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Lolo was not a show dog, so as I was getting interested in the show ring, I bought another Miniature Poodle, a brown this time, as Lolo was black. I called her Pixie, (Petitbrun Petula) and grew her coat into lion trim. We went off to our first show on the bus as I could not drive then. Pixie won 2nd in the Poodle class and 1st in Maiden with 10 dogs entered. That was that, I was hooked.
I bought the annuals, wanting to learn and saw an advertisement with a picture of a whole row of Beardies belonging to a Mrs Willison. I was delighted, so Rorrie was really a Bearded Collie. I promptly wrote off to her and ordered a bitch puppy. I had to wait nearly a year for my puppy, Beardies were very rare in those days, and as I still couldn’t drive, went down to London by train to collect her.

I asked Mrs Willison which was the best of the only two bitches in the litter of nine, she suggested Barberry, but said she usually picked her puppies by standing at one end of the room and seeing which one got to her first. She actually did do this as she proved, when she came to collect her puppies from Barberry’s first litter. As so few bitches were being born, all bitches went from Mrs Willison on breeding terms of two puppies back from the first litter and one from the second litter, very reasonable terms, as she also provided the stud dog.
Barberry had ten in her first litter and as it again was two bitches to eight dogs, I was very pleased to see two dogs go, as I had to run on both bitches to six and seven months old and one other dog to ten months as sales were virtually nil. I also kept one dog, “Will o’ Wisp of Willowmead”, he won 2 CCs and several reserves, Barberry became my first champion. In the meantime I had increased my Poodles up to six, added Boxers and later Shelties, I kept a bitch from Barberry’s second litter.

Will O Wisp of Willowmead

Will O Wisp of W. & Ch Willowmead Barberry of Bothkennor after winning BOB Crufts 1958

I was showing the Poodles all over the country, as by now I could drive, and of course took the Beardies along as well, in what was called, in those days, non classified classes, which we regularly won with one or other of Barberry, Will o’ Wisp or Merry Maker. Shows were on one day only and there was no Group system , all best of breeds would go into the big ring for best in show and reserve best in show. As best non classified was an unbeaten dog, I stood in the big ring very early in my career. We were never considered, it just did not seem to be the thing for any non classified to be looked at twice in those days, but was good fun.

Mrs Willison had had Beardie classes put on at all the collie club shows and Crufts and all the London shows but as she never travelled outside her area I decided, as I lived in the Midlands, to approach some shows in my own area, such as both Birmingham City and National plus Midland Collie Club and South Wales Collie Club and Blackpool etc. Beardies were always called Bearded Collies in those days and were considered as collies, so eligible to be shown at collie club shows. We had great fun at the Collie Club shows, regularly winning best in show as Beardies were so sound they would catch the judges’ eye.

All the shows I approached for classes agreed if I would sponsor the classification, as all shows paid prize money. I promptly agreed and never had to pay to any show as our entries were steadily building up.

After some years I decided to part with the Boxers. I do like a dog with a coat and 22 dogs was getting a few too many to cope with, my Sheltie bitch did not make the grade for the show-ring and my dog puppy grew too big although he was a stunning little dog, but they were very keen on size, so I parted with him too, which just left me with my Poodles and Beardies, both of which had increased in numbers so enough dogs to look after.
The first year we finally got CC’s in 1959, I decided to go to East Africa to visit my sister who had gone out there to be married the year before. I stayed for five months so missed most of the shows where our four sets of CC’s were awarded. I don’t think I would have done it now but in those days making up a champion was not one of my priorities.

Ch W. Spring Symphony & W. Just A Star

Ch W. Barberry of Bothkennor

After my long holiday I plunged back into the show ring. By now I had six Beardies as well as a few more Poodles and I regularly took four Beardies as well as a couple of Poodles to a great many shows. My brother, who always travelled with me, was also handling some of the Beardies. Luckily as the Beardies always seemed to be on late in the afternoon I usually had finished handling the Poodles by the time the Beardies were called into the ring.
I remember going to Scotland quite a few times. We would start at 8 p.m. and arrive at 8 a.m. in perfect time for the show. The only times we would stop was every two hours to change drivers and have a quick coffee to wake the driver up. This was, of course, prior to any motorway being built. I remember going down on the M1 to a show in London, I think it was the L.K.A., three days after it was opened. We saw three cars all the Way from where we joined it near Daventry right down to Watford where it finished—those were the days!!
I had a short break from the show ring in the early sixties, due to family commitments, only attending a few shows and just had a couple of litters of both Poodles and Beardies. I had a young dog at this time called Ruairidh and he had mated a bitch called Bobby’s Girl of Bothkennar. He had previously mated this bitch and produced a litter of only three puppies, a Crufts BOB who was soon a Champion, and a ten Reserve CC winner such an unlucky dog as she was always beaten by her sister. So when the second mating was more successful and produced eight puppies, I had the pick of the bitches who I called Barberry, after her famous forbear. Her registered name was Broadholme Cindy Sue of Willowmead. I had finally got my horses by then and had five, both breeding and hunting them, so was not too bothered about going back into serious showing of Barberry.

Dianne, her breeder, begged me to enter her at the Midland Collie club open show, as entries were falling with Beardies and she did not want us to lose the classes. Barberry was eight months old and looking rather nice, so I finally gave in. She won best Beardie and followed it with Best In Show. WELKS was a few weeks later. I decided as it was so local, perhaps it would be fun to go. Barberry was entered in Novice as our classification was only Novice, Post Grad and Limit, all mixed sexes, and open separated sexes. There were 24 entered in Novice and once again Barberry won it. Then I saw Joe Braddon was judging at Kelvin Halls, Glasgow. I knew Mr Braddon had always liked my Beardies, so off we went. Barberry won bitch CC at only 10 months old. That was it, I was back to showing the dogs.

Barberry attended Richmond and the LKA and won the CC at both and was a champion by 18 months of age, including a break for a coat drop following her first season. She attended Crufts where she was bottom of the class with another bitch who had also won three CC’s that year. Barberry was top bitch as she had two BOB’s with her CC’s whereas Loch Arbour had only one. Barberry then attended Manchester and WELKS, CC’s at both and then retired from the show ring—she had five CC’s, as I don’t believe in pot hunting for masses of CC’s. Your dog is no more a champion with three CC’s or 53. I have always kept to that rule, apart from one bitch who went up to eight CC’s and that was Ch. Willowmead Perfect Lady, she won the CC at Crufts in 1978 and attended again the following year to win the CC again. That of course made me wish for the hat trick, which Lady duly obliged with so for three years, 1978, 79, and 1980 best bitch was Perfect Lady and best dog was Ch. Willowmead Black Magic in 1978 and 1980, one record that I still hold.

Ch Willowmead Perfect Lady

When Barberry was 10 months old, Dianne, her breeder, got in touch with me. The people who had bought the pick dog of the litter were having trouble with him and could I help as he was fairly local. Of course I said “yes” so they called in and told me that he wouldn’t walk properly on his lead. Twice round my lawn with me and he was going like a dream. I instructed them what to do and off they went. When he was 20 months, Dianne was in touch again. Crofter was so bad now that he was about to be put to sleep. I went straight over, collected Crofter, all his paperwork, and popped him in my car where he travelled like a dream and brought him home. He went straight into a run with my Miniature Poodle stud dog, Robin, as good as gold. This dog that was supposed to attack every dog or person he came near!!! I sorted his coat out as he was in a terrible tangle. I walked him with all the Poodles and Barberry, no problems. After a few weeks I entered him for a show. Yes, he did fly at every dog he saw, but after a few minutes when he realized it was not acceptable, he soon changed his mind. In three shows he was showing to perfection and only a short time later won Best In Show at another Midland Collie Club show. He was a wonderful dog and would have been a terrific loss to the breed, as his offspring were the most versatile I have ever known from any dog.	Braclyn Broadholme Crofter 1 CC/ 2RCC
They were the first registered guide dogs for the blind, and the first approved search and rescue dog. The local dog to me that was used for demonstrations for sheep herding was his son and he had lots of champions, international champions children in the show ring, plus top obedience winners. He was a brilliant stud dog and really made his mark, plus winning a CC and 3 Res. CC’s himself. I was very sad to lose him at the good age of 14 1/2 years, his registered name was Braelyn Broadholme Crofter, but just Crofter to me. As I was now well and truly back in with the Beardies and showing, I kept a bitch from Barberry, called Willowmead Super Honey, later a champion, but I needed to buy in another bitch. I heard of a nice sounding litter from Jackie Tidmarsh of the Tambora Beardies. I went up to Huddersfield and collected Juno, a bitch who really took my eye. She did the same as Barberry at her first show and won best bitch at six months of age, again at a collie club show, this time at the South Wales Collie Club. As Juno had been travel sick all the way down, luckily did not dribble, so was quite clean. I had walked into the show saying “anybody want a puppy, this one is available” I think I rather changed my mind after her lovely win. Juno continued winning virtually every class in which she was entered and was made up as a champion at 17 months of age. She again won 5 CC’s before she retired from the show-ring. She produced some super offspring English champions, W. Summer Wine when mated to Crofter, and then to Pure Magic of W. which produced Ch. W. Star Attraction, top puppy, top junior, and ending up top Beardie, whilst his litter sister, Touch of Magic was best opposite sex puppy and best opposite sex junior. She then retired from the ring for her first litter and left her brother to his glory. She also had many overseas champion offspring.	Ch Willowmead Super Honey
I was selling quite a few puppies abroad by now, many being the first Beardie to go to the country to which they were sold. After I had been in the breed for fifteen years, I decided that I had enough knowledge to start judging, so when I was asked to judge a club open show I accepted. I had a nice entry and enjoyed my day and have always enjoyed judging ever since. I awarded my first set of CC’s at the WELKS show. As Beardies were certainly getting more popular abroad, the exhibitors soon set up their own clubs and as I was the second person to send a Beardie to Holland , Mrs Willison was the first, when they decided to hold their first club show, they asked me to judge. I was delighted and spent a very pleasant weekend staying with the secretary, Meike Bangert, who had bought a bitch puppy from me, whom she called Barbara.	Pure Magic of Willowmead 2 CC's/ 3RCC's

The following year I went over again with a couple of friends by ferry to The Hague and handled Barbara to Best In Show. We went over for several years to Holland—it was great fun.
My Beardie family was growing steadily too and stood at ten by now. I had given up showing the Poodles, having to do a full lion trim and shampoo for every show was a bit much, with doing the Beardies too, though in those days the Beardies coats were so easy to look after, no dripping, excessive curtains on the floor then, just a good weatherproof, body covering, clear eyes, coat, with plenty of daylight under the body, just as the standard asks for, but is certainly not looked for by today’s judges.
I was being asked to judge in a lot of different countries by now so I was travelling away about three times a year. I felt that was quite enough, as I had to leave my family to look after the dogs, no such things as dog sitters in those days. Thank goodness someone thought of doing it, as obviously all my brothers and sisters are married with their own families so they are not able to do my dog sitting, Luckily I have a very good dog sitter at the present, a local girl, so I have no worries on this score. My judging has now developed to include all the Pastoral Group, which I prefer, and the Working Group, plus Best In Show at Open Show level. I have also judged in 18 different countries abroad.

I had often been asked to write a book on Beardies, but felt I never really had the time, then when I was approached by a company one Autumn, just when the show scene was fairly quiet and I had no puppies in prospect, I decided to go ahead and agreed. It took somewhat longer than I anticipated at the start, as it was actually two years before it was finally finished. I managed to get it out for Crufts in 1990 and it still sells really well. I certainly enjoyed writing “Talking About Beardies” so a couple of years later in another fairly quiet time, again started “Little Dog Lost” a true story of Honey, a puppy lost at 7 1/2 months, who ran wild, evading all my attempts at re-capture for almost five months. I did eventually manage to get her back, thank goodness.
I had got to know Chet Jezerski, an American, through selling his wife, Michelle, a puppy a few years earlier, and had met them both again on a judging trip to the States. I asked Chet to do the illustrations for “Little Dog Lost” and was delighted when he agreed as Chet is generally accepted to be the best artist for Beardies in the world. The pictures he did for my book are really lovely and “Little Dog Lost” as “Talking About Beardies” have both gone into re-prints.
Well, one thing leads to another, they say, so the latest book is a children’s story called “The Adventures Of Raisa”- Raisa was a puppy registered as Willowmead A Rising Star, who went off to Australia. She was such a fun puppy, I really did regret selling her and from her antics came my latest book.

Willowmead Class Act at 6 weeks

So we come to 2003, which has been my best year in dogs and also sadly, my worst. I had the most wonderful surprise at Three Counties show in June. I had been watching the judging after showing my latest hopeful, Willowmead Class Act, in Graduate and was about to go off and do my shopping, when Terry Thorn stepped into the centre of the ring, recently vacated by the judge for lunch, with the biggest bouquet of flowers, a cake and a bottle of champagne and called for me to accept them all. I could not believe it was all happening. The flowers lasted for well over a month for me to enjoy. We had a lovely party too in the evening, which was attended by about 80 people. A day I will always treasure and remember.
Then at our club show, the Midshires Bearded Collie Club, of which I am President and hold the club stand, again in the lunch break, the committee made another wonderful presentation, a super bouquet of flowers, a beautiful cut glass vase to put them in and a huge cake, which we cut up for the exhibitors to join in with and to enjoy. Another day to treasure in my memory.
The year has not ended on quite such a good note as I had to go into hospital for major back surgery, but it has all gone very well and it’s marvellous not to be in such severe pain, which has been a problem for many years, so just at this moment, I am home again and hope to make the Bearded Collie Club show, back in the ring ( I hope) and LKA. With a bit of luck, life will just get better once more, roll on the next 50 years.

Just to finish,I would like to mention a few of the faults that I find are creeping into our breed for people who are not quite so familiar with Beardies. One of the more serious faults is the short legs that one sees a great deal of today and not at all yesterday. A Beardie is supposed to be 5-4 in length, so not a square dog by any means, but sadly far too many are a great deal longer than this. It can be quite well hidden by the overlong coat. Another fault, especially if it is soft and excessive in volume, a Beardie should have a body covering, weather proof coat and plenty of daylight under the body,
not possible when the coat sweeps the floor.
Another thing that a great many judges have commented on these last couple of years have been the narrow bottom jaws in many exhibits. A Beardie should have a strong foreface and muzzle, with a strong chin, something one needs to feel for with the long beard. Something that I am particularly sorry to lose is the broad, flat skull, that again was commonplace years ago and these days is almost gone. In a good championship show entry, I would be lucky to find two or three in a well filled class, as the lovely Beardie expression and stop goes with the correct head. I am very sorry indeed to find that we now have so many poor heads.
Another thing that I have noticed creeping in over the last few years has been the has been the over exaggerated flashy movement beloved of the all rounders. The more the dog throws up his front feet and kicks back his rear feet, the more he seems to win. A Beardie should glide over the ground with minimum of effort, seeming to float with effortless grace. Nothing about a Beardie should be exaggerated, especially movement. With this dreadful movement the dog would be exhausted in a very short time, and certainly not able to do a days work. A Beardie is still supposed to be a working sheepdog. Let us please try and remember this and breed and judge a dog that can still do the job for which he was bred for centuries to do. Not just a show puffball.