East of England Agricultural Society (06-07-2018)

First Place in Open - Bitch, Judge: Mr Bob Wright (Totherend)

Show Critique:

Many thanks to the East of England Agricultural Society for the opportunity to judge my fist Championship Show and to the excellent stewards who nursed me through with efficiency and humour. I was humbled by the size of entry and the willingness of the exhibitors to travel the length and breadth of the country despite the intense heat from which we tried to protect the dogs as much as possible.

I was particularly impressed by the quality of the open classes which were peppered with exhibits worthy of a ticket but unfortunately they only gave me two. A large number of exhibits were up to size and only just spannable but thankfully many of them were also narrow. I found one kinked tail, several borderline mouths and many promising exhibits that disappointed in the width or movement of their fronts. There was also a dearth of muscle particularly on the upper thighs but there were plenty of loose thick pelts and harsh coats. I was delighted not only with my winners but many of those who came close but regretfully had to leave empty handed despite being worthy of more.

Placing Critique:

Otter head with little if any stop, strong muzzle, scissor bite, dark eyes, neat ears, straight front, nice topline with carrot tail well set on, harsh double coat, narrow with ribs well back, good for bone, strong loin, well muscled with good angulation front and rear, well up on thickly padded neat feet, drove out from the rear for best mover of the day, clear empathy with her handler and this was her day, understated with no exaggeration she excelled in all aspects and drew the eye even against the strongest opposition, no wonder Poldark fell for her, I certainly did. BCC, BOB.