In a serendipitous alignment of the stars Her Majesty the Queen was the owner of the winner at the Cocker Championship, which was held at Windsor in this Platinum Jubilee year. FTCh Wolferton Drama was handled to glory by Ian Openshaw, and in this issue we bring you the full report from both the Cocker Championship and the AV Spaniel Championship.
On the topic of championships, we also have very sad news from Ben Randall. His own beloved double Cocker Championship winner FTCh Heolybwlch Fatty died in January, and he writes from the heart about the loss. Ben’s observations on the hole she has left will ring true with anyone who has ever lost a dog.
Elsewhere we bring you the story of Rory Major, the little boy who loved animals and grew up to be the HPR Championship winner in November. Meanwhile in 2017 Sara Chichester registered the remarkable achievement of winning six trials with five different breeds, never mind being a previous winner of the IGL Retriever Championship. And in these pages she tells us a little bit about how she did it. There’s nothing like learning from the best.
Don’t miss this issue
- Cocker Championships report from Windsor
- Should spaniels and labs stick to their day jobs?
- Coping with the loss of a beloved friend
- Managing the workload for ageing gundogs
- What happens when your dog ruins the day?
- Top kit for gundogs and their owners
- How to manage early puppy training
- Sara Chichester – the ultimate all-rounder
- The curly coat retriever in profile
- AV Spaniel Championship report from North Yorkshire