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   BOTH Bailey & Phinias are Crufts Qualifiers Tuesday 03rd January 2012: Well another year over, and a Happy New Year to you all. As you may have seen from the show results there has been a serious lack of shows of late, we were due to do two in December but one had to be cancelled due to lack of entries, which proves my point that we must support our local shows or lose them, and this is another we have lost. I hope all had a great Christmas and fab new year: ours was quiet as we are only a small family with David (son) and Gemma (daughter-in-law to be) and Gemma (daughter) and Michael (son-in-law to be) but we had a great time and seemed to enjoy each others company, which is always a plus. Bailey and Phinais both put on weight over the holidays so it is back to long walks for them to get them back in shape bless them. Saturday 19th November 2011: last weekend we were at Northallerton despite saying we would never do that show again as the hall is far too small for two rings, but we entered at the last minute to support the judge Hazel Chance, after all she is a breed judge and we should support our breed judges. As previous years the rings were to small, the hall to small for so many people, and the parking awful. We all ended up covered in mud walking from the car to the hall, Phinias having to be washed down before getting in the ring. This weekend we were at Newton Aycliffe and while the hall was ten times the size the rings were to small for Dalmatians, and the hall packed: I gave up counting how many dogs / people walked in to me as it was standing room only. We left after our first class as I was in agony from standing so long and had a migraine from the coffee Steve kindly bought me: it was meant to be a latte but it was in fact a machine made something or other, very strong and with far too much caffine, thus an instant migraine. We went shopping on our way home, had some lunch and I went to bed for the afternoon to recover. Good this show lark at times lol. Now to look forward to the next show, on the plus side it was lovely meeting up with people and meeting the new pups out at the moment. Sunday 16th October 2011: We are obviously on a mini roll as Phinias got 1st in Dalmatian Open, Best of Breed and 1st in Utility AV Open, beating a couple of dogs that normally beat him, two of which in the Utility AV were fluffies - different judges for the Breed Classes and the Group, the Group judge going on to do the Utility AV classes (sorry I did not get his name as he was a change of judge from the planned judge). Plus Phinias made the cut in the Group, which was nice, but even nicer was the judge who awared him Best of Breed thought he was going to get 2nd in the Group, sadly the Group judge had other ideas lol, but at least he made the cut in a ring that was far too small for Dalmatians, and far far too small for the Group, which was 16 dogs, all very squished up against each other - next to us was an empty double size ring! Actually I was quite pleased he did not win the Group as we are puppy sitting Apollo this weekend and we both wanted to get home. It is great this puppy sitting lark as you get to play with a puppy, spoil it and hand it back to its owners a couple of days later. Sunday 25th September 2011: Well Phinias did it again today and got a first in Dalmatian Open and Dalmatian Best of Breed at a local show - I am a strong beleiver that if you do not support your local shows you will lose them. The show was a Limit show which meant there were no Champions entered, however there were quite a few dogs who have won Reserve Challenge Certificates and / or Show Certificate of Merit accordingly it was not that easy a show. A great day was had, though it was at a venue we have never been to before for a dog show, though we did know the venue as it is used for Irish Dance Competitions (Feis - pronounced fesh). We were lucky in that we were on the ground floor but the Toys etc were upstairs as was the Best in Show (no lift) so we have no idea how some coped getting their dogs, cages, benches etc up the stairs, Phin being a Dalmatian just galloped up the three flights of Victorian stairs. Saturday 24th September 2011: Not a lot of show news due to the time of year and us having puppies, who are now very mobile and have escaping from the whelping box and dining room down to a fine art! We are pleased to announce that we have just one boy left waiting a new home, and I have to confess I would love to show him, though do not tell Steve. "Charlie" as he gets called, because he is a right Charlie and show off, has attitude and it shows when he walks, which is a strut with confidence, bless him. Sunday 28th August 2011: We were at SKC yesterday where we are very proud to say the Phinias got a 4th in his class. On our way home we went to Holy Island where we spend a gorgeous five hours - we arrived between the tides going out so had to stay on the island for five hours, lol. Phin did not mind as he had a great two hour walk around the island followed by a nap, and then he was allowed to play in the water for a couple of hours. Being Holy Island the water along the causeway is clear, and was only 6 inches deep where Phinias was playing, or I should say running around in circles, splashing like mad, He even caught a crab or two, though let these go even quicker when they moved in his mouth. He then watched them scurry away like hard shelled spiders. Bless he was so tired when we go home he settled down in front of the fire and stayed there for six hours. He got up for a wee before bed and then went straight back to sleep until 7am this morning. This morning he was up and running around as if he had had no exercise for weeks lol. We left Bailey for the day with darling daughter and our son-in-law to be. Apparently she enjoyed the day being allowed to lay on the sofa when she wanted to, got loads of fresh cooked chicken and roast ham, and had a tub of expensive vanilla ice cream for the calcium content. I think she was a tad spoilt and wonder if next time she should go to Scotland with Steve and I stay at home? ............................. 2011: Well we finally came across a show we will never enter again, nothing to do with the venue or the judging but the attitude of a member of the committee, why you ask? The show was local if you read the show name, so we thought we would enter even though there was no Dalmatian class as there might be one next year, and I beleive you should protect your local shows if you do not want to lose them. However when I checked the post code for the Sat Nav the show was three counties away, yep three counties (40 plus miles each way). We got there, collected our catelogue and got a cup of coffee. While reading the catelogue I asked in passing a show official why the show was so far away from the show name - happens with Champ shows but this was not a Champ show - the reply was "if you bothered to read the clubs manifesto you will see we can have a show anywhere in the North East" followed by "and I live here!", I was amazed how nasty the comment came out. This show previously has been very close to the name on the schedule, and I remember it having a good entry. This show did not, and next year the entry will be a couple of people lower. We stayed for our class, did rubbish in that class as beaten by two fluffies lol, and went. We had bought raffle tickets but did not stay for the raffle, and we made a donation to a charity as we left, but the show itself is not one we will attend.  Sunday 03rd July 2011: Today we were at the Lanchester Agricultural Show where Phinias got second in a group of six in Dalmatian Open, then a third under a different judge in Utility AV Open. The weather was fantastic with not a cloud in sight. Shame I have a broken foot at present as I am going to have one very tanned leg from today, and one white, lol. Yesterday we were at Temple Park, about 5 minutes away, for the Ashington and District Open Show where Phin only managed a 4th in Dalmatian Open, however he made up for that in the Open Dog Stakes and got 2nd in a class of ten. Not sure yet what to waste the £3 prize money on. While this is a nice show as it is so local, the organisation had a lot to be desired due to over thirty minutes of people standing together to agree the Stakes could be before Best in Show or after. The poor Judge just sat to one side and waited, and waited bless her. The Catelogue was littered with spelling mistakes including Dalmatian being spelt Dalamatian, and most names that had two "E" in them had the second "E" changed for a "G", they spelt Sapphire with one "P" and two "H", and Pheeman spelt once twice "Phregman" and once correctly as Phreeman, there is a lot to be said for the F7 button and spellcheck, then proof reading, we all make mistakes but this was not one or two it was quite a few. Saturday 04th June 2011: Well we have just got back from the Southern Counties Championship Show, Phiniias was in Dalmatian Yearling Dog and got 1st! so another qualification for Cruft 2012 . What a good boy he was, now all we have to do is get him to wag his tail when he is concentrating: bless him as his tail wags when he is running, it wags when the judge is not looking but as soon as he realises the judge is looking at him he starts to concentrate and his tail goes down, and stops wagging. The weather was hot (29 degrees!) and I have to say it was a very nice show. After the show we went to Oxford shopping, which might not have been such a great idea in hind sight as we could not find where to get the Park and Ride Bus back to the car park to get back to our hotel, lol. Before you ask No we did not take the dogs to Oxford in that heat, we left them at our hotel, which was nice and cool, and the bar staff at the hotel kept an eye on them for us for the afternoon, ensuring they had plenty of cool water to drink, and stayed in a cool, darkend room so they could catch up on their naps, which is a favourite passtime of Bailey and Phinias :) Sunday 22nd May 2011: Today we were at the Scottish Kennel Club Championship Show, Phiniias was in Yearling dog and got a fourth - video above...... No shows next weekend, however on the Bank Holiday Monday we will be at the Northumberland County Show and look forward to seeing all the "usual suspects" there, then we are off down south for Southern Counties, which is on my 49 and 4/4 Birthday! Sunday 15th May 2011: A good weekend overall, Phinias got 2nd yesterday at Houghton-le-Spring, and a 1st in AV Utility Open. Today he got a 1st in Dalmatian Open and Best of Breed under Paul Singer, so a big thank you to Mr Singer for this. The Dalmatian's were the last class under Mr Singer before we had a change of judge for the Group, Puppy Group and Utility AV classes. Sadly we had just over a two hour wait for the Group Judge as he was judging the Gun dogs outside in the rain. The Group and the Puppy Group went to an Akita. No Dalmatian's in the groups today, but there will always be another day.  Sunday 08t May 2011: Well today we were at a show we have never been to before and it was not that bad: we had never been before because until this year they have not had a Dalmatian class, however today they had four! yep none before today and then four? Christine Johnson got 1st in Junior and then Best of Breed with Jack + Group 3, Lisa Barrett got 1st in Puppy with Malibu and 1st in Open with Chelsea plus 2nd in Graduate with Diesal, her mum Jane Barrett got 2nd in Junior and Best of Breed Puppy with Merlin + Puppy Group 2, and we got 1st in Graduate with Phinias (Plus 1st in Utility AV Open), so not bad for the usual suspects as we seem to have become. A big thank you to Mr Kevin Berry our judge for the day as he made us all feel very welcome, and the event very enjoyable. Sunday 17th April 2011: Phinias, and Steve of course, not only won Dalmatian Open, but he got Best of Breed, 5th in the Group (yes the Group went to 5 places following a cut by the judge from 14 down to 5 - sadly no points for a 5th but it was nice to get it still) and then Utility Any Variety Open another 1st! so not bad for a gorgeous day spent mainly sitting in the sun, enjoying good company and the crack.  Crufts 2011
Sunday 13th March 2011: Well DfsCruft 2011 was a success, and so much fun, though a very long weekend. Bailey got binned (not placed for those who do not know show language), but then there were 19 in the class, all after just 5 places, however Phinias got 4th place in Dalmatian Dog Junior, not bad for our first ever Crufts! - had the entry rules been the same for last year as this Bailey would have qualified for last year as well as this, and as you know Phinias has already qualified for next year. Lisa got a 3rd with Diesal, and Christine placed with both Jack (2nd) and Tess (1st)!. Stuart and Carol got a staggering three 1st's! Not bad for a small region of Dalmatains. At the end of the day my feet were killing and so swollen. I think Steve's feet were killing as well as we both went to the bar, back at our hotel, with no shoes on. It has took two days to recover. Though I assume had I not got lost walking around the show, which was huge, then my feet would not have hurt as much. We spent a fortune but had a great time. Despite all the show shopping I managed to forget to buy new collars for Bailey and Phinias, and forgot to buy Garlic and Fenugreek for Bailey, opps. This is the first three dog classes for Crufts 2011: Steve and Phinias are about 28 minute in - enjoy    | |   About Us We are members of the oldest Dalmatian club in the world the North of England Dalmatian Club, plus members of the Dalmatian Club of Scotland, and the British Dalmatian Club & as of January 2011 are part of the Kennel Club Accredited Assured Breeders Scheme. Despite having always been dog owners we had never had a Dalmatian until 2008; Several years ago our darling daughter was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) at which time she was an Irish Dancer, the diagnoses explained her many health issues and constant tiredness, which resulted in her retiring from a hobby she loved. One thing she had always wanted was a Dalmatian so we got her to do her research, attend the North of England Dalmatian Club shows, speak to owners and breeders before saying "yes" to a new family member, one thing we asked everyone was "could a show dog be a pet first" and the answer everytime was "yes", in fact a show dog is a very much a pet with a social life - we asked as we wanted something that with give darling daughter a goal in life and something to encourage her to exercise and get out and about. On 30th March 2008 on getting home from the North of England Dalmatian Club Spring Open Show we received an email from Leanne Richardson that a litter of pups sired by Micky (CH Mapplewell It Takes Two JW) had been born that day and the rest is history. Funny though darling daughter never did get her Dalmatian as we loved Bailey so much we bought Bailey from her............ Bailey was joined by Phinias 18 months later, and from there we we had our first Dalmatian litter arrive on the 12th August 2011. Bailey and Phinias are very much pets with social lives, they live indoors with us, sleep on the sofa, and when we want a lie in, on our bed with us. Neither snatch food from the hand that feeds them. They enjoy long walks on the beach or park, and love being cuddled, or allowed to sleep on the sofas in front of the TV with their heads on our laps.   Baileys Irish Cream with Dalissm may have been our first Dalmatian but she is not our last and was joined by Heaven Sent Phreeman Calix with Dalissm (Phinias) on 22 November 2009.  Bailey aged 2 years & Phinias aged 4 months
Our
   Bailey aged 2 years & Phinias aged 6 months  Bailey, doing what Dalmatians do best...... | |
| South Shields on a warm but overcast autumn Sunday morning, a great place for walking Dalmatians This must be Baileys and Phinias's favourite beaches as they have several miles of sand over three or four beaches to play on and a good couple of miles of grass area to play, an area where responsible dog owners who clean up after their pets are ecouraged: you will find the dogs and myself on the beach most mornings from 5am (dogs are banned 8am-6pm May to September so early is better). While we have a Jarrow post code we live on the borders of South Shields, Jarrow and West Boldon. Ask anyone locally where we live and they will say South Shields as we are the wrong side of the A19 to be Jarrow. The plus side of living so close to the A19 is that we are only 10 minutes drive from Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, Washington, North Shields town centre and South Shields town centre, plus an hour and a half from Manchester, Leeds or the borders of Scotland . A big advantage of where we live is not only huge North East coast beaches such as those at South Shields, North Shields, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, Whitburn and Sunderland but we have rolling countryside within minutes of leaving the house and three nature reserves within five to ten minutes walk from the house. What we lack in garden space we make up for in local area. Tyneside is very much a hidden gem in the North of England, and that is coming from a born and bred Southerner who had to look South Shields on a map when she met her future husband as she had never heard of it (me! lol), that will teach me to marry a Sand Dancer (Someone born within a mile of the Tyne). We are only an hour and a bit from Scotland (to the North) or Manchester and Leeds to the South thanks to the A19 and the A1, giving no excuse to stay at home and not take your great new pal out exploring the UK. The West coast is about and hour and a half away and the east coast about ten minutes. Have I ever looked back at moving to a gorgeous area? no as this is now my home and so much quieter than Dorset where I grew up. So thanks Steve for asking me to marry you all those years ago, and thanks for two wonderful children (David and Gemma-Caroline). And thanks to Gemma-Caroline for the most wonderful dogs anyone could wish to own (Bailey & Phinias). .    When not on the beach in South Shields we walk the dogs by the river and St Paul's Church, Jarrow (famous for St Bede), which is very pretty when the river is full with water from the Tyne but very muddy when not, which Phinias enjoys much more, mainly because he can get covered in mud! Sadly the bridge does not go anywhere, well it does if you do not mind walking in to a fence surrouding the Port of Tyne dock where they keep the Nissan cars for export.   | |
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