21.12.04
I have just received the very sad news that Connie Higgins died in hospital on the 18th of December. Connie was instrumental in getting the Canaan Dog recognised by The Kennel Club back in 1970. This was no easy task and Connie fought long and hard battling on her own, with the support of her husband, Stan, for the breed. But her hard work paid off and they became recognised in 1970. Without Connie, the breed would not be where it is today. Our condolences go to her husband, Stan, and family. A tribute to Connie will be appearing in the new year on the BCDS Website.

29.8.04
At Welsh Kennel Club Twix had a bad day! He had been suffering with an ear infection for a week and I had been treating it with sucess. He was fine on the morning of the show, fine outside the ring as soon as we stepped into the ring his right ear slid right down the side of his head!!! It was obviously giving him trouble and the best the Judge could do for him in Open dog was a reserve, his ear is fine now thankfully. On a brighter note Mitzi won 1st in Junior Bitch

3.7.04
At Windsor today Twix was awarded 1st Open Dog, his second CC & BEST OF BREED!!! I am just so thrilled. The Judge was Mary Deats. Dezi also did pretty well winning Res Best Dog in AVNSC Utility/Hounds, the judge was Mr P Jolley. Mitzi had to stay at home because she is in season but will be out and about again very soon.

17.6.04
Today at Three Counties Championship Show Dezi was awarded 1st in Open Dog, BEST DOG and BEST OF BREED!! The Judge was Mr A. Brace.

11.6.04
The preperation for the British Canaan Dog Rally is now in full swing. We are so very lucky to have Paddy Driscoll for the day who will be doing agility demonstrations and "have a go" sessions. Appointments are also starting to come in for the eye testing session.

Went to Southern Counties on the 4th. Dezi got a 1st in AVNSC, Mitzi got 1st in Junior Bitch and went on to be awarded Res. BEST BITCH! At Saffron Walden show on the 6th Dezi got a 1st in AVNCS Open and Mitzi a 1st in AVNSC Junior.

2/6/04
This evening I went to the Boston & Dist evening Show at Newark. Twix won BEST OF BREED and the UTILITY GROUP!! The German Spitz Judge was Mrs S Sear and the Group Judge was Mrs H Gillies. Almost all of the judging was done outside with just a couple of the Groups and BIS moved inside when it got too dark.
On Monday I made the long journey to Bath Ch show, Dezi was awarded Res Best Dog, the Judge was Mrs C Coxall.

28/5/04
The British Canaan Dog Society held a Special General Meeting on the 23rd of May at the Guide Dogs for the Blind headquaters to elect Officers and Committee and finalise the setting up of the Society. I have, for my sins, been elected as the Secretary. For a full list of Officers and Committee visit the BCDS site.

CANAAN DOG RALLY
The BCDS will be holding a Canaan Dog Rally at Willowdale Farm, home of the Babrees Canaan Dogs, on the 1st of August. This will be held in conjunction with an eye testing session by Prof. P Bedford (Open to all breeds). There will be a Bar-B-Q, fun and games, competitions & raffles and a whole lot more! Check out the BCDS site or e-mail me for more information.

22/5/04
ANOTHER GREAT DAY FOR DEZI! Today Dezi celebrated his second birthday at the N.S.F.K.A (Nottingham Sherwood Foresters Kennel Association) He won 1st in AVNSC Open, then went onto win BEST AVNSC UTILITY and then the UTILITY GROUP!! The Judge was Mrs V Dyer.

20/5/04
There is a new photo of Dezi on his page, he is now two years old.

16/5/04
The membership of the British Canaan Dog Society now stands at 60 with applications for membership still coming in, the members are mainly UK Canaan Dog owners and enthusiasts. The web site is developing into a very comprehensive and educational resource including a junior section, lots of articles and a section with photographs and pedigrees of Canaan Dogs from all around the world. There is still a lot more in the pipeline and of course members are invited to contribute to the site or make suggestions about what they would like to see or not see on there. Judges who are interested in judging the Canaan Dog are also invited to submit a profile. The SGM to elect Officers and Committee will be taking place on the 23rd of May this meeting will be open only to members so if you have not already joined please visit http://www.thecanaandog.co.uk for an application form. We are still receiving very positive feedback about the new club and the future looks very exciting indeed.

7/5/04
WHAT A DAY!!!!! Today Mark and I went to the National Dog Show and had a fantastic day. Twix was awarded 1st in Open Dog and the RES Dog CC. Marks schnauzer "Santa" won 1st Limit Dog, Dog CC and BEST OF BREED and Dezi won 1st Open Dog, BEST DOG and BEST OF BREED!

24/4/04
Today at WELKS Mitzi won BEST PUPPY BITCH not bad considering she is as bald as a coot!! It was very hot and sunny today and I was completely unprepared, no reflective sheets to cover the cages or sun block for me!
All in all a nice day, even if I am now nursing sunburn
Originally the AVNSC and German Spitz classes were not going to clash, but AVNSC was moved to another ring and brought forward. Many thanks to Jan McLeod for holding a very reluctant Mitzi outside the ring while I ran to get Dezi, for asking the GS judge if he would wait (she asked the judge as the steward refused) and for then holding an equally reluctant Dezi for the judges critique. Also thanks to Eddie who would have brought Mitzi into the ring if I hadn't returned in time. A frantic 10 minutes in an otherwise relaxed day!!

21/4/04
Last night I went to the West Norfolk Ring Craft society's bimonthly match. Mitzi won BEST PUPPY IN MATCH! Dezi got through to the final but got beaten for best in match by a very smart Min Pin. The Judge was Mrs Bodel.

14/4/04
Here is a photo of Dezi's puppies aged 4 weeks they are a lively bunch (take after their dad!) and are already great characters. Visit the Babrees site to see more photos!

 

 

27/3/04
Layla Me Shaar Hagai has had six beautiful puppies. Layla was bred to Makiwer Black Knight for Tokra (Jack) this is the first black to black litter in the UK. Layla did Jill and Ian Terry proud by producing two cream girls, a red sable boy, a red sable girl, a black boy and a black girl!

 

20/3/04
Went to BUBA Open show today with Twix, Mitzi and Dezi. Jill brought along Benji, Beth and Sandy. The German Spitz judging was first, Mitzi was awarded 2nd in Puppy Dog/Bitch. In the Canaan ring I handled Sandy who was awarded 1st in Post Gaduate Dog/Bitch, and Dezi who won 1st Open Dog and Beth who won 2nd Open Bitch. Dezi then went on to win Best of Breed, the Canaan Judge was Jan McLeod. He was also shortlisted in a very large and strong line up for Best in Show! The BIS Judge was Liz Dunhill.

The 23rd of May is the date for the SGM of the British Canaan Dog Society to elect the Officers and Committee and finialise the set up of the new club. The meeting is for members only. Membership forms and more information can be found on the BCDS Website

18/3/04
Dezi is a Dad!! Today Dezi became a Dad to seven beautiful puppies. Mum is Jill and Ian Terry's "Tess" (Makiwer Enchantress for Tokra). The puppies, five boys and two girls, are a great example of the various colours in the Canaan Dog, there is a white boy, a white girl, a cream boy, a red sable boy, a red sable and white patched boy, a red sable and white patched girl and a black boy! Visit Babrees Canaan Dogs to see more photos of the litter.

 

 

13/3/04
We had a great day today at West Torrington Open Show. I took along Mitzi and Dezi for AVNSC Utility. Mitzi won 1st in Puppy Dog/Bitch, then Dezi won 1st in Open Dog/Bitch. The Steward very kindly held Mitzi for me in the challenge. Dezi was awarded BEST AVNSC and Mitzi was awarded BEST AVNSC PUPPY. Onto the group ring and Dezi won the UTILITY GROUP and Mitzi Won UTILITY PUPPY GROUP 3!! The AVNSC and Group Judge was Miss M. Deats.

7/3/04
Yesterday I was back at the NEC to help Jill out in the Papillion Discover Dogs booth, we took along Anna, Xena, Mia and Queenie. There were already five other paps, including two phalenes, the drop eared variety, in the booth when we arrived, even though Jill's girls did not know the other dogs they all got along very well and put on a great show for the huge crowds of people who gathered.
I got a chance to have a look at many of the other breed booths, some with excellent breed information and very attractive displays of photographs and educational material, we took away many great ideas to implement for the British Canaan Dog Society breed information stand. I also finally met my first Azawakh in the flesh, breathtakingly beautiful animals they are, and I look forward to seeing them when the finally are allowed to compete at KC events.

5/3/04
We took Dezi, Santa, Twix and Mitzi to Crufts this year. It was a nightmare getting into the NEC as there was another exhibition on at the same time and the traffic was horrendous. The German Spitz Mittel, Schnauzer and Canaan judging were all on around the same time which made for a lot of running from hall 4 to hall 1 for me to keep an eye on the various rings. In the German Spitz ring Mark handled Twix as I had to dash back to the Canaan ring, he was awarded res in a class of 13 dogs which is no mean feat as Twix always plays mark up when he tries to show him.
There were no surprises in the Canaan ring, Dezi won his PGD class, the Cannons won their Junior Class with Cain and went on to get Best Puppy, WELL DONE!! I managed to get back down to the German Spitz ring in time to show Mitzi who was awarded res in a class of 9, I was pleased with how she did at her very first Crufts.
Back at the Canaan Dog ring there was great amusement when an exhibitor complained to the ring steward that myself and Jill Terry and others were wearing advertising in the ring!! The ring steward dutifully checked out the cause of the complaint and also seemed to be amused to find that the cause of the ruckus was our British Canaan Dog Society Club badges. He of course told the complainant that there was nothing wrong with wearing Club badges in the ring.
Myself and Jill were approached by several people, some judges and some exhibitors in other breeds, but with an interest in the Canaan Dog, wanting to know more about the new society and how to join, so there will no doubt be more names to add to the already rapidly growing membership.
If getting into the NEC was bad enough, getting out was a nightmare! There were apparently three accidents on the surrounding roads and motorways and we did not leave the car park until 9.15pm, rather than join the queue myself and Mark walked the dogs and had a bit to eat until the huge backlog of cars began to move.

28/2/04
Went to the Isle of Ely Open Show today with Twix, Mitzi and Dezi. Jill took Beth and Mia. Also there were Mike Cannon and his daughter Sarah and their Canaan Dog Cain.
First in the ring in AVNSC Utility Puppy was Mitzi and Cain, Cain was awarded 1st and Mitzi 2nd. Then it was Dezi's turn, he was awarded 1st in Post Graduate. In the Open class Twix got 1st and Beth 3rd. Twix then went on to win BEST AVNSC and Cain got BEST AVNSC PUPPY. Twix went on to win the UTILITY GROUP and Cain got UTILITY PUPPY GROUP 2 only beaten by a Tibetan Terrier who eventually went on to win Best Puppy in Show! Mia was entered in AVNSC Toy, she won her puppy class then BEST AVNSC TOY AND BEST AVNSC TOY PUPPY, she then won TOY GROUP 2 and TOY PUPPY GROUP 1!
So a fantastic day was had by all, it was absolutely freezing in the building and I know we were all glad to be going home to nice warm houses with our little pile of rosettes and very tired dogs.

27/2/04
There is an 9 month old Canaan Bitch available for adoption. Jess, colour black, born 21st May 2003. Jess is a lively, energetic young bitch, with a super, friendly character. Unfortunately her first family were unable to cope with her boisterousness and she is therefore now looking for a new home. If you are interested in adopting Jess, e-mail jill@babrees.co.uk

Jill and Ian Terry will soon be welcoming a new arrival all the way from France, Nes Bat Bayud De Solemel, or Frenchie to her friends, was bred by Laurence Aries and will bring new and very important blood into the UK. Her sire is the fantastic free born Canaan Dog, Bayud Bedouin Me Tel Arad, owned by Myrna Shiboleth. Click here to go to Jill's site to see photos of Frenchie.

The new 2004 Canaan Dog Club of the UK Judges list makes interesting reading. The world authority on the breed, Myrna Shiboleth, has been completely removed from the A3 Breed Specialist list. Myrna more than complies with the requirements to be on the A3 BS list so I am very curious as to why she has been removed. Myrnas letter to the CDCUK voicing her concerns about their proposed changes to the breed standard can be found at http://www.thecanaandog.co.uk/library/israel_letters.htm
Mary MacPhail, who was also on the A3 Breed Specialist list, has been demoted to the A3 list, Mary is on the steering committee for the new British Canaan Dog Society. David Close who was on the A3 has been demoted to the B list? Very curious! The members of the CDCUK have, of course, not been informed of the reasons for these changes.

18/2/04
I have placed a few more articles of interest on the Canaan Page