I had an enquiry from an Our Dogs reader who is reaching out for help towards the SWGC. I hope to organise this shortly, perhaps it could be a nice idea to organise an SWGC training day on cold game to be able to show novice people what this certificate involves without the pressure of being in line and being competitive.
The Lab Club are running an SWGC day in January in Sussex. The ECGRC are also running an SWGC in January in Suffolk. I believe The Flatcoat Retriever Club are also running an SWGC, no details to hand.
LKA was a show of highs and lows. As a numerically small breed we more often than not find ourselves one of the last breeds in the ring to be judged. This year at LKA we were first in the ring with a 9am start, this seriously brushed the cobwebs away for those that travelled to the show that morning. Some exhibitors chose to stay the night before, which adds more expense to an already expensive day. I come from South Wales; a trip that would normally take me 2 hours took me 3 hours on Friday. Driving through rain and mist, heavy traffic and all those lorries! I know others from other parts of the country also had problems as the start of judging in all rings was delayed by 30 minutes. Lorna Murray coming down from Scotland would have missed her classes had they not done so. Even with the extra 30 minutes some exhibitors still arrived too late and missed exhibiting.
Mr Colin Woodward awarding us CCs for the second time received an entry of 28 – 10d, 18b, this included 6 puppies which is the most puppies we have had at any one show for a long time, 4 dogs were absent. BOB, BCC BV Middleton & Mayhew’s SH CH Int CH Multi Arnac Bay Hebe WGC EW’22 WW24 S; RBCC Morris’ CH Baymoss Tweed Of Penrose SGWS; DCC Broomfield & Broomfield’s Glaneils Count On Me; RDCC Boyles & Boyles’ SH CH Pixiesrock Mr Tumnus By Bleyos JW; BP Mahon-Hunns & Middleton’s Susqudilla Yankee Shadow (imp USA); BSB Corcoran’s Oakmarsh Kingsley Adsila. Best Christmas outfit of the day went to Joy Middleton.
Kirsty Watts was beaming from ear to ear telling me her Oakmarsh team had won a 3rd place in the Breeder’s Stakes. This gave her enough points to make her Oakmarsh team Top of the Gundogs and 4th overall All Breeds. Well done to Kirsty and all her helpers who have travelled the length and breadth of the country this year competing at almost every championship show. Team members Amie with Peanut; Angela with Arya; Laura with Hemi; Kirsty with Vixen, Phoebe & Poppy; Lorna with Libby & Anne with Wicca.
Kirsty also tells me that she competes every month at Great Dunmow & District Ringcraft Dog Match where Vixen – Oakmarsh Little Acorn JW was awarded Top Yearling of the Year 2025.
While at LKA I chatted to Kirsty about her two litters of puppies that are now 2 weeks old. 11 puppies with Oakleaf Manor Bay of Oakmarsh (imp DEU) JW and 2 pups with Oakmarsh Freedom. Kirsty was kind enough to let me know of all the effort and work it had taken her to get these two litters. The breeder of Oakleaf Manor Bay had frozen semen from CH Coolwaters Riptide imported from the USA. He was a DM carrier, Oakmarsh Freedom is clear so she had decided to do this mating. With no one at home Kirsty took all 5 dogs with her to Europe, her local vet was charging £180 each for the AHC but Kirsty searched the internet and a company called AHC Direct, an online service cost her a total of £200 for the 5 dogs. Libby came into season and a progesterone test showed that she was ovulating, so Kirsty needed to get a move on. Travelling Dover to Dunkirk at 2am in the morning did not allow her any time to sleep before arriving in Dunkirk at 5am ready for the 10 hour drive to Frankfurt. Another progesterone test then insemination the next day. Staying with a friend and chatting about her Oakleaf bitch who was also in season so Kirsty decided to breed her to another dog that she liked that lived in Denmark, the next she travelled another 950km. Another progesterone test at 9am before she drove another few hours to meet Birgitte Jorgensen – Cheslabben and see CH Dock Cove’s Rum Runner (imported from Canada). The mating done the next stage was travelling back, but this meant having the tapeworm treatment. Kirsty then found out in Denmark they do not worm preventively so needed a prescription to collect 5 x 4 Droncit tablets from the local chemist, which they did not have! The vet nor the chemist nor any other nearby vets or chemists had the tablets. The nearest chemist to have Droncit was in Copenhagen, over an hours drive away. After dealing with Copenhagen rush hour traffic Kirsty was heading back to the vet, by the time she arrived they had closed. Kirsty’s big van is set up that she is able to roll down a bed, so she spent another night in the van. The next morning was the vet then home via Calais. She then spent a tense 4 weeks before she knew if her bitches were in whelp. The time came for Libby to go into labour, Libby was scanned showing 5 or 6 pups, but knowing there was problems Kirsty and her vet decided she needed a caesarean section on a Saturday night, another £3,000 lighter. Fortunately the Manor Bay bitch had no problems whelping but 1 puppy was still born. Kirsty says all the puppies are now doing amazingly well. This was a mammoth trip but she is delighted to have lovely puppies by 2 stud dogs that bring different bloodlines into the UK.
Janet Morris
07739 592323
penrosechesapeakes@gmail.com