KENNEL NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 23819, 17 May 1939, Page 15

KENNEL NOTES

By

FANCIER

The Dunedin Fanciers’ Club has long

been renowned for the excellence of its prize-list but this year the club has surpassed all previous efforts and offers a particularly fine array of trophies, cash prizes and specials for competition among all exhibitors. No fewer than 25 challenge cups, 55 trophies and cash prizes, all in addition to the usual percentage scale of prizemoney, are available and should prove an incentive to owners from far and near to bench their dogs and endeavour to secure their share.

Mi- D. D. Wilson, of Hamilton, takes all breeds, and this popular official of the New Zealand Kennel Club will no doubt have a very tiring day judging the big number of dogs which is certain to be present. In addition to the kennel section, the Fanciers’ Club, as its name implies, caters for poultry, pigeons, canaries, budgerigars, finches, foreign birds and cats, all housed adjacent to the dogs and in the same hall. The result is that many persons are attracted to the show and those who go to inspect the feather section will certainly look the dogs over and vice versa, all of which creates interest in the fancy. Two outstanding items of interest to breeders of the- popular cocker spaniel is the news that two famous stud and show dogs have crossed the water from Australia and are now available for stud purposes in this country. First is the famous black dog Zebo Moonray, bred in England and brought to Australia some time ago. He is by Bazel Otto ex Lanehead Brillance, and it is claimed that there is no better sire of blacks or reds in Australia or New Zealand. Zebo Moonray is now the joint property of Mr M. J. Waters, “Of Seen,” kennels, Blenheim, and Mr J. R. Oliver; “Trunkles” kennels, Nelson. The second recent arrival is the celebrated grand champion Whipper Up of Ware, who is now in the kennels of Mr O. J. Elliot at Gisborne. This great blue-roan dog was a big winner m England, Ireland and Scotland before he was exported to Australia in 1936, where he carried all before him. He was first benched at the Melbourne Royal Show, under two English judges and was made best of all breeds and he repeated this victory at the' Sydney Royal Show in the same year. His list of wins would take up too much space and it is sufficient to add that he has only once been beaten and then by another imported “Of Ware” dog, whom he had previously defeated. Zebo ■ . Moonray will no doubt leave his mark 1 on the black variety of the breed in New Zealand, and it is certain that Whipper Up of Ware will improve the already high general standard of the coloured type. An extraordinary position appears to have arisen as a result of the decision of the New Zealand Kennel Club to disallow Mr J. W. Robson, Lower Hutt, t judge an all-breed show. This man has previously judged all breeds at quite a number of shows and has achieved the rare distinction of being invited to judge at the same show two years in succession; proof enough that the club concerned had every faith in his ability. According to Mr Robson, I who states his case very clearly in The ! New Zealand Fancier, the Kennel Club has not advanced any reason why the ban should be placed upon him, and it | will certainly be inexplicable to the • average fancier why he should be i barred at such a late stage in his | career. Mr Robson has a tilt at certain I well-known officials when he remarks: “I have at all times done my best to fit myself for the positions I have ac- I cepted and I claim that I have made the closest possible study of as many I breeds as any other man in this coun- > try; in any case I have not fallen into' such mistakes as asserting that ‘a i Schipperke should be big and strong I enough to pull a barge.’ Also, I know that a bulldog can hold on once he gets a grip, but I have not yet voiced the opinion that ‘he maintains his grip by suction’.”

While Mr Robson apparently has legitimate cause for complaint, there are two sides to every question and it is the duty of the New Zealand Kennel Club to make public the reasons for imposing restrictions on him and have the -whole unfortunate matter brought to a conclusion. IMPORTED DOGS A correspondent “Keen Novice” requires information about the number and names of show dogs imported into the Dominion from England during the past two years. “Fancier” is unable to supply a/detailed list, but the following dogs and bitches are well known throughout the country as possessing the magic three letters “Imp.” after their names:—Mrs A. M. Angus’s ch, Yao Choo of Alderbourne (Pekingese), Mrs C. L. Ridgens ch. Toydom Pung Kee (Pekingese), Mrs C. Izard’s ch. Towyn Rightaway (airedale), Mr C. W. Skill’s Brocco Bettine (Labrador), Mrs F. Walls’s ch. Stocksmoor Smartest (wire haired fox terrier), Miss L. Nelson’s Roundway Gold Digger (wirehaired fox terrier), Mr H. Wattam’s Fortune of Tweedale (English setter), Mr P. W. Willson’s George and Thunder of Howth Hill (Irish water spaniels), Mr F. Wilson’s Pugilistrian Sampson and Shankey Doodle (bulldogs), Mr C. M. Therenard’s ch. Darwin Dignity and ch. Warden of the Hillfolk (cairn terriers), Mr H. J. Brough’s ch. Eden Excellent (collie), Mr H. Ayers’s Welford Trump (springer spaniel), Mr F. Woodhouse’s ch. Rex of the Arctic (samoyed), Mr K. C. Allpress’s Kiltie Lad of the Mill (collie), Mrs V. Ewen’s ch. Crich Creation (Scottish terrier), Mrs A. J. Everiss’s ch. Baravais Rumpus (bull terrier), Mr J. R. Oliver’s Desma of Ware (cocker), Dr R. G. Hampton’s Sea Spray of Ware (cocker), and Mr C. J. Daines’s O Goo Boy of Gadelands (Irish setter). Although it will be noticed that most of these importations have become New Zealand champions it must not be thought that the home-bred dog stands no chance against the dog bred in England. In some breeds, where importations have been regular the New Zea-land-bred dog bred from imported stock has often succeeded in defeating imported dogs. Generally speaking the breeds in New Zealand which are capable of being compared in quality with the English dogs are cockers, Scottish terriers, wire-haired terriers, and possibly smooth-coated fox terriers. Bulldogs, pomeranians and alsatians are very inferior to the English type but most of the other popular breeds would probably hold their own. The Southlanu Kennel Club has secured the services of Mr E. Hall, Lower Hutt, to judge its show on July 14 and 15. Although not on the panel of so-called “approved” judges of all breeds, Mr Hail has already officiated in this capacity at several fixtures. Approved to judge all terriers, he is nevertheless a keen gun-dog enthusiast and also takes a great interest in toy cogs. As he has not judged in the south before, he will not be familiar with either the dogs or their handlers and his decisions will therefore be made under ideal conditions from the viewpoint of exhibitors.