A couple of Whirlwind Weeks for Linconor

DENZIL

Highland Open Show

Best of Breed & Utility Group 2

HUGO
Highland Open Show
Best Special Utility Puppy
Reserve Special Puppy in Show

FREDA

Turiff Open Show

Best of Breed

Tayside, Lochee Open Show
Best of Breed & Best Special Hound Minor Puppy

Hound Association Championship Show

3rd Puppy Bitch - Crufts Here I Come!

ESMEE

Highland Open Show

Best AVNSC Toy & Toy Group 4

Tayside, Lochee Open Show

Best AVNSC Toy

A GOOD START FOR THE 2010 SEASON FOR LINCONOR

We took Denzil and Hugo to Border Union yesterday and, amazingly, both of them qualified for Crufts 2011 - they both got 3rd in their respective classes. Hugo, however, needs all the practice he can get before the NEC next year, so be prepared to see him just EVERYWHERE!!

Here's hoping that all of you that went to Kelso over the weekend did everything you hoped for.

What a lovely day we had at Banff, Moray & Nairn ...

Denzil: 1st Lhasa Apso Open - Best of Breed

Esmee: 1st AVNSC Toy Post Graduate - Best AVNSC Toy -

Toy Group 4

We are pleased to report that Denzil won Best Utility Puppy at both Caithness and Highland Open Shows and at Banff Moray & Nairn was awarded Best Puppy in Match.

Many thanks to all the Judges concerned.

More news of our boy - Best Puppy in Show at Turriff Companion Show (and just think, I didn't want to keep him!!)

We made the long journey (480 miles round trip) to Border Union and thought we had moved to the Med - the weather was absolutely glorious. To make the journey worth while and put a couple of cherries on the cake, we qualified Denzil and Leo, both of them winning 2nd place in their respective classes (Puppy and Limit). Our Crufts 2010 team has now gone up to 4 - Leila has yet to get her act together, although she managed to get VHC in Limit Bitch. She likes to think she is top of the tree at Roman Camp, but she needs to get her priorities in order!! Perhaps next time ...?! I saw a number of people from the Club so I hope they all had a good day as well.

KEITH COMPANION SHOW

DENZIL - 2nd PUPPY

ESMEE 1st JUNIOR & BEST TOY

LEO - BEST IN SHOW!

Many thanks to the Judge, Jennifer MacWilliam and to Karen & her helpers for an enjoyable day

NEWS FROM SKC

Esmee

1st Puppy Bitch

also

William - 3rd Puppy Dog

Leo - VHC Limit Dog

WILLIAM IN THE NEWS AGAIN!

We are so proud of him - he qualified for Crufts 2010 at his first Championship Show

(The Shih Tzu Club of Scotland)

This week was William's turn ...


1st & BOB at Perth!

OUR BOYS AT ROSS & CROMARTY

LEO

1st Open Lhasa Apso, Best of Breed, 3rd Utility Group

and his son

DENZIL

1st AV Utility Minor Puppy at his first show

Ron's "Swan Song"

As some of you might know, Ron took centre ring at Tayside Lochee & District Limited Show last Saturday to judge the Pastoral Group. He drew the biggest entry of all of the groups and did a sterling job. He gave best Pastoral Puppy to a seven and a half month old Samoyed, who then took Best of Breed, the Pastoral Group then obviously appealed to the BIS judge as she won

Best in Show and Best Puppy in Show.

You could say that Ron was delighted as this was to be his last judging appointment - what a way to finish! The owner of the Samoyed was equally delighted and it turned out that we actually know the puppy's breeders as they were (in fact, still are) great friends of ours from when we lived in Essex. I, of course, had already established this as I was showing William and had access to my catalogue. It was very interesting to see Ron judge her as we have obviously got to know the breeders "type" of Samoyed over the years and this one was definitely true to their breeding. It didn't take him long to decide that she was the best exhibit in the ring and, as it turned out, in the show.

Ron can now retire from judging safe in the knowledge that he still knows a thing or two about judging dogs!

William's first show ...!

Off we went to Inverness (through the snow and ice yet again) for the Highland Limited Show. It was exactly 6 months since William was born so this was to be his "debut". There were only two Shih Tzus entered and I knew that the other exhibit would not be there as I had received a 'phone call from his owner yesterday evening. William was sporting a very clean coat, each hair groomed to perfection and a top-knot executed to sit centrally on his head. THEN the problem started - into the ring we went and he decided that today was to be playtime rather than moving sedately up and down the ring. I know training evenings have been a bit hit and miss but I did think he was at last getting his act together. However, he obviously thought differently today. The judge was very patient with him and managed to see his movement on one length of the ring and she was magnanimous enough to award him the red rosette and Best of Breed. Never have one of my dogs less deserved such a placing! I just hope he and I can come to an understanding about the future of his showing - I WILL BE IN CHARGE and the sooner he realises it, the better! In spite of his showing today I still love him dearly - is really is "Just William!" There is always the next show ...

We would like to introduce you to "Louis"

(Linconor Strike a Chord).

He was born on 8 January 1994 which means he will reach the grand age of 15 tomorrow.

He is the Great Grandfather of the infamous Leila, and the Great Great Grandfather of our last Lhasa Apso puppy, Denzil.

We have been very lucky as most of our Apsos have reached double figures, and Louis is the 3rd one we have bred that has reached the age of 15.

We hope you have as many long and happy years with your beloved dogs.

Wishing everyone and their dogs much success in 2009

from Linda & Ron and

"the new kids on the block"

Esmee, William & Denzil

Esmee's first show

The arctic conditions were nearly enough to put us off going to Dundee Limited Show at Carnoustie but idiocy won over sense and we set out at some ungodly hour in order to reach the venue in time. The car only slithered once although the roads were pretty bad in places. Esmee had reached 6 months last Thursday, so at Dundee she was the great age of 6 months and 2 days! She was entered in AVNSC Toy Open where she won a reserve place out of 5 entries, and she then went into AVNSC Minor Puppy where she won the class, out of 6 entries. You could say we were over the moon (especially as the journey had seemed as though we drove over the moon to get there). She insisted the picture you can see was much preferable to a "show pose" as she was having so much fun in the snow. She would like to thank everyone at the club for being her friends and encouraging her and us to persevere to train her as a show-girl.

Leo & Esmee at Banff Moray & Nairn

We took Esmee to the puppy walk at BM & N match yesterday and she was a very good girl. With just 3 weeks to go to her first show she needs all the practice she can get. Leo came as well as he loves to go out especially if there is showing involved. He was entered in the main match and strutted his stuff without putting a foot wrong - he won BEST IN MATCH! The rosette he won is almost as big as him and I am so proud of him.

Many thanks to the judge, Ann, who thought so highly of him (what a lovely lady!!)

Banff Moray & Nairn

Yesterday we went to Banff Moray & Nairn Open Show with Leila & Leo the Lhasa Apsos and also took Ruby (0ne of our Shih Tzus) along for a day out as she just loves to show and she turned out to be our "star" of the day! She took Best of Breed and Utility Group 3. She is registered Debaux Passion for Fashion at Linconor but, as you can see from the picture she is not renowned for her dress sense! She is nearly always scruffy but it just doesn't seem to bother her! Her sire is a UK and Russian Champion but she is very un-phased about being the daughter of such a famous father - she is just "our Ruby".

LINCONOR

LINCONOR is made up of LIN for Linda - C for Collins - O for Offen - NOR which is Ron backwards! It has been ourKC affix for nearly 30 years and has been added on to our original stock that we bought in and then to register the litters of Old English Sheepdogs and Lhasa Apsos we have bred and, just recently our first litter of Shih Tzus and our last litter of Lhasa Apsos. It has, of course, been added on to THE Affenpinscher's registered name to make her name much bigger than she is!

This is Esmee (Balirolyat Mayfly Magic at Linconor) who is due to make her debut in November this year

Ron and I have both judged at open show level but have never had ambitions to give CCs. We have served on breed club and general open show committees, both acted as show managers for open and championship shows and Ron was a breed club treasurer - a job he was welcome to! We have both stewarded about 1,000 classes at both levels and when we moved to Moray made the decision that stewarding and committee work was definitely best left to others. Ron has his last judging appointment at the beginning of next year, and I have one at Newark next March but am still open to offers!

This is William - our first home bred

Shih Tzu who will make his debut in February 2009

I did train junior handlers when we lived in Essex and one of my "stars" won the Shaun MacAlpine Trophy for 2 consecutive years. Of that, I was very proud.

Over the years we have a modicom of success with our dogs but most importantly, we have really enjoyed it. We have met some wonderful people and made some long lasting friendships in a lot of breeds, not just the breeds we have owned. We started with Old English Sheepdogs, then added the Lhasa Apsos then, much later we bought a Lagotta Romagnolo who did actually move to Moray with us (not a lot of people know that). When we had been here about a year we bought our first 2 Shih Tzus, our 3rd joining them a year later - and, then, as so many people know, THE Affenpinscher took up residence!

We will hopefully be showing regularly in 2009 and would like to wish all the members of Spey Valley DTC success in the show and obedience rings in the future.