SCOTTISH COLLIE CLUB

IRISH CIRCUIT

2007

Charles and I came over to Ireland early this year, starting our Irish holiday with the Irish Collie Ch Show on the 4th August at Larne. The Scottish done very well at this show with Gwen Hartley taking Best Puppy and Michel McCann getting her second CC with her tri dog. We also done pretty good our Amy won 1st in limit and Emma was first in the veteran bitch class.

Sunday we were at Dublin for the International Ch Show, well what can I say about this show but it was a disaster, it started to rain on the Saturday night , it poured and it poured you haven't seen rain like this. The show still went on but I am afraid that it was not good for the Scottish folk. The water was half way up the wheels of the caravan, so Charles wanted to get out of there os quickly as he could, we were lucky the van was still hitched up to the car and facing out of the field, we managed to get out with just one small slid, Jean Brown was there with her motor home but she was parked up on the high ground and got out easy, there would be a lot getting towed out, some were standing in more water than us.

We moved up to Lough Ryann were we spent 12 days just resting before the circuit started. The weather well we had a lot of rain, I think out of the 12 days we had 3/4 goods sunny ones. We left on Friday the 17th August and made our way back to Dublin for the Navan and the Irish Collie show, just hoped that the weather would get better, but, you have guessed it, it rained. The rings to-day were inside, but as you all know rough collies can be a little bit funny when it comes to indoor rings, and this was a large noisy venue, although the floor was fine for us to walk on the concrete was very shinny and some of the roughs just didn't like it at all, we had to with draw our Teddy and Dave Thomson also with drew the dog that he was showing. The Scottish  didn't do well at all at the Navan show but we made up for it at the collie show  which was held on the same day at the same venue and  in the same ring, the committee of the collie club did put down mats to walk on but still the dogs were weary of the floor, we still kept our Teddy out as did Dave we just felt that there was no use in forcing them to walk when they didn’t like it. Jean Brown done very well taking Green Star Bitch and B.O.B with her sable Carla, Jean was just waiting on one green star to make her up to an Irish Champion so she was over the moon.

Sunday we arrived at Clonmel, the weather to-day was dry but you would have thought that it was the middle of winter it was very cold, Carol & Mark Best/Rawling got Green Star dog with their tri.

Monday was a day of rest before we travelled to Killarney on Tuesday, low and behold we had a lovely sunny day, it did get dull in the afternoon but it was good to see the sun shine. Jean took Green Star and B.O.B again with Carla. So far we have also done well with Teddy getting two seconds and Chelsea two firsts. Carol & Mark have also done well getting best veteran bitch at all shows so far and also getting some res green stars.

Thursday we were all off to Limerick, the weather was great but alas the Scottish crowd didn’t do so well, we were all placed so not to down hearted.

Saturday and this is our last show of the circuit, Tralee, this was a good day with our own Teddy and Chelsea getting firsts, Carol & Mark won veteran and went on to take Green Star Bitch and B.O.B with their Blue Merle, Jean was first in open bitch and she received res green star.

This year the classes at all the shows were run on the international format with, puppy, junior intermediate, open, champion, and veteran, you can only enter your dog in one class and it must be the class for its age. At Clonmel I had put Chelsea in the puppy class as she was only 9 months old, when I saw the catalogue they had put her into junior, so off I went to see the secretary who told me because there was cacib’s on offer at the show, because she was over 9 months she was out of puppy and in the junior class, I was disappointed at this as she was in with older bitches, but I soon cheered up when she won the class. I don’t know if we will be back over next year, we might just travel down south and take in the championship show there.

Well I will go now hope that you enjoyed reading my story. Well done to every one that was over and look forward to seeing you all at the shows.

Janette Phillips