First Place in Veteran - Dog or Bitch, Judge: Mrs Elizabeth Barrett (Howthwaite)
Firstly, I would like to thank the committee for inviting me to judge their show, and thank you to the exhibitors for the lovely entry. Thank you also to my ring stewards Jem Thomas and Paul Brannan for their hard work and efficiency in keeping the classes running smoothly. I had some very pleasant surprises on the day when going over new dogs. Some dogs I found to be much lighter to handle than they appear from the ringside and also in the same vein, two or three were way over an acceptable departure from the standard weight. I found what I was looking for in so much as I believe we should be looking at the whole dog in balance. I sometimes think it is easy to get so hooked up on breed points that we lose sight of the whole picture. There were one or two difficult decisions on the day, but the dogs with balance, lightness and lack of exaggeration were generally rewarded and I do like to see a dog “active” as the standard calls for.
Grizzle & tan dog. Lovely head with good skull, little stop, strong muzzle and nice eye. Good neck and shoulders. Nice bone with strong pasterns and excellent well padded feet. Very good in body and ribs and handles much smaller and narrower than he first appears. Excellent topline with short, thick, well set tail. Good hindquarters which he used well on the move. Shown in an excellent deep double coat with thick undercoat and pelt. Very sound moving from all directions. Just lost his enthusiasm in the challenge.