Crufts 2005

Kennel Danscan's
mail@danscans.se
0455/972 08
0730/79 14 07

Departure

Monday March 7 Anders and I met Heidi in Flensborg where we picked up our rented camper to begin our trip to England and Crufts! Our Parson Russell Terrier-bitch Cudweed's Up Town Girl (called Sidda), which is of Heidi's and Senne's breed was qualified for Crufts on May 2 2004 in Helsingör for judge W Browne-Cole from England. Same day Sissa became Danish Show Champion and Best of Breed. Heidi brought her Parson dog Rednock Shaggy who qualified the same day as Sissa. Shaggy, who is Nordic Show Champion and the sire of our first, and so far only, litter, also qualified for Crufts late in August in Norway.

The trip started somewhat late since we had to repair the camper, but finally we were off. We drove the whole evening and almost the whole night going directly for Calais where we stopped for a few hours of sleep. At the ferry the dogs' passports were thoroughly inspected but we managed to get on a ferry earlier than expected anyhow.

Arrival to England

In Dover we remembered to drive on the left side and we continued to London, Oxford and finally to Moreton-in-Marsh, where we parked at the town square. Heidi called Kate Allen, who came to meet us and showed us the way to her and Tim's hown in Keepers Cottage at Batsford House. Here we parked the camper and set up our base for they stay in England.

At home at Kennel Alne Terriers

Kate and Tim are really nice, young and hospitable persons. The have taken over the kennel name Alne Terriers after Mark and Tina Allen who now lives in Kenya. Kate also trims and handles dogs. Tim is Head Gamekeeper at Batsford House. He breeds pheasants and look after the wild animals. They live in a cottage in the park Batsford Arboretum. Here we could walk the dogs in the mornings. It was really british with the castle in the park with pruned trees and bushes. The daffodils were about to bloom and other spring flowers were already blossoming. What a joy for Swedish eyes after month of snow! Even though spring was late in England it had progressed much more than in Sweden.

Kate and Tim have 5 parsons, 7 working lakelands, 1 english springer spaniel, 1 cocker spaniel and 1 lurcher. We had come to a real dog home! Inside was a parson - Ch Alne Foxglove, Top PRT Bitch 2004 - Clover, together with two lakelands, Briar and Jaffa. Briar is Jaffa's daughter. They were all really cute and specially Jaffa became my favorite - she was almost like a brown parson!

Our first evening we invited them for an English pub dinner but Tim could not make it since he was out hunting with some friends so it was only Kate that joined us. She showed us the way to The Fox & Hounds Inn in Great Wolford and we had a really nice evening in an incredible somewhat old pub from 1540 with stuffed animals on the wall. The food was good - we nordic guests chose the wilderness sausage with vegetables, mashed potatoes and sause.

Visiting Kennel Heythrops

Next day - wednesday - we drove out to visit more parson kennels near by. First stop was at Linda and Roger Bigland, owner of Kennel Heythrops. Roger Bigland judged the Swedish Parson Special show 2004 so I had met him before and Heidi also knew him. Heidi had called in advance so we were expected. First we was invited to the house for tea. The house was filled with photos, paitings and statues of parsons. You could easily see here lived people who spent a lot of time with dogs.

In the kitchen there were several parsons and a small bitch puppy who caught our attention. Linda said it was the most rude puppy she ever had, but it was so cute! It was after Toastmaster and I remembered Riplington Gipsy Girl, so I'm gonna keep an eye on her. We had a nice discussion about dogs and the new law in Brittain banning fox hunting and blood sports. Roger has working terriers so his future is therefor not so bright. He's now working with border terriers and in his car was a border in a cage together with shovels.

After the tea we went outside to see the dogs who had separate kennels. The dogs were divided in His and Hers dogs. The kennels were very neat and clean and the dogs were in good shape. We brought some gifts; beer, cheese and 2 Kosta Boda Snowballs (candlestick out of glass in the shape of a snowball), so Roger welcomed us back! I'm convinced he would have even without the gifts!

Our base at Tim and Kate's

The park at Batsford House

Kate and the puppies

The favorite Lakeland terrier Jaffa

Linda Bigland

Heidi and Roger

Roger Bigland's working border terrier

Toastmaster at Kennel Heythrops

Moving on to Kennel Clystlands

After visiting Linda and Roger we drove to Pirton to visit Ruth, owner of Kennel Clystlands. Heidi had been there before but we had to call her anyhow to find our way. Ruth judged the Swedish Parson Special Show in 2004 and Heidi had known her for several years. Heidi's parson Nelly - Clystlands Comity - who is grandmother to Molly, she got from Ruth. Ruth lived in a small village at the country side in a very nice house, Pirton house. I was very fond of the sign on her house - a parson in silhouette of wrought black iron. I want one of those!

Again we were invited to the house and her dogs came inside which enabled Shaggy and Sissa to run around in an enclosure. Ruth's Clystlands Embazonment just had had a litter so that was what we first saw. Afterwards we got a lunch prepared by Ruth. We talked about dogs and again it was obvious we had come to a dog home with photos, figures and ribbons all over the place.

The puppys' father, Clystlands First Rather, had been stolen from his enclosure at his owner in Grimsby, which sadened Ruth, which you can understand. On numerous occations these kind of thefts had happened in England. In Ruth's hallway there was a memorial over her dog Clystlands Cracker Jack who had won BOB at Crufts, him also being an ancestor to both Sissa and Molly. After a couple of lovely hours at Ruth's we returned for Batsford.

The evening before

In the evening Tim and Kate got a visit by a friend in compay with two American breeders. The were mostly into hunting so we didn't understand all they talked about. Kate and Heidie got some Fish and Chips and after a pleasant evening with food and wine we got to bed early to be rested for the big day we all were waiting for - terrier day at Crufts!

The morning of the Show

We rose at 5 o'clock since we were going to Kate's mother's to pick up dogs and accompany since we had decided to take the train to Crufts, thus avoiding the long walk from the car park. The train drove almost into the show ground. Sissa's father, Ch Alne Artic Fox (Scout), lived at Michaela's, Kate's mother. We looked forward to meeting him. We were not dissappointed, he was a very beautiful dog with a good temper. He wouldn't enter the dog show but was being displayed at the Parson display booth where Michaela would be.

Unfortunately we were held up by the camper that couldn't turn on the small roads, but with a little help by some octopus-arms we could continue. At the train to the show we met several intrested persons and a boy on his way to school who whished us Good Luck!

I want one of those!

Heidi and Ruth

Wall at Ruth's house

Anders with one of Ruth's dogs

Memorial

At Crufts

The show ground was huge and even we were there early there was a crowd of dogs and people. We found our spot - as the dogs has prereserved spots where to be put during the show and their ring numbers were also found on this spot.

Heidi should have entered another bitch but she had missed a rabies shot so she had to stay at home. Due to that vacancy there was an open spot besides Shaggy so we moved Sissa so we could sit together. We were so lucky, our ring was just beside our spots so we could follow the judging and keep an eye on our dogs at the same time - how lucky can a person be!

We said hello to Steph Collis who is judging the Swedish Parson Special Show in Borås 2005 since Kennel Riplington's dogs were just next to Sissa. Steph is looking forward to coming to Sweden this summer to judge and she has also some vacation which she and a friend of hers are going to use for seeing some more of Sweden. It came natural to invite her to visit us in the parts of Sweden that is home of the glass making if her trip would go in that direction.

Shaggy's breeder Christiane had also come to Crufts and she got a spot at ringside with Heidi. There were 118 parsons entering the show so the judging would take hours. We were also looking for a fiancé for Sissa so the dogs were looked upon with much interest! We relied more on Heidi's and Christiane's judgments and not the judge's since we have much respect for the parson-sence of these women. All four of us far from agreed with the judge but that is normal at shows.

Shaggy in the ring

When Shaggy entered the ring in Open Class we were very tense! Shaggy is undocked and when he was put on the table the judge held her hand over the part of his tail who stuck up from the british standard with short docked tails. When she placed the dogs Shaggy was not amongst the four she picked so Heidi left the ring with him. They were called for and Shaggy was placed as number six with a HC - Highly Commanded.

Sissa in the ring

When Sissa entered the ring we started as first couple in Open Class. I was happy about that to get it over with and she didn't "die" as she does sometimes. She usually gets bored if it takes too long time, she wants things to happen. We thought she walked nicely and presented herself well but we got no place. While waiting for the other dogs to being judged she apparently thought something had to happen. Then she sat down on her back paws and waved her front paws and "talked", her praire dog trick, as we call it. She enjoyed the audience and we got some positive remakrs. So she distinguished herself despite everything, that she handled all by herself. I agreed with a woman in the audience that if she didn't win Crufts she could at least join a circus!

Resultats Crufts 2005

Best Of Breed: Ebblechase Eleanor
Dog Challenge Certificate: Cassacre Kabin Boy
Bitch Challenge Certificate: Ebblechase Eleanor
Reserve Bitch Challenge Certificate: Glenholm Sandi Bach
Reserve Dog Challenge Certificate:: Mindlen Badger
Best puppy: Cassacre Outrider
Judge: Mrs I Morrison

Sissa's fiancé

Of all possible fiancés for Sissa we liked Muhlross Hootlet JW, place three in Limit Dogs, the most. It appeared that his owner was the woman I had talked to while Sissa and I was in the ring about her circus trix. So, when I contacted her after coming home, concerning a mating agreement, she remembered us very well.

After judging

When the judging was done we took Sissa and went looking in all the shops and had some food. We visited the parson display and say hello to Scout (Artick Fox) and Michaela. When we went shopping we met several people we knew from Denmark and met many englishmen wanting to pet Sissa and talk about dogs.

We were stopped by an artist who took photos of dogs to later being able to paint them and he fell for Sissa since she showed him her trick. He asked if he could take her picture for a painting and maybe even a poster since he liked her head a lot. Of course he could, so now we are exited about her on a painting or a poster.

While it became late in the afternoon we got tired after all the impressions of the day we agreed upon getting back to Batsford again. After having walked and fed the dogs we drove towards Evesham to meet Linda and Roger to finish the great day with some food at a pub, and as usual, talk alot about dogs! When we said goodbye we were invited to visit them again if we were around!

The day after

The day after we slep long and when Heidi went with Kate to Mark and Tina's house to get some left behind stuff from Crufts two years ago we took Shaggy and Sissa on a long walk through the park and down to a greenhouse nearby. We bought stuff to a hanging garden, seed and a rose to be planted in our yard in Blekinge. Then we drove to Moreton-In-Marsh and strolled in a very nice and typically english village. In the village there were loads of stores selling antiques and galleries and we were tempted by a small aquarell of a parson and now it hangs in our house as a pretty souvernire and memory from our first trip to Crufts and meeting so many hospitable and nice people!

Trip home

After breakfasts we packed our things and went to the kennels. Heidi was bringing a puppy home, a cute dog puppy named Alne Hark Holloa, born on October 25 in 2004. We said our goodbyes to Kate who also reinvited us, and headed for Dover. The trip home went fine, ok, perhaps we made a detour in Belgium since the map reader had fallen asleep, but we reached Flensborg midday the next day. The puppy, named Södde, behaved very well.

Our first visit to Crufts was just such an memorable experience I had hoped for. Thanks to Heidi for introducing us to many of her friends in the British world of Parsons, and thanks to all brits for their amazing hospitality and openness that we experienced. Hopefully the trip also results in puppies between Sissa and Muhlross Hootlet JW so perhaps the aquarell will not be the only memory from the trip but something more alive - puppies!

Lene Nordström, March 23, 2005

Muhlross Hootlet JW - future fiancé?

Muhlross Hootlet JW - what a looker

Artic Fox and Michaela

Artic Fox in the parson display at Crufts

Lene with Sissa and Shaggy in the park