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05/06/2009

The last few months have been so busy that I have hardly had any time to put pen to paper. But I had the lovely surprise to receive a few email from people surprised not to see any new breed notes. It was very nice to find out that they are indeed read, so here I am again. I will do my best to keep you informed on what is happening in the hovie world.

Show results

I do hope you have not been waiting for me to give you the Crufts results. But if you did, I invite you to visit the Crufts / Fosse Dara website, where you can find all you need to know: http://crufts.fossedata.co.uk/.

The atmosphere in the ring at Crufts was quite strange this year. Many felt that the judge could have shown more courtesy with the exhibitors and this was talked about at length once the judging was over and again at the hovawart club AGM. There were a few exhibitors from abroad, including a nice woman from Germany who was showing a promising young blonde bitch. The bitch breeder had also made the trip. I was disappointed to see that they did not enjoy their Crufts experience. I hope they will decide to make the trip to one of our hovawart club show or to another Crufts so we can change their mind about showing hovawarts in the UK.

A few more show results for you in the meantime, both in the UK and abroad:

The National Dog Show was taking place early May. Best of breed was Min Inches' Houwaert's Jiska. You can find the detailed results at the following address: http://www.highampress.co.uk/bnat/bnat.asp?ttl=National%20Dog%20Show%202009. I was disappointed to see so few entered, and even less who turned up. We used to have big entries at this show. I guess in the current economic climate, the cost of the entries and probably even more of traveling forces people to stay at home. I hope it will be better next year. It is a well run show where we usually get a judging of quality. It is also a show where you can get your dog's eyes tested so we took advantage of this with our blonde boy Stig, saving the hassle and some of the cost associated with organizing it closer to home.

I believe there were hovawarts being shown at Bath later that month, but there would have been in AVNSC or in rare breed and the results from this classes never seem to be published. So if anybody has information, please send them my way so I can share them with all.

Trouble abroad as the French Hovawart Club has cancelled their club show at short notice following their president resignation. We do hope for the sake of their members and of the breed that their problems will be sorted out quickly. So best of luck to the club and I hope to hear good news soon regarding another date for their show.

Several French hovawarts made the trip to the club show in Belgium instead and the best of breed was actually awarded to a French bitch called Uma des Leus Altiers.

On a final note, the FCI European Winner Show was taking place in Dublin last week-end. The hovawarts were being judged by Mr H. Muller. We had originally made plans to show, but decided to stay at home so that our Venka could have a litter. Luckily, someone kindly sent us the results.

Green Star Dog CH Fasskoleys SALLINS GOLD (MR M Murphy)
Res Green Star Dog DK & LT & LV CH Hoffen-Haus KRUG GRANDE (Mr A & Mrs R Peurala)
CACIB Dog CH Fasskoleys SALLINS GOLD (MR M Murphy)
Res CACIB Dog Minches CHIEF RIEVER (Mrs W Min Inches)
Green Star Bitch Pines Riley (Miss A P Stewart)
CACIB Bitch CH Finya Palacowe Pieknosci (MR M Murphy)
Res Green Star Bitch CH Finya Palacowe Pieknosci (MR M Murphy)
Res CACIB Bitch Houwaert's Onora Helga (Ms. S Dempsey)
Best Of Breed CH Fasskoleys Sallins Gold (MR M Murphy)
Reserve Best Of Breed Pines Riley (Miss A P Stewart)
Best Veteran Pines Riley (Miss A P Stewart)

Class Results
Class Placing Dog
Open Dog 1 Minches Chief River (Mrs W Min Inches)
Open Dog 2 Glenbower Jan's Cuban (MR M Murphy)
Open Dog 3 Fasskoleys Sallins Solo (Miss A P Stewart)
Open Dog 4 Tyehelva Neo Nexus (Mrs W Min Inches)
Champion Dog 1 CH Fasskoleys Sallins Gold (MR M Murphy)
Champion Dog 2 DK & LT & LV CH Hoffen-Haus Krug Grande (Mr A & Mrs R Peurala)
Open Bitch 1 Houwaert's Onora Helga (Ms. S Dempsey)
Open Bitch 2 Houwaert's Jiska (Mrs W Min Inches)
Open Bitch 3 Glenbower Karhu (Mrs Heli Mooney)
Open Bitch 4 Minches Kees Kilarney (Mrs W Min Inches)
Champion Bitch 1 CH Finya Palacowe Pieknosci (MR M Murphy)
Champion Bitch 2 N & LV CH Flora Vom Illtal (Mr A & Mrs R Peurala)
Veteran Bitch 1 Pines Riley (Miss A P Stewart)

Great news from abroad

We have had more news regarding Spicemill Steamy Wasabi in Poland. He had gained the Polish Junior Champion title as I had previously reported. But he did not stop there and is now a full Polish Champion. We are so very proud of seeing a British bred hovawart gain a champion title abroad.

We got the news on the month of my birthday and that was indeed a very special present. Which breeder does not dream of producing a champion with their first litter? I remember Steamy when he was still living with us, always hanging from my trousers legs when I would let the pups out first thing in the morning. I had a lot of fun with him. He was a confident boy with a big personality and still is from what I hear. A big thank you to his owner Anna Pieczynska who travels the length of Poland to show him. He has a great life filled with walks and games.

To get the Champion title in Poland, you need to gain 3 CAC. Steamy's journey to his title was as follow:
1. National CAC in Radom 25.05.2008: Steamy Exc1 CAC
2. International CACIB in Warsaw 12.07.2008: Steamy Exc1 CAC, CACIB, BOS
3. National Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki 04.04.2009: Steamy Exc 1 CAC, BOS

Steamy is also the father of 2 litters and I believe he has mated a 3rd bitch. Not bad for a dog who has not even reached 3 yet!

His blonde brother Spicemill Saffron Stigma, who stayed in England, has now passed all his health tests so should get the chance to be a stud dog too in the very near future

The new kids on the block

We have had an amazing 4 hovawart litters already born in the UK this year. One at Driftinsky, one at Fasskoleys and 2 at Pines. One of the Pines litter unfortunately arrived early and poor Elaine and John had to work really hard to save the puppies. But all was well in the end so we have many very happy new puppy owners around at the moment. Some of them had been waiting for a puppy for a really long time so their new arrival is all the more precious to them. A lovely lady called Julia, who had met the breed for the first time at ours, is one of these new lucky owners. She wrote: "Despite me wanting a female dog, I fell in love with Storm and got him about 2 month ago and I am loving it having him around- as you probably can tell by the big smile on my face!" and sent us the picture on the right Anybody else who want to send us pictures of their new hovies, please feel free to do so. I believe all the Pines, Fasskoleys and Driftinsky puppies have now found new homes. And despite the already large numbers of litter born this year for hovawarts in this country, this is not over yet as we took our girl Venka to a German stud dog and are happy to report that she is in whelp. So more hovawart puppies in July.

Read the previous breed notes