Blog Posts

29th March 2019

4/6/2019

Caroline Owen has not been having an easy time after having a fall and breaking her hip. Caroline Pickering has contacted John to see how she is doing. He has said that she is still in Derby Hospital but with each day she is improving. They thank all their Saluki friends for their ‘get well’ messages and hope to see everybody soon. We all wish her a speedy recovery and we know she is anxious to be back at home again.

It is will sadness that I report the passing of Nick Tovey. He was a quiet, gentle man that was always beside Daphne, his late wife. Michael and myself spent a lot of time with Nick and Daphne attending shows then going off to visit local National Trust properties wherever they would allow dogs to visit. Nick was great in explaining all the technical details (before retirement he had been an engineer) of each property. On one visit to the Tovey’s home, near Chelmesford, we were given a tour of the local church where Nick was a bell ringer.

Nick and Daphne worked tirelessly for the Club. Their last job was as Trophy Chairpersons. Nick with great precision had all the dates each trophy was due and letters would be sent with photos of each trophy. This he had all computerized. He had it working like clockwork. For many years they had dogs and were well known for campaigning, tirelessly, dogs from the Lusaki kennels. The late Joan & Owen Davies were always great friends of theirs. Karen Fisher has recently related a story that Terry & Marian Armstrong and Nick & Daphne wee within a group they had organized called ‘Eastern Saluki Club’. They had organized a coursing meet at the military base at Upper Hayford, Oxon. The MPs were not aware this had been arranged and arrested the entire Club along with their dogs and put them into military trucks to take them back to the base.( Daphne’s voice came out of the truck saying “Marian are we being arrested?” ) All was sorted when the MPs were informed that they were there with permission.

In 2000 we bred a litter and Nick and Daphne had a male which they co-owned with Michael and myself. He was Kasaque Jimna who was a son our Kasaque Javah out of Fin Ch El Hamrah Rammah-Sahir. Jimna was a very sweet dog that gained his title and produced some lovely stock for ourselves and the Shimmins. His descendants are still doing well here, Scandinavia, Australia and Europe. They both were very much enamoured with him. (I should say mostly, as Daphne use to ring saying that if he did not shut up he was going back to his breeders._ Guess he was a vocal lad. We remember the good days and the fun we use to have.

Daphne and Nick will be remembered by all that knew them as the nicest most gentle people one could want to know. Nick is now reunited with the Daphne so for both we wish them to rest in peace. Our condolences to his daughter Fenella Miller , son, Peter and their families.

Nick’s funeral is at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 9th. April at St. Andrews Church, Sandon, CM2 7RQ. His family invites members to join them afterwards at Pontlands Park Hotel, Great Baddow, CM2 8HR for a buffet lunch.
Family flowers only, but donations may be made to Farleigh Hospice or the RNLI via T. Pennack & Sons, Funeral Directors, 1, Maldon Road, Great Baddow, CM2 7DW.

Yesterday the Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club held their first ‘Breed Appreciation Day” (BAD). It seems that the system demands us to use acronyms for everything so in defiance I will try and keep them to a minimal. The day started out with coffee, tea and donuts or pastries. Everyone settled down to an interesting talk by Paul Shimmin on the Breed Standard. He did this with a power point presentation with illustrations. Questions were received from the audience after. The next speaker was Karen Fisher, also with a power point presentation on the history of our ancient breed. One of the comments made by Karen was that new evidence has come to light that the Arabian horse was older then they originally thought. Originally the earliest bones were from Kazakhstan but recent finding have found bones from Saudi Arabia which pre date the other bones by 1000 years. Along with the horse’s bones there were bones of domesticated goats, sheep and dogs which have been identified as Salukis.

At mid day everyone was ready for lunch. All lunches had been pre-ordered with two items on the menu. Everyone seemed pleased with what they were offered then came the desserts. They were breath takingly gorgeous created by Helena Haywood. Comments were that it was worth attending the seminar just for the desserts. After, back to the work in hand. Fortunately the weather was sunny and we all went outside to see movement which was very interesting. Then back into the hall were all attendees were split up into groups with mentors. The mentors were Karen Fisher, Michael Williams, Paul Shimmin and myself. As most of the attendees were already judges of one of more breeds, the questions and discussions which followed, regarding the dog that was presented to them, in our case a very good example, were of a sophisticated level. In my case the attendees knew structure well so I had to just talk about the ‘what makes for a ‘good Saluki’.
All day long the theme that was drilled was that Saluki should be moderate dogs and as upcoming judges, please remember this. After the mentoring
came the moment of reckoning with the ‘multiple choice exam” or in KC language the MCE.

A big thank you to Nicola Warner for organizing the day, all the helpers and most importantly the attendees. We all learned something.

The following is a quote from Simon Burton one of the attendees: “Spent a really interesting day at the Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club Breed Appreciation Day and mightily relieved to pass the very tricky MCE. A great Breed Standard presentation by Paul Shimmin, followed by an absorbing talk on the History of the Breed by Karen Fisher and an insightful group mentoring session with Helen Williams made for a full morning. Roade Village Hall, Northampton, five minutes off the M1 was a super venue for a BAD and the homemade food at lunchtime simply delicious. The Pavlova was the best I've tasted in years and will remain in the memory for a long while to come..! Thanks to the committee for all their hard work and to my fellow students for the comradeship and conversation during the day”

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