Shanes Castle Game Fair 26 & 27 June 2010...

[bluebell 418]

Edited July 13, 2010 by bluebell

[theferreter 311]

brilliant day out well enjoyed

[Guest bruce forsyth]

nice pics there lads

[CarraghsGem 92]

good day, a little too hot but hey im not complaining,

[Doohan 46]

Nice one it was good to see the dogs at the start of the race & from another prospective!

[CarraghsGem 92]

doohan;- so what do you think of ireland + the dogs over here?

and are you gonna bring a few of your own dogs over to a show sometime?

[iceman001979 1,316]

Been at the shows past few years and would like to ask few Question to Matt lee or and [bANNED TEXT] else you can answer.

1)Why is it the same people win every year the same wee group??

2)Why dont yea have show for working dogs, and this not fire place dogs that have never seen a rabbit or worked in the field???

3)Why in the racing is full greyhoung aloud to race in the shows and am talking about greyhoung with out stamps on there ears???

4)Why in the racing is it not a fake rabbit not aload of plastic bags tied together???

5)Can we not have racing over fencing and we see how good most off these dogs on the flat are???

To finish off i wud like to see judge get picked out off the crowd to do it next year and l do in working lucher class for no fee next yea so its fair

not like the joke l watched pasted to years.

[theferreter 311]

Been at the shows past few years and would like to ask few Question to Matt lee or and [bANNED TEXT] else you can answer.

1)Why is it the same people win every year the same wee group??

2)Why dont yea have show for working dogs, and this not fire place dogs that have never seen a rabbit or worked in the field???

3)Why in the racing is full greyhoung aloud to race in the shows and am talking about greyhoung with out stamps on there ears???

4)Why in the racing is it not a fake rabbit not aload of plastic bags tied together???

5)Can we not have racing over fencing and we see how good most off these dogs on the flat are???

To finish off i wud like to see judge get picked out off the crowd to do it next year and l do in working lucher class for no fee next yea so its fair

not like the joke l watched pasted to years.

[AlbertJ 569]

Been at the shows past few years and would like to ask few Question to Matt lee or and [bANNED TEXT] else you can answer.

1)Why is it the same people win every year the same wee group??

2)Why dont yea have show for working dogs, and this not fire place dogs that have never seen a rabbit or worked in the field???

3)Why in the racing is full greyhoung aloud to race in the shows and am talking about greyhoung with out stamps on there ears???

4)Why in the racing is it not a fake rabbit not aload of plastic bags tied together???

5)Can we not have racing over fencing and we see how good most off these dogs on the flat are???

To finish off i wud like to see judge get picked out off the crowd to do it next year and l do in working lucher class for no fee next yea so its fair

not like the joke l watched pasted to years.

 

Iceman,

 

I have to ask were you at Shanes this year - because if you were you had a very different perspective to virtually everyone else I spoke with!

 

1. As far as I am aware the winners at Shanes Castle have not won there before but even if they had, does it not say something if the same people win under several DIFFERENT judges - perhaps they simply have the best dogs!

 

2. We have a show that working dogs can enter but also dogs bred from working stock and of a working type. Working (or entered) dogs CAN win if their conformation is good enough. BUT as I have said before these shows are not tests of working ability.

 

3. Full greyhounds are not raced - closely bred lurchers are. If you have/had any objections to a particular dog why did you not raise it before the racing. I really am fed up by people complaining about a dog ONCE it has beaten theirs. Why not simply accept it has a better mix of stamina and speed.

 

4. The lure is designed for public viewing.

 

5. The racing at Shanes is designed to find the fastest dog with the minimum of risk of injury to any dog. It is an excellent course designed to test both speed and stamina - both very important in a working dog. That's what we provide - if you don't want to enter the event we provide and/or cannot produce a dog capable of competing in this event then fair enough simply go somewhere where the event is designed to suit slower dogs that can jump fences.

 

6. I cannot believe your last comment is serious i.e that we pick a judge out of the crowd! In my opinion and the opinion of the vast majority of people who were at Shanes this year the judges were experienced, competent and fair. We shall continue to select our judges on this basis not on the basis of some 'lucky dip'.

 

I am sorry you feel disgruntled but we try very hard to produce good fair events with good prizes and good judges including at Birr on the 29th August we will host the Five Nations International Working Terrier Championships with a three judge system. This is no joke but a serious attempt to bring the best working dog events to Ireland so that Irish dogs can compete with the best in these islands on home soil. Next year we hope to have a similar championship for Lurchers. The vast majority of terrier, whippet and lurcher owners appreciate our efforts in doing this and providing first class shows within first class fairs.

 

Albertj

[CarraghsGem 92]

in contrast to this albert j, i was happy with the judgeing, this was my first year of showing ANYTHING at a gamefair + the first time i had attended shanes castle, my bitch came in 2nd in the ladies handleing + my dog came in 4th in the working dog class. the judge was one of the most thorough ive seen when examining the dogs. ive seen judges at shows showing favouritism + this years shanes castle was not like that, before you ask how i would know a good judge etc... my mother kept show dogs when i was growing up, qualified for crufts a few times.

[iceman001979 1,316]

Look l enjoy mtself alpy at the game fair every year and now lots off people there it just seems the same people win our are there about and am not the only one that said that and people l have talk to said the same but l could say this and your could say that and go on and on,

Your talking about speed and stamina the race not far enough for stamina take place and there is full greyhounds with out stamps in there ears (FACT) heard well knowing women talking about her new litter when we where there.

But at the end off the day its all about having good day getting know new people and see other peoples dogs and thats what l did but there should be a working class and a fire place class

[AlbertJ 569]

Look l enjoy mtself alpy at the game fair every year and now lots off people there it just seems the same people win our are there about and am not the only one that said that and people l have talk to said the same but l could say this and your could say that and go on and on,

Your talking about speed and stamina the race not far enough for stamina take place and there is full greyhounds with out stamps in there ears (FACT) heard well knowing women talking about her new litter when we where there.

But at the end off the day its all about having good day getting know new people and see other peoples dogs and thats what l did but there should be a working class and a fire place class

 

 

Iceman,

 

Thanks for your response and admitting its a good day out at the fair. As someone who has working goldens I do show occcasionally at the club shows and treat it as a day out with anything I do win as a bonus.

 

At the end of the day shows can only be 'beauty ' contests and not tests of working ability although we do have working classes for both terriers and lurchers. If you are at Birr on the 29th August for what is shaping up to be one of the largest terrier shows of the year and the most prestigious ever staged in Ireland you will see plenty of working dogs including a huge contingent from the UK seeking the last qualifying place for the Five Nations International Terrier Championships. Next year a lurcher championship will join this. As to greyhounds being run at Shanes from my enquiries this would appear to be 'hearsay' only and certainly the winers while they might be closely bred are definitely lurchers.

 

The track at Shanes is one of the best in the country and has found out a number of 'short runners' in the past.

 

If you are Birr please do make yourself known to me. I was delighted to meet some of our former 'critics' at Shanes.

 

Albert

[Doohan 46]

iceman001979: Just for the record I wasn't paid to judge this show I did it for the "honour" of representing my club: “Neilston Working Dog Association”, the country of my birth: Scotland, the representatives of the Five Nations Terrier Competition & last but not least ME. I can assure you that I did NOT look at the owners but the dogs that we put in front of me. The "racing" lurcher called "Colby" was in superb condition & in my "humble" opinion this was probably why he won the racing. There were three judges who looked at all of the Winning" animals & our decision was unanimous.I would also like to assure you that the Champion Terrier was a "worker" & not a "fireplace" animal!

 

CarraghsGem: I found the Irish Terriers to be of a very “high” standard & therefore found it difficult to separate some terriers from one another. I’d like to thank you for your comments concerning the “thoroughness” of my assessment of each terrier. I took so long that I missed my TV interview, something that I’d rather have done than be accused of “pushing some dogs through” at the expense of others. I did not bring any of my terriers to the show because I knew I was judging, however I’m exporting some of my terriers to Ireland & so you’ll have a chance to assess them for yourselves.

 

Looking forward to seeing you all again next year.

 

Joe Kyrollos

Edited July 26, 2010 by Doohan