Judge: Kirstie Forster
Firstly a very big thank you to the club for the invitation to judge at this show, the show was held in conjunction with NW&PBS show which was a great idea and we benefitted from a good quality entry of dogs to judge, the weather was unusually wet for this time of year and we sadly had to judge inside and the ring was not as big as we would have liked and was also quite narrow so it made moving the dogs challenging for both judge and exhibitors, a big thank you for all who entered and took my placing’s with good sportsmanship. It was my first experience judging with a co judge and I must say I found it very rewarding, although like myself my co judge is not a breed specialist she unlike myself is a sled-dog specialist so discussing our thoughts and findings when deciding on the top spots was a welcome learning experience so again well done to the club for offering this experience to upcoming judges.

Minor Puppy Dog (2, 1 a)
1st – Hooley’s – Black Stripe – At just 6 and a half months old this grey & white puppy is a real baby who is currently very raw but showing good promise, his head is pleasing, ears are set a tad low but this is acceptable at this tender age, his eyes are of correct almond shape and set well, his top line was straight but currently level which again during growth is something I would expect to see, he has enough bone but does stand a little ten to two at the front currently which once his ribs spring he should straighten up nicely, he does need to come up on his legs a tad, he was presented in a full puppy coat which was clean and well presented, he showed himself very well and I was impressed with how nice and balanced he was on the move for one so young.

Puppy Dog (2, 1 a)
1st Perfitt’s – Samjoe Shadowhunter – At just over 9 and a half months old this wolf grey & white puppy is presenting a good static shape, he scores well in head with a good width of skull coming, his ears are neat and set well, his eyes are medium brown in colour and are of correct shape and set well, she stands on strong straight bone and lovely feet, his depth and width of chest are at the expected level of development for his age, his top line is a tad soft currently, his tail is set on well and is well furnished, he does carry it a tad to one side when moving, he has a lovely width to his rump and has a moderately angled rear with super strong hocks, even at this tender age I think he would have benefitted from a larger ring to move in, he presented a balanced side gait but could have been a little straighter moving away but he is a baby, he was presented in excellent order throughout and handled well. Best Puppy Dog and Reserve Best Puppy in Show.

Junior Dog (4, 2 a)
1st Dziergas & Ashworth’s – James Bond Illa Kuvianartok at Nunataq (Imp Pol) – This 17 and a half month old seal & white male very much looked the part in silhouette, he scored well in width of skull, his eye are medium brown in colour, his ears are looking a tad large and set a tad low but with a young dog still developing this is not a great concern, his chest is developing good width and depth, he has a strong well arched neck, his front and rear angles are matched well, his top line is currently a tad soft, he scores well for tail set and carriage and displays that lovely waving plume when on the move, he produced a nice gait on side profile and a strong rear action when going away, could be a bit tidier in front when coming, he was presented in a full clean jacket and was handled well.
2nd – Singh’s – Sledog Bebop Prez – At just over 12 months of age this seal & white male was giving a lot away on maturity but was also at the stage where he has lost his puppy coat but not yet picked his adult one up from the tailors shop so came without his clothes today, I do feel that when both these dogs are finished this one may well be the better dog, I would love to be able to have my hands on him again one day, he scores well in head, the balance of skull to muzzle ratio’s is spot on, his ears are set beautifully and are neat and of good shape, his neck is strong and flows into perfectly placed shoulders that are matched well with his return of upper arm, his chest has good width but needs to drop for depth which will happen has he matures, he scored over 1 for strength of top line which is straight but currently level which again I put down to a stage of growth, he presented a nice shape moving on side profile but a tad close on the rear moving away.

Post Graduate Dog (2, 0a)
1st – Holt’s – Freezefactor Savvy Affair at Breconfrost – At just over 2 years old this grey & white male is a super example of the breed and gives the desired impression of strength and balance on side profile, he stands on strong bone throughout and reasonable feet, I did find he could have a bit more width of chest and a tad more spring in rib and this was setting his front legs a tad ten to two when viewed from the front, he is however still maturing and has time on his side here, he scores well in head with a strong skull, ears set on well and a strong under jaw, dentition okay, his cheeks are flat and his proportion of muzzle to skull is as should be, his top line is strong and straight with the desired slope towards the tail, he moved with good reach in front and a strong rear action on side profile, a tad untidy at the front coming but again I feel when his chest and ribs mature this could change, he was in good coat which was thick and course but also a tad sticky to touch and I feel a good bath wouldn’t go a miss, he is certainly worth putting the effort in to present him to the best advantage, handled well.
2nd – Druce’s – Kaskae Hell of a View – 22 month old seal & grey male who was presented in a squeaky clean full jacket, he scores well in head with a broad skull which is complimented with a well balanced muzzle for length and has good strength of jaw and perfect dentition, his eyes are a tad lighter than ideal, his neck is strong and well arched, he needs to develop in chest for both width and depth but that is to be expected at this age, he is looking a tad long currently but when his chest drops and matures I feel he will look more balanced throughout, his top line was a tad soft, he was pleasing to watch on the moved well from all angles and coped well with the ring size.

Limit Dog (6, 2 a)
1st Lunn’s – Nordicwinds Jazz Singer – My notes start with “ Lovely male “ and he is indeed a lovely male and he topped what was a good quality class. This 2 and a half year old grey and white male although still relatively young is well matured and is a super example of the breed, he presents good strength and substance throughout, he stands on well boned limbs which are strong and straight when viewed from any angle, he scores well in head which is strong and well proportioned, his neck is strong and flows into a well placed shoulder and a firm straight top line which slopes to a well set tail, his rear angles are strong and this shows on the move with his powerful driving action, he was presented in a full dense jacket which at first glance gives the impression he is carrying a tad too much weight but hands into the coat tell a different story and he is well muscled and spot on for covering.
2nd – Hughes’s – Casiat Giro D’italia to Ukluk TAF – Another nice male, this time seal & white in colour, he is not so well off for bone and substance as 1 but he is very much in proportion, his chest is both broad and deep, he has balanced angles fore and aft and his top and underlines complement each other well, all put together producing a pleasing well balanced silhouette, his hocks are strong and he moved out well but was not quite as positive on the move as 1, another that may well have benefitted from a larger squarer ring.
3rd Brandenberg & Smith’s – Chayo It’s Kurt for Taronakit’s JW – At just a few months over 2 years old this grey & white male is maturing nicely, he is dripping in coat which at first glance can make him look a tad short on leg and also give the impression of his neck being a tad shorter than ideal but his abundance of coat was the cause of this so he is definitely one you need to get right into the coat when going over him, he has a pleasing head with an eye that is medium dark in colour, he stands on strong straight bone and is balanced in angles fore and aft, he moved with a balanced gait from all angles.

Open Dog (6, 0 a)
What an absolute pleasure it was to have this class of quality males to judge, I could not go wrong with whichever dog won this class although being so spoiled for choice I did find it very hard to make a decision to split my 1st and 2nd place dogs so it was no surprise that I found my best male and reserve best male in this class and that they then went on to take the top spots of Best in Show & Reserve Best in Show.
1st Jelf’s – CH Lapema Malizioso – This 3 and a half year old wolf grey & white male is a super example of the breed, he just oozes breed type from nose to tail, he was presented in tip top condition for both body and coat, he was firm and well muscled throughout and wore a clean dense full jacket, on the move his hocks are so strong and he produces a near perfect footfall everytime, his handler is a master of her game, I could see this dog had more petrol in the tank and another gear that he so wanted to move into but his handler read the ring and contained him in the gear that he was in that suited the ring today, I don’t think it was an easy job for her but she made it look like it was and she made sure he produced an easy balanced gait on side profile and coming and going away, we were lucky that for BIS we were able to open the ring up to make it bigger in length at least, the balance of this dog starts with his head which is broad and powerful and is matched with the correct proportions to his muzzle, he has a strong under jaw and lovely large teeth and his flews are dark in pigment which I know the standard doesn’t ask for this but it does look so nice in contrast against the coat colour, his eyes are also lovely and dark, almond in shape and set so well, his ears sit to perfection on the back of his skull, they are triangular and neat and well furred, his neck is strong and flows into a well placed shoulders, his chest is broad and deep and he stands on well boned limbs which are straight from every angle, that ever so slight slope in his pasterns comes into use on the move too, he is light and never heavy when his foot meets the ground, his back is strong and straight, he has well muscled loins, his tail is set and used well and his strong hocks are well let down and push him round the ring with a powerful rear action, it was these hocks that won him the top spot today, they were just a tad more let down than 2 and I just felt he had a touch more power on rear movement due to these hocks, it really was that hard for me to separate these two amazing males. Best Dog and Best In Show, Well done.
2nd – Copley-Holland, Hug & Hug’s – AM GCHB Adair‘N’Hug Rythm And Blues – My first experience judging a dog of this striking agouti & white colour, and boy does he wear it well, This 4 year old male is one that I’m confident will demand your attention in any company, his head is to die for, it’s just copy book and he uses everything he has to his advantage, he is so at one with his handler who again is at the top of her game and pushed hard all the way, I really did need two first places here and have every respect for these two ladies for conditioning these two dogs to perfection and handling them so precisely yet making it all look so effortless, Like 1 everything about this male is in balance and harmony, again this boys head is broad, his proportions are spot on and his jaw is strong, those ears of his sit to the back of his skull and he uses them to his advantage at all times, his neck is strong and well arched and again he uses this to show himself off so well, he has super shoulder placement, a solid and straight top line with the desired slope to the croup and his tail is set correctly and carried well on the move, whilst his chest isn’t as broad and deep as 1 and he isn’t quite as heavy in bone he is still totally in proportion so that didn’t help in deciding who to put first, he was presented in a squeaky clean course coat with ample dense undercoat, on the move he covers the ground with an effortless gait which displays super reach and drive and is straight coming and going, it was an absolute pleasure to have my hands on this super male and award him Reserve Best dog and then Reserve best in show, well done.
3rd Page’s – CH Snow Legend Believe in You Cedarcreek JW (Rus Imp)- Another exceptional male who like 1 & 2 is one from the top drawer, he stands in 3rd spot today simply because although handled very well indeed he did not seem quite as in tune with his handler as 1 & 2 were and didn’t cope with the ring as well on the move, he is certainly one I would love to watch in a more suitable ring. This almost 5 year old grey & white male is in super condition throughout, he has lovely bone, a super head, his chest is broad and deep, top line straight and strong and he has good width to the rear and is well angulated fore and aft, he moved with good reach and drive and was straight coming and going but I just felt the ring didn’t inspire him to put in as much effort on the move as 1 & 2.

Special Veteran Dog (7-9 Years) ( 1, 0 a)
1st – Nevinson’s – CH Chayo Golden Touch – If I hadn’t been spoiled enough with the quality of dogs in my open class I then have this super 8 and a half year old wolf grey & white male walk into the ring, he is in super condition and not showing his age at all, when static his silhouette gives that impression of power, he stands on super straight boned limbs and compact feet, he is balanced in head and body, his skull is broad and his ears set well, his eyes are medium brown in colour and the perfect shape and set, his neck is strong and broad, he is broad and powerful over the shoulders and his back is broad and firm, his strength and width go from nose to tail, his hocks are strong when viewed from the rear and he has correct moderate angles at the rear, he moved with a positive gait which covered the ground with ease, he was presented in a full dense jacket and handled well, he was unlucky to meet my 1st & 2nd in the open class today because I feel even at this age this dog is still the calibre to take the top spots in any company. Best Veteran dog, he sadly had to withdraw from Best Veteran in show to compete in the Veteran group in the sister show where I believe he was placed in the top 4, well done.

Kirstie Forster (Megalmar) (Judge)

STAKES CLASSES
Special Open Import Bitch (3, 2 a)
Raby’s – Moon’s – Nordicstars Burning Flame at Icemoon (Imp Swe) – At 3 and a half years old this grey & white bitch scores well for size and substance, she is wearing her summer coat currently but what is there is of good texture, her head has good proportions but I did feel her eye a tad rounder in shape than ideal, she stands on strong bone and has good angles, on the move she reaches and drives but was a tad high in front action and could be a bit cleaner at the rear.
Champion Stakes Bitch ( 4, 3 a)
1st – Aitchison & Hurst’s – CH Kaskae Oasis – 4 and a half year old seal & white bitch who I was not surprised to see is a champion, she was my co judges choice for best bitch and was unlucky to meet the super males from open when challenging for BIS & RBIS, she is a strong upstanding bitch, her head is never course, it is well proportioned and retains her feminine features, she has a pleasing silhouette both static and on the move and despite the fact she had put some work in today she still put in a super performance in this class and moved round with good reach in front and is as straight as a die going and coming.
Open Health Stakes Bitch ( 2, 1 a)
1st Perfitt’s – Samjoe From Russia with Love JW – This bitch has a nice head, her ears are set on well and her eyes are of good shape and dark in colour, her shoulders are placed well, I would like a bit more return on upper arm to give her a bit more fore-chest, she holds a good top line both static and on the move.
Kirstie Forster (Megalmar) (Judge)