Eurasier Walk Mytchett Woods, October 2019

Having arranged a walk in September only a relatively small number were able to attend so a further date was agreed for 6^th October .

The preceding week it was fair to say the weather was mixed, and as we approached the weekend there were concerns. However, I was determined the walk would go ahead and hoped for a good turn-out. (I secretly had a little word with the weather gods Zeus & Quora and asked them to be kind to us). Amazingly, the day dawned bright, and a fantastic array of Eurasiers with their families turned up, along with several would-be owners wanting to meet the breed. As always, we created quite a talking point amongst the many dog owners enjoying the café, as we waited for everyone to arrive, with someone even correctly identifying the dogs – something of a first!

We all had a lovely walk through the beautiful woodland bathed in bright sunshine, except for Grande Dame Pamina, who is a bit slow these days but thoroughly enjoyed all the fuss and treats before and after. Whilst we avoided the canal , the recent rains had created some huge puddles in which many of our fluffies found great delight racing and chasing and generally having fun.

Among the throng of about 20 dogs, of all ages and glorious colours, two pupsters also attended their first Eurasier pack walk, Ida and Ludo, who were completely unfazed by the crazy behaviour of their full-sized ‘cousins’. Another first was Thatcher going off lead, but not ‘off piste’ and as always, Blue gave his all – he is a boy whose mantra is ‘I just wanna have fun’!

Our walk terminated with a return to the café for refreshments for those that wanted to linger a little longer and enjoy some home made Eurasier-shaped biscuits (check out our Merchandise page to buy the Eurasier cookie cutter!). I think it is fair to say the walk was a great success. Thank you to all those who came along and we look forward to seeing everyone again soon.

Murphy, Bubbles & Ann

Photos: J. Cowdock

Annual General Meeting & Fun Day 2019

Despite the rather inclement weather we had a wonderful turnout for this year’s AGM at Lewknor Village Hall. It’s always encouraging to meet up with new owners and ‘owners in waiting’ at these events and I would like to extend a personal thank you to all the owners of Danni’s puppies who made the journey with their ‘babies’; it was great to see you all again!

Our Chair, Ian Cottrell, opened the formal AGM by outlining the enormous progress SEA had made over its first year, and thanking our members, and in particular our Vice Chair Brigitte Mordan-Grimm, for all they have done to make this enterprise such a success. Brief reports from the Secretary and Treasurer were followed by a vote in favour of adding a requirement to DNA-check all breeding stock for Dandy Walker Like Malformation to our Code of Ethics. Brigitte rounded off the Meeting with a summary of her activities as the Kennel Club’s Breed Health Co-ordinator and our representative for the International Federation of Eurasier Breeding (IFEZ).

After the AGM, a break for lunch was followed by a short, mercifully rain-free walk, offering a chance for both dogs and humans to stretch their legs and, though a few dogs came back slightly muddier than when they left, they enjoyed the chance to let off some steam! On our return Tracy Cottrell treated us to a very informative demonstration of ‘Shaping’, a training process by which you can teach your dog a new behaviour by breaking it down into easily achievable steps. At the end of the demonstration there was an opportunity to practice the technique with your own dog, which was thoroughly appreciated by dogs and owners alike.

A hugely enjoyable day ended with a well-supported Raffle with a seemingly endless supply of prizes donated by our generous members (many thanks to whoever donated the Duck chews, they went down very well with my old girl who is eating very little nowadays!).

Finally, could I just say, that ideas for events, or indeed anything else that could be included at our next AGM, are always welcome.

Caroline Allen

Photos: Cowdock, Mordan-Grimm