by Sasha Denyer, as told to Barry & Pat Denyer
Penny has asked me if I can give another Pyrspective on events on this side of the pond (England) and I am happy to report that in the last few weeks I have been getting out and about a lot more. The winter weather seems to be behind us now and the show season is underway.
My two 'pets' (Pat and Barry) harboured hopes of going to the Nationals in Phoenix in April but something called 'financial constraints' prevented them from attending. Instead, they decided to go to the South Eastern Pyrenean Mountain Dog Club Championship Show at a place called Bisley, in Surrey, which is in the heart of the English countryside. Fortunately, Cottee and I were able to tag along to show them the ropes.
The SEPMDC Championship Show was a pretty big event with 101 Pyrs strutting their stuff. Cottee and I were in a class of our own - Not For Competition. We met lots of lovely people, and as it was an 'unbenched' show we were able to wander around and get acquainted with some folks who were not entirely familiar with our special prefix of 'Rescue'. There was even one lady who had seen me when I was living at the Rescue Kennels with Lorna Ireland.
There were 22 different classes with everything from 'Puppy Dog' to 'Veteran Bitch', so there was a wide selection of Pyrs. We tried to pick out our own favourites and Cottee settled on a very large male called Spook (Shadowmist Spiritual Spook), while Rory (Fontenay Firecracker) really caught my eye. Neither of us spotted Zed (Zcintillating Zed At Zalute), who eventually won Best In Show. He had recently won Best Of Breed at Crufts so there was a good chance that he was going to do well at this show.
We had a wonderful time and, considering that there were so many Pyrs in the hall, it was amazing that there wasn't a moment's trouble. Everything was fine until an Alsatian stopped by at the doorway with his owner. Cottee spotted him first and gave him the standard warning growl. He didn't take a bit of notice, so she barked at him. I added my voice in support and everyone else joined in!
By the time that we left, at the end of the show, it was obvious that the organisers were going to have a mammoth task in clearing up after all those showy Pyrs. There were wisps of white hair everywhere! It really reminded me of home and I was glad when we were able to jump into the back of the Pyrmobile. We slept all of the way home, except for those odd times when we stopped at traffic lights. Then I just had to sit up and glare at the drivers behind.
In my previous columns I have mentioned the fact that Pat and Barry like their football. Well, on Good Friday afternoon we all went out for a drive across the hills to a place called Ringmer where there was going to be a Cup Final played. This may have been a big occasion for the players but, in truth, it was pretty small-time stuff. The crowd was only 380, so you can judge for yourself.
Cottee and I positioned ourselves such that we had a view of the pitch,
the main entrance and, most importantly, of the snack bar. You really
wouldn't believe the number of young children who were given a burger
or some chips (aka fat french fries). Most of them seemed to come
straight over to see us and we got lots of fuss and attention. By
sheer coincidence we also got lots of chips and a good helping of
burgers (usually the last bite). I am not sure who won the football
match.
