Sweeps Judge's Comments

When I was first offered my sweepstakes assignment 1 ½ years ago  I was surprised and flattered but did not grasp the magnitude of the task so far in advance.  I have always had an opinion at ringside but not the comprehensive perspective from inside the ring as a judge.  By the time my judging assignment was happening, I felt anxious and excited to get on with the challenge at hand.  My years of experience as an exhibitor  finally paid off and surprisingly gave me the confidence of handling the ring organization.

My 6-9 dog class was fairly large and presented an immediate challenge with several lovely exhibits catching my eye. Both my first and second placement were of particularly  pleasing balance style and symmetry.  My first place in that class, the eventual Sweepstakes Winner, displayed exceptional show attitude which could not be denied.

Some dog classes were very diverse in type and my choices were based on more harmonious blending of body parts and soundness of movement.  The bitch classes were equally varied in style, presentation, and overall outline with some very attractive girls. Surprisingly 4 of them had a long tongue, a fault that in my experience contributes to the brachicephalic syndrome in our breed.

In particular though my BOS, Evergreen’s Lavish Looks, was an outstanding well proportioned bitch with all the right attributes required to represent the breed proudly in the ring and for future progeny. A feminine head with neck and a stocky body with good outline and elegant movement. My final line up of class winners made me proud…all well deserving and representing the good qualities of our breed.

My choice of BEST in Sweepstakes was a very promising light brindle puppy dog,
Shore Made Ya Look Again, who caught my eye with a lovely alert expression sustained by dark eyes and correct ear shape and placement, elegant movement, body and presentation and having this ”je ne sais quoi “that made my heart beat faster and beckoned me to give him first place.

The veteran classes stood out with 2 exceptionally fit girls both of whom had a lot of qualities to offer. They both moved flawlessly and were balanced and sound in structure and movement and the choice was difficult since in my opinion they are equally deserving.
I finally decided on the brindle girl who also won my Best Veteran Award,
CH. Greenmont‘s Jade in the Ruff, with BOSV award going to CH. Rockydell Charismatic One.

A very enjoyable experience in hindsight for which I am very grateul to the FBDCA membership who gave me this opportunity.