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it. (The intent is that you would garner all points minus the points from the group awarded Best in Show.) As entries here are declining it is hoped this might put some more interest into the dog shows and make the race for top dog just that much more interesting. Then like an annual migration we Canadians flock, like our American counterparts, to New York City for the Westminster Kennel Club and all it has to offer. Logistically getting to NYC from almost anywhere in Canada can be quite a challenge but we all manage to do it year after year. The Canadian presence is always noted and this year was no exception with Canadians figuring prominently on both sides of the ribbon. Shirley Limoges looked lovely as she judges the Toy group Tuesday night. Other Canadians also judging this year were, Virginia Lyne, Dr. Richard Meen, Dr. John Reeve-Newson, and James Reynolds. Northern dogs that did well were the Canadian French Bulldog that topped the group Monday night, Ch Robobull Fablehaft I’m on Fire, bred and co-owned by Canadian Shelley St John. Best of breed winners from Canada were: the Irish Red & White Setter, Ch Shiredak Caniscaeli Windsong; the Irish Wolfhound, Ch Wofhaven Ain’t No Fool to Olugh; the Great Dane, Ch Strider N Leinenstones Katalea; the Kerry Blue Terrier Ch Cranmoss Finbar of Colinca; the Sealyham Terrier Ch Efbe’s Merci Pour le Poivre (who was also Canada’s Top Dog All breeds in 2008); the Westie Ch Mac-Ken-Chars Superhero; the American Eskimo Dog Ch Nuutok’s Atka Inukshuk; the Standard Poodle, Ch Dawin Spitfire; the Finnish Spitz Ch Pikkimokka Badg Sir Barksalot; and the Bouvier Ch Quiche’s Demetrius. As well as these 11 breed winners, Canadian
dogs won 15 Awards of Merits and six Best of Opposite Sex Awards. It is interesting to note that in Finnish Spitz the Best of Breed, Best of Opposite Sex and an award of merit all went to Canadian dogs. Also of note was the highly competitive Standard Poodle breed, judged by Andrew Brace. Mr. Brace wrote in an article in another publication that he thought that at the time of writing (which was August 2009) that Canada was one of, if not the easiest country to get a championship in. This proud Canadian took offense to this as Champions of certain breeds in certain areas of our great country may be quite easy at times just as they can be in the US. For Mr. Brace to make this statement I felt was rather presumptuous at best (and arrogant at worse) so I quite enjoyed the Standard Poodle judging where the Best of breed and best of Opposite sex winners were both Canadian bred and owned. All in all, it was a great week as usual for Canadians and their four-footed friends. After the festivities of the Westminster week died down the Ontario Dog show fancy madly dashes for home to take part in the Ontario Breeders four day shows. These shows start the Thursday after Westminster and run until Monday. Day 1 and Day 3 saw the Hammonds from Australia put up the PBGV Ch Soletrader Bjorn Borg who has a kennelmate who is currently doing well in the US. Sandra Anderson put up the Irish Setter GCh Captiva Turning Heads and Bruce Marquette gave the nod to Standard Poodle (BOS winner at Westminster KC) GCh Classique Scaramouche. There was also the Eukanuba Best of the Best Competition, an unofficial event for the Top 100 dogs of 2009. This was won by the Miniature Smooth Dachshund Ch Grandgables Wee Mr Red Thorn. As you can see, the dog shows in Canada do get off to a slow start. Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, held in Vancouver, British Columbia compounded that this year as many show giving clubs in that area cancelled or postponed their shows normally held in February and March. It seems the demand for hotel rooms and airline tickets as well as problems with logistics for traveling would have made the shows either economically unfeasible or logistically impossible. So although the games were a boom for Canada on the whole, they have slowed down the start to our dog show year. As of March 1, 2010 the top dogs in Canada were: #1 PBGV Ch Soletrader Bjorn Borg #2 Pug Ch Xoe’s Oscar De La Hoya #3 Gordon Setter Ch Raggededge Joyride to Kericreek #4 Irish Setter GCh Captiva’s Turning Heads #5 Am Cocker Span GCh Sjoblom’s All That He Touches #6 Std Poodle GCh Classique Scaramouche #7 Beagle Ch Torquay Shrek #8 Frenchie Ch Petite Cherie Savoir Faire at Foxmoor #9 Sammy Ch Summerhill’s Bear With Spirit #10 Saluki Ch Carmas Indian Summer Interestingly enough, the smooth Saluki bitch is #11 and only 17 points out of the #10 spot. Rounding out the Top dogs, the Sheltie bitch Ch Shelhaven Sweet Seduction CGN is Top Herding Dog and the Top Terrier is the Westie Ch Gallaurie’s Zoom Zoom.
The Great Dane, Ch Strider N Leinenstones Katalea 80 Dog News
Well that has everyone caught up on the Canadian dog show scene. As these articles progress we will talk about all aspects of Canadian dogs including breed specific legislation, the cropping and docking ban, junior handling as well as keep you up to date on the top dogs here! •