MADDIE - Cories Maddie of Bessamour
ISDS reg no.203400
KC reg.S5179806S04
World Show 1994 Berne Switzerland-2nd Excellent
BOBs and Best Veterans (Open)
Many CACIBs and CACs in Europe
Many Agility wins
Competed in BFA Flyball
Maddie was the most affectionate, nicest, sweetest, loyal, trusting and loving dog I have ever owned (outside of my home bred goodies). She was also the laziest Border Collie I have ever known and she could thieve for England!
Thank you Ann Jordan, (Cories Affix) for letting me have her.
I imported her into Switzerland from the UK My phone bill looked like the Brazilian national debt from phoning so many breeders looking for the puppy I wanted! I needed a puppy whose eyes had been tested normal at 6 weeks, from parents with excellent temperaments, very low hip scores and having had all the necessary tests, and who would grow up to be able to work my sheep. Her pedigree was promising.
International Supreme Champions Wiston Cap 31154, Bosworth Coon 34186, Cap 50543, Bosworth Scot 22120, Ken17166, England National Champion Ben 12953, Scottish National Ch. Spot 24981, Welsh National Champion Lad 44675. And many other very prominent dogs were her ancestors.
KC reg.S5179806S04
World Show 1994 Berne Switzerland-2nd Excellent
BOBs and Best Veterans (Open)
Many CACIBs and CACs in Europe
Many Agility wins
Competed in BFA Flyball
Maddie was the most affectionate, nicest, sweetest, loyal, trusting and loving dog I have ever owned (outside of my home bred goodies). She was also the laziest Border Collie I have ever known and she could thieve for England!
Thank you Ann Jordan, (Cories Affix) for letting me have her.
I imported her into Switzerland from the UK My phone bill looked like the Brazilian national debt from phoning so many breeders looking for the puppy I wanted! I needed a puppy whose eyes had been tested normal at 6 weeks, from parents with excellent temperaments, very low hip scores and having had all the necessary tests, and who would grow up to be able to work my sheep. Her pedigree was promising.
International Supreme Champions Wiston Cap 31154, Bosworth Coon 34186, Cap 50543, Bosworth Scot 22120, Ken17166, England National Champion Ben 12953, Scottish National Ch. Spot 24981, Welsh National Champion Lad 44675. And many other very prominent dogs were her ancestors.
Sheep????...............
At 4 weeks of age ..
With all that wonderful working blood coursing through her veins I couldn't wait to train her up to be a good trials dog and to help me with my own flocks on a daily basis.
She was a delightful puppy, eager to learn and at 14 weeks of age was doing the down, sit, stand, back, recall, and stays for up to 5 minutes with me in sight. And she loved everyone and every animal.
Things she didn't like?
Well, she didn't like anything she considered to be beneath her. And that included herding sheep. She loved going into their field and eating sheep poo. She loved going into the fold and bedding down on their warm straw when I was herding with my other dogs in the fields. But Maddie herd sheep? No way!
As far as she was concerned, sheep were for roasting and eating with potatoes!
I didn't despair at first. Collies can wake up to sheep much later. But how much later? I tried her with quiet, docile sheep, lively sheep, wild mountain sheep, sheep that knew their way by heart around the course. I tried her every 4 months. I tried tying her to the fence while I was working the others hoping it would motivate her as she always wanted to join in whatever the others were doing. But not herding sheep. I kept trying with her until she was almost 5 years of age when I had to admit if she wasn't awake to sheep at that age I should not waste any more of mine or her time trying.
She was a delightful puppy, eager to learn and at 14 weeks of age was doing the down, sit, stand, back, recall, and stays for up to 5 minutes with me in sight. And she loved everyone and every animal.
Things she didn't like?
Well, she didn't like anything she considered to be beneath her. And that included herding sheep. She loved going into their field and eating sheep poo. She loved going into the fold and bedding down on their warm straw when I was herding with my other dogs in the fields. But Maddie herd sheep? No way!
As far as she was concerned, sheep were for roasting and eating with potatoes!
I didn't despair at first. Collies can wake up to sheep much later. But how much later? I tried her with quiet, docile sheep, lively sheep, wild mountain sheep, sheep that knew their way by heart around the course. I tried her every 4 months. I tried tying her to the fence while I was working the others hoping it would motivate her as she always wanted to join in whatever the others were doing. But not herding sheep. I kept trying with her until she was almost 5 years of age when I had to admit if she wasn't awake to sheep at that age I should not waste any more of mine or her time trying.
Maddie ......... show girl!!!!
People kept telling me how beautiful she was and that I should show her. Me? Show a dog? Showing dogs was something I had always pooh-poohed but if so many people thought she was beautiful, why not. I decided to give it a try and entered her in a big International Show in Bern, Switzerland where I was living.
Kiri Jarvinen the Finnish judge was judging Border Collies. He gave her the Jungendsieger, (Best Young) Best Hundin, (Best Bitch) and BOB. The CACIB and CAC and an excellent critique.
She was just 9 months of age on that day. He told me to get back to him in the ring after judging had completely finished. He then took me aside and told me how beautiful he thought Maddie was, how well she moved etc, then told me very kindly, that I had no idea how to show a dog.
He was right. He then proceeded to tell me how to show a Border Collie, ring protocol, etc. Pity more good judges don't give advice to people new to showing and explain to them what is expected of them. I had never even been to a dog show before let alone show a dog. I had washed and groomed Maddie which is something I always do anyway because I like my dogs to look nice all the time.
If you are reading this Kiri Jarvinen, you started me showing dogs on 20th March 1993 and I have been showing dogs on and off since then. I don't know whether to thank you for that or not as it has cost me a lot of money in entries, car fuel, etc. But it has been worth it because I have made a lot of new friends in that side of the dog world. So thank you so much for the patience and kindness you showed me that day in Bern.
Maddie went on to win so many CACIBS and CACs and BOB under many notable judges including Res.CACIB and CAC under British judge Mr.George Booth. She was 2nd in a big class in the World Show in Bern 1994 under British judge Mrs.P.Everton.
When we came back to the UK I showed her straight out of quarantine at the LKA Championship Show under judge Carolyn Ward who gave her 2nd place in a big class. Then several other BOBs. I have shown her very rarely in the UK but she always got BOB. Also Best Veteran in the last two shows I showed her in.
Kiri Jarvinen the Finnish judge was judging Border Collies. He gave her the Jungendsieger, (Best Young) Best Hundin, (Best Bitch) and BOB. The CACIB and CAC and an excellent critique.
She was just 9 months of age on that day. He told me to get back to him in the ring after judging had completely finished. He then took me aside and told me how beautiful he thought Maddie was, how well she moved etc, then told me very kindly, that I had no idea how to show a dog.
He was right. He then proceeded to tell me how to show a Border Collie, ring protocol, etc. Pity more good judges don't give advice to people new to showing and explain to them what is expected of them. I had never even been to a dog show before let alone show a dog. I had washed and groomed Maddie which is something I always do anyway because I like my dogs to look nice all the time.
If you are reading this Kiri Jarvinen, you started me showing dogs on 20th March 1993 and I have been showing dogs on and off since then. I don't know whether to thank you for that or not as it has cost me a lot of money in entries, car fuel, etc. But it has been worth it because I have made a lot of new friends in that side of the dog world. So thank you so much for the patience and kindness you showed me that day in Bern.
Maddie went on to win so many CACIBS and CACs and BOB under many notable judges including Res.CACIB and CAC under British judge Mr.George Booth. She was 2nd in a big class in the World Show in Bern 1994 under British judge Mrs.P.Everton.
When we came back to the UK I showed her straight out of quarantine at the LKA Championship Show under judge Carolyn Ward who gave her 2nd place in a big class. Then several other BOBs. I have shown her very rarely in the UK but she always got BOB. Also Best Veteran in the last two shows I showed her in.
She knocked down most or all of the poles, missed contact zones and when she'd had enough she would go and stand with her nose pressed up against the big doors waiting to be let out to go back to the van.
I entered her in a competition anyway. I was running Bess and Cassie and I thought Maddie would like to come along. She won! A clear round! I was astounded!!! A fluke! She would never be able to do that again I thought. Next course was a Jumping. She won that hands down. Clear round.
She had her first two trophies.
Our Agility coach hadn't been with us at the show and he was very sceptical when I arrived at the next training session with the trophies. His attitude was that she was probably the only dog that had run, or all the others had been cripples! That training evening was typical of all the others. She knocked down most of the poles, missed contact zones, walked around the long jump, etc, then went to the door to go back to the car.
I entered her in another Agility competition. This time our coach was with us. Maddie not only won the Open class, but also the Jumping and the Gambler. All clear rounds. The following training night saw bottles of wine and cakes in the hut after training to celebrate Maddie's wins, but she had just done another evening of catastrophic training.
Sometimes people would come over from other rings to watch her, she would be running the course then suddenly slow down and stop, look very 'thoughtful', usually on either the A-Frame, Dog Walk or see-saw, then look around her as if to say "what on earth am I doing here? I have better things to do with my time," then calmly, very aloof, get down from the obstacle, walk off the course, go back to the van saying hello to her fans on the way.
Everyone used to howl with laughter and applaud her audacity of ignoring my pleas and yells to get back on course. She did that in one course in 20 much to the pleasure of her fans and to my absolute embarrassment. When she wanted to do something she did it perfectly. When she didn't want to, well she just didn't do it. If she had been faster I might have been able to get her to Championship level but she had to stay in the lower classes because speed was not her thing. Maddie didn't 'do' speed.
I entered her in a competition anyway. I was running Bess and Cassie and I thought Maddie would like to come along. She won! A clear round! I was astounded!!! A fluke! She would never be able to do that again I thought. Next course was a Jumping. She won that hands down. Clear round.
She had her first two trophies.
Our Agility coach hadn't been with us at the show and he was very sceptical when I arrived at the next training session with the trophies. His attitude was that she was probably the only dog that had run, or all the others had been cripples! That training evening was typical of all the others. She knocked down most of the poles, missed contact zones, walked around the long jump, etc, then went to the door to go back to the car.
I entered her in another Agility competition. This time our coach was with us. Maddie not only won the Open class, but also the Jumping and the Gambler. All clear rounds. The following training night saw bottles of wine and cakes in the hut after training to celebrate Maddie's wins, but she had just done another evening of catastrophic training.
Sometimes people would come over from other rings to watch her, she would be running the course then suddenly slow down and stop, look very 'thoughtful', usually on either the A-Frame, Dog Walk or see-saw, then look around her as if to say "what on earth am I doing here? I have better things to do with my time," then calmly, very aloof, get down from the obstacle, walk off the course, go back to the van saying hello to her fans on the way.
Everyone used to howl with laughter and applaud her audacity of ignoring my pleas and yells to get back on course. She did that in one course in 20 much to the pleasure of her fans and to my absolute embarrassment. When she wanted to do something she did it perfectly. When she didn't want to, well she just didn't do it. If she had been faster I might have been able to get her to Championship level but she had to stay in the lower classes because speed was not her thing. Maddie didn't 'do' speed.
Doing flyball at 12 years of age........
She was a good mother to her own puppies but she didn't find them as much fun as other bitches puppies. She occasionally had rabbit, wild pigeon or pheasant as a snack if these birds were stupid enough to come into the garden and strut within her reach. She even chewed up all the feathers! Waste not, want not!
I taught her BFA Flyball for her 11th birthday. She loved it and competed.
I don't retire my dogs from dog sports, I let them decide for themselves. When they don't want to or can't do them any more, that is the moment they "retire".
When she left for Rainbow Bridge in her 16th year, it was like losing part of me. I often still "feel" her here with me.
I taught her BFA Flyball for her 11th birthday. She loved it and competed.
I don't retire my dogs from dog sports, I let them decide for themselves. When they don't want to or can't do them any more, that is the moment they "retire".
When she left for Rainbow Bridge in her 16th year, it was like losing part of me. I often still "feel" her here with me.
They will not go quietly – the pets who’ve shared our lives,
In subtle ways they let us know their spirits still survive.
Old habits still can make us think we hear them at the door,
Or step back when we drop a tasty morsel on the floor.
Our feet still go around the place the food dish used to be,
And sometimes coming home at night we miss them terribly.
And although time may bring new friends and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts belongs to them .. and always will.
In subtle ways they let us know their spirits still survive.
Old habits still can make us think we hear them at the door,
Or step back when we drop a tasty morsel on the floor.
Our feet still go around the place the food dish used to be,
And sometimes coming home at night we miss them terribly.
And although time may bring new friends and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts belongs to them .. and always will.