressive male, his overall proportions and balance are excellent. Super size and substance, he is all male without being coarse. Balanced and masculine head, though it as strong as I would like. Dark eyes and pleasing expression. Ears could be slightly neater. Excellent neck and layback of shoulder, with super return of upper arm. Scores for depth and spring of rib. Broad rear with balanced angulation, good strength and low hocks. He really opens up on the move where he goes with such an easy, free and long stride, holding his outline at all times with a really impressive carriage. DCC & BOB.

Deerhound Veteran Dog (1,0)

1. Thom’s Flaxside A Will To Live. A medium sized male with a very pleasing and shapely outline. Nicely balanced head with dark eyes and super pigment. Excellent, neat ears. Good strength of neck. Would prefer some more angulation in front. Very good topline with good length of rib and short loin. Lovely fall away over the croup into well angulation rear quarters. Good feet. Coat could be more consistent. Very accurate up and down on the move.

Deerhound Special Beginners Bitch (4,1)

1. Keane’s Beardswood Xenia. An elegant and racy bitch who won this class on her proportions and flow of outline. Most beautiful, refined head with good ear set and shape. Rather moderate in angulation fore and aft. Flowing top and underline. Would like more coat on the limbs. She carries herself very well on the move with a very easy and light action, displaying a balanced, if not long, stride.

2. Thom’s Lowland Fauns Ianthe at Flaxside (Imp). A well made, solid bitch who didn’t quite have the outline of 1, being a little flatter in topline than ideal. Lovely type of head, better in neck and front than 1, balanced and well made in the rear too. She is sound coming and going but really doesn’t carry herself well in profile and lacked the balanced stride of 1 in profile.

3. Carney’s Kilbourne Pollyanna.

Deerhound Minor Puppy Bitch (0)

Deerhound Puppy Bitch (2,0)

1. Thom’s Kaleginy Rolls Royce of Flaxside (AI). Quality puppy who is quite forward for her age. Lovely proportions being up on the leg and has already developed a pleasing outline. Feminine head with well set ears that she used well. Lovely neck and front. Deep and capacious chest. Well angulated rear with good width of thigh. Just needs time to improve in confidence and schooling, showed glimpses of easy, sound movement. Best Puppy.

2. Carney’s Kilbourne Pollyanna. Another very well bodied puppy. Pleasing balanced head and typical expression from lovely dark eyes. Very good layback of shoulder and balanced upper arm. Not quite as shapely in outline as 1 and more moderate in the rear. Delightful temperament. Light on her feet on the move, just needs to settle in the front.

Deerhound Junior Bitch (2,0)

1. Morton’s Kilbourne Renee to Gentom. This bitch is so well made throughout and it showed on the move where she is very impressive. She carries herself very well and has a free and lengthy profile stride. That being said, she is as strong as I would like and could have a touch more leg length for ideal proportions. Balanced head with dark eyes. Strong neck into well laid shoulders. Lovely shape to her top and underline. Scores in the rear where she has excellent strength, really using it to drive on the move. Good coat.

2. Thom’s Flaxside Eibhlin. Quite a tall bitch but still very good for overall proportions which I preferred to 1, just a little raw and needs to drop into her frame. Quite refined and elegant throughout. Long head, dark eyes and excellent ears. Has shape to top and underline. Needs to settle and a grow in confidence a lot, I was unable to assess her movement on the day.

Deerhound Post Graduate Bitch (9,3)

1. Bailey’s Greyflax Minnie The Moocher. A sturdy and quite impressive bitch, she stands over herself very well giving an impression of power and dignity. A little strong in head but it is balanced and she has a lovely expression from her dark eyes. Neck of excellent length and strength, into well laid shoulders. To be critical, I’d like her elbows a little neater and her feet a little tighter. Super depth and spring of rib, with enough shape to topline. Strong rear. A sound and balanced mover, and holds a better outline moving if anything which I really appreciated. Lots of like.

2. Wilce Quinton Kirjojax Thrilling Thistle. Another bitch who I thought looked better moving than stood. Preferred her head over 1, which has lovely length and femininity, though her ears could be smaller. Fairly pleasing neck and shoulder, but could have a touch more return of upper arm, Lovely bone, pasterns and feet. Admired her shapely top and underline. Broad rear with particularly good width of thigh. A free and active mover, holding her outline very well, just a touch close going away.

3. Stuart & Holt’s Ollandsheart Matilda.

Deerhound Limit Bitch (10,3)

1. Bailey’s Greyflax Miss Grace. Such a quality bitch, I thought she was just lovely for her look and type. She scores for overall proportions and outline. Beautiful head, balanced with powerful jaws and dark eyes. Ears of good size and shape. Excellent neck of the ideal length and strength. Shoulders well laid back, could haver marginally more return of upper arm. Super curves throughout. Balanced rear quarters with strong hocks. Such a sound moving bitch, true up and down and so balanced in profile, holding her outline. She pushed really heard for the CC, but just wanted her to put a bit more into it on the move. A very well deserved RCC.

2. Spence’s Hyndsight For Your Eyes Only. A rather generous and shapely bitch with a lovely upstanding carriage, she is very elegant and racy in overall look. Not the head and expression of 1, but still feminine. Length neck and very pleasing to over through the front, perhaps scoring over 1 here. Pleasing rise over the loin and correct tuck up. Excellent bend of stifle. Liked her a lot on the move in profile where she had such a lengthy stride whilst holding her outline, but needs to settle coming towards. 1 and 2 quite different really but lots to like in each and made for a difficult decision.

3. Stuart & Holt’s Packway Cora Sundrop at Ollandsheart.

Deerhound Open Bitch (5,2)

1. Anderson’s Ch Antonius Vertragus The-Mara-River with Hyndsight. A lovely sized bitch with a shapely outline and the proportions I was looking for. Beautiful head, feminine and balanced with correct flat skull and tapering. Excellent ears. Strong neck into a well angulated front, super return of upper arm and neat elbows. Straight forelegs, good bone, pasterns and feet. Super depth and spring of rib, with pleasing tuck up. Her topline flowed smoothly from her neck right through to her broad rear. Her hindquarters are well bent, with well let down, strong hocks. Excellent coat. Truly impressive on the move where she was absolutely true up and down and covered the ground with such an easy and light gait in profile. The carriage and activity of the male on the final go around just clinched BOB. Pleased to award her the BCC.

2. Spence’s Ch Hyndsight Neaghley. Another lovely bitch, not totally dissimilar to 1 in overall appearance, easy to see why she holds a crown. Really liked her head, expression and ears. Excellent neck and front, indeed she is totally balanced in angulation fore and aft. Harsh jacket. Preferred her femininity and flow of outline over 3 but just not quite as settled in front movement coming towards as 1. Still, she has such an easy and lengthy profile stride.

3. Peach’s Kilbourne Danny’s Annie.

Deerhound Veteran Bitch (4,2)

1. Wilce Quinton’s Kilbourne Louisa Chick to Kirjojax. Really pleasing bitch for proportions, balance and outline, she is certainly all of a piece. Lovely head and expression. Excellent ears, small, fine and well shaped. Super front construction, and balanced in the rear where she still has very good strength and stability. Flowing curves throughout her outline. Perhaps not quite as accurate on the up and down as she once was, but still went on an easy stride in profile holding her outline. Quite impressive for 9 years of age. Best Veteran.

2. Thom’s Flaxside Against All Odds. Another veteran holding her years very well, particularly on the move where she moved with great activity and freedom. Feminine head with good length and tapering. Strong neck and pleasing shoulder, could have more return of upper arm. Not the depth and rib of 1. Has some curves to outline but not always as consistent in topline as 1. Pleasing bend of stifle and width of thigh. Good coat.

Mr L A Johnston