It was a great honour to be invited back to the UK to award CCs in two varieties of Dachshund in such an agreeable setting as Windsor. I was pleased with the entry of Miniature Wire-Haireds, heavily weighted in favour of bitches. I found no incorrect bites and only few exhibits failed to make the desired maximum weight, even though I must admit that I sometimes lost patience with the electronic scales and the time they took to stabilise. I was generally impressed with the heads and the heads of the vast majority of exhibits had good proportions with sufficient underjaw. A sizable number of the exhibits had upright shoulders and this is something to watch. There were also a few dodgy toplines. I was well pleased with most of my class winners and, obviously, with the top-achievers. My Best of Breed winner was perhaps the most unexpected surprise, coming from the Yearling and Post Graduate Bitch Classes, but in the end she appealed too much to my eye and senses to be denied. Thank you to all the exhibitors for according me the courtesy of assessing their dogs.

VD/B (2) 1 Betteridge’s Brindeckel I Luv Lucy At Sylvax Brindle, well within size and still in fine fettle. Well-angulated in the front and rear with bold forechest. Coat harsh and wiry and face well furnished with bushy eyebrows and beard. Head conical with minimal stop. Moved with exuberance that belied her age, covering ground effortlessly and maintaining a firm, level topline. 2 Neates’ Beaucat Wire Of The Wisp Appreciated this red for her structural soundness and good quality coat with the required facial furnishings. Full, oval chest and generous spring of rib with prominent prosternum. Carrying a bit too much weight, but otherwise a worthy contender. MPD (1) 1 Haywards’ Bedeslea Howdy Doody Brindle, still rather loose at this stage of development. Chest lacking in depth and maybe a bit too high-stationed. Excellent quality coat and head well-proportioned and appropriately furnished. Movement sporadic at times, but covered ground reasonably well once he found his stride. PD No Entries JD (3, 3) YD (1) Harker & Sexton’s Fuenfseen’s From Ukraine With Love Manodg Koychi (Imp) Brindle of considerable substance with most appealing expression. Well assemble fore- and hindquarters and prominent forechest. Superb head with rich tan furnishings, carried on a generous reach of neck. Moved with confidence, showing reach and drive, with head carried defiantly. PGD (3, 1) 1 Harker & Sexton’s Fuenfseen’s From Ukraine With Love Manodg Koychi (Imp) (See above) 2 Smith’s Bingobongo’s Gregory A somewhat disappointing exhibit, shown in what appeared to be a stripped-out state with an abundance of undercoat in evidence. Head sparsely furnished. High-stationed and rather straight in shoulder, which inhibited reach and compromised ground coverage. LD (1) 1 Jones’s Bimini Starstruck Well-constructed, compactly coupled brindle which pleased in a number of respects. Well-angulated quarters, enabling ease of stride and vigorous drive. Head magnificent – conical, with an imperceptible amount of stop and textbook furnishings. Topline firm and level with excellent tail carriage. Coat short, harsh and wiry. OD (2) 1 Rose’s S Ch Ridanflight Ricardo Impressive brindle that flaunted his considerable charms on the table before taking charge of the ring. With superbly angulated fore- and hindquarters, prominent prosternum and neck to spare, there was nothing to impede his free, easy and resolute stride. A well-proportioned and neatly furnished head, carried proudly. A harsh, wiry topcoat and dense undercoat contributed to a package deserving of the highest admiration and accolade. CC 2 Thorn Andrews’s Jp Once In A Blue Moon Compact brindle which provided a strong challenge for the class. Well assembled in front, but especially impressive on the stack were the superbly angulated hindquarters. Good quality wire coat with the typical adornments of beard and eyebrows neatly finished. Sufficient reach of neck and bold forechest. Moved with confidence and purpose and clearly eager to please. RCC GCDorB (1) 1 Nicholson’s Eastriding Attimo At Kingsheath Unperturbed by the lengthy assessment on the table, intensive mouth inspection and being lifted by a stranger. Responded excitedly to demonstrations of affection while being held. Showed no signs of timidity while going around the ring and seemed impervious to the ringside barking and crowd applause. Temperament superb. MPB (2) 1 Kirkwood-Emerys’ Helydon Jinglebells Brindle which impressed with a good front and rear assembly, depth of chest and liberal forechest. Head well-proportioned and carried on a good reach of neck. Good quality wire coat. Moved well, but with tail carried too high. Hopefully this will settle as she matures. 2 Nicholson’s Barratini Careless Whisper At Kingsheath Immature, loose in the forequarters and still somewhat timid. Appreciated her well-angulated front and good length of neck. A tad high in the rear though and topline needs to settle. Front action inclined towards weaving, but this should correct as she tightens up. PB (2) 1 Billinghurst’s Drakesleate Never Say Die Brindle with textbook conformation, just oozing promise. Compactly structured with bones set at angles to facilitate the greatest economy of movement. Well ribbed up and with a bold forechest and abundance of neck contributing to an impressive package. Head well-enhanced by eyebrows and beard and sporting a super harsh, wiry coat. A delight on the move. Best Puppy. 2 Fultons’ Bothlyn Miss Money Penny Brindle with too much length in the loin and somewhat lacking in forequarter angulation. Also rather high-stationed. Coat of good quality but head furnishings sparse. Reluctant mover, carrying tail too high and slackness in topline evident. JB (6, 1) 1 Harkers’ Hadoka Dollie Part The Waves Brindle that appealed for her excellent hindquarters, sturdy and with hindlegs straight and parallel, but less for her forequarters where the angle was rather too open. Possessed of a magnificent reach of neck (maybe even the best on the day), which facilitated the proud carriage of a very well-proportioned and furnished head. Superb quality coat, harsh and wiry. A bit tentative on the move at first, but then found her stride. 2 Powell’s Rosenez Special Occasion At Forbell Red with most appealing head and prominent prosternum. However, let down somewhat by insufficient hind angulation, which caused the topline to incline towards the rear. Coat of superb quality. Movement compromised by less than ideal drive and slope in topline. 3 Gilkes’s Birichino Birdfoot Trefoil YB (4, 2) Flowers & Smith’s Bingobongos Short And Sweet There are rare moments when even judges get an adrenalin rush, and so it was when this brindle entered the ring. Assessment confirmed a superb layback of shoulder and dream hindquarters. Chest full and oval and cradled between tightly tucked elbows with an abundance of prosternum. Outstanding head properties, punctuated by the requisite beard and bushy eyebrows. Wrapped in an outstanding pin-wire coat, a formidable compact package of textbook achondroplastic manifestation. Moved with ebullience and purpose. CC Best of Breed 2 Prices’ Samlane Cressida Brindle of good size and type with pleasing conformation in the front and rear. Head adequately adorned with the requisite facial characteristics and endowed with ample forechest. Coat not at its best with too much undercoat showing through. Spirited mover with head and tail well carried. PGB (7, 2) 1 Flowers & Smith’s Bingobongos Short And Sweet (see above) 2 Weeks’s Ridanflight Raindrop Compactly structured brindle bitch with reasonably good, although not perfect, angulation in the front and rear. Bold forechest and excellent spring of rib. Head well-proportioned and furnished and coat short and harsh. Made the most of her attributes on the move, but topline inclined slightly towards the rear. 3 Shones’ Phantasia Lady. LB (5, 1) 1 Jones’s Binini From Russia With Love Brindle with many outstanding qualities – well-angulated quarters, excellent ribbing, great depth of chest, prominent prosternum and generous reach of neck. Head well-proportioned and -adorned. Good quality wire coat. Moved with ample reach and drive, covering ground economically with head carried proudly. 2 Kirkwood-Emerys’ Helydon Fabulous Freya Although her front assembly fell short of the ideal, the hindquarters were well angulated and sturdy, with hind legs parallel in stance. Compactly structured with no weakness in topline. Excellent length of neck which enabled a defiant carriage of head. Head pleasingly furnished. Reach slightly inhibited, but, owing to a hard-driving hind action, ground coverage was not unduly hampered. 3 Mobley’s Jakanem What You Will. OB (4) Blackburn’s Stargang’s Compania Faberge Elegant brindle with an abundance of stylish attributes, including superbly angulated fore- and hindquarters, capacious chest with bold forechest, graceful reach of neck and head of pleasing dimensions and proportions, accented with the customary beard and bushy eyebrows. Head proudly carried and tail never raised above the firm, level topline. Unstoppable on the move, striding out confidently ahead of her handler. RCC 2 Thorn Andrews’s Ch Drakesleat Scent Sybil With numerous charms of her own, this brindle was in serious contention and the class result was always going to be down to the arbitrary. Compact, sound, elegant, animated – all attributes which typified this quality exhibit with full, oval chest and forechest to spare. Appropriately furnished head was carried on an excellent reach of neck and the topline held firm and level at all times. Fluid movement attested to textbook conformation. 3 Johnson-White’s Molloney Tatler Mit Gioia.