Breed Notes
By Lyn Etches
Feb 25
Hi I will start these notes with some open show news
,Jo Strong took Bear ,Ch Ohanaway Having a Blast at Mackjama to East Kent open show where the judge for avnsc where the judge was Iain Forbes ,he won his class and Bnsc (+£5) unfortunately no luck in the group ,They also went into a large Open stakes where the judge Lee England chose him for 2nd place (+ £25 ) always worth going into stakes at open show, hope Bear had steak treat.
At Ilfracombe sorry wasnt told who was judge but there was breed classes always good to support breed classes .
Post grad class was Kate Biss with Rhu ,Valaller Strike a pose in Open Sue Poultons Martha ,Meddobe Spice Girl 2nd Kate with Skye ,Ch Valaller Rainmaker 3rd Cherrie Hackney Ash , Starvon All about me .
Sue and Martha was Bob and Reserve in Pastoral Veteran stakes .
At Kent Superdog 2025
0n 22nd they are doing a silent auction supporting Cancer Research , for a much sought after book written by Tom Horner .called Take "Them Round Please " Limited Edition no 68.
I received the following piece written by 1 of our newer owners describing her 1 st year .Alessia Longhi with Flori, Valaller Paparazzi .
Flori joined our family at 10months old .I had no idea how much joy ,adventures she would bring to our lives.I feel so grateful Flori is the sweetest and most intelligent dog iv ever had ,her Italian nickname is Pagliaccetto which translates to "little clown" because she never fails to bring a smile and remids me not to take life seriously. Her loyalty and love are something special and she is always ready to try new things .Thanks to her i discovered the amazing community of Swedish vallhund enthusiasts or as we say vallhund slaves .Her fantastic breeder Debbie Howe introduced me to conformation shows and with help jumped into the world of ringcraft we have competed in open shows,championship and even Crufts !! Debbie really did an incredible job raising her she is so confident and well adjusted and she inspires me everyday .She loved her camping trip ,she loved sharing food and sleeping in close quarters with her humans and waking up to the outdoors in a wooded area and enjoyed playing with the camping managers dog think she felt best time ever .In December she saw her 1st snow and had endless zoomies having pure joy ,her best day ever. From teaching Flori to swim and trying out different dog sports we have done so much together.Eventually we settled on what we love the most agility , and mantrailing and great adventures in the great outdoors of the Welsh countryside .We dabble a bit in obedience its something we will explore in the future .Flori likes to train but dosent enjoy too many repetitions so i have to make creative and keep it all interesting .She loves learning and we have so much fun .I have to be careful as she is so tuned in to me if im not precise she gives me that what are you doing look . (classic vallhund thing we all know haha ) Watching her using her nose during mantrailing just amazes me every time. Floris arrival also brought out new energy to our older dog Grace who will be 18yrs this year she still enjoys walks if a longer trek she goes in a buggy .Lovely to see how Flori has given Grace a new spark.Im lucky as can take them both to work where Flori loves being a concierage greeting the dogs that come in for training or grooming in the office .It wasnt always like this at 1st she struggled with being left alone ,after growing up in a large vall group she wasnt used to solitude even if i popped into the bathroom now she is absolutely fine .At home she is such a snugglebug
she is totally ok to skip a walk and spend the afternoon on the sofa which was such a big help following the surgery on my ankle as i was worried how well she would handle it and she suprised me by being fine .During that time we invented a fun game Flori had to stay on her bed while I hid the toy somewhere in the house then i release her to search for it with such enthusiam we play small game of tug it .Flori has brought us so much Happiness ,laughter and love .Her personality, intelligence and affectionate nature makes everyday exciting .Whether we are learning something new or relaxing this past year has been an incredible journey I cant wait to see whats next for us exploring life together . Thank you Alessia .
News from Westminster where the judge was Charles Olvis , Much to his owners thrill for the 2nd year running Bob was Gabe , Gch Ch Valkyries Canadian Bacon owned by Matthew and Jacquelyn Hennek and Telah Garwacki. Huge Congratulations . Gabe looked fab on the clip and remined me of his sire Gunner who unfortunately was unable to go this year .
New zealand results Osuno Sv breeders Alexandra Proudfoot and Elaine Feng ,are so proud rightly so, that Bowie , Osuno BattleBorn (ai) is the 1st New Zealand bred Swedish vallhund dog to win a Best in Show and icing on the cake the Best in show judge was Swedish , Duncan McAllistar .As breeders they are so proud of their kennel and for the breed in New Zealand so far would be an understatement .Results that weekend for Bowie sat Am j/ Stefan Mitrevski Bob shortlisted in gp,, Pm j/ Hans Almgren Bob Gp 1 and Bis Sun Am j/ Lyn Carleton Bob and shortlisted in group Pm J/ Duncan McAllistar Bob and group 1 the judge who on the Saturday pm awarded his Bis .
Send your breed notes to me lyn.etches@yahoo.co.uk