May 2008
When I was asked, towards the beginning of this year, to judge the big Bucks County Show in Pennsylvania, my first instinct was to decline. I had done it twice before, and was concerned that my ankle, with its completely ripped tendon, would not stand up to the work. My knee, following the complete replacement, was fine, but the ankle was very bad; it didnt actually hurt, but I could put no weight on it whatsoever and this meant using a stick. So I honestly thought it would be better for them to find someone more proficient. However, after a few days, I was phoned again and asked, please, to do it. So with quite a few misgivings, I agreed and then started worrying.
The trouble is when you judge abroad, you are always out of pocket and I hate asking for a lot of money. With America, because of the time difference, you have to get an early plane, and mine left at 7AM. This meant getting to the airport, Heathrow, which was over 200 miles away, so that was OK, but I didnt that I could put that on to my expenses. I felt it wouldnt be right.
Anyway, all went well, I got the plane, and arrived at Newark to find dear Carl van Bael waiting for me. I was staying with him and Bessie and they made me so welcome. Thursday I took it easy and on the Friday night we had a very pleasant evening out, with 4 other English show goers. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The day of the show arrived and it was cool and damp. Just the sort of weather that is fine for the dogs, and the onlookers, too. (Much better than Trenton the next day, where Richard Thomas was judging in the blazing heat; that would have killed me!) The entry was quite big, 157 in all, and I just prayed that my ankle would bear up. I will probably disappoint many of the exhibitors, but I simply did not have the time to do individual critiques, and can only mention the main winners, and my overall impressions.
It seemed to me that the best class was the American bred one, with a lot of excellent animals, both sexes in the 2 classes. I managed to get both the dogs and bitches judged and was just thinking, Thank Heavens, thats finished, when my dear steward who was mother hen to me, said now for the Specials and my heart went through my boots. I had forgotten I had about another 30 dogs to go over. I managed it, but I have to say I was very, very tired at the end and my blasted ankle was killing me. Never mind. I had got through it.
I will now talk about the individual winners and after that say a few words about the overall credits (many) and debits (few). The BOB winner was a big, fawn dog called Ch. Beowulfs Kodiak Balou Moon. What a superb animal. He had size, strength, level topline and strong hindquarters, coupled with an imposing masculine head. Furthermore, he moved with such power, striding out and eating up the ground. I will not say that I had no hesitation in putting him up, because there were some other lovely animals in that class, but overall, on studying them all, he did, for me, appear the very best. So I put him up. I hear that he then won the group, and was so pleased to hear that. I have my Best Opposite sex down as Ch. Hoosier Pride and Joy, a beautiful lady, strong yet feminine, again she gave an excellent view standing and also moved so well and strong. She was owned by Scott Severson, and the Best of Breed, Ch. Beowulfs Kodiak Balou Moon was owned by Beth Banerjee.
Both the Winners were brindle, the Best of Winners being the male, Tamarack POUDRE of Brownspride, owned by Christopher and Kerri Brown. He has, I am sure, a very promising future, being big, strong, masculine, with a very good head. He also moved extremely well. He had well laid shoulders, good legs and feet, and level topline. If I judged him in Europe I would most certainly have given him a grading of “Excellent.†The bitch winner, however, was truly my favourite. I dont think I have ever seen, anywhere, a mastiff bitch with such a wonderful body. She had shape, size, presence, bone topline, rear end, the lot. She was in my opinion, superb. I know that for some, her head could be thought a little doggy but I thought it went with the body. She too moved with power and it was a toss up as to who went best winners, but I thought the dog just a little more mature, but it was a lose thing. Her owners, The Gordons and Francine Goggin can be proud of their His Majesty Dogi Beautiful Dreamer. I only wish she was in this country.
I must thank Bucks County for inviting me and do hope that I didnt upset too many people. I must also apologize for slipping away at the end, but by that time I really felt exhausted, and all I wanted to do was sit down! In fact I could hardly think straight by the end of the day.
I was taken to Trenton the following day and enjoyed proceedings very much, but was so glad that it was Richard Thomas judging there and not me, and glad to be sitting down.
I was taken to Newark the next day, but the journey home was awful as the Newark plane missed the connection to Heathrow and I spent that night sleeping on chairs at the airport and then the Heathrow plane got in so late I had to spend a second night on airport chairs at Heathrow. So I got home more than a little sorry for myself.
But finally, as I said, a few comments about the dogs, as a whole. With mastiffs almost anywhere in the world you get the same faults to a bigger or lesser degree; you get weak hindquarters, dippy toplines, untypical heads, etc. However, I did think that at Bucks, the dogs that I saw were almost uniformly good. Toplines were strong and stayed level on the move; hindquarters too were overall broad and robust. Eyes seemed to be without haw and to be dark. Some of the heads were not what we would think typical, and I would like broader second thighs in places, but quality was good throughout.
The one thing that English judges do find difficult, I think, is due to the difference in the breed standard; we call for wrinkle when alert and only when alert. You call for wrinkle all the time, so your heads tend to be, for use, over wrinkled with too much loose skin down the cheeks. This wrinkle question does make a difference in appearance and UK judges always have to bear in mind that we are judging to the US standard, and in many cases would like dryer and cleaner heads.
That said, the overall picture was a most pleasant one and I am honoured to have been asked to judge, yet again, in the States.
--Betty Baxter