Top dogs at Royal Welsh Festival show
Festival premier open dog show will be among the 1000 plus
dogs lining up for judging at this year’s event in May.
Dog breeds such as the Akita, Lhaso Apso, Samoyed and Papillon, may not be very familiar among many dog owners but these and other equally exotic-sounding types will be on view at this year’s two-day premier open dog show at the Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival in May.
The Akita, a strong Husky-like dog from Japan, the Dogue de Bordeaux, a recent incomer form France, the Alaskan Malamute, originally a sled dog, and the Samoyed, a Russian breed once used for herding reindeer, are among those bringing a truly international flavour to the event which is the only premier open dog show staged in Wales. As such it is a qualifier for Crufts, the world’s largest dog show where up to 28,000 top canines turn up for judging.
“The show was upgraded last year to Premier status by the Kennel club after it had achieved the required qualification of having an average class entry of five dogs or more,” said the show secretary, Denys Simpson. “There are 235 classes which attract well over 1000 entries mainly from Wales and the border counties so it is an extensive and interesting display of dogs which is popular with visitors to the Festival.”
Around 90 breeds will be competing for the top prizes and judging will begin at 10.00am on both days of the show. All the dogs exhibited must be Kennel Club registered. Non-sporting dogs will be judged on the first day and these include those from the Toy, Working, Pastoral and Utility groups. Sporting dogs will be judged on the second day with breeds from the Gundog, Hound and Terrier groups.
The principal judge at this year’s event will be Mrs H.M. Talbot and Best of Breed winners at the show which will qualify for Crufts in 2011 will be Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Border Terrier, Spaniel (cocker), Spaniel (Welsh Springer), Retriever (Golden), Retriever (Labrador), Irish Setter, Whippet, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Pug, Boxer, German Shepherd Dog (Alsatian) and Welsh Corgi (Pembroke).
Postal entries for the dog show close on April 13 (postmark) and on-line entries can be made up to midnight on Tuesday, April 20, on www.fossedata.co.uk.
The Smallholder and Garden Festival takes placed on the Royal Welsh showground Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, on May 15 and 16.
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