ENTERTAINMENT CRUF T S
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PRIZED POOCHES I T ’S A DOG’S L I FE
Last month saw the much anticipated return of Crufts at Birmingham NEC after it was cancelled last year in the height of the Covid pandemic. This year thousands of dogs and their owners returned to the rings to vie for those coveted awards.
This month we talk to our own sales and marketing director Tina Thomas-Bassett who qualified for the first time with her one-year old Rhodesian Ridgeback Skye. She gives us her account at what it’s really like to compete at the world’s most prestigious dog show.
“Bonfirebeau Red Skye, whose pet name is Skye, is a beautiful sweet natured female Rhodesian Ridgeback. She’s red wheaten in colour, with the gentlest eyes and prettiest face especially when she is frowning. We did a lot of research before purchasing Skye and were fortunate to find a litter advertised on Champ dogs from wonderful parentage. Mum was reserve world champion and dad has also been very successful in show ring. Skye was collected at eight weeks old and is now 13 months old.
“Buying a puppy during lockdown came with its difficulties, but also with some plus points too. One being the puppy What’s app group for all the prospective puppy owners - there were 10 of us added to the group and we received regular updates about the puppies from the moment they were born.
“It was such a nice way to watch the puppies’ milestones. We often got into long conversations during the chats, one such chat was a question from Michelle the owner of Gino, Skye’s dad. Michelle asked if anyone was interested in showing their puppy, she went on to say they were a superb litter and would do well in the ring. I didn’t really give it a lot of thought - about 30 seconds - and said ‘YES me’. And that’s where my journey started.”
As soon as Tina got her puppy home she started practicing the skills needed for the show ring. The first thing she taught Skye was stacking - the process of correctly presenting a show dog to its best advantage in the show ring. In order to know how your dog should be hand stacked Tina says it’s important to fully understand your breed standard.
“Of course I was a complete novice so photographs from my breeders Michelle and Kate were a real help. Each time I made a cup of tea I would stack Skye for a few minutes she enjoyed the treats and it’s amazing how many cups of tea you make a day,” she says.
Once Skye was fully vaccinated and able to venture out Tina also joined her local ring craft club at Willington ran by two amazing ladies Margaret and Sarah.
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