For many people in the dog world, preparation for Crufts starts weeks before. For others it is a one off show visit to qualify their dogs and then they may never see another show until Crufts itself. For us, well we started our journey in winter 2006 and a visit to a Crufts qualifying show in Croatia. We then had to attend another qualifying show in the January of 2007 in Moscow to make sure our attendance was guaranteed. So for us, this was a journey of many months, many flying miles and many shows. We wanted to savour the whole experience, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy every minute we were there along with every hour of T.V coverage
To appear at the largest and most prestigious dog show in the world is every dog owners dream and like so many, we all hope our dog will shine on the day and bring home the recognition we as the owner think it deserves.
Although travelling with our Danes has become second nature, the UK poses a different set of guidelines to those we had become familiar with and used to whilst travelling around Europe. We are fully supportive of the strict quarantine restrictions as you just can not compromise on animal health issues. As for the rules on transportation, well I have to say it became a minefield of sizes, volumes, weights and height, combine this with the incredibly high prices being quoted, then you begin to wonders if the journey will ever take place at all.
We had researched the Judges in advance, we had weighed up our competition and despite numerous suggestions that our journey would be wasted, we decided that stiff competition was good & healthy competition and any suggestion that we would be better staying in Cyprus was like red rag to a bull, it made us all the more determined to attend the show and let them see what we were made of.
We had a fairly smooth and hassle free journey, Zac nicely crated in his oversized travel box and settled on his nice thick continental quilt for comfort. He really didnít care less where he was going, as long as he knew we were going to be at the other side to meet him. Arrival was quite late in the UK, but we are pleased to say that our friends had arranged for transportation from Gatwick to their home once all the cargo documentation had been completed. Zac is such a good boy; he really is no trouble what so ever when we travel and instinctively he knows that it is show time within a few days.
With Zac fed and watered and given a tour of his new home for the next few days, he settled down to sleep. We decided he had the best idea, so in hot pursuit we headed for our bed to make sure we were bright and alert the following day. Always surprising what a good nights sleep can give you, we woke to find a beautiful day surrounded by the most incredible back drop of acres of lush green fields, stables full of Danes and that morning chorus of ìcome and feed meî in various pitched levels of barking. The following couple of days were spent planning our journey to Birmingham, fitting in the grooming requirements and buying any last minute items we had forgotten or decided we would need.
Saturday was our show day, day three of a dog filled four days, so Friday night was sandwich making, filling the flasks with hot water and making sure we had adequate drinks for ourselves and visitors. Now at this point I was not sure if the purpose of our visit to the UK was to show our boy Zac at Crufts, or if it was to enter the Duke Of Edinburgh Awards for Industry. I say this because Craig made that many sandwiches, he really could have started a food chain, and so with this in mind, I thought maybe it was a small business start up grant he was hoping to secure. As we went to bed that night we were all made aware of our responsibilities and as a last reminder we were told to make sure the alarm clock was set for 0330hrs. I had fortunately remembered our alarm clock, so I took it out of our suitcase, set it for 0330hrs and then settled down for a few hours sleep as it was already approaching midnight. In no time at all the alarm clock was ringing its tiny little sides off, Craig was up and out of bed, in to the bathroom, shaved and showered before trying to raise me from my slumber. Not having much luck he decided to try his hand on the bedroom door of the remaining sleepy residents, only to be informed that the time was not 0330hrs, but in fact it was only 0130hrs !!!!!!! Whoops I thought to myself, seems like I left the clock on Cyprus time of 2 hours ahead of the UK, no wonder I still felt tired. For 2 hours I lay with my eyes open, listening to the outside sounds and afraid to fall asleep in case I did not wake on time !!!!!!!! Yes at the correct time of 0330hrs.
All dogs packed in their vans, our bags and show leads ready we all started our journey ready fro CRUFTS 2008. This was what it had all been about, this waiting time was now upon us and we were about to show Zac in the largest dog show in the world. A coffee stop at the motorway service station was almost about to put a stop to those dreams as Zac jumped out of the van and limped his way to the nearest tree to leave his calling card. Oh NO !!!!!! not a lame dog on the day of the greatest dog show in the world, this could not be happening to us. As we tried to put him through a few paces, his limp seemed to worsen, so we put him back in the van and decided to take him straight to the Vet when we arrived at the exhibition centre.
Arriving at the National Exhibition Centre was a feeling hard to describe. Beautifully groomed dogs in all directions, each one looking a winner and not one of them seemed in the least bit concerned at what the day had in store for them. We unpacked the car, filled our bags and followed the crowd. At this point it didn’t really matter which direction they were going, we were just so thrilled to be a part of the marching army. They walked and they disbursed, filtering off in to their own show arenas as we did the same. Handing in our tickets we soon found our bench, set out our blankets and went about locating the Vet. Before taking Zac to the Vet I wanted to see how bad he was with his limp, so I took him for a quick practice run in the ring before people started to fill the arena. Now I am not sure if it was the excitement of the ring or the other dogs his size pouring in, but for the moment Zac had lost his limp and was walking like a dream. A few rounds of the ring confirmed nothing more than a stiff joint that had clearly relaxed itself ready for action. It was now time to sit back, relax and enjoy the day, first watching all the other entrants arrive and set up their own bench whilst eyeing up the competition.
It is many years since I was a part of the show scene in the UK so I was interested to see how it had changed, progressed or expanded. My breed in those earlier years was the good old English Cocker Spaniel, although I have to say, most certainly not quite so heavily involved as we are today with our Danes. I think that the UK really set the scene for standards in showing and in breeding and many countries have the UK to thank and Crufts is still the pinnacle of any breeders dream. In my opinion though, and speaking purely from a Dane breederís perspective, I was surprised at how elitist many of the more established breeders were within their own breed and how difficult it was as a new comer to infiltrate such a tight nit club. We never have socialisation issues, we personally speak to anybody and everybody, nor do we let that sort of practise worry us or faze us, but it was clearly very obvious that some of the lesser established breeders and with some very beautiful Danes were just not being allowed in to take their share of the awards on offer at some of the smaller more local shows. I have never been a shrinking violet, the type to worry about another’s opinion or be intimidated by those thinking themselves holier than though or mightier than most. Actually I thrive on their insecurities and rise to the challenge, this was one of the reasons we had finally decided to attend Crufts 2008. You see many think that Europe is a distribution spot for Champion titles for dogs without class or distinction, quality or breeding. Now yes, I have to agree, many years ago this may have been the case, but NOT any more. You only have to look at the quality of dogs what ever breed you wish to cover and you find most of them, unlike years ago are not starting life in the UK. The quality dogs of today’s breeding pool are coming from European destinations and unless the breeders of the UK start to sit up and take notice, then I have to agree with many of the articles written in their very own dog papers, the breed will go in to decline.
I know personally of imports that are being sidelined because they have dared as breeders to import and they are told quite categorically that bringing in quality imports is not the route to obtaining a C.C that they must serve their time as the established breeders have done and only then will they start to be given credibility and recognition. It appears to me that a handful of those that have had years in the breed are closing ranks on those new kids on the block, when really they should be looking at the future of the breed and encouraging them to come on, bring in their new lines and develop the breed standard as it is written.
As a Harlequin breeder with a fraction of the years experience of many of the UK’s established breeders, I can honestly say I do not feel any less equipped to know a good Dane when I see one, nor am I less equipped to know the breeding patterns of the lines I am developing, but what I and many others like me do have, is a burning enthusiasm to take the breed forward and learn from those that are prepared to teach us. To those who close the doors, close rank and do not have the common courtesy to acknowledge another mans efforts when we are all striving for the same end, then I urge you to think of the future, look at where the breed has gone in the UK and start to relax the dictatorial approach that seems to be sweeping through at the higher levels in the breeding world.
There was a selection of what I personally would class as ‘GOOD DANES’ and I applaud those individuals who we actually took the time out to go over to and converse with and acknowledge their efforts. My own opinion was that the general standard of the Harlequin was far lower than those which we compete with in Europe, that we have shown against in Australia and that we have observed at the shows in America. I was disappointed that from a country who led the field in Harlequin breeding, that it had allowed its standard to drop so low. There needs to be a serious look at the colour of the Harlequin in the UK at the moment and although many would put confirmation over colour, it is the overall package that is the beauty of the beast. A couple stood out as being worthy winners, but if the truth were known, even these had come from imported lines, so the individual breeders had recognised that need for change and were doing something about it. It has been pointed out to me that getting a dog titled in the UK is far more difficult than in Europe, so to put the record straight, for those who have never stepped foot over the water to show, I can officially confirm that the European competition is far stronger, at this moment in time the Danes are far more attractive, especially coming from the Scandinavian countries, the colours are far more in line with what the breed standard suggests and the overall confirmation is how we expect our Danes to look. As for the Champion titles being easy to achieve, once again let me put the record straight. First of all, when showing under F.C.I rules we have to show with a dogs full dentition, something I know for sure some of the dogs in my Crufts open class would not be eligible for. We also have to show with a dog in tact showing both testicles, again something I know whilst sitting ring side the Judge pointed out to a couple of dogs handlers.
In 2007 we took a combined number of 42 separate flights with 2 adult Danes, we hit 16 different countries, encountered winters in Moscow, summers in Switzerland, stayed in 22 hotels, hired 18 vans, covered 42 shows and competed with numerous World Champions, European Champions, Mediterranean Champions and Grand Champions. We are not fortunate enough to be able to jump in the car, travel a few miles up the motorway and compete with a handful of UK Champions, NO !!!! Like many of our European colleagues, we have to put backbone and effort in to our presence at a dog show and when we do eventually arrive at our show destination, we compete based on the quality of our dogs and not on the favours we are owed. So in 2007 alone, to come out with Champion titles in 9 countries, Grand Champion in 2, European Champion, Mediterranean Champion, 30 Group Wins, 8 Best in Show, 3 Reserve Best In Show, Breed Champion 3 years running, Dog Of The Year and Champion of Champions for just one of our Danes ZAC I feel we have earned our stripes. To be given the frosty reception from some as we were is evident that the UK show scene in the Dane world has a lot to learn in order to bring it in line with the now very high standards of Europe.
European shows in my opinion at the moment are by far much warmer and more inviting and they actually go out of their way to congratulate you on your wins. Our experience has been most enjoyable to the point where we actively return year after year to support the overseas shows and I think a valuable lesson could be learned by many UK breeders not having experienced the warmth and hospitality of shows outside the UK to pay them a visit, check out the quality of the Danes and just see how tough it is to actually get placed under some of the strictest Judges on the circuit, never mind take a Champion title.
In Europe we encourage new blood, both in handlers and in our lines. When we enter overseas shows and take a good win, the first people to come and shake our hands are the locals. To be accepted in a country as a complete stranger means a great deal to us and we never dismiss it or ever take it for granted. I feel the UK Dane circuit in parts has lost this ability to see beyond their own closed circuit and there is a fear from new comers to actually enter shows or bring out their dogs which I feel is detrimental to the long term of the breed. Of course this is not all, it is a handful of breeders who have dominated the show scene for many years and who believe they are untouchable and unstoppable. We know it goes on in many countries, yet I have to say as a visitor it was very obvious to me and had I have been the type of character to let it upset me or offend me, then maybe I would think twice about going back. There were of course those who didn’t have this air of aloofness about them, clearly loved their breed and went to the shows, not only to show their dogs, but to make friends with new people.
The whole Crufts experience is awesome and for those reading from overseas and never having visited, it is a date for your diary you must take time out for. With over 25,000 dogs on show over 4 days, with every shopping experience catered for and with overseas entries now taking many of the top honours, it really is a dog show for people from all over the world. You need a good pair of walking shoes, a few pounds in your pocket and sufficient liquid refreshment to get you through the day.
As the Dane classes began, I took a seat ringside to see how the events unfolded. I wanted to get a closer look at the Judge Mrs J M Macdonald to see her style, to see what she was looking for and to see how she was placing her winners. As she worked her way through the classes it became obvious her style was more relaxed than had been anticipated. It is always nice to see a Judge sharing a few words with the handler and their dog, it makes life more relaxed and puts everyone at ease. I like the Harlequin and naturally they get my vote, but I have to say, there were some very impressive fawns who not only looked well, but who presented well. There were a couple of choices that again from a personal point of view I would have questioned, but this is about the Judges choice and not the exhibitors choice, so if that is what the Judge liked on the day, then I support her decision, after all that is what she has been invited to do.
It was soon time for our class, ‘OPEN DOG’ one of the more difficult classes of the day. In all over the day there were around 250 Danes entered in total, open dog and open bitch are the combination of the more experienced, more mature and more qualified in their field. Champions from all over the world come together in this class and it is the créme de la créme that go through and take the winning places.
I thought on this occasion my yellow show suit was most appropriate as red already seemed to dominate the show rings. What I had not planned for was a kidney infection which immediately saw my stomach bloat and combined with the extra few kilos I had gained in the winter months, getting in to the suit proved a little more difficult than had been on previous shows. I want to say that unfortunately it was not a case of Cinderella slipping in to the perfect fitting glass slipper, but more like one of her ugly sisters forcing her foot to win her Prince. Could I breathe in sufficiently enough to get the pants to meet in the middle, could I run around the ring without exhaling? and could I bend over my dog to place his feet if he did not walk in to his perfect stack. Well all this was a little late to start worrying about at this stage of the game, the pants were fastened and meeting in the middle, the last intake of air had been taken, enough to last me three times around the ring and the jacket was there to hide a multitude of sins, this was not about me I said to myself, this was about my dog. Who was I trying to kid, of course this was as much about me as it was about my dog, you see we come as a package and if the package was right then we stand more chance of a win. I am not one seen at the local shows in the UK, so how on earth would I get to stand out in a crowd already known to many. Well it was time to go out there all guns a blazing and let them see we were afraid of nothing and nobody.
The class was called, the dogs entered the ring and of all the 21 entries that filled out the ring completely, we focussed on nobody in particular. The Judge started to go over each dog with a fine tooth comb and slowly we moved around the ring taking up our place on each stop we made. All the time Zac was being given reassuring words to put him at ease and to pass away the time it took to get from initially entering the ring, to finding our time in front of the Judge. It took in total around 1 hour 15 minutes to go over all the dogs and as these were the top in their class, that extra time was so important. There was just one more dog and then it was our turn. Zac had been a perfect show dog, he had held his stack to perfection, he had not been bothered by any of the other dogs and his time in the ring and under the lights had not left him feeling like he does on a hot summers day show in Europe. Looking at me with dry mouth as if to say ìcome on dad, what are we still doing here, does anybody realise we are touching temperatures of 30Cî No here was Zac feeling very confident with himself and I could feel it coming through the lead. We moved slowly in to position in readiness for our call, I stacked Zac in a place I hoped we would not get moved from and I waited for the Judge to acknowledge we were next. As the Judge approached, she looked over Zac and then looked over the yellow suit. ìI like the suitî the Judge commented with a smile in her eyes ìwe can certainly see you coming and how old is the dogî She had a very warming approach to Zac, talking to him as she went over him. Zac turned his head knowing this lady had a kindness in her heart for the dogs on show, he looked up and planted a big sloppy kiss on her face almost as though it was staged. Thatís a good boy I thought to myself, you know the way to a womanís heart, a sloppy kiss works wonders every time. ìCould you move your dog for me, in to the corner, up to the top and then complete the triangleî Zac does as he always does and moves well. We were then asked to run up and down and once again Zac sticks to his routine. We were thanked and once again we took our place in the line until the remaining dogs had been seen. ìI am not going to place at this point, just going to pull a few outî I heard the Judge say to the steward. This was our time to stack and be ready for her to once again see how good he was if we were to get pulled out for the short list. Slowly the Judge went around the ring, going over every dog with a very keen eye and now the time had come for her to start selecting her short list. It seemed like a world away, the point in which she seemed to be making her selection and the point at which we were standing. So far only Fawns were making the selection and nothing of colour was getting through. Eventually her eyes focussed on Zac, she looked at the Black dog next to me, she cast her eyes back on to Zac and raised her hand in our direction for selection. WOW, I had hoped but had not planned for this. It now meant I had to extend the intake of air I had inhaled at the beginning of the class for another round of the ring, I had to keep my fingers crossed that the buttons on my pants would hold out and I looked at the T.V cameras and smiled politely as I thought if my mother is watching, the last thing I want is for her to worry I am getting to big for my pants. They do say T.V cameras put an extra 5 kilos on you, so there you go, what chance did I have, I was destined for a lifetime of ridicule of obesity in the show ring just by the fact that I was about to appear on national television. We all took our places once again as the Judge walked up and down. Now then, how would she move us, would it be round the ring or would it be up and down? As she walked behind the dogs it became evident we were going up and down, so our route was observed, we stood to attention and we waited for our time. It was a tense moment for some who took it rather more seriously than others, maybe because reputations were at stake. I got Zac in to position and off we went, down to the bottom of the ring, stop, turned around and then back. As we came back Zac lost his momentum for the moment, he had a shake of his head and a lapse in concentration. I stopped, turned around, walked back to the head of the ring and started him again in our time and not that expected of those left standing. ìThatís betterî the Judge commented when we got to the end ìnow we can see how you move properlyî She moved to the next dog as we stood to attention, perfect stack and now just awaiting the Judges decision. At this point I was more than happy with our position. We were in a short list line up, we had seen Champions from around the world being thrown out and we had seen dogs who we had admired from previous Crufts also being thrown out. Now we were left standing in a predominantly fawn line up, we were the ONLY Harlequin left standing and we were in what is seen to be the most difficult class of the day. Was I looking for a placing, well of course, we all like to think our dogs are worthy of a placing, but in such a line up, I was just happy to have seen some of the stiffest competition being thrown out leaving us in a chance position for a place, I was also happy to have proved that despite the negative comments received regarding European Champion titles and the fact that it was suggested we did not go to the trouble of making the journey to the UK to enter Crufts, here we were, standing with the ones who are taking the prizes and we were showing we had what it takes.
The moment was now very tense as the Judge went over the line up once again to make selection. Zac was doing me proud, he stood like he has never stood before and he knew all eyes were on the line up and more importantly on him as a visiting Dane. I could see out of the corner of my eye, all the people we knew and who had kindly travelled from all parts in the UK to watch us, so I would have loved to have had a place, if only to make their journey worth while. As the Judge moved to the end of the line up I could see Zacs ears starting to drop a little. Oh no, not now I thought to myself, please stay with me, keep your alert expression and keep those ears up. At that point the in-house loudspeaker system crackled on to make an announcement, Zac pushed back his head, his neck went long a lean and his ears gave him that perfect expression. There was a point when the Judge looked at us for what seemed like a life time, for a small moment I thought we were going to get first place, she then walked over and raised her arm at the ;
1st place, Fawn dog CH LOMONDANE GIES A BREAK JW ShCM (MRS C & MISS E CUNNINGHAM & ROBERTSON)
2nd place, Fawn dog CH GARSAK SIR ALFIE JW (MRS A, MR G & MR J HURST, HOOKER & LOCKEY)
3rd place, Harlequin dog, INT, GR & MULTI CH HILDYDANE ZSACHARIAS [ATC AJ00171CYP] (MR P BAINBRIDGE & MR C HULME)
Res Fawn dog, CH MYHALSTON MR MALACHI (MR O GREECHAN)
VHC Fawn dog, ROMULUS OF BACARDI [ATC AH00869HUN] (MISS TINA FIGENSCHAU)
So the final choice had been made and we had done what many thought we would not do. First of all we had been placed in the strongest line up of Crufts qualifying Great Danes, we had beaten Australian Champions, Irish Champions, International Champions, but the biggest surprise of all to many except ourselves was that we also beat the Top Winning Great Dane dog in the UK, most certainly for the past 2 years and I am also led to believe of all times, CH MYHALSTON MR MALACHI.
Our Zac had done it, he was now a Crufts winner to add to his list of impressive wins, he was automatically given life entry in to Crufts, but most importantly for us, he is entered in to the very prestigious Crufts Stud book.
What Honours Does a Stud Book Number Give a Dog?
Firstly it is an honour for a dog just to be entered into the stud book. An added bonus is that a dog never again needs to qualify for Crufts dog show, his stud book number is alone a good enough qualification to compete at this elite show. As soon as you enter the world of dog showing you will become aware of the words ’stud book’. The stud book will become an important part of your competition and with luck your own dog will one day have his own name in the Kennel Club’s stud book.
For us, this was the finishing touch to a great year. We had flown thousands of miles, we had been granted our dogs own frequent flyer card issued in conjunction with the Cyprus Kennel Club and Cyprus Airways, we had shown under some of the toughest Judges the show world as to offer and we had met some really wonderful people. To take a Crufts Winning place for us meant the world and we would like to take this opportunity of thanking the Judge, Mrs Macdonald for having the faith in our dog to place him in the winners line up. We would also like to thank all our friends & family who set off very early to make sure we had support in the ring at the time of our class. Special thanks also to all our overseas visitors, especially Kate from Athens ìCuidadoî who kindly gave up her time to stand ring side when her true passion is the Rottie.
With our part now over, we were able to sit back and watch the rest of the day’s events unfold and a full list of the winners can be viewed on the Crufts 2008 show result page. Craig set about attacking the army of sandwiches he made and fortunately we had something to offer our visiting guests what they arrived. With so much excitement we decided to travel North to visit my parents for the weekend as a surprise and when we knocked at their door they had just finished watching the class results on the T.V. She very kindly gave reassurances that despite the extra few kilos, the cameras had been very flattering to the yellow show suit and although it was not the choice of many conservative breeders and handlers, for us it did exactly what we wanted it to do and even today we are still taking calls from people who have become so familiar with the red and yellow show suits, that they were able to identify us on the T.V.
Sunday was a leisure day enjoying the traditional Sunday roast with my parents and Monday we took the opportunity of having the sperm of Zac frozen in readiness for any overseas interest we may get in the future. Unfortunately frozen semen is not something readily available in our part of the island of Cyprus, so after a long discussion with the gentleman who put Zac through his paces, we have decided to bring the system to Cyprus for all to enjoy in the future. We will first need to purchase all the equipment, we will need to complete the training and once all this has been done we can start to offer the service, not only in Cyprus, but I am told it can be transported to shows which we are in attendance at, so other destinations can also take advantage of the facility.
Following a few days shopping and stocking up with all those things you tend to miss and have grown up with, we headed back to our sunshine island of Cyprus, 7 days from when we first set out.
This coming weekend 15th & 16th March we have a double weekend show here in Cyprus and whilst Zac rests, it is now the turn of Donny & Tina to hopefully bring back some trophies. Harry is over in Latvia for the Winners Show and then over in Finland at his second show of the weekend so we wish him luck.
I have added over 100 photos to the Crufts photo link and if you double click on any of the photos it should automatically take you straight to the album [or click here]. Both Craig & I hope you enjoy looking through them, we hope you have enjoyed our own views and opinions of how the Crufts show was observed by us and we would like to thank all those who did find the time to come over, converse with us and make us feel very welcome.
