4th OCTOBER 2019

 
It was lovely to hear from Rosalie Brady regarding her recent successes in the show ring.  Rosalie has written:  At the Nidderdale Agricultural Open Show Monday 23rd September 2019 her young male, Classicus Azim For Bodercot (bred by Mary Sanders-Parker) went through to win Reserve Best in Show. This show is held in conjunction with the Nidderdale Agricultural Show so it always draws a large crowd.  The dog show is a 298 Class open show and it is not judged on the Group system so the Best in Show competition is always a spectacular event, for the general public, with this year no less than 40 Best of Breed winners present in the ring together.   Breed judge was Sue Virgo and the BIS judge was Paul Wilkinson.  This follows on from his win of Reserve Best in Show at the Border Counties Hound Club Open Show, which was held in conjunction with Leeds Championship Show this year.  On that occasion the breed judge was Margaret Masterman and the BIS judge Brian Middleton.”  Rosalie goes on to say “she is proud to keep the Saluki flag flying”.
 I have also heard from Pam Mottershaw that her, Stuart and Fiona Office’s
 Ir Ch Ulmarra Naa (Jun Ch) was BOB, Hound Group 2 at the Autumn Show at the KC of Jersey. Sydney was also runner up in the Open Stake Class.
Last weekend Driffield Championship Show was held.  Judging Salukis was Breed Specialist Mary Sanders-Parker.  DCC, BOB for his third and qualifying CC was Jeannette Cotterill’s Miskanda The Grey Gadsby.  He was born on the 11thJune 2015 and his breeder is his owner.  His sire is Fernlark Pull the Cork at Sotazsu and his dam is Ch/Am Ch Sundara’s Ayla Op De Sabbia..  RDCC went to Joanne Mahon’s Canapus Impala.  BCC for her first CC went to Nicola Warner and Berni Hetherington’s Canapus Vesper At Savuka (IMP NDL).  She was born on the 21stJuly 2014.  Her breeder is Mr F S van Der Drift.  Her sire is Haefen Freespirit At Canapus and dam Canapus Awn Rosemary. RBCC went to Anna & Ben Freegard’s Jazalle Athena For Mumtaz. Best Puppy was Mrs D Garratt & Mr D Ward Caryna Nedezhda TAF, Best Veteran went to Anna & Ben Freegard’s Mumtaz Phoebe and Best Special Befinner to Ms L Ward’s Caryna Manantena at Bactor. 
Well done all! 
It is such a pity for our breed that the entries have decreased so dramatically,  Driffield was yet another example where Salukis had an experienced breed specialist and low entries.  This time there were no entries in Open Dog and only one in Open Bitch.  This observation is not to diminish, in any way, the entry or the judge.   Looking back through the years and remembering the 80s, where we would regularly have a class of 25 bitches in Post Graduate.  Those were the days you needed a first place to qualify for Crufts. Believe me you were trilled when you won a class as you were really up against some very prominent Saluki people, with beautiful dogs.  How different it is now as you can be the only one in the class and everyone qualifies for Crufts. 
Of late I have seen comments on social media being made that one Saluki bloodline is better than another.  Really, is that so? 
When Michael and I came to live in the UK we were fortunate that good stud dogs of different lines were available.  The prerequisite was that you had a good bitch and were a responsible person.  The use of different studs with different lines meant we could keep our Saluki lines diversified even though we were restricted by quarantine.  The fact that over use of some dogs or lines has created some health problems which have lately become apparent is something we are aware and steps are now being taken to try and resolve these problems.  This has not just happened just in Salukis but in many other breeds as well.  These dogs have produced some very lovely progeny and everyone wants a winner, sometimes, regardless of the cost.
Another comments made on social media has been, that if you want a correct Saluki, there is only one line. This comment is closed minded and restricts the innate diversity of our Salukis and is fundamentally incorrect.  Thankfully we have different judges, who read our standard and judge through their own interpretation to that standard.  Someone once asked me how a dog could win one week and be last in the line-up the next week? That is in the interpretation of the standard, those words which may mean one thing to one judge and another thing to another.  Hopefully the comments of the social media self-made authoritarians, will be ignored.