Crufts 2015

A couple of weekends ago I loaded 3 dogs into the car and made the annual pilgrimage to the Birmingham NEC for the mad day that is Crufts.

I got there just in time to get stuck in the dire traffic queuing to get in which meant that I got into the venue just in time to get the dogs brushed before judging started.  More or less. 

First up for the Infindigo gang were Ukko with me and Kuura with Jane in Postgraduate dog followed by Rauhan who placed 2nd in Limit Dog.  Luckily Mark Treasure was there with his ever-ready camera because without him I would have had no photos at all.

Ukko was such a good boy, considering he doesn't exactly go to shows regularly

Gorgeous Kuura

Rauhan standing like a little star

Next up was Talvi, VHC in Junior Bitch and then Kiittaa who placed 3rd in Postgraduate Bitch and Emmi Reserve in Limit Bitch.

Ian & Talvi

Kiittaa & Lexi looked rather shocked about something

Jane with Emmi the little pro

Finally there was Neka.  It was 2 weeks before her 11th birthday, her 10th and final Crufts.  As usual, she had an absolute blast.  Not only that, but she also qualified for her 11th Crufts by placing 3rd in Veteran Bitch.  So proud of my old girl.

My sweet Neka, the old pro

Look how happy she is!

crufts 2014

For Finnish Lapphunds and the people in this household, Crufts has now finished for another year.  All that's left for us to do is watch the remainder of the show on television and for my voice to recover and return.  As a singer, it's a very rare event indeed for me to lose my voice - it was always used a lot and was pretty much bomb-proof, come talking, shouting or even viruses.  However, I don't do much singing these days, and 2 days of the noise and socialising of Crufts did me in.

First, there was the showing bit.  I'm so proud of all the Infindigo gang, placed or unplaced.  But we did rather well out of it, all in all!

Here I am with Neka (Elbereth Onnekas for Infindigo ShCM), who placed 2nd Good Citizen Bitch and 3rd Veteran Bitch - a class she won last year.   Ahead of her in that lineup were two girls of the same age and I found it quite moving to be standing there with these 3 dogs who all competed in puppy classes together, who grew up through the classes together, and who this year will all turn 10 years old.  As you can see, the old girl has still got it goin on.

All of these showing photos are ©Mark Treasure - with apologies for cropping them for my blog and thereby cutting out his byline.

Neka's collection of winnings

Note: the wooden box is nothing to do with the Crufts bling - its purpose is purely propping up the place cards.  Don't ask what's in the box.  No, really, you probably don't want to know.

It was quite a novelty to see the judge's critique mere hours after getting home from a show, but our judge, Stuart Mallard, turned it around in record time.  This is what he said about Neka: 

"9yo who projected herself to advantage, well built frame with good bone and moderate angles, moved steady, well handled."

Here is Jane with Emmi (Infindigo Riemu Emmi) who placed 3rd in the largest class of the day, Postgraduate Bitch, and took the top spot in Good Citizen Bitch, beating her granny.

The judge's critique: "correct outline and displayed good construction, just preferred eye of those above, moved steady, coat coming"

Here is Lexi with Emmi's litter sister, Kiittaa (Infindigo Riemu Kiittaa), who only went and won that very same huge Postgraduate Bitch class.  Her critique:  "for me this lady won with a little to spare, thought her head a delight, no weakness or coarseness, she is nicely balanced with well developed forehand, moderate angles and good bone, sound typical action, thought she was totally functional."

Emmi & Kiittaa together

Daniel with Kuura (Infindigo Persikka Kuura) who placed Reserve in Postgraduate Dog.

Photo: Daniel Spencer

And, finally, me again with Taito (Infindigo Taito) who placed... nowhere!  Although he didn't impress the judge on this occasion, I was delighted with him.  He looks spectacular and he actually performed much better than on any of his recent show outings (by 'recent' I mean the 2 or 3 times per year we get him out).

You can find all the results for Finnish Lapphunds here.

In addition to the showing there was the socialising bit.

Kuura on the bench begging for a bit of someone's lunch

Neka on the bench missing out on all the fun - photo Daniel Spencer

I stayed locally overnight and the next morning set off with Emmi and Taito to do our bit on the Finnish Lapphund stand at Discover Dogs.  I had originally intended to take Taito and Neka.  However, Neka tends to prefer getting cuddles and attention strictly on her own terms and tends to get bored if she has to hang around one place for too long, so she isn't really ideal Discover Dogs material.  Emmi, however, like her half-brother Taito, is perfect for the job.  They both love all the attention, fuss and cuddles.  In short, they are perfect ambassadors of the breed.  So Jane and Mark set off for home with Neka and Emmi stayed with me.

They had a whale of a time with all the ooh-ing and aah-ing from every stranger who couldn't quite pass without stopping to say hello.

Emmi being sweet & gentle with a new small friend.

Taito entertaining the crowds doing what comes naturally.

Smiley Taito & Emmi wagging so hard her tail is a complete blur.

Finally, there was the shopping.  If you have never been to Crufts you really cannot imagine the scale of the event with not only thousands of dogs, but also hundreds of stands selling everything from dog leads to people clothing to leather bags - all geared toward the outdoor-focused, animal-loving, doggy type of person.  Almost without exception, every company who displays there offers special Crufts prices, and there are often great bargains to be had.  

I picked up a new collar for Tuuli from my favorite Essenjay and I did my usual annual stock-up on vet bed for my puppies from the lovely folks at Bronte Glen.  There was a stall selling leads that caught my eye, but I didn't have time to stop at that moment and I never got around to returning there, unfortunately.  And there was another stall I liked that was offering a service that shall for now remain nameless as I am planning a little gift from there for a friend.

Part of the great fun of shopping at Crufts is collecting all the amazing freebies on offer.   In addition to the usual pocketfuls of courtesy poo bags, this is my haul of stuff from only 2 well-timed stops.  Big thanks to the folks at Dog World and Your Dog magazine for the handy carrier bags full of great samples.

All free!

So that's 3 qualified for Crufts 2015.  Now to try and get a few more to join them.

Crufts 2013

One blog post every 3 months or so isn't bad, right?  Er, only one in 6 months, you say?  Yes, that is quite bad, I accept it.

Moving on.

I had a fantastic day at Crufts last weekend.  For once I wasn't handling any dogs at all, and while I missed my normal frantic dashing from one dog and class to the next, it was a real treat to just sit there and watch it all.  I didn't even take a camera with me.  I did get a few rather distant and occasionally blurry shots with my phone, though.

Our judge was Jeff Horswell, a very experienced judge who we have been under on many previous occasions.  Not all of the Infindigo gang who qualified actually came, but of those who did enter, first up was Postgraduate Dog featuring Rauhan, Usko and Kuura. 

Rauhan was being handled by 15-year-old Lexi Birks at her first ever Crufts.  She and her family have Infindigo Riemu Kiittaa who has been to a few shows, but Lexi had never before shown a different dog.  I thought it would be a lovely experience for her, since Rauhan has been so easy to show in the past.  Lexi did a great job, although Rauhan was out of practice as he doesn't go to ringcraft.  He trotted nicely around the ring for Lexi and was happy enough to let the judge examine him, but I had completely forgotten to warn Lexi that he would need a firm grip in order to show his teeth.  So the judge never did get to see those teeth.  Needless to say, he didn't place!

Rauhan & Lexi

Handled so well by Ian, Usko trotted quite beautifully around the ring, as usual.  However, when it came time for the judge to go over him, he didn't have quite enough time to settle and decided he'd rather wiggle around and be silly rather than let the judge anywhere near.  This is a boy who still goes regularly to ringcraft, so there is no excuse whatsoever except pure, unadulterated joie de vivre and, er, naughtiness.  The owner of Usko's sire Albmi did point out that it was next to impossible to show him too for the same reason.  So there you go - show naughtiness appears to run in families.  You have been warned.

Ironically, Usko was also entered in the Good Citizen Dog class for dogs who have passed at least one level of the Kennel Club Good Citizen training scheme.  The judge did not bother with further examination of those entries and he placed 3rd.  I am assured that outside of the show ring, Usko is a very good citizen indeed!

Usko & Ian

Finally, it was Kuura and Daniel.  As I recall, the last time Kuura was in the ring, on the occasion of his Crufts qualifying show, I was handling him.  Therefore it was a real treat to get to sit ringside and actually see him perform.  He was totally focused on Daniel at all times (apart from a quick glance at me to have his unfortunately blurry photo taken).  There was only the tiniest boo-boo of a sit while the judge was doing his examination.  Well done, team!  Kuura placed an outstanding 3rd in the largest class of the day.

Kuura & Daniel focused

Kuura & Daniel not so focused!

Here is the judge's critique of Kuura:

3 McGinlay & Spencer’s Infindigo Persikka Kuura, liked his overall balance. Not as heavy in body as some & has very good feet. Lovely eyes, correct stop, firm topline.

Kuura also entered the next class, Limit Dog, where he placed again, this time in Reserve.  One of the competition in this class was Taito with Emma.  Taito doesn't go to many shows, but I always have high hopes for him when he does as he's such a beautiful specimen and he normally does very well.  However, he doesn't go to ringcraft, either, and so you never know if you're going to get Taito the showdog or Taito the utter clown.  You can guess which dog turned up for Crufts, can't you?  Yup.  He ran, he skipped sideways, he danced, he laughed, he hoovered everything up off the floor.  You can see in his photo how much fun he was having and that his feet are not even straight on the floor.  After their turn around the ring, Emma's face says it all, really.

Naughty Taito & exasperated Emma

Taito proving he is capable of standing nicely occasionally

For the very first time ever - and not unsurprisingly - Taito did not place.  Oh, the shame!   Such is life when you share it with a big, goofy and adorable clown of a dog. 

After the judging of the dogs was completed, it was Neka's turn in Veteran Bitch.  She looked fabulous on the day and was handled so well by Jane Treasure who has Infindigo Riemu Emmi.  Neka is not always the easiest dog to show as she tends to get rather - how shall I put it - enthusiastic in the show ring.  Jane did a brilliant job of keeping all 4 of her paws on the floor and her mouth mostly quiet.  We were utterly thrilled when Neka placed 1st in a class of really beautiful veterans, taking out no fewer than two former Crufts champions in the process.  Well done you two!  I haven't yet broken it to Jane that I may never show Neka myself again. 

Hard to tell, but it is indeed Neka & Jane

Another blurry Neka & Jane

Neka chilling in her crate after her triumph

The judge's critique of Neka:

VB (5) 1 Henson & Simmons’ Elbereth Onnekas for Infindigo, feminine, correct proportions. Just a bit better in head than 2. Well set ears, good neck, nice front. Feet slightly flat. Correct body depth & short loin, moderate rear;

Finally, it was the Special Puppy Bitch class for Kiittaa and Lexi.  It was my first chance to see Kiittaa in the ring as I didn't get to many shows last year, and it was lovely to see how well Lexi has trained her pup to behave so nicely in the show ring.  After a great performance, they won their class!  I was so proud of them both at their very first Crufts experience.

Kiittaa & Lexi

The judge's critique of Kiittaa:

PB (2) 1 Birks’ Infindigo Riemu Kiitaa, nice type pup, feminine head, pigment & eye colour match coat, enough neck, well made front & rear, nice profile mover. Can develop in width of chest & tighten in front;

It's always a nice bonus when you get to qualify for next year's Crufts at the same time as attending this year's, and so it happened for Kuura, Neka and Kiittaa. 

Due to the changing status of Finnish Lapphunds from Rare Breed status, last year it was tougher than ever to qualify for Crufts.  So I was very proud indeed of the dozen or so who did.  And I was very proud indeed, too, of those who turned up whether they behaved well or not and whether they placed or not.  In fact, I'm pretty proud of all the Infindigo Finnish Lapphunds whether they have ever been to a show or not.  Can you tell?

Crufts bound

Crufts 2012 has started and tomorrow is the day for Finnish Lapphunds.  We are very proud of all the Infindigo dogs who have qualified this year:  Aurinko (Inko), Keksi, Minna, Neka, Pikkukarhu (Karhu), Rauhan, Taito, Tarkka, Tippi, Ukko and Usko.  Of those, only about half of them will be actually going tomorrow.

Normally I make a card for everyone to wish them luck, but this year that was rather beyond my abilities, given all the other demands on my time.  However, I wanted to say:

Well done, team, good luck & have fun!

Here are the Crufts-bound gang in photos taken a bit before shows and all that stuff.  For the good luck cards I always try to get a photo that no one has seen before, and that's what I've done here too.  Hence they are not all quite as sharp as they could be, ahem.  I guess I'll eventually run out of never-before-seen images, but for now I think I've managed it.

Inko, 4 weeks

Rauhan, 5 weeks

Taito, 5 weeks

Tippi, 5 weeks

Usko, 7 weeks


















Hope you all have a fabulous day!