The Crufts schedules (for next March)have been out a while but is Birmingham National after a new record? Six months before the show the schedule drops into the letter box. Will you know where yours is come next March and the closing date? Possibly that is what they are counting on; everybody realising they will loose it so will enter early. For anybody who wants to Terrier Day is Friday 7th May and Kathy George (her second time giving tickets) is judge of the day.

When THAT television programme came out we all wondered how long other “fancies” would be safe. The Supreme is the cat equivalent of Crufts and this is how it was celebrated. Who will be next?

Yes, there still is five months to go before Crufts but tickets for the whole event have been on sale for a while and for some events, like Best In Show, sell out fast. Whether you just want to see Glen of Imaal Terriers or enjoy the whole incredible day it does make sense to get your tickets in advance…… and the schedules themselves should be arriving in the letterbox (subject to postal strikes) around the middle of November

Advance ticket booking is now available for Crufts 2010. Prices for Best In Show have an altered pricing structure.

Premium level(front section £25)

Band A (mid section £20)

Band B (rear section £17)

I just bought my swanky new dog bed this week and I have to say that I am well impressed so I thought I would tell everyone about it!! My little puppy has now grown into a young lady. She has turned a year old this week and she has decided to stop chewing everything in sight so I decided to treat her to a new bed, a nice bed that will last her a long time.

If anyone reading this blog has shopped around before for dog beds then they will know just how much choice there is out there on the internet. I literally spent hours searching all of the different shops online trying to find what I wanted, and I wanted something that wouldn’t look out of place in the living room. The search went on and it was getting to the point where I was ready to give up. Then, I hit the jackpot, a company that advertised “bespoke dog beds” which was exactly what I wanted. I found a “sofa” dog bed that looked perfect in the living room, they made the bed to my size and they even let me choose exactly what colour I wanted.

So now Cherry has her very own sofa in the living room and I get the original sofa back for myself. So a few days in and so far, Cherry has been as good as gold with the new purchase. I was a bit worried that it was too early to get her something smart but as of yet, the bed has remained unscathed (which is also very good for my wallet).

On the subject of dogs, I noticed in the news this week that DFS will be sponsoring crufts next year. Am I the only person that finds this a little odd??? Its one hell of a jump going from Pedigree pet foods to a sofa company and I fail to see the connection. Maybe DFS intend to make dog beds to sell on the high street, or maybe when we all head off to the NEC next year there will be plenty of comfortable seating for all of us!! Either way, I guess money talks and that is the main reason behind it, but it will be odd not having pedigree as the principle sponsor of the show.

I wonder what freebies DFS will give away? Leather samples? Miniature 2 seater sofas? My money is on money off token when you spend a grand on the latest sofa, Like you need money of when they have a 12 month sale…..

Unless you live in London the Kennel Club’s November Discover Dogs event isn’t really considered over much. Whatever people who live in the South East like to think there is a lot of country outside of their little corner and finally that may being recognised. How is that conclusion reached? Crufts has always got the full advertising but Discover Dogs appearing in the same “breath” as Les Miserables and ahead of ZZ Top…check it out!

Is it any wonder that I take so many pictures of my Jack Russells (Eddie and Tia) every day?

While browsing through my DVD of backups of all the commissioned photography jobs I’ve done since 2007 I came across a DVD with images taken at the 2007 Leeds Championship Dog show. The dog show was (and might still be) the final show before contenders go to Crufts.

I decided to pop the DVD into my pc & fire up Adobe Lightroom and while trawling through the images found the following ones that I find acceptable. I’d like to believe I’ve improved as a photographer since then so the images are not as sharp as I’d like but hey, give it up for the old days.

‘Dachshund’ is German for ‘Badger Dog’ but in English the breed is commonly known as the ‘Sausage Dog’ (or ‘Wiener Dog’ in America). There are three varieties in varying shades of brown and black: the smooth-haired, the long-haired and the wire-haired. A stretch version is also available for weddings and other special occasions.

The temperament is plucky and individual, and with its loud bark and exceptional hearing the Dachshund makes a surprisingly effective guard dog. Like many other small breeds, these little fellows do not take kindly to strangers or children, though these can be tolerated in small doses, more so if the dog is regularly familiarized with outsiders from an early age.

Bred in the UK for their sweet, pork-flavoured flesh until the practice was outlawed in 1827 with the passing of the Consumption of Dogs Act, the Dachshund’s unique and distinctive shape was developed through centuries of selective breeding. The legs tended to be somewhat neglected as there was not much meat there to be had, whilst longer-bodied examples were highly prized for the size of the ’sausage’: the long fillet produced when the animal is slaughtered and boned. Though the Dachshund is no longer customarily eaten in the UK and is now a familiar household pet these breeding preferences have been maintained for showing purposes and so it remains the case that, generally speaking, the longer the dog’s body and the shorter its legs the better. In the early 1980s, Herr Flasche (Mr. Bottle), a Dachshund with one inch legs and a body nearly three feet in length dominated at Crufts, winning Best of Breed in 1981, Best in Group in 1982 and Best in Show in 1983.

Interestingly, the Dachshund is one of only two breeds of dog in the world that is not a mammal (the other is the Shar Pei). Females lay clutches of six or so eggs at a time in a nest made from straw and other material. Unfortunately, a high level of infant mortality is normal for this breed, and usually only one or two of the hatchlings will survive.

The dog has long been associated with Germany and in 1972 a multi-coloured example named Waldi was chosen as the official mascot of the Munich Summer Olympics. Much favoured by artistic types, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and David Hockney were all proud owners. Radclyffe Hall, one of Britain’s finest lesbian writers, successfully bred Dachshunds for many years with her lover, Lady Trowbridge. The resulting hybrid progeny were, of course, eventually destroyed.

The Kennel Club have announced that Crufts will be televised byMore4 in 2010. The announcement says DFS Crufts; we never called it Pedigree Crufts!

The Kennel club have confirmed that the furniture manufacturer DFS will be the main sponsor tor the crufts dog show in 2010. They are to replace Pedigree petfoods as the principal sponsor of the show.

This is the first time that a main sponsor will not directly related to the pet industry and many may feel this is a strange move, however both parties are very happy with the agreement.

The kennel Club Chairman Ronnie Irving has said “This exciting development will enable us to make sure that the event is better then ever before”.

DFS chariman Lord Kirkham stated “We are proud to be involved with an event dedicated to ensuring dogs enjoy happy, healthy and comfortable lives”.

who know, maybe DFS might start manufacturing some designer dog beds to go with their furniture!!! We shall have to see.

The auction on ebay of items to benefit the Glen of Imaal Terrier PRA Fund finishes today. This is not something that runs all year round but is a special event to co-incide with the PRA Fund Raising Event so you won’t be able to put a bid in next month…or even next week. The two Pedigree Chum items (Crufts Best Opposite Sex bag and Suit Carrier ) are gathering a lot of interest but there are still bargains to be had. The Weetabix card is an absolute steal and the T shirt sporting the logo of the campaign would make an excellent nightshirt.

Don’t leave it until the last minute to bid!

Here is some information on a study completed by the Royal Society for Protection of Animals.

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=pedigreedogs 

http://www.verrere.org.uk/RSPCA%20report%20critique1.pdf

An article on inbreeding. 

http://www.physorg.com/news138025054.html

Some info on Sringohydromyelia that happens in King Charles Cavalier Spaniels.

http://www.jaaha.org/cgi/content/abstract/36/1/34

Apparently the “ridge” for which the Rhodesian Ridgeback gets it’s name poses major health issues, and puppies born without it are immediately culled even if healthy, because they don’t fit the breed profile.  It has been prove that the puppies with the ridge that is so sought after are sickly and prone to pin hole like lesions on their skin which allow infection to get to their spin or brains.  The puppies without the ridge are the more heartier of the breed! 

http://www.rhodesianridgebackhealth.org/resources/ridgegenetics.html

While I understand that we have to have standards because we can’t have people going of half-assed or half-cocked breeding left, right and centre, but really should the standard, cosmetics and or looks weigh heavier in the show ring than HEALTH!?????  The winner of Crufts in 2003 Yakee a Dangerous Liason a Pekingese was immediately rushed from the winning circle to sit on an ice pack to cool him down because the threat of him overheating from running around the ring under the lights with that fur was imminent! 

I can’t say I love my dog more or less for him being the breed he is.  To me he is the opposite of what Cesar Milan tries to tell me.  He is Brody, he is a dog, he is a Yellow Lab….  Cesar wants me to see him as dog, breed, individual.  However I feel that is where we go wrong.  When we don’t see them as individuals they become object, of prestige, power and money and are used at all costs to gain each…..  When we see them as living, breathing creature with beating hearts and searching else who feel pain how can you not stop and think that what we are doing to them in the name of perfecting a breed is WRONG!

So watch out for tomorrow when I start talking about my disdain for breastfeeding Mothers!  ARRRRG!

Pedigree Dogs Exposed – Passionate Eye Monday | CBC Newsworld 

Please ready this article, if you get a chance to see the show it is an eye opener.  It is horribly shameful that these breeders, breed club, breeder associations and the kennel clubs all worry more about appearance and breed standard than they do the health of the individual dogs and the line of the breeds they profess to care so much about and love so deeply.  There was great debate about “culling” puppies that don’t fit the standard.  A vet actually likened breeding dogs that have known ailments such as syringomyelia where the dogs brain is actually too large for it’s skull causing pain and creating more dogs to suffer from it to beating that dog with a stick.  Something that would land you with animal cruetly charges, so why then are breeders not subject to health checks etc in order to continue to breed their dogs, why are they allowed to disregard a vet’s advice not to breed their dogs….?  Doesn’t make sense!  Here are a few other things to take note of.  I wish more people would take notice!  It is simply and purely not right.  Yes, you will ask isn’t my dog a purebreed?  Ummm Hmmm!  But he was rescued as well from a breeder!  I never set out to have him.  I took him after I saw how he was living when he was a mere five months old!  Please everyone have a look! 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7569627.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7569521.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7569064.stm

By Cara Sulieman

A NEW vet clinic has been given a thorough inspection by a canine expert – a cancer-beating border collie.

Six months after defying the odds and recovering from cancerous lymphoma, Scrooble competed in Crufts.

And yesterday he was back at the clinic to check out the facilities at the University of Edinburgh’s new cancer centre.

The seven-year-old pooch is back to his energetic self after undergoing a gruelling eight months of chemotherapy for his cancer.

“Jump on the table”

His owner, Sara Hawkswell, from Armadale in West Lothian, said that Scrooble quickly got used to the hospital during his treatment.

She said: “Scrooble was so used to coming in for treatment that he would look out for anyone he knew walking past in the waiting room and then, when it was time for his treatment, he would jump right up on to the table.

“The staff were always incredibly friendly and helpful.”

The brave pet starred in the 2008 Flyball agility contest at the prestigious dog show Crufts and has been bursting with energy ever since.

Full of energy

Sara said: “Scrooble is now full of energy, competing in agility at shows most weekends, and since his recovery has gone up two agility grades.”

The Veterinary Cancer Care centre opens today and will treat up to 20 animal cancer victims a week.

Filled with state of the art equipment, including a CT scanner that can accommodate horses, the centre will offer radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery to suffering animals.

And as well as treatment, the centre will carry out research that will not only help animals, but could potentially help find treatments for humans with cancer as well.

Important research

The scientists at the Vet School have already discovered a cancer stem cell in dogs that may help find treatments for bone cancer in children and adolescents.

Professor David Argyle, centre director, said: “The centre will have the most sophisticated diagnostic procedures, followed by comprehensive cancer therapies for pets, including a linear accelerator to provide radiotherapy.

“Our understanding in treating cats and dogs and how cancer takes hold will also pave the way for comparative research, relating what we know about the disease in animals to humans to improve treatments for all.”

The rate of cancer in pets is soaring as animals start to live longer – but new treatments have led to a better chance of survival.

This week has been a time of generating new leads and catching up with old contacts. There’s nothing better than being asked to do a piece of work for someone whose business you know inside out, so you can just pour out everything you know and get some great feedback at the end of it. It’s these times that I realise just how great writing is!

The flip side is that sometimes you get people who will never be happy, regardless of how much you agonise and sweat over their work. If you write a booker-prize worthy piece, they will favour Orange. If you translate all their work in to fluent Hebrew, it will transpire that they like Ancient Greek. It’s tough sometimes to work out just what people are looking for, and sometimes it can take days to complete a piece of work just because, stupidly,  you can’t find a way to walk in to their head, squeeze out their brain and dump all the contents on to a page of A4.

Aside from that, George has learned to ‘roll over’ on demand. My friend was watching as I was trying to teach him, and he would only do it if I tapped him on the side. She suggested that I had anchored the tap, and I needed to draw away from doing it until he learned on his own. As a supposed NLP expert this should have been the first thing I thought of, but for some reason I didn’t equate puppy training with NLP until now. I did as my friend suggested, and lo and behold, he rolled over like a Crufts winner. Weird! I’m now going hypnotise him to only poop when on grass, teach him through anchoring to make coffee when he hears us cough in the morning, and then write a book on ‘Training your Puppy with NLP’. Fantastic.

When Betty did our ringcraft class proud and became a champion at Crufts, we had a great celebration. Not much work was done that week, as we all toasted her success.

Now we have even more to celebrate and we shall have to forget the ‘Ugly Betty’ nickname for ever, as Graham and Ch Witchstone Centre Fold not only took BOB at Birmingham National – but also won the Toy Group too.

Congratulations to you both – we are so proud of you!

March 09 saw us all at Crufts Championship show for the start of our shows with CCs this year. Bareve GWPs had a fabulous day accounting for many great wins/placings with dogs owned by ourselves and others. Gundog Specialist Patsy Hollings was our judge and awards Bareve dogs the following:

Best of Breed (going on to Gundog Group 4) – Ch Freddy vom Kapellenhof at Bareve. Freddy has now equalled the Breed CC Record held by our own Sh Ch Bareve Biwindi JW

Bitch CC (her second) – Bareve Bataka, handled by Alex Friar. Chelsea is a Freddy daughter.

1st Post Graduate Bitch – Bareve Buffy owned by Sarah Morris

1st Good Citizen bitch – Sh Ch Bareve Boxcara to Jepejo ShCM owned by Jean and John Marshall

Class placings where also won by Bareve Balakot, Ch Bareve Beesterkraal, Sh Ch Bareve Bronte for Rudishaw and Bareve Bokassa von Jepejo.

Paul Eardley, Crufts judge of Glen of Imaal Terriers this year, wishes to thank the people who signed the condolences card which was going round the benches at the show. The kindness and thoughts passed on over the loss of his mother was really appreciated.

The answer is no. I’m 25 and I am yet to acquire any feasible form of photographic ID. Now a lot of people gasp and ask if it ever poses me a problem and while I’d like to say no, it really does.

Besides the fact that when it comes to job interviews, the main hassle I have is when purchasing alcohol. I remember my 15-year-old days when getting in to pubs, clubs and bars wasn’t exactly difficult; I was 17 and getting in to over-21s  on many occasions. Years later, and you’d think buying a drink was as bad as killing a puppy in front of a Crufts audience.

The point is, why should I justify forking out for my first passport or drivers’ license when I don’t drive (and have no immediate intention of doing so) and the only time I’ve spent abroad was the most miserable 48 hours of my life, at Disneyland Paris on a school visa? There is no point. It isn’t mandatory to possess either form of identification, hence the ridiculous price of both.

Let’s skip a few more years in to the future and surmise that mandatory ID cards are in full effect. Why the hell should anyone have to justify forking out for one of them either? How ridiculous a concept. If those positing the idea think it’s neccessary, then they should figure out a decent reason why every person should have to purchase THEIR OWN identity.

Which brings me on to credit cards. I don’t regret getting a credit card one bit, though in the current financial crisis, I regret that I am only just making repayments. My credit limit is only £400, which is ideal because my plan was only to use it once, pay it off and cut it up, simply to improve my credit rating, should I need to utilise it at any point in the future. My plan failed and I now owe approximately £380.

Here’s my beef with credit cards: The idea is that you apply for one and if your credit rating is good enough, you’re supplied with one; the limit of which is set at increasing amounts dependable on how good a rating you have. I’m fully aware of how this global financial blunder has come about, but I think credit cards are largely to blame. I still am not fully aware of where that £400 limit of mine comes from. I’ve signed a contract for the card and agree that if I spend money on MY card, then I have to pay it back to the bank. But where does the money come from? If my signature is what brings the card in to existence, the money wouldn’t be there in the first place. Which begs the understanding why should I have to pay extortionate interest on the damn thing?

Call me naive, but I am also aware of the concept of overdrafts facilities and loans; both of which I still can’t pinpoint exactly how the money comes about existing, but it’s all very frazzling. Surely all this debt belongs to the bank, having aided in it’s creation to begin with? Let the bosses foot the bill and let me able to afford to shop for the essentials again.

My human, Hsin-Yi, was very flattered by your nice comments about her in the last post. Actually, yes, she does do some modelling part-time and I even helped her with her last portfolio…look!

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Here is the rest of her portolio, if you’re interested!

Well, aside from the photoshoots, I have been really busy learning my new Canine Freestyle dancing routine, because we have a performance coming up in 1 week’s time!  Eeek! Hsin-Yi is really worried that we won’t be ready in time because she hasn’t had much time to prepare for this routine. We have been practising really hard every day – short sessions morning and evening…I will put up some videos soon to show you what we’ve been practising!

In the meantime – especially for all my Golden Retriever friends! – here is a wonderful video of a Team Display of Golden Retrievers at Crufts 2009, the world’s most famous dog show:

Aren’t they beautiful? It’s so nice to see such a big group of the same breed so well-trained!

And now, for something REALLY amazing – take a look at this video of Dazzle the Border Collie performing her incredible tricks…she is like Super Dog! It is such an inspiring video – although I don’t think I could ever learn so many tricks so well…not if I trained for 100 years!

After Crufts it was asked if Glen of Imaal Terriers were turning into a “3″ breed? Yes we are! Yesterday was the Irish Kennel Club Celtic Winners Show (which will always be known as the St Patrick’s Day bash to people of a certain age) and Homer was Best of Breed which means he now adds CW ‘09 to CW 07/08.

Have a look at this. It has been examined upside down and inside out. The microdot has been looked for and invisible ink has been mused upon but even after half a dozen times of reading the same answer still comes up: the Kennel Club have had another one of their moments!

It was an incredibly International Crufts with the canine exhibition world showing their support. The KC reaction to this (according to that press release) we don’t DO international anymore. Just think about the number one and two male Glen of Imaal Terriers at Crufts. Homer is an Irish, American, Swedish and UK Champion who happens to do a lot of commuting. Why should Nick and Ann bother to come here anymore if the KC can’t be bothered to acknowledge any more titles he picks up. Buster is a UK, Belgian and Dutch Champion and Jean was thinking about a few more overseas trips to hopefully turn Bussy into an Int. Ch. She might decide to still do it but it will never appear on anything “official” in the UK now.

The Rare Breeds and Imports have been huge overseas travellers since the Pet Passport came in. Some of the most multi-titled animals are amingst their ranks. They won’t be there anymore, well they might be but nobody in the UK will be aware of it just by reading the show catalogues.

Just wonderful how the Kennel Club seem to decide to acknowledge the time, effort, money and expertise of the breeders and exhibitors who go out into the world to show how good the UK dogs are!

Crufts is over and was a fabulous event in spite of the pessimists who predicted gloom and disaster. In fact it was the most relaxed and positive event for years – with two of my favourite dogs going BIS and RBIS.

So why am I now spitting tintacks about the KC? A seemingly unimportant little announcement posted on the KC website has reduced me to a gibbering wreck yet again. The KC will no longer recognise FCI International Champion titles. The only reason for this seems to be that the FCI has announced that it is no longer necessary for a dog to hold a British champion title in order to claim the International award. Talk about petulance! The KC are throwing all their toys out of the pram with, once again, absolutely no thought for the exhibitors.

Whilst it is annoying and frustrating for those who show CC breeds (Ch/Belg/Dutch Ch Jeonty Wannabe Buster needs just one more CACIB from a third country to claim the International title – is it worth the time and expense of travelling to Europe to try and achieve that when the KC will refuse to record it ?) for those of us with Rare Breeds (ie those that are not awarded CCs) this decision is like a great big slap in the face.

No matter the quality of an individual dog a Rare Breed, such as the Cesky Terrier, cannot become a champion under the KC system. Yet several dogs being shown in the UK have won CACIBs/CACs in Europe – Collin, Dufek, Gloria, Captain – and Nina before she went to Canada. Gloria was BIS at the Czech Club show, with an entry of 72, Dufek has twice won a CAC at the same show whilst Collin won one of her CACIBs at the World Show in Dortmund. Going over to Europe gave our breed the chance of earning a champion title . Whilst we can still earn the title we cannot use it. Thanks KC!

Just a further thought. If the KC have a problem with the validity of the International Champion title, why do they continue to appoint FCI qualified judges for our breed at Crufts? We do have, as per KC regulations, a judging list with clearly stated criteria. Out of the nine times the Cesky Terrier has been classified at Crufts four of our judges have been approved by the FCI, but are not on our judging list.

The best show in the dog-world!

Today I will dedicate myself to one of my greatest passions, dogs.

For alot of people dogs are simply accessories, but theyre far more than that. therfore I would like to introduce you to “Crufts” the worlds biggest dog exhibition in the world.

In 2009 more than 28,000 dogs participated in various competitions such as Agility, Obedience,Flyball, Junior Handling and many more. Crufts has more than 100,000 visitors every year reaching the tremendous amount of 140,000 visitors in 2009.

Here are some amazing videos of these competitions. Take a look its worth it.[.....]

Isnt it amazing to see what dogs are capable of?

2009 Large Agility winner:

2009 Flyball winner: