BCOA Bulletin January-February-March 2007 - the Basenji Club of ...

From the Sweepstakes
Judge at the Greater
Chicagoland Basenji
Club Specialty
Paul Gigous
I enjoyed the privilege
of judging the basenji puppies. It
brought back memories of litters and puppies of my own, years
ago. All though I do not have a basenji right now in my life, they
will always be in my heart.
I thought the puppies overall were of good temperament and
structure. The wrinkle patterns were very good. This pleased me
as rumors had it that the breed was losing this trait. I was glad to
see the wrinkles still there.
There were a few basenjis lacking in shoulder layback and rear
angulation. That could have been a little better on some. I thought
the bitches' quality was more balanced than the boys. Again, I was
well pleased with the quality of these puppies.
I had fun judging the Veterans. Us old dogs have to stick
together! They were all out there showing well. I fell in love with
my vet bitch. She sure did not act like she was 11 1/2 years old.
She moved like she was still a young girl.
Congratulations to all the winners and to the club for a
successful specialty.
Canis Basenji
A whimsical book about life with a basenji, written
and illustrated by Robert Vavra. Originally published
by the BCOA in 1958, current copies include a
bonus Introduction by the author written in 1991.
This was Mr. Vavra’s fi rst book and also the
only one he illustrated with pen and ink.
To purchase your piece of basenji history, visit
www.basenji.org and click on BCOA Online Shopping
Cost is $13
Orders outside
the U.S.
please add $3.00
for postage.
or contact:
Carrie Jones
12701 65th St. NE
Eyota, MN 55934-2105
email: ankhu@kmwb.net
Judge’s critique
– Karen Dumke.
during the Greater
Chicagoland Basenji
Club Specialty
The Basenji Club of America, Inc. BULLETIN - 48
First of all, I'd like to thank
the membership for inviting me
to judge your Specialty. I was
very honored to be your judge.
The entry was overall very high
quality with movement being a strong point. Obviously, the heat
and humidity took its toll, since I'm sure there were dogs that were
affected by the weather. However, in spite of this, the majority of
the dogs moved very well. A few of the young dogs were soft in
the rear when moving away, and a bit loose in front, but this was
something I felt would improve with time and exercise. Expression,
ear placement, and wrinkle were excellent in most of the exhibits.
Temperament was also excellent. I had the handlers show the bites,
not because I was worried about being bitten, but rather because
of hygenic reasons. Everyone did a great job in showing the bites,
something I frequently don't see, ie: people not sure what to do.
Even though there was a variety of different "styles", the quality
was wonderful. The puppy bitch class was a terrifi c class, with
every one of them capable of fi nishing. I also loved my Bred-By
Exhibitor dog and bitch classess. Breeders---keep up the good work!
My Winners Dog was so correct in structure and had outstanding
carriage and movement. I also loved my Reserve Winners
Dog, who also had great style and movement. He wilted
a bit at the end with the heat---but it was a very close call.
My Winners Bitch was a moving fool. She screamed "BASENJI"!
She was so correct in every way, and was hard to beat on that
day. My Reserve Winners Bitch was a super black puppy, who
gaited like a pro. There were other girls in the lineup who
also could easily have won that day, but I had to split hairs.
The Veterans were awesome. They all appeared so fi t, it was
a joy to see. My only regret was having to award "placements".
Too bad you don't just offer one fi rst place, then a ribbon for
attending to the rest. I loved them all!!! I'm sure they were
behind many of the younger dogs being shown that day.
Finally, my Specials. All I can say is "WOW"!! All my winners
and Awards of Merit excelled in type and movement. Just to clarify
that my Awards of Merit were not in any particular order. They were
all equal. In fact, I wish I would have been able to award more of
them. I also would have liked to pull more for the fi nal cut, but due to
the size of the ring, and the heat, I needed to keep the numbers down.
Again, thank you all so much for your wonderful
entry, your smiling faces, and your hospitality. A
special thank you to Sue Joyner, and
my ring Stewards Bill and Carol.
The only complaint I had was the
heat, which I'm sure affected some
of the dogs’ attitude and movement.
Good luck to you all!