A Day amongst Top Dogs at CRUFTS 2022

 

A Eurasier Show from the perspective of a Dachshund

Mom just got us up super early and I’m not happy about it. She keeps brushing my ears! Take me back to bed! There’s bags everywhere and her and Dad keep throwing questions at each other. Have you got the poo bags? Have you got the leads? What about water? Do we have enough poo bags? Jeez, how many poo bags do we need? Where are we going? Can I go back to bed?
They’ve packed the car completely full of bags and shoes and coats and Dawg knows what else. There’s not a lot of room for me. I need quite a lot of space actually. Pretty sure I can smell treatos though… They’re still talking about poo bags.

The journey was sooooo long. So long! But we did eventually arrive. Mom’s just disappeared and Dad’s put me on the driver’s seat of the car. Maybe I can drive us home! I would be a great driver. He’s unloading some of the bags. I hope they’re all full of treatos. 

Mom just came back with a little yellow booklet and she’s reading out names to Dad. We’re all in the same class she said. I guess we’re at a dog show or something. Sometimes Mom likes to get Luca’s fancy, sparkly lead out and they run around for a little while and then when she comes back Luca and I get loads of treatos. I knew I could smell them. It’s a day full of treatos! Maybe that’s why they need all the poo bags.

Mom’s just put my lead on and we’re going somewhere. The grass is so long I’m swamped! There was no point brushing my ears, they’re going to be soaked. There’s dogs EVERYWHERE! Definitely must be a show. But why hasn’t she taken Luca? I hope she’s not showing me. I’d rather…look after…the treatos. We’re going over to some people who have dogs that look like Luca but they’re different colours to him. These ones are more similar to my colour. I like their style! Some of these people are trying to talk to me but I need to be keeping an eye on these other dogs. Sheeba, Annie (she’s pretty similar to Luca, actually!), Ruby, Ursa, Arwen and Frodo are their names, Mom said. I need to make sure they don’t beeline for the car while I’m not there. I hope Luca is guarding the treatos. What if he eats them without me? Mom we need to get back! No time for talking! Treatos at stake! Mmmm steak.

Okay we’re going back now. But Mom’s panicking. It’s okay Mom I got the treatos! Where’s the brush? I need his squeaky frog! Oh! They must be going in the ring. That was quick! Mom hasn’t even brushed Luca, he’ll look all scruffy! Wow she’s really speed-brushing now. Poor Luca. Oop they’re off. Dad’s got me now, can’t see Mom and Luca. Dad and I are making our way over too. They’re doing their thing when they run around in circles with their fancy leads. They must get dizzy. Luca keeps peeing everywhere, how embarrassing. I do not know him!! Oh my Dawg! Luca got first place! I was only joking when I said I didn’t know him. That’s my bro! They’re calling him 'Bob' or something. He’s not called Bob! Dawg humans are so slow sometimes.

 

Arwen came second, Ursa came third, Annie came fourth, and Frodo came fifth. Mom says we have to wait here longer now and go for a group whatever that means, so I guess I’ll have to guard the treatos longer. Dawg this is hard work. Sheeba and Ruby went to go and run around their ring with their fancy leads so we’re watching them while we have to wait. Mom says they’re in the AV Veteran class so that must mean they’re really good and been doing show stuff for a long time. I bet they’ve had loads of treatos. Jealous. There’s two new humans here now and one of them gives the best butt scritches. 10/10 would recommend! Ruby got first and Sheeba got third! They really are good at this. Well done the me-coloured Luca lookalikes! 

Okay, Luca and Mom are going in the group now. It just looks like another class but this time it’s all different kinds of dogs, not just ones that look like Luca. Me and Dad are sat on the other side of the ring. I guess so that we can stay nearer the treatos to keep an eye on them. Good thinking Dad. Maybe I’ll let you have one later too. Maybe. Oh Mom and Luca are running towards us HI LUCA HI MOM HI IT’S US ME AND DAD HI Luca saw us and he wanted to say hi but then they ran away again. Oh well I guess they’re busy that’s okay. Oh my Dawg my bro did it again everyone is cheering! He got first place! This is amazing we’re going to get so many treatos. Everyone is hugging Mom now, that’s nice, these are friendly humans! Dad is really happy too. I think that means we have to wait longer. Gosh they better be some good treatos! At least the sun is shining. Sun AND treatos oh boy oh boy. 

Mom and Luca went in the ring again and they did their fancy running, but they didn’t get a place this time. The dog that came first was a dog that looks like me but had short hair, so that’s okay! Mom said That was such a nice day, and we did Eurasiers proud! I have to agree, especially as no one stole the treatos. We had amazing support and company, too. She is really happy and she said we have salmon sticks and beef jerky, and we’re going to get some chimken from the shop too. I dunno Mom, I wouldn’t say this was a nice day, I’d say it was the BEST day! I guess getting up early wasn’t so bad after all.

 Can’t wait to go again!

 

 

Spitz in the Park 2021

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My first two times doing dis fing called showing. By me, Lux.

Since my dad abducted me from my home back in Sweden back in November 2019, my life has been rather odd. I was introduced to a dog who I was told was my "brobins" or brother. Well I couldn't really moan because as far as brothers are concerned he was really kind to me and took me under his wing. You see, brobins Lumen kept mentioning showing, I literally had no idea what he was talking about, but kept hearing I was 'what hoomans call it' "entered into a show" or sumfing like dat. Again, I had no idea what they kept talking about, but it was coming up in March 2020, whatever dis showing malarkey is. Brobins Lumen wouldn't really embellish at this stage, I fink he was holding back on purpose, as he was looking forward to sawprising me wiv whatever it was. 

Then it hit, da big fing called cawona! I hear da hoomans and dad talk about it all da time. I overheard a conversation that my first show was cancelled, I was now 6 munfs old and almost an adult, yet they still won't tell me wat dis "showing" is! Anyhow, the next year became a bit bowring for me, I was not allowed to socialise like I had before, I could no longer meet my new fwends in dis country, like Della, who was also teaching me how to behave around da ladies. Looms can only give so much advice, sometimes you need to put dat advice into pawctice, but I was told dis is not possible no more. Lucky to have a nice bro and a dad who was still learning how to hold two leashes instead of da one, we did as much as we could wivin da rules da goovernment set! I know what day were as dad had da blinking news on 24/7! 

Over da summer I was allowed to do sum normal doggy stuff and met wiv some friends again. I am a quick learner, but please don't tell dad, he is a bit slow on da uptake, but tries his best. A whole year passed, I was now getting quite old and a teenager, I know as I know everyfink at dis age! Early 2020 dis word 'show' popped up again! Having not heard it for a while I fought they must be tawking aboot a big spring party or somefink similar but no! Someting was difforoont. The  way day were treating me was not da normal way! Dad spent 1 howl hour wiv me, wiv a short leash that didn't look like it could hold a big lad like me! He ran up and down in da field and den did some weird turny fings wiv me trying to get me to listen for some reason! Fings were deffo diffo dis time. I also had a posh baff which set my alarm bells ringing even more! What is dis show fing they speak of, I kept asking myself. Lumen was still holding back! I even tried tapping into his brain one night wen he was asleep! Sadly, I was unable to locate a brain but dats ok as I wuv him, he is da best bro a boy like me could wish for. 

Then it happened!  My dad got up one morning looking worse than normal which is quite some feat! For some reason he dressed smart then took me for an odd walk around da roads! Dis is not da norm! Why can't I go splishsplash like normal! Why dis clean Road to walk on? Dad was also being extra nice to Looms and me! Almost like he was feeling guilty for something! Forward an hour and I'd been squished into my car all alone, no brobins by my side!  No banter in da back of da car! We then arrived at some massive field full of uver cars! I heard some dogs barking and could see more dogs getting outa cars than I have ever seen before! There was literally millions of dem! It was so strange! I never knew so many dogs existed! Day were all shapes and sizes just like da hoomans who we look after! Some had really weird fur! Not like mine at all! Some had literally no fur! It was so strange. I was a big bwave boy! I strutted my stuff around enjoying being in da moment as us dogs are good at dat! It's somfink I try to teach my dad all da time! So we wandered around dis strange field den I bumped into my old pal Della! I mean who of thought we came all dis way and bump into my fwend! It was so nice! Della was able to explain why we were here. She imparted some awesome advice but I can't tell you as it's dog speak only for dogs! I did a bit of flirting before we set up camp! I say camp! Della had a good camp! I just had grass to sit on! My dad isn't very pawfessional like some. 

I enjoyed meeting lots of new people, I recognised some names, so it was nice to put a name to a face, people gave me lots of scruggles and patted me lots, which I like. We met some more Eurasiers and I stood next to some shorter dumpier versions of me. They said I was not a proper one of them but I know how to cope with rejection, so it didn't bother me, my dad has taught me well. I fink day were chows or sumfink similar! I watched as lots of diffo dogs ran around a fing called a ring! Wat dis is I asked dad? Wait son, all will be revealed, was his reply! I then saw Della looking even smarter than just now, like she was getting ready for a night on da tiles. She went into da ring and ran round a few times with some others and the man picked her out first, I fink he must have wanted to take her home for himself but Jemma wouldn't  let him, he gave her wat day call a "1st place" whatever dis means. 

So after some waiting around my dad put dat little tiny lead on me, he walked me into a diffo ring and we too did what Della did. I can't fully remember what happened but I ran up and down and da person asked my dad to do it again. Apparently jumping around having fun wasn't wat dad wanted me to do. It was fun though, I did it again but this time I thought I would behave. We watched another nice dog do the same, I sensed he was in the same boat as me and new to all dis strange stuff. Anyhow, the lady gave my dad that thing called a "first place" which made dad happy and for me, an expawrience I wouldn't forget. We did it again but this time we came second, apparently I did very well though for our first time achieving Reserve Best Dog. I would say I had a very good day with dad and friends, we met new people, the atmosphere was lovely, I heard rumours it can be a strange environment at times, but thankfully, it was one I coped well with, meeting some lovely,
friendly people. Dad said I was a good boy all day long and I slept well on the way home where I was pleased to see my bro Lumen who said he had missed me. 

Fast forward a week and we were at it again, this time Devon County Show, last weeks was Southern Counties Champ show according to my dad. I won't bore you wiv as much detail this time, as my engloosh isn't great, being Swedish. First we had a walk around a strange place called a fairground, dis was a totally new expawrience for me! Why do hoomans like spinning around on scary machines wiv loud noises called moosic booming out? Strange, anyhow it was nice to see people having fun even though I wasn't allowed to win a goldfish for my pond!

Anyhow we found a nice place to park up with Della and Jemma again and their professional set up, my dad had an umbrella but not much more. It rained early on, which was a bit miserable and I did my best to stay dry, which was hard on wet grass. 

We waited for a long time and eventually got in the ring full of all sorts of dogs! Big, small medium & me. The heavens opened! The man called a judge told us to retreat, this time I was quite wet but some friends let us stand in their tent while they dried my dad off who looked like a drowned rat! Dad did his best with drying me and I didn't look too bad considering, we went back to the ring where we did that run around stuff! We then got picked out for another first before all those other smashing dogs! I quite enjoyed the feeling. Maybe I am good at dis? Then again, maybe it's a fluke as I don't really know what I'm doing, much like dad. We went in da ring for a second time, dis time it was for best in our AVNSC group, don't ask me wat dat stands for as I can't remember, I am a dog after all. Dat kind man picked me out first again, so I was best doggo in dat group! I was on a roll! People took our pictures and everyfink. I won two rosettes but I'm not allowed to eat them even though I've tried! 

We then went into a biiiiig ring that had like a posh picket fence with a huge group of dogs, like more dogs than you can imagine. Dis time we watched others get picked, which was also fun, as they were super nice. What an expawrience for me! I couldn't wait to tell my brother da news! Much better than bowring old corona news! Let's hope we can carry on showing throughout the year, I fink I like it. 

Stay safe everypeeps and look after your best friends, our hoomans. 

Best wishes, Lux 🐕🐻🐶

 

SEA 1st Virtual Dog Show

By Harriet Lacey

One of the best things, in my opinion, about having a dog, is the social aspect. Making new friends, being part of a like-minded community and feeling that sense of belonging when around those who share our passion for pups, is something that is quite wonderful.

When lockdown was enforced across the UK and many other countries around the world, that social element was lost. Group walks, play dates and dog shows around the world have been put on hold, and many of us, myself included, long for these to return. So what better way to satisfy the itch than with a Virtual Dog Show?!

The Southern Eurasier Association (SEA) took up the challenge, and lots of our members joined in the fun. In doing so, we raised money for The Mayhew; an animal welfare charity that aids people and their animals both in the UK and overseas, and helps with the rescue, adoption and veterinary care of our beloved companion animals.

With 10 competitive classes, and an extra, non-competitive class to remember those now with us in spirit, there was something for everyone in this fun-filled event; and the SEA members did not disappoint! The entries came pouring in and our judge, multi-breed expert and Eurasier-enthusiast, Christina Chapman, had a tough job on her hands.

The show was split into two, a “Breed Show” and a “Fun Show”. The Breed Show sported ‘Puppy’, ‘Open Dog’, ‘Open Bitch’ and ‘Veteran’ classes, while the Fun Show celebrated ‘Waggiest Tail’, ‘Best Movement’, ‘Fancy Dress’, ‘Biggest Smile’, ‘Biggest Goofball’ and ‘Best Pack’. Our final, non-competitive class was ‘Rainbow Bridge’, where we simply revelled in the love for our dogs and remember those who may have left this earth, but will never leave our hearts.

In the Breed Show, entrants were requested to submit both a headshot and full-body profile image of their dogs. Based on the Eurasier breed standard, (which you can find here, places were selected, and the results came in…

PUPPY: Christina: “Some very promising puppies here.”

1^st: River (Darchen Red River Rebel; 6 months; male) – What a super head shot and lovely alert expression, super dark eye & good pigment. In stance, absolutely right for age, nicely proportioned and Oh so promising.

2^nd: Vienna (Pacific Coast Vienna Wolfsong Dignity of Lakota; 6 months; female) – Yet again a lovely head and expression, dark well-set eyes, & good pigment. Looks good in stance for age, again a promising puppy.

3^rd: Ludo (Darchen Kipawa; 11 months, male) – Well grown outline; fine for age, just a tad 'bum high' Head & expression very pleasing, good dark eyes and nice smile. Should have a good future.

OPEN DOG:

1^st: Arnold (GCh Naku’s Major Dutch Shaefer; 5 years) – Impressive looking male, rich colour, well-proportioned throughout and super head and expression; good, dark well-shaped eyes and well-set ears.

2^nd: Bel Ami (Bel Ami von der Traunseebahn; 4 years) – And really good-looking dog, great colour and markings looks well made through. Another really good head and expression.

3^rd: Gustav (Alphacanis Gustav; 2 years 3 months) – Yet another very good, well-proportioned head and expression, good eye and pigment. Looks good in stance just a little leggy at the moment, which you would expect at his age.

OPEN BITCH:

1^st: Skye (Jolene Skye von der Wolfswiesen; 3 years) – Beautiful feminine head and expressive dark eyes. In stance looks to be in lovely condition and well proportioned. Great outline.

2^nd: Della (Albionspitz Tanzanite; 5 years) – Looks good standing with nice proportions, good depth of chest. Pretty head and expression, super dark eyes and lovely smile close up to 1.

3^rd: Holly (Fridlyckans Holly; 6 years) – Another who looks very good in stance with nice proportions and good dark eye & pigment. Just not quite the expression of those above.

VETERAN: Christina: “Lovely class.”

1^st: Bubbles (Buffspike Bubblicious Beat; 13 years; female) – Beautiful head with an expression that says, seen it and done it all. The wisdom of the ages.

2^nd: MishkaBoots (Cewpark Creamy Chiffon; 12 years; female) – Lovely head and expression, so elegant and poised.

3^rd: Kyra (Willowfalls Misty Dawn; 11 years; female) – Gorgeous colour, lovely head and a quite mischievous expression.

The first two of our Fun Show classes required video entries: Waggiest Tail and Best Movement.

WAGGIEST TAIL:

Arguably one of the best physical features in our lovely Eurasiers is their big fluffy tails! Our happy-go-lucky pups sure know how to show them off when they’re in their highest moods. The placings are sure to make you smile…

1^st: Jazmine – 91 wags per minute

2^nd: Lux – 90 wags per minute

3^rd: Luca – 89 wags per minute

Christina: “So only 2 wags between them, but highly delighted to see so many lovely happy dogs.”

BEST MOVEMENT:

According to the breed standard, the Eurasier “moves with strides of moderate length. Straight coming and going.” The art of good movement falls in a well-balanced dog. (Read more about what makes a dog balanced here:) Therefore, the fact that Christina struggled with this class in particular, is fantastic! (Sorry, Christina!) A very good sign for our breed. “This was a difficult choice, as I didn’t see a bad mover anywhere. Places were separated by small degrees.”

1^st: Luca – Really driving so well off his hocks, good front to match and looked so, so easy in profile.

2^nd: Lux – Only 8 months old, but so sound and positive for age; just had to have this place.

3^rd: Gustav – Very good rear action, enough drive, sound in front, and easy profile stride.

Our remaining four competitive classes were guaranteed to brighten your day.

FANCY DRESS:

1^st: Blue Thor – A lovely Reindeer but the expression says to me: 'For goodness sake Mum how long does Christmas last???'

2^nd: Annie – The jester – pretending to be a Jack in the Box.

3^rd: Gabriella – Not a happy bunny, guess the Saints lost? 

BIGGEST SMILE: Christina: “I loved this class.”

1^st: Isha – Not so much a smile as a LOL!!! Sure this is a laugh ...

2^nd: River – Showing off lovely clean teeth with a gorgeous smile.

3^rd: Timber – The kind of smile an older ‘wise’ dog saves for puppies.

  

BIGGEST GOOFBALL:

1^st: Lumen – Although I am not a fan of inbreeding I do think this is a good example of an 'In Bread' dog!!

2^nd: Grietje – Was this an audition for a part in 'The Exorcist?'

3^rd : Ty-Ohni – Obviously wants to change breeds and be a 'boxer!'

 

BEST PACK: Christina: “I also have to comment that had I actually been with the dogs, I would have checked every one in every photograph to see if there was 'Blu-tack' on their paws!!!”

1^st: Fridlyckans Danish Delight, Glimma, Holly, Karma-Lily & Love Bug Lux – Gorgeous looking group and looked very well matched too. Plus I couldn't resist the little one in the middle.

2^nd: Timber’s Puppies – Ooohh I wish this had been the ones the Judge could take home.

3^rd: Arnold, Winnie & Hildy –  So lovely and looked very much a typey bunch but I think a little too well behaved to be true!!! 

And finally, our non-competitive class, Rainbow Bridge. I share this quote from author and Reike Master, Dr. Elizabeth S. Eiler: “There are spiritual guardians at all the transitional places in our mysterious multidimensional Universes. The precious sacred souls of animals are created to beautifully traverse these regions when their bodies are no more upon the Earth.”

Our dogs are all stars, both in the current life and the afterlife. We use this class to celebrate the light they bring to our lives, and remember the love we will always have for them.

To wrap up the SEA Virtual Show, both the Breed Show and Fun Show had overall winners.

Our Best in Fun Show is Lumen, our “in-bread” (or is he “pure-bread”?) Eurasier.

Our Best of Breed is the ever-handsome Arnold!

All those who placed received their very own SEA Virtual Show coasters, and our Best in Show winners received personalised versions.

Thanks to all of your fantastic 130+ entries, we have raised a minimum of £218 for Animal charity The Mayhew! This is a huge amount, so thank you to each and every one of you for your generosity.

Special thanks go to Brigitte Mordan-Grimm and Peter Mordan, who sponsored the prizes for the show; to Jon and Hilary Cowdock, who worked behind the scenes designing and ordering the coaster prizes, and then having them sent to all the entrants who placed; the SEA Committee for allowing and encouraging the show to go ahead; our fantastic judge, Christina Chapman, for being such a good sport; and of course, to all of our lovely members who entered, made the show a success, and helped to raise so much money for The Mayhew.

Comments from our judge, Christina: “Well now the results have been posted I can comment. First, if not too late, a complaint about a certain Brigitte!!! First she asks 'Will you Judge our Show?' 'Yes, love to!' I replied. Then she says 'It will be easy!!!' SHE LIED ..........! Seriously folks this was extremely hard, which is why it took me so long. There were some absolutely wonderful photographs here, some made me smile and some made me cry. But most made me think how even in quality and the movement in all videos was good; not something that can be said about all breeds. You have had my comments regarding individual dogs, but in most classes I could have closed my eyes and thrown a dart and still finished with a good one. Thanks so much for the entry; I am now going to lie down in a darkened room to have a rest!!! Christina XX P.S. I want River!!!”

Here's to our fabulous pups, and to hoping that “we shall meet again” soon!       

My Visit to CRUFTS 2020

My name is Helena Jansson, I am from Sweden and have been breeding Eurasiers since 2007 under the name Fridlyckans. Back home I have three Eurasier girls, and in 2019 my puppy boy Love Bug Lux found his way to England and is living with my friend James and his new brother Lumen. So what would be nicer than combining a visit to Lux and Lumen with a trip to Crufts and meeting some Eurasier friends and seeing some British Eurasiers showing? Isn’t it just lovely with all the friends we have on Facebook and Instagram through our beloved dogs and then to finally get a chance to meet them live?! It was just amazing to arrive at Crufts and find the Eurasier ring and discover friends all the way from Finland as well as local folk. Most impressive might be Johanna and Anna who had travelled all the way from Tammerfors, Finland, to enjoy Crufts to meet 2- and 4- legged friends.

We had plenty of time before the judging of the Eurasier to meet and talk to some friends. We found Leo and Mishka Boots or Cewpark Creamy Chiffon which is her pedigree name. Can you believe Mishka was once a very shy and tufted rescue? And today she was shining like a star together with her owner Leo. At the age of 11 this miracle girl entered the ring at Crufts! Quite an achievement and credit to you Leo for the work you have done with Mishka. We went on to meet Harriet and her handsome boy Luca, Albionspitz Rigel. Luca is a nice boy and had a very lovely sweet temperament and did so well in Post Graduate class. Yay and congratulations, well shown and you are a nice team! And finally we met Sheeba, Alphacanis Betsheba and Brigitte. I don’t know how many years we have been friends on Facebook without ever meeting live. So it was absolutely lovely to meet you Brigitte and steal a kiss from Sheeba, this adorable veteran lady.

  
It is always interesting as a breeder from another country to see the types of our breed abroad, as it seems most countries have slightly different types. And like in Germany, even dogs from different clubs differ slightly. We all have different tastes and prefer different types and since we have 3 different breeds going into the Eurasier, we sometimes see quite different types such as build, heights, heads, coat and temperament. It can be quite fun at shows back in Sweden to guess the breeder without looking at the names in the catalogue, and quite often we guess is right. I for one am known for (or infamous for depending on taste ;-) ) having a soft spot for reds or creams with a reverse mask and Samoyed smile.

At Crufts 2020, a little bit to my disappointment, most Eurasiers originated from maybe 2-3 breeders. It would have been fun to see Eurasiers from more kennels.  So I can’t say we really got to see that much of your beautiful Eurasiers that I know are out there, but hopefully there will be more entered in 2021 from different breeders. This year, I must say, I felt some of the Eurasiers were maybe a bit petite, both height-wise and type-wise.  I am used to bigger and more powerfully build dogs than some of the adult dogs shown today.

But I know there are a whole lot of very nice Eurasiers in the UK, so once again I hope to see more of you guys in the ring next year with your great-looking dogs that I see here on Facebook :-) 

Finally the judging started. This year’s judge was Mr Mark Cocozza. First out was a single male puppy, Kaydanmy Deluxe Edition. A nice young boy for his age and he was of course Best Puppy.

4 males entered in the Junior class and a very well deserving winner here was French male Phyre Des Origines de Faid’drone.

Harriet with Luca

Post Graduate dog had 4 entries and I could have taken the winner Silmoralbion Llewellyn back home with me. A big bear with a reverse mask and a ‘pawsome’ temperament. 2nd was lovely Albionspitz Rigel with Harriet. Both males were so well shown and presented; both beautiful young boys! 

Open class was won by Albionspitz Blue Moon. A very well balanced and well presented male.  Good Citizen dog was won by Caromarda Just One Look.

First out when it was time for the bitches were the Veteran Ladies. No less than 5 very well presented Veteran bitches were shown. The winner was Albionspitz Beloved, a lovely looking 9 year old bitch. And Alphacanis Betsheba and Brigitte were placed 3rd! Lovely to see such a well kept and good-looking almost 11 year old lady like Sheeba. And 5th was Cewpark Creamy Chiffon or Mishka Boots as most of us know her. ‘Pawsome’ to see a former rescue happy, safe and shining in the ring with her owner Leo.

Leo with Mishka Boots

5 Postgraduate Bitches and class was won by Silmoralbion Undomiel.

7 entries in Open class and the winner was Caromarda Okey Dokey.

Good citizen dog 5 Bitches entered and the winner was Albionspitz Tanzanite. 2nd place was awarded to our Alphacanis Betsheba and Brigitte. And if there had been a prize for happiest tail, Sheeba would have been the indisputable winner. Well done and happy tails Brigitte and Sheeba!

Best of breed was Albionspitz Blue Moon and Best bitch was Albionspitz Beloved. She was also best Veteran bitch and it's quite an achievement for a 9 year old veteran to be best bitch at Crufts.

Congratulations to SEA members Harriet and Luca, Leo and Mishka and Brigitte and Sheeba! Well shown and well done.

Brigitte with Sheeba

I think the UK Eurasiers and this year’s Crufts have nice temperaments. Sometimes we see some ‘sharp’ temperaments especially in the male ring, so it was nice to see such well-behaved and well-presented Eurasiers. One thing that really made me frown though was the stacking of dogs from some handlers. Eurasiers are a free-standing breed and should never ever be stacked! Let's hope this is just a passing thing and not something here to stay from some handlers who don’t know how to properly show a Eurasier.

I enjoyed every minute of Crufts 2020. All the ‘pawsome’ Eurasiers; the other classes and shows going on. Then a nice cider with friends. And the shopping…. oh my, the shopping! I am glad I was flying back with only a cabin bag, so I couldn’t shop much ;-)  It was absolutely amazing to meet so many old and new Eurasier friends. To each and everyone of you ‘thank you all so much’ for the lovely, warm welcome I received and I can’t wait to be back in 2021 to see you all again. Hopefully I will meet even more of the beautiful SEA Eurasiers out there. If you have the chance to show at Crufts next year do it. It is a great experience to be there at that show. And who knows… maybe your dog is the Best of Breed 2021!

Best wishes,

Helena

Spitz in the Park 2019

Its official - gazebos and gusty winds do not make for a good combination! However, apart from our ad hoc wrestling with the gazebo on Saturday (thanks to Becky and David for bringing theirs!) accompanied by the ad hoc wrestling of Blue and his new best friend Iris, our merry band of SEA members enjoyed a relaxed weekend among many curly-tailed and fluffy-bottomed dogs!! We were rather spoilt by Harriet bringing some delicious cupcakes not only for us, but also for our four-legged friends. Sif’s new girlfriend was briefly thinking of changing owner, but only very briefly.

To say we (Eurasiers) were outnumbered was an understatement. However all our dogs were on their best behaviour - great ambassadors for their breed among the unruly  throngs of yipping and yapping Poms, Japanese Spitz and Finnish Lapphunds, which accounted for a large proportion of the dogs on site. 

Throughout the day there were lots of enjoyable things to do, including some serious or not-so-serious dog shows, resulting in places for several, all of which included wonderful, larger-than-life rosettes. Gustav first won Handsomest Dog in the Fun Show and then went on to win Best Novelty! Sheeba came second in Veteran. Annie and Sif were both entered in the ‘serious’ Pedigree Dog Show and Annie won the big Open Spitz class (males and females of all Spitz breeds) and then Reserve Best in Show (like mother, like son)!

Good citizen assessments and eye tests by a qualified ophthalmic vet were also available. Maybe the best result of the day was both Gustav and Blue passing their temperament tests with ‘excellent’.

To keep us all entertained, on site there was a lovely canal-side walk along with a fabulous supervised agility course  - tickets just £1 along with an assortment of other  fund-raising activities e.g. raffles, ‘guess the number of biscuits in the jar’ to just name a few.

For those that chose to, overnight camping was available, or alternatively there was also the option of a local dog-friendly hotel, so no excuses for next year!!! 

By Ann Winter

llathtony Show - Annie won Best in Show!

When we planned our holiday in Herefordshire, attending a dog show had never crossed our mind. Whilst driving around the area, we came across numerous adverts: Llanthony Valley and District Show, August 3^rd. Oh well, we thought, that sounds like a fun day out, going to a real, regional show. On the morning of that Saturday, I looked online only to find that there also was a dog show advertised. And we had precisely 1 hour before the start. So, 3 not-recently-groomed pooches and us 2 jumped in the car and off we went. Our Sheeba (Alphacanis Bethsheba) at almost 10 was entered in Veteran and Annie (Everendeavor Dynasty of Anitra) in Open. We just thought this would give us a nice ‘thing to do’ and provide focus for the day. A random retriever lead found in the car was the make-shift show lead. Bright blue, but hey! The show was situated in the beautiful Llanthony valley, on a slight slope which made a perfect, natural arena. There were a few local stands with delicious local produce, from suckling pig to local cider, home-spun llama wool and wooden products turned from local fruit trees. All the people were in great spirits. As those of you who have more than 1 Eurasier know, you can’t get very far without people stopping, admiring and asking, so we spent a good part of our day, doing exactly that. To our great delight we also met 2 rescue Eurasiers and their lovely owners! So, we were not the only ones there. Even the show secretary, Ros Webb knew Eurasiers through a mutual friend. We felt at home straight away. 
When the time had come, Annie and I strolled into the ring with about 10 other dogs, all very nice indeed, but even without any treats, Annie didn’t put a foot wrong and we won Open! Sheeba was, of course, full of enthusiasm and showed her little socks off. Despite a slight limp – she must have trodden on something as it luckily didn’t last – she won 2^nd in Veteran. In the final line-up, after a good 50 dogs had been judged, I was certain the BIS would go to a very nice terrier, but no, Annie won BIS - a rare achievement for a Eurasier! The terrier came second. We were so thrilled and proud of our girls! Big thanks to our lovely, gentle judge Lewis Jackson, as well as all the organizers who made this enjoyable day run like clockwork!

by Brigitte Mordan-Grimm

Watching dog agility

A hug for our Best in Show girl

Preparing the main arena

Having fun!

Gioia's First Show

Well done Gioia (Alphacanis Gioiata) and her handler Alexandra for winning a second place at their very first show at the Austrian's club's (ECA) 35 year celebrations!