Showsight September 2021

MONTGOMERY COUNTY KENNEL CLUB

THE ‘BEST’ OF MONTGOMERY: A LOOK BACK WITH THE BIS JUDGES

CH Finlair Isis holds the top spot among Airedale bitches, and as I recall, her close rival that day was Tartan’s Oil Patch Star—about a “toenail” behind her. Do you have a word or two about your Best in Show winner and the dogs that placed in the Group? GCH Efbe’s Goodspice Easy Money captured my attention right from the start. Sometimes this is the edge that a dog needs to win in magnificent company. When she moved, it was obvious to me that I was enjoying seeing a real champion. Not only did she display all of the hallmarks of the breed (alert, powerful, “extraor- dinary substance,” and agile), she showed them with an abundance of quality. If critiquing her point-by-point in the standard, I would state no weaknesses. It would be more about the demonstrations of all that quality. Topping her off was the amazing grooming, accentuating her quality. GCH Steele Your Heart, Wire Fox Terrier; GCH Perrisblu Kennislain’s Chelsey, Kerry Blue Terrier; and GCH. Brisline’s Goforit Energizer Bunny, Airedale Terrier: On any other day or with any other judge, these exhibits may have been placed differ- ently as, indeed, a number of others behind them would have also made deserving winners. After ensuring the balance, type, and soundness, as well as the important detail of the standards, and after deciding what may be forgiven (the latter not relevant in these four, in my opinion), I tend to reward the display: Attitude, Eager- ness, Sparkle, and probably, Arrogance in a Terrier.

Some others include Beth Sweigart (110 Norwich), Geoff Corish (23 Sealyhams), Bob Black (33 Lakelands), Peter Green (37 Wire Fox Terriers), Lydia Hutchinson (77 Australian Terriers), Peggy Beisel-McIlwaine (139 Westies), and so many more clearly make my point. The exhibits sent through by the Specialty Judges made my job more joy than pressure. The competition at the Breed level is always high at Montgomery. Have you judged any specialties at this show? Have your dogs won any specialties? I have a record in Australia of breeding and handling many suc- cesses at Airedale Specialties. While Australia’s numbers in recent years have been quite disappointing, our 1976 Club Specialty (The Airedale Terrier Club of Victoria) enjoyed an entry of 176. The judge was English breeder Arthur Lodge, who once sent CH Opti- mist of Mynair to the US after he’d won Crufts. Our homebred Champion Tjuringa Hurrah won Best in Show. An interesting aside that relates to Montgomery is that her father, CH Bengal Valley Forge, gained his name as he was due to come to Barbara Streibeigh and Adele Abbe at Birch Run. He was considered by the breeder to be too big for the US. The “big” thing was the very big mistake; as he was magnificent. At Montgomery, I judged the Airedale Club of America Spe- cialty in 1986. Up until that time and possibly even now, I regard that as my most important and privileged appointment. The entry was about 140 and I judged some wonderful Airedales. To this day,

SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2021 | 169

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