Judge BARRY DENYER
A rather disappointing entry in terms of quantity, fortunately
this was more than made up for with the quality, particularly in the Open
classes.
PGD (2) 1 Holmes’ Lisjovia Slick As A Whistle, 18 months
well up for size. Kindly expression enhanced by a dark amber-brown eye. Correct
proportions of skull with flat sides. Hints of blaireau to small, triangular
ears. Adequate depth of chest. Well-muscled & angulated rear. Would prefer a
little more angulation in the forequarters & this was reflected in slightly
wayward movement. Presented in excellent condition; 2 Draper’s Desalazara Jerez,
2 year old sired by RDCC winner. Good depth & breadth of skull with no obvious
stop. Amber brown eyes &, as with 1, slight blaireau to ears. Good pigmentation
all round. Strong neck set on shoulders, laid close to the body. Strongly boned
but gave the impression of being a late developer, needing more muscletone to
body. Medium angulation to both stifle & hocks. Well set on tail, thick at the
root & well plumed. Somewhat unsettled on the move.
LD (3) 1 Keith’s Shanlimore Let It Be for Beverlenn, 4 years & probably in
his prime. Correct in head shape. Eyes nicely set & level with root of ear.
Adequate depth of chest & ribcage well extended. Level topline when standing but
tended to lose it on the move. Would prefer better pigment to nose. Slightly
more angulation to stifle might go some way to improve movement when moving
away; 2 Shepherd & Codron’s Gillandant The Illusionist at Avantgarde, bred in
the purple & with a dam that I have given top honours to in the past. Presented
in excellent coat. Correct length of muzzle in relation to skull but lower lip
could be tighter. Good width to forequarters with elbows not too close. Ribcage
well extended with slightly pronounced waist. Movement was somewhat erratic &
managed to get himself too close to his handler. Sadly no marks for the
handler’s forward roll; 3 Agar’s Pyrbern Blond Kiowa.
OD (4,1a) Three delightful, but contrasting, Ch. Given the differences in
type this was, arguably, the most difficult class however, when assessing these
dogs I opted to place them in the order in which, to me, they most closely met
the Standard for Pyreneans. 1 Bowker & Gibson’s Ch Febus Mauvezin, sired by one
of my all-time favourite dogs. Inherited many of his attributes & at least one
of his faults. A superbly balanced dog, clearly relishing his time in the ring,
where he dominated. The best of heads with the slight but perceptible curve to
the top of the skull both front on & in profile. Almond, brown & obliquely set
eyes, level with the root of the ears. Short, strong neck set on well laid back
shoulders. Firm & level topline both standing & on the move. Superb rear
angulation giving him the necessary drive. A delight to see him moving, both
coming & going. Presented in excellent coat with all of the trimmings. Could not
be denied the CC & only just missed out on BOB when he came up against a bitch
on top form. CC; 2 Savage’s Fr/SW Ch Vi’skalys Harry Honda at Kington, a top
winning dog on the continent & it was easy to see why. Very distinctive blaireau
markings that have become something of a rarity in the breed in this country.
Correct head shape, from front on but muzzle a little deeper than I would like.
Excellent expression, enhanced by correct colour & placement of eyes with no
obvious stop between. Well-muscled neck with no dewlap. Medium angulation, both
front & rear. Maintained his topline both standing & on the move. Thick rooted
tail correctly set on with a slight but perceptible hook on the end. Appeared to
have left much of his coat at home. Gait was free flowing &, most definitely,
unhurried but not ponderous or slovenly. Gave the impression that he could
accelerate into a powerful run if he felt the need. RCC; 3 Kenyon & Ward’s
Charibere Simply Special at Chezanna.
PB (1) 1 Savage’s Vi’skaly’s Lilla My at Kington,
delightful but slow maturing 8 month old, still bearing a crown of puppy coat.
Lovely dark amber brown eye of correct size & set. Generally well-constructed
with plenty of muscle, especially to the thighs. Needs to gain some body.
Superbly presented & well groomed. Would love to see her in 2 years time. BP.
LB (2) 1 Wright’s Dasalazra Mamma Mia, 3 years bitch, very lightly shown.
Blunt v-shaped head, from above, tapering slightly at the nose. Solid black
pigmentation all round. Would prefer a slightly lighter eye to make it
amber-brown. Reasonable front angulation & good depth of chest – one of the few
where it reaches slightly below the elbow. Would like to see a bit more body to
her; 2 Holmes’ Lisjovia Kiyonari, 2½ years very similar in build & construction
to 1. In contrast her eyes could be a little darker. Moved well on catlike paws
with arched toes. Good head shape. Level topline when standing but not so much
on the move. Rather wayward front movement probably being the cause.
OB (2) Litter sisters of outstanding quality. Very close in so many
respects. 1 Edwards’ Ch Gillandant Leyla via Shanlimore, have watched this girl
since she first came out & she was unlucky to only take RBOB last time she came
under me, 18 months ago, she has continued to improve. Delightful head shape
giving an appearance of elegance & aloofness. Perfect, smooth curve from stop to
occiput. Short & well-muscled neck set on correctly angulated shoulders. Level
topline to the croup & a smooth transition into the tailset. Rear angulation was
absolutely ‘spot on’. Moved with a smooth flowing gait. Unhurried but
delightful. Wasn’t going to be denied top honours this time! CC & BOB; 2
Pollard’s Ch Gillandant Sizzling Spice, like her litter-sister this young lady
was presented in tip-top condition. Super head shape from above. Would prefer a
slightly tighter lower lip line. Well boned all round with a well-sprung
ribcage. Well covered hindquarters & feathers. Tail length & carriage very
pleasing. RCC.
VB (2) 1Pollard’s Ch Gillandant Sugar And Spice, 7 years & still winning
tickets (4 this year) & it is not difficult to see why. Nice head shape with
pleasing eye colour & set. Skull showing the desired curve. Good pigmentation,
all round, save for a tiny ‘playground’ mark. Would prefer a little more
angulation in front but rear was nicely turned. Steady on the move. As with all
dogs from this kennel, she was present in excellent condition; 2 Wright’s
Shanlimore Lady Jane, another 7 year old but this one very lightly shown. All
white in coat, something not as common as it once was in the breed. Head shape
not quite as good as 1 but pleasing foreface & muzzle. Good, level topline when
standing but front movement was a little loose meaning that the topline went
astray, on the move. Better rear angulation with plenty of drive. Correct
tailset with the tail itself reaching down to the hock.