We made it! My invitation is dated 18th February 2018 and I have become a pensioner in the meantime!

As a hobby we have all had to endure Covid but must be greatful to these officers & senior members who have kept planning for today & that we have all survived. The atmosphere was indeed celebratory.

Forest Oak Farm is a breathtaking venue that is so totally geared up for breed shows & is in fact a centre for agility/dog sports. So spacious, airy & fully green carpeted inside with generous car parking & exercise grounds outside with the owners providing “proper grub” catering.

So my 1st set of Dobermann CCs & greatly honoured that it should be at Club show level, particularly being a non-specialist. Not exactly “fast tracked “ however, as judged my first breed classes at Plymouth twenty two years ago & attended this Club’s breed seminar back in 2003. Obtained a JDP Credit in 2015 so as to allow me a 50% reduction in KC required hands-on numbers. Hence I needed a minimum of 60. I had 95. I mention this in the hope the modern JEP will prove more balanced & effective for the upcoming generation. Absentees were sadly rife with just 15, of the 24 entered, actually present.

Privileged to have been teamed up with Jeff Luscott given his great Dobermann knowledge & breed judging experience and, once we had determined the closely run BIS, we were in swift accord for the rest of our joint decision-making. BIS: Jones & Ushakova’s Ch Korifey Vanquish, RBIS: Brannon & Mycroft’s Ch Supeta’s Whole Lotta Rosie With Sharhyste JW, BPIS: Ingram & Lack’s Jojavik Belladonic Fame, BVIS: Stanbury’s Woodbriar Fix Up Look Smart JW, Sh CM, Sh CEx

Two Champion males absent 1 W Fix Up Look Sharp just turned 7yrs blk/rust; hard to believe that is without a Ch title; such a proud carriage; squarely balanced; correct elongated blunt wedge of a head that was clean cheeked with parallels; gd eye & ear; gd neck & backline to correct tailset; great power & accuracy behind; just a touch slacker coming on & at pastern; was fortunate to have him as the dog to “get my eye in”. BVIS against a v typical b. who wasn’t holding her outline quite as “sharp”.

1 Maisey & McGeoch’s Manzart Zebedee 10m brown/rust; bred in the purple & sired by the Dog CC/BIS; v forward for his age, without undue coarseness, with an ex outline that was square with forechest, depth & angulation; some gd head features but gave me rather “houndy” ears; beautifully muscled & absolutely sound with gd tail carriage making full use of the vast ring. BPD & gave a gd account of himself in the challenge but the elegance & headpiece of the BPB could not be denied. 2 Grose’s Cakiek Bewildered also a 10m brown/rust & interestingly from imported Serbian/Romanian stock; less mature & not as well balanced in angulation; lacked strength of muzzle & also possessed “houndy” ears; body had depth & he was sound moving but with a pronounced roach.

1 Evans’ Lateagain Heart Of Fire 16m blk/rust that immediately took my eye with his elegant outline; attractive head & eye with a well placed, neat ear; gd nape to neck; well angulated so as to reveal forechest; deep; firm backline with slight slope to correct tailset; being a teenager can still fill through loin & firm at elbow & pastern when coming on; has a nice, rotary rear action & used himself so well as he circuited; one to watch out for with this amount of promise.

1 1st: Plowman’s Supeta’s Pocketful Of Glory JW 19m blk/rust that I rated as CC quality and can now see why, being probably the only one present unaware that he is not only full brother, repeat mating, to the Bitch CC but also half-brother to the Dog Res CC; so handsome in head with slight stop, parallels, oblique eye & highset, neat ear; clean front; square; gd length of neck; gd angles; deep; gd tuck up; gd tailset; round bone & cat feet; balanced & reachy on the move with some punch from the rear; now simply ready to mature on, along these same lines, into adulthood.

1 : Bryan’s Johmar Harlequin 21m blk/rust; no mistaking his sex whether that be in head, in body or in his proud attitude; was looking at me rather round in eye; was carrying quite enough condition that may have contributed to his weak pasterns & flat front feet; body itself is well put together; deep with firm loin; ex rotary rear & he extended well as he circuited with a gd carriage.

A competitive class to make me work. 1 Wedgbury’s Manzart War Emblem 3.5yrs blk/rust that we have already established as half-bro to YD; the epitome of elegance & of the desired medium size; clean cheeks & parallels within a wedge shaped head that, notwithstanding the refinement, lost nothing in masculinity; dark, oblique, almond eye; neat, highset ear; rather long, lean neck with a natural arch; so well angulated; forechest; ribs deep & well sprung; correct backline to a well set tail; short coat; gd bone & ex feet; muscled rear; sound moving with a rotary action & some reach in front; he raised quite a cheer from the ringside that was reciprocated when handing his speechless owner the Res Dog CC that he earned by his repeat performance in the challenge; trust he will be fully campaigned from here on in; I just could not past the extra mature finish & security of the classy Bitch CC, on top of her game, in the RBIS challenge. 2 Samway’s Swnydwr Wassap 4.5yrs blk/rust who ticked so many breed specific boxes; quality all through to a CC standard; what a lovely head & eye; excels in neck & forehand; gd & balanced angulation; well bodied; so well conditioned that his short, hard coat positively shone; well muscled backend; a touch less firm at pastern & a touch longercast; less elegant overall but am being “picky” so as to justify separating this outstanding duo. 3 Goodban’s Diego’s Denzel Washington With Keljaygo

1 Woodhouse’s Jojavik Master Cutler 2yrs blk/rust; absolute quality to CC standard, albeit benefitting some added maturity to complete the picture; clean headed with parallels; equal skull/ muzzle proportions divided by a slight stop; scored in eye & ear; well balanced & angulated; pretty square; firm in front; ex coat & conditioning; can still develop more through thigh, that I noted as he gaited, but made gd use of the spacious ring on ex feet & with elegance; look forward to seeing him titled.

1 Ch K Vanquish 2.5yrs blk/rust; soundest male in the dog entry that never slackened, notwithstanding asking more & more of him; he & his skilled handler make such a partnership; not about to reiterate the breed standard but to draw attention to the elegance; to the squareness; to the bone & depth; to the elongated wedge of a head with truly strong jaw; to the outstanding conformation, enhanced by the neckline; to the colour & markings; finally to the ease of his balanced reach & drive; one of those special “goosebumps” dogs. CC (number 23?!) & BIS. 2 Taylor’s Ch Krieger’s Foul Play rising 3yrs blk/rust & beautifully marked; so gd in eye set in a strong, flat cheeked head that won the award for best ears in the male entry; he gave me forechest; he was so well ribbed; round bone; cat feet with just the right degree of flex at pastern; so sound & powerful on the move; these two “greats” are quite different as to where they fit on the spectrum of the standard; this alpha male is heavier built & my preference is for the more elegant look