Obi, Show Career

LKA Champ Show, 09 December
1st Open Dog, DCC, RBoB, Kevin Young ‘Handsome male who caught my eye as he entered the ring. Clean in head showing a wedge shape with lovely dark eye, giving a kindly expression. Masculine neck and front quarters. Moving with drive and purpose. CC.’

Darlington Champ Show, 17 September
1st Open Dog, RDCC, Albert Wight ‘a lovely colour and basic breed type. In super coat he has a well balanced head and good expression. He is well ribbed, sweeping croup and tight feet. Side action shows a degree of reach and drive…just a bit tail happy.‘

London & Provincial Champ Show, 26 August
1st Open Dog, DCC, Reserve Best of Breed, Bridgette Bodle ‘A nicely balanced and well proportioned 4 yr Merle presented in excellent coat and condition, blunt wedge head with slight stop and rounded muzzle, eyes just a little round but still display an intelligent look, correctly set ears, alert and used to advantage, excellent front with straight moderately boned forelegs and strong pasterns, broad well muscled rump and a well bent stifles, gaiting out smoothly and easily with a good length of stride, I understand this boy has recently gained his title, congratulations!‘

Bournemouth Champ Show, 13 August
2nd Limit Dog, Marianne Benton ‘Nice up to size B/m. Different in head to first, has more fullness in muzzle, nice depth in backskull with no coarseness. Good eyes and nice neat ears, used well. Has good depth of chest. Well let down in hocks, good on the move but didn’t match the drive of 1st. and for the RCC , I preferred the overall outline of the puppy winner.‘

Leeds Champ Show, 29 July
1st Open Dog, DCC, Best of Breed, Robin Newhouse ‘Loved everything about this lad. Excellent head with correct eye shape and colour giving a lovely expression. Correct length of neck , very good shoulders and front construction. Well muscled all round. Coat of excellent texture. Presented, moved and showed perfectly.’

NWPB Champ Show, 15 July
1st Limit Dog, DCC, BOSiB, Judith Gregory ‘2 year old blue merle dog, very mature dog with nice merling, best shoulders of the day so far, good masculine head, well muscled neck and firm top-line, moved with a very fluid gait and good reach and drive, DCC.‘

London Collie Champ Show, 11 June
2nd Limit Dog, Darren Clarke ‘ Bigger built blue merle. Excellent head, eye and uses his ears very well to enhance his expression. Excellent neck leading to a sound front. Good bone and feet. Strong rear. Pleasing mover.‘

Bath Champ Show, 27 May
1st Limit Dog, DCC, BOSiB, Gary Gray ‘2 ½ years Merle male with rust markings, lovely well balanced head piece, with nice dark eye giving a lovely expression, good well placed ears, good reach of neck into well laid shoulder, a shade steep in upper arm, stood on ample bone, good depth of brisket, strong level back into well moulded croup and strong well angulated hindquarters. He was sound both ways with a steady side gait showing good reach and drive, presented in good hard condition and well handled.‘

Lancs & Cheshire Collie Champ Show, 14 May
1st Limit Dog, Anne Smith ‘Nicely balanced 2 yr B/M, correct angles, arched neck and level topline. Clean, masculine head of good length, well carried ears and a harsh coat of acceptable colour. Sadly he was not happy today which showed in his movement.’

Birmingham National Champ Show, 4 May
2nd Limit Dog, Paula Meacham ‘Blue. Again a well built dog, little longer on the leg that slightly makes him not as balanced as one. Good wedge head, nice dark eye, and ears, good length of neck leading to a firm topline, moved well. Teeth could do with a clean for one so young.‘

Edwinstowe CS Open Show, 7 April
2nd Open, Lucy Mottram ‘masculine and in good condition with a lovely coat. Another who is balanced with a nice head. Just preferred the rear of 1’

Manchester Champ Show, 19 January
1st Post Graduate Dog, Amy Kinsey RDCC ‘This boy is getting better and better with age, Blue merle with good texture, slightly muddy but has cleared a lot since I saw him last. Good balanced head, dark eye of correct shape with ears tipped nicely giving masculine expression. Fabulous body shape, correct angulation front and rear which shows when he moves with drive round the ring. Glad to award him Res CC on the day.

LKA Champ Show, 10 December
1st Post Graduate Dog, Lene Newman ‘Blue merle who could be a little clearer in colour but a nice type overall, well balanced head with good head planes and well used ears, good foreface, eye a little round, good depth of chest and spring of rib, excellent bone and angulation, adequate neck, moved out well from all angles.’

Darlington Champ Show, 17 September
1st Post Graduate Dog, RDCC Frank Kane ’21 months old, blue merle, I liked his balance and his clean wedge shaped head with good eye shape and colour and good ear placement, well made and this is evident when he moves, not quite in his best coat and colour could be clearer but he is a quality dog, RDCC.’

Yorkshire Collie Champ Show (no CCs), 04 September
1st Post Graduate, RBD, Bill Rogerson ‘A 21 month old Blue Merle dog has a balanced head and ears, although I would have preferred a sweeter eye. Good make and shape and his movement was not bad.’

Leeds Champ Show, 22 July
1st Post Graduate, Penny Sewell ‘Young B/M with rather an open coat and colour could be clearer, but he is a good size and ample bone and well put together. Head ok, nice eye and neat ears well used. Moved soundly.‘

NWPB Champ Show, 16 July
2nd Post Graduate Dog, Cathy Howard ‘Blue Merle dog of 20 months, of good substance who is well balanced, a good head and eye and well set ears, good length of neck and has excellent front and rear angulation, moved well but was unfortunately unsettled by another dog just prior to entering the ring today. Colour needs to clear but he has time on his side, very promising for the future.

SCCGB Smooth Collie of the Year, 25 June
Reserve Puppy of the Year, Lisa Tyler-Jackson ’18 month blue merle who is really coming to himself now, head clean and clearly masculine, with correct planes and well-used ears, good height/length proportions with no cloddyness, well ribbed up, moved very well all round.’

Yorkshire Collie Open Show, 28 May
2nd Post Graduate, Louise Williams

SKC Champ Show, 21 May
2nd Junior Dog, Stuart Mallard ‘Well balanced outline and lovely head and attributes, clean cheeks, pleasing eye and ears just right. Reach to clean gently arched neck into firm shoulders. Good spring of rib and body with substance. Would prefer his b/m coat a little clearer.’

Lancs & Cheshire Collie Champ Show, 1 May
1st Junior, Barry Croft ‘B/M, masculine head, excellent bite, good eye, straight front, correct bone and good feet, tight elbows, deep chest, good topline, could stand a little better behind, but he is sound and moves freely, handler needs to watch how he sets himself up.’

East Anglian Collie Association Open Show, 10 April
2nd Yearling, Jacky Cutler ‘Strongly built sixteen month old blue merle male, masculine head, with well used ears, good forechest, balanced in body and well angulated. Just needs to tighten up all round. Colour could be clearer.’

Mansfield Open Show, 03 April
2nd Junior, Sandra Williams ‘nice merle boy in good condition, good legs and feet standing well on all fours, balanced in construction, firm neck into good shoulders moved well. 1 & 2 could change places on another day.’

Retford Open Show, 20 March
2nd Post Graduate, Tom Johnston ‘Masculine head with skull of good shape, good muzzle. Nice eye and expression with good ears. Good bone, feet and pleasing depth with nice topline. Moderate rear and in very good condition. Moved well.’

Crufts, 10 March
2nd Junior Dog, Eleanor Kitchen ‘Litter brother to 1st, but just a bit finer all over. A blue of lovely colour, and was well presented and moved soundly enough. At the moment he is a bit of a handful, needs more time.’

British Collie Club Champ Show (2), 05 March
1st Junior Dog, Trevor Hayward ‘Blue merle, … Very pleasing head, lovely eye and expression, good well placed ears, nice conformation with good reach of neck, moved ok.‘

British Collie Club Champ Show (1), 05 March
2nd Junior Dog, Sandra Wigglesworth ‘I liked this dog’s head very much, I was quite inspired by this, which pushed the winner hard plus a rich tan, the only reason was he was a much darker colour than the 1st, as he had quite a lot of sable overtones in his coat, also he carried his tail very high, plus the sable showing through on the merle, which was quite dark in places, together with black patches, such a pity because the head is a very important feature.’

St Helens Open, 20 February
2nd Junior, Sophie Wray-Ramsden ’14-month blue merle dog, didn’t have quite the front of the winner but has a good, balanced outline. Head is clean with a flat skull and nice eye. Moved well.’

Yorkshire Collie Club Open, 13 February
1st PGD/B, BD, RBOB, BOS, Julia Swann ‘A nice breed type dog, he had a lovely temperament and so nice to go over and was in good condition with a weatherproof coat, he was so sturdy and well built, moved well coming and going, head and skull in proportion to size of dog, nice eye shape and strong neck, good front, well padded feet, short nails, well sprung ribbing, firm topline, tail set, correct hind quarter, hocks well let down, my RBOB.’

Isle of Ely Open, 05 February
2nd Junior, Adrian Bicknell ‘Very nice head shape and lines, good ear set and carriage. Correct dark eyes and correct bite. Well muscled arched neck and well placed shoulders. Tight elbows and good depth of chest and rib. Strong topline and strong straight rear. Moved well.’

Lichfield Open, 29 January
3rd Junior, Graham Hill

Manchester Ch, 23 January
1st Junior Dog, John Ritchie ‘medium size male of pleasing overall type and ok for substance, pleasing head with correct head planes, eye shape ok, good ears, moderate neck, balanced front and hind angulation, upper arm a tad steep, body proportions good, long tail, moving soundly out and back and steady side gait, excellent temperament.‘