The euro show over the years has always been a show I have had to hear about or read about people saying , what a fantastic event different countries put on for the OES exhibitors and spectators from all over the world.

Last year I did attend with the “girls” in Italy and was over whelmed with everyone getting together to put on a fantastic event.

Well this year to be asked to judge the show in France with Christina was a dream come true, I will never forget 4 fantastic days in France meeting some wonderful people and the honour to judge the wonderful Old English sheepdogs.

I would like to thank the French committee for putting on a wonderful event and their hospitality to my husband and myself.

The show was held beside a lake surrounded by mountains the exhibition hall was excellent, large , light, and had room for two large rings to accommodate the large entry, a wonderful setting for a special show.

The dogs where of the most highest quality in every department, some people had travelled great distances true dedication to the breed for their time and effort,the quality of OES abroad is what we need in England, which we sadly lack now because people have no thought or care on a breeding programme or in some casesHave forgotten what a OES should look or move like.

I had some very promising puppies which should have a very bright future.

My juniors both dogs and bitches were of the highest quality with such big classes and to pick 8 then 4 was splitting hairs, some lovely dogs failed on condition and Muscle tone, some on movement.

The four main winners in all my dog and bitch classes I could have taken home with me and swept the board in England!!!!

I would like to thank the exhibitors for their entries and giving me the pleasure to Judge their lovely BOBTAILS.

My only problem was the stewarding! I have to apologise to the exhibitors for my Brief critiques and in some cases familiar , terrible trouble trying to translate to a French steward a free flowing Hampshire accent ,so it was easier to keep it brief.

I thank the Euro show committee, the French committee and especially the Danish group for their evening entertainment that ended a very enjoyable and unforgettable EURO SHOW 2007.

Ann Titheridge

Pendant des années j’ai entendu parler de l’Euro ou j’ai lu des commentaires des gens. Quel évènement fantastique organisé par des pays différents pour des exposants de Bobtails et des visiteurs venant des quatre coins du monde.

L’année dernière je suis allée avec les « filles » en Italie et j’ai été submergé par la volonté de se rassembler pour cette grande occasion.

Cette année on m’a demandé d’être juge pour l’exposition en France avec Christine. Je voyais un rêve se réaliser. Quels inoubliables magnifiques quatre jours passés en France, rencontrant des personnes intéressantes et quel honneur de juger ces beaux bobtails !

Je voudrais remercier le comité français pour l’organisation de ce grand évènement et pour l’hospitalité offerte à mon époux et moi-même.

L’exposition s’est déroulée au bord d’un lac entouré de montagnes, le hall d’expo était excellent, grand, lumineux, offrant suffisamment d’espace pour deux grands rings avec une belle et grande entrée. Un lieu parfait pour une exposition spéciale.

Les chiens étaient de la plus grande qualité dans toutes les classes. Certains sont venus de loin, un véritable dévouement à la race en temps et en effort.

La qualité des Bobtails sur le continent est celle dont on a besoin en Angleterre. Malheureusement elle nous manque cruellement aujourd’hui, car peu de gens pensent ou s’occupent d’une politique de reproduction. Dans certains cas on peut même dire, qu’ils ont oublié à quoi ressemble un Bobtail et comment il doit bouger.

J’ai eu quelques babys très prometteurs qui ont certainement un grand avenir devant eux.

Les jeunes, mâles et femelles, étaient de très haute qualité avec des classes tellement nombreuse qu’il était très difficile d’en choisir d’abord huit, puis quatre. Quelques beaux sujets manquaient de condition physique, de masse musculaire, d’autres de qualité d’allures.

En emmenant tous les quatre gagnants de mes classes de mâles et femelles à la maison je pourrais créer des ravages en Angleterre !!!

Je voudrais remercier les exposants de leur venue et de m’avoir offert le plaisir de juger leurs jolis Bobtails.

Mon unique problème fut le secrétariat ! Je tiens à présenter mes excuses aux exposants pour mes commentaires courts et informels dans quelques cas, ayant des grandes difficultés à faire comprendre mon accent naturel du Hampshire à la secrétaire française. Il était plus facile de rester bref.

Je remercie le comité européen, le comité français et spécialement la délégation danoise pour leur animation de la soirée très plaisante et inoubliable de l’Euro Show 2007.

Ann Titheridge

To be honest when I heard that Sue Swatkins was not able to do this year’s Euro Show and that I –being the judge elect for this year’s LKA show- was the next in line for this appointment, I really wasn’t all that keen to accept. As I am sure, most of you will know, I have been honoured enough to have been asked to officiate for the youth classes on two occasions and also have had the privilege to judge the adult classes once before. Therefore my worry was, that most exhibitors of adult dogs would decide to give this year’s Euro show a miss and that all the work of the French Club would be wasted due to a terribly low entry.

However when I voiced these worries, I was told that 3 years since my last Euro Show appointment was quite a long time and that I shouldn’t worry and just accept.

In hind sight, maybe I should have just remembered that the annual Euro Show has become such a prestigious event, that anyone, who is remotely interested in our breed in Europe just makes the time to be there, with or without dogs.

This resulted in a huge entry of dogs in all classes & a large amount of visitors from all over the world, which proofed yet again that this great event has become as important in our breed, as Crufts and to be honest –from my point of view- is a by far more enjoyable social weekend than any other show in Europe.

At this point I would like to thank the French Club for their hospitality and for organising a great show. I, my co-judge, Ann Titheridge, and both our husbands had a wonderful weekend, which I am certain we will treasure for a long time to come.

I also need to say a BIG THANK YOU to Carmen Otterbach, who was one of the most efficient ring secretaries I have ever had. Without you, Carmen & your fast writing skills there wouldn’t have been long critiques and I would have been utterly lost that day!!!!

My next THANK YOU must go to all the exhibitors, who took my decisions gracefully and after some confusions understood that the only way to judge a large entry of good dogs and do long critiques in the given time was to adopt the system of placing the dogs the way I did, especially as I was required to place ten dogs in each class.

There were some really great dogs, some I have seen & judged before, some I had seen before but never had my hands on them.

My Middle class dog winner, Barking Bobby’s Stuart Little, a very nice young male, who still has some maturing in head and body to do, but who is sound on all four legs, with a pleasant outline and very promising coat to come through.

The Open Class winner was Ch. Dizzny’s The Account of Isildur. I have given this big upstanding & extremely well presented male a Best in Show at a Club Show in Norway last year and even though he is quite a lot bigger than I would normally like, I feel that he is so well balanced in all aspects that I can not just for my own preference of a medium sized dog deny him top awards. In his class I felt, that he deserved to be placed in front of Ch. Reata’s Jimbo, who is more my type for size but hasn’t got the quality coat nor did he have Isildur’s confidence when I went over him.

Unfortunately for some reason Isildur was not 100% sound in the afternoon when it came to decide for the best male and I could therefore not consider him for any further awards.

The Champion Class winner, Ch. Whispering In The Wild De Kismaca, and ultimate Best In Show winner really impressed me with his overall balance. He is of the size I like and does have an excellent masculine head & body. He has a nice straight front, deep brisket , really nice angles and best of all a superb topline. All this is topped by a wealth of excellent coat in colour and texture with the required break. A most worthy winner of this year’s Euro Show in my opinion. WELL DONE.

The number two in this class, Ch. Aryakas Cosmo Junior is also a very nice, compact & impressive male. Like ‘Whispering In The Wild’ he is all male with lots of substance and excellent topline. Like always, he was presented to absolute perfection by his very capable owner/handler. I see in the catalogue that he sired the top junior of the day and some other nicely placed youngsters, plus he is the sire of the winning breeders class. I am sure this is something to be very proud off!

Middle class bitches: quite a difficult class to judge this one, as in this class there can be such a big age difference, which made some of the girls look quite mature and others almost still like babies. I felt that the first four placed girls were of very similar size & type, very feminine & pretty. Nice short bodies, good toplines & four sound legs. I would have been happy to give either one of them houseroom at my place!

Open Class bitches: Most of you will know that I am not in favour of excessive trimming and that I do prefer a more natural but clean & tidy look. So I have to admit that I had a big discussion going on in my head about the eventual number 1 placed bitch Griland Beauty Bear and the number 2 Eden Flower of Snow boot Bears.

I had seen Beauty Bear on a couple of occasions before and again must admit that I have criticised her for her excessive trimming. I still don’t feel it is necessary to cut neck coat to a couple of centimetres length, especially as our standard states ‘neck well coated’. It also says, that the natural outline should not be artificially changed by scissoring or clipping, which I know, we all abuse to a certain extend but there really should be a limit somewhere, I feel. I had also been told by the French committee to penalise excessive trimming and frizzy coats, as they don’t want either to be encouraged.

HOWEVER, going over this very pretty, beautifully balanced girl with a beautiful sound movement to match, I had to tell myself, that given the choice as to which one to take home with me and which one I felt stood out in this class for breed type it had to be her. Her coat could grow back, but the things I felt the number two could not match her on are permanent.

I did like the second placed girl Eden Flower of Snow Boot Bears a lot too. She is nicely balanced with good angles, topline and nice sound movement. She does have a great coat in colour & texture but she is just that little longer in loin and all over not quite as feminine as Beauty Bear.

Champion Class Bitches: Ch. Argovian Emotional Affair, the best female and reserve Best in Show of the day. This very feminine girl stood out in this class for her all over soundness, breed type and balance. I loved her expression & attitude. A real girl, beautifully handled resulting in a very well deserved Best Opposite Sex award.

The number two Ch. Azahar of Ronda Sweet-Dreams, is a bigger girl but still feminine, excellent head, with the most beautiful square set teeth, excellent front, nice body & excellent rise to the loin and a great coat in colour & texture.

Again, THANK YOU ALL for coming, I hope that most of you enjoyed yourselves as much as I did and that you all had a safe journey home.

I hope to see you all at next year’s Euro Show in Spain.

Christina Bailey