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This year's Bernese mini festival was held at Barnwell Village Hall in Northamptonshire on Sunday 7th May. After last year's incredible heat this time the weather was much more conducive to a happy day and the short but threatening periods of light drizzle we endured during the morning never developed into anything heavier. In the afternoon the sun came out and the conditions couldn't have been much better for a brilliant afternoon with the dogs. Most people I managed to speak to seemed to agree that it was the best Garden Party for a few years helped by the good level of support and attendance.
It was really great to see such a good turn out and the committee are really grateful for everyone who joined us for our Bernese day, whether you be exhibitor, competitor (and there is a difference at the Garden Party), spectator or someone who brought their Rescue dog or Golden Oldie to share with us in the fantastically well supported parade. We hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as they seemed to and that we'll see you again next year or even sooner at the Working/Fun/Companion Show Day after the Championship Show in September - especially as it is only about 20 minutes away from Barnwell. I'm sure everyone who attended or took part would also want me to thank the organisers Glynis and Toni who must be rightly pleased at how well everything went.
The first class of the day, the Decorated Cart on a "Professions" theme, really set the tone and I don't think I have ever seen such a high standard of themed decorated carts. Lynda Smith the judge had much sympathy expressed from not only the crowd but the exhibitors as well. The imagination and work in all of the exhibits was a real joy to behold.
All the exhibitors are shown below
A
snappy Photographer and studio
Professional
Layabout - a good approach to the day
Mobile
Groomer - needs to practise on herself first though!
Anyone
need their garden seeing to?
What about a cheap flight?
Medical care was well covered for the day.
Definitely
a dodgy builder!
This
apiarist was the (Queen) Bee's Knees
Anyone
need their highlights seeing to?
Miss Whiplash was popular with some of the male spectators, shame the judge was
female though!
And the winners were (l to r)............
Well done and thank you to all the entrants. Hopefully we'll see you on the Fun, Working and Companion Show day after the Champ Show in September when the decorated theme will be "Disney".
Wendy Murray and Murphy, Helen Boyd with Teale, Margaret Bailey with Polly, Maureen Boutel and Dolly and Yvonne Boyd with Ella
The next set of classes were Garden Party regulars and were judged by Jackie Avery.
Most Handsome Dog
Anglea Heslam with Zak (who obviously posed better in the contest than he did for the photo!) , Judy Harris with JR, Colin Hughes with Ernie, James Connelly with Eiger and Mervyn Green with Harvey
followed by Prettiest Bitch........
Aby with Lorraine Cook, Kaylie with Shirley Payne, Xena with Noel Williams, Kira with Claire Chrispin and Lillie with Sophie Munson
...................Dog the Judge would most like to take home
(N.B. This time, just to confuse you, the winners are right to left)
JR with Nikki Hayward, Amber with Val Oakham, Millie with Amanda Rayner, Kes with Jackie Thompson (not on photo) and Tess with Tina Roberts
..........and The Waggiest Tail
Bear with Sharon Taylor, Basil with Sam Bennett, Toby with Noel Williams, Jes with Yvonne Boyd and Lola with Alison Rooney
Next Lynda Smith returned to judge the Decorated Cart on a Swiss Theme class and again the standard was very high as you can see from the photos below
Stop Press : A Swiss mountain discovered in Northamptonshire!!
After much deliberation her winning line up was (l to r)
Debbie Morgan with Dudley, Tom Murray with Homer and Murphy, Malcolm Dewick with Pepsi, Margaret Bailey with Polly and Helen Boyd with Teale
The puppy parades looked over by Lena Robbins then followed which brought the morning's activities in the main ring to a halt and we all went inside for the ..........
Every year at the Garden Party the club honours Rescue dogs and their owners by giving them the chance to share their stories with us. This year, whilst this was one of the few classes where the numbers were down, we still much appreciated the dogs who were there and thank their owners for travelling and parading them for us.
The details given are as supplied by the owners and are in absolutely no particular order.
L to R - Tess, Murphy, Zoe, Ria and Whisper
Four year old Zoe was with Josie Bentley who she has been with for over 3 years. Zoe was rescued from dreadful conditions and after a while it was realised she did not know her name. She has OCD which is being controlled and is helped with a magnetic collar, and had entropian in both eyes. Despite her start in life and her problems she is described as lovely.
Jennifer Soloman presented 9½ year old Murphy. Murphy was in Bernese Welfare at the age of 6 years as the innocent victim of a broken home. She was very timid and afraid of men. Jennifer described her as the best Bernese ever and she had been a bridesmaid at her wedding on Friday.
Tess in a Mess stood out as a Lurcher with Tina Roberts. Tess, who was about 9 years old was found in a scrap yard in Minera, North Wales in a very bad state (hence the name?). She is now an old girl who loves her food and was described as a born thief.
Next were Irene and Chris Gooch who 18 months ago had rescued a brother and sister Ria and Whisper. Ria and Whisper certainly looked to be enjoying their day out now at the age of 2½.
Also
outside in the car unfortunately unable to come into the hall because of the
slippery floor was Jazz
who had had a recent cruciate operation.
Jazz is now owned by Thelma and Bernard
Stiff who are her FIFTH (yes 5th!) home. When she arrived with them she was in season and
then threatened a pyometra and had subsequently had to be speyed. She was also
lame on a back leg
which was was diagnosed as cruciate problem and this had to be operated on after she had recovered from the spey
operation. Lets hope the future is better for Jazz and give Thelma and Bernard
our very best wishes and thanks for taking her with all her problems.
Golden Oldies
If the Rescue class was a little down in numbers then this class definitely made up for it. What a fantastic turn out and how well they all looked even the older ones. Of course having such a good class meant a lot of clapping for the audience but the enthusiasm didn’t seem to wane right through to the end.
L to R ...well........you know who you are!!
Frenny with Christine Johnson is 8½ years and is loves carting and although she’s now semi retired still insists on being harnessed up from time to time. She is very vocal and very bossy but a great guard dog and very much loved.
Ashton Bell showed us Gypsy who is 7 years old. She has had 4 cruciate ligament operations but still loves enjoys her walks and remains active and a much loved family member.
Keith and Sue Brown’s Katie is 8½ yrs and described as noisy, bossy but very loving and loyal. She is a mum and grandma and a much loved member of the family.
Sharon Taylor showed us Bear who is 9 yrs old but most of the time still thinks he is a puppy. He lives in Carnforth and likes to go for drives in the car rather than walks as he is quite lazy. He also likes wagging his tail a lot, as he demonstrated quite well, and jumbones.
Sharon Brailsford’s little helper showed us Talli who is 8½. She is a very much loved member of the family and although she has Hip Dysplasia, arthritis and crusher leg and has lost a few of her friends over the years she is a dog who is very happy with life.
Tracy Titchmarsh showed us Beano who is a very healthy 9 years old. He still loves his walks and is a bit of a character as well as being a dad and grandad and a show champion.
Tess in a Mess the 9 (ish) year old Lurcher then made another appearance. She was the Rescued Lurcher from the Rescue Parade who nows enjoys her old age in a loving home and although she is still naughty she is lovable with it.
Anne Blantern brought in Dudley who is 9½ years old. He lives with his mum and dad and 2 little brothers Oliver age 2 and Edgar age 1. He goes for walks everyday of up to 10 miles and loves swimming in the sea which is quite an achievement as he has more metal in his back legs than Forest Gump!
Wendy Murray showed us 8½ year old Murphy described as a gentle giant and a true gent. He is a brilliant working dog, an advanced carter has tried agility and recently won Best Veteran at Bernese Open shows and was also 4th at Crufts. He has a wonderful temperament, still behaves like a 2 year old and still loves all the girls, just like his dad!
Wendy also brought in Whiskey who is 7 years old and a joy to own. She is very independent and very stubborn. She the sort of Bernese who waddles around at her own pace, likes to meet everyone and is very much loved. She loves her food and loves to be the centre of attention. Her nickname is poodle, (because of the curly fur on her back), and she is much respected by the other 4 Bernese dogs.
Brig came into the ring with Wendy Garrard. Brig is 10 years old and a registered PAT Dog who has been a regular attendee at Discover Dogs at Earls Court and Crufts where he appeared briefly on TV with Gaby Roslin. He was an advanced carter and team leader for many years in the Midland Bernese Carters displays. He was joint winner of the Leonberger Trophy, the Fashqua cup for the most points gained in carting assessments during the year but is now adapting to retirement.
7 years and 9 months old Amber came in with Shirley Payne. Amber is a registered PAT Dog and described as kind patient and very tolerant of the latest addition “Kaylie”
Jean Hellingsworth showed us 8 year old Susie who was born with severe hip problems and she is held together with metal plates and is known as “stainless steel Susie” Despite this she is a very happy dog and her tail never stops wagging. She has her Gold Good Citizen and is a much loved member of the family.
Jean also brought in Bailey who is now 10 years old. He has been a well known working dog for years with an excellent record of achievement in agility, obedience, and carting. He is a master carter and has his Gold Good Citizen. He has won best Working Dog at the Garden Party and Working Day several times. Above all though he is a family pet and much loved.
Pepsi came in with Malcolm Dewick. Pepsi is 8 years old and has been pulling a cart since she was 18 months and is part of the Midland Bernese Carters. Her vivid blue eye is an attraction at the many steam fayres she attends and she has many regular fans who come to see her year after year.
Elaine Spalding showed us Mason who is nearly 8. Mason is another Midland Bernese Carter who was rehomed at 13 months. He loves going to steam rallies etc and still pulls his cart at 90 miles per hour.
8½ year old Benson came in with Belle Owen. To a large “aaaah” from the crowd, Belle simply described Benson as “My Best Friend”
Dudley with Debbie Morgan is a 7 year old advanced carter who is still raring to go as soon as he hears the jingle of cow bells. He now has a two wheeled cart and there is no stopping him.
7½ year old Lucy who came in with Lyn Cowell was described as “just lovely to live with” (more “aaaahs”)
Jennifer Soloman brought in another who was also in the Rescue parade, namely 9½ year old Murphy. She is in perfect health and has been with Jennifer for 3 years and has never put a foot wrong. The perfect elderly lady.
The activities in the Main Ring then continued with Des Avery taking charge for the really serious competitions starting with the Biscuit Catching.
Action from the Biscuit catching eliminator round (yes that's it. right on the end of the nose!)
Biscuit Catching winners (from Right to left) 1st Lillie with Sophie Munson, 2nd Willo with David Biggin, 3rd Toby with Sue Bluffield, 4th Tess with Tina Roberts and 5th Sophie with Phillipa Green
This was followed by the Irish Brace, no spiders this year but the usual assortment of dogs.
Winners 1st Claire Chrispin with Ioreck & Kira, 2nd Margaret Bailey with Polly & Chloe, 3rd Brian Boyd with Holly & Woody, 4th Emily Green (& friend) with Wilma & Sandy, 5th Keith Brown with Ryker & Drew
Finally in this section we came to the keenly contested athleticism of the egg and spoon race and from the heats we found our 4 finalists who were placed as follows
First Jane Launchbury with Daisy, 2nd Colin Hughes with Ernie, 3rd Nikki Hayward with JR and 4th Di Crawshaw with Bryn
Linda Smith then returned to judge the final carting class in the Main ring which was the carting turnout. Only 3 of the entrants were available as the carting course was in full swing by now and Linda's order was as follows....
First Helen Boyd with Teale, 2nd Wendy Garrard with Niva and 3rd Belle Owen with Scrumpy.
Neil Heslam then entered the ring to assess the 3 classes of Junior Handlers starting with the 6-11 years
1st was Emily Green with Yndi and 2nd was Gemma Perry with Morgan, both girls 10 years of age.
this was followed by the 12-16 years class
1st Jenny Bluffield (12 yrs) with Toby and 2nd Emma Hayward (16) with JR
Finally in this section was the total beginners class (what fun we had!)
1st was Ellie Willey (11 yrs) with Ella, 2nd was Gemma Perry (9yrs) with Morgan and 3rd was Jessica Vick (6 yrs) with Connie.
The Working section of the day was well supported throughout this year and the results were as below.
The lack of photographs for these events has been noticed and will be addressed next time but if you have any good photos of the events or the winners by all means send them in (ideally by email) and we may be able to include them.
The ever dependable Nicola Whyte assisted by Pat Nurse organised the Agility courses fro us again
Beginners Agility
1] Teal with Helen Boyd
2] Toby with Jenny Bluffield
3] Zena with Noel Williams
4] Toby with Noel Williams
5] Mason with Elaine Spalding
Novice Agility
1] Lilly with Sophie Munson
2] Bear with Lucinda Hughes
3] Sophie with Philippa Green
4] Remy with Bruce Hellingsworth
5] Merlin with Babs Munson
Karen Hayward was in charge of our Obedience classes and these are her results.
Have a Go Obedience
1] Willow with Dave Biggin
2] Sasha with Linda Biggin
3] Bryn with Di Crawshaw
4] Mason with Elaine Spalding
5] Punch with Sherry Round
Future Stars Obedience
1] Remy with Bruce Hellingsworth (don't think that's Bruce in the photo though!)
2] Jess with Aileen Barnard
3] Bear with Lucinda Hughes
4] Punch with Sherry Round (not in photo)
5] Charlie with Aileen Barnard
Triers Obedience
1] Charlie with Aileen Barnard
2] Teal with Helen Boyd
3] Sasha with Linda Biggin
4] Toby with Jenny Bluffield
5] Remy with Bruce Hellingsworth
The Working Cart course set up in the longer grass at the top of the field was this year judged by experienced campaigner Bruce Hellingsworth whose winners were as follow.
Beginners Carting
1] Niva with Pete Garrard
2] Dolly with Maureen Boutel
3]= Bear with Lucinda Hughes
3]= Tilly with Christine Johnson
5] Ella with Aileen Barnard (for Glynis Sawyers)
6] Merlin with Babs Munson
Christine
Johnson & Tilly negotiate the bridge
Intermediate Carting
1] Woody with Brian Boyd
2] Tio with Malcolm Dewick
Advanced Carting
1] Murphy with Tom Murray
2] Benson with Belle Owen
3] Scrumpy with Belle Owen
4] Teal with Helen Boyd
5] Homer with Tom Murray
6] Pepsi with Malcolm Dewick
The Winner of the overall Working Trophy was Helen Boyd with Teal. Big Congratulations to them both.
In the Character Assessment the following dogs took part and were graded EXCELLENT by the independent Assessor and Dog Trainer.
Darcy (Fortonpark G’Day you Beauty) Jane Launchbury
Abby (Bramikdel Allemande) Louraine Cooke
Billie (Snoanda Cosi Celeste with Floskirk) Glynis Sawyers
Jess (Thorsker Mythical Quest) Aileen Barnard
Charlie (Thorsker Wild Cherry) Aileen Barnard
Uschi (Uschy des Roches Du Mettey at Staubach) Ian and Gill Instone
Geilo (Dale Gudbrand’s C-Geilo Zala at Staubach) Ian and Gill Instone
Tilly (Emberfay Chantilly Lace of Snoanda) Amanda Hearne
Roscoe (Floskirk True Blue) Margaret Jones
We appreciate and thank all the people who put their dogs forward for this assessment.
The good Citizens were assessed all day by Sandra with the following results (as passed by Sandra)
GOLD Passes
Sophie Green
Punch Round
SILVER Passes
Ernie Hughes
Sasha Biggins
Kez Thompson
BRONZE Passes
Feorena Justin Credible - Heslam
Feorina Cover Girl - Heslam
Sasha Biggins
Lola Rooney
Well done to everyone who took part in the Good Citizens and Thank you again to everyone who came along and supported our day. Hope we'll see you next year.
NB The details are all as recorded on the day and forwarded to myself but if you notice any errors please let me know so that they can be corrected.
Steve Green
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