President Valerie Geddes -[UK]

Chairperson. Ada Norts - [Denmark]

Treasurer.Margareta Andersson - [Sweden]
Secretary.
John Geddes - UK

Chauffeurs Cottage
Brynkinalt
CHIRK
Wrexham.
LL14 5NS. Uk
ingledenecollies@btinternet.com

AMERICA 2004 - keeping faith with the Collie

"Some 50 COLLIE enthusiasts from Britain and the Continent flew to Boston for the International Collie Society's Annual holiday and the five-day show of the Collie Club of America.

The Americans pride themselves on doing everything bigger and better than anywhere else and this show was certainly bigger. There were 537 Roughs, 237 Smooths and a further 140 entered in obedience, agility and herding.

We went to watch some of the herding on the first day and were quite bewildered by it, as were the sheep. "One Man and His Dog" it was not. We felt sorry for the sheep being chased around the paddock by the enthusiastic Collies. At one stage three sheep went and hid behind the handler, much to our amusement. It was just too cold to stay for the advanced classes.

We did see some consistent obedience work - mainly Roughs - and the tri bitch who was the ultimate winner gave a demonstration that was as slick as any Border Collie.
The show itself took place in an enormous exhibition centre and all the action took place in the main ring that was about three times the size of a Crufts ring. At one end where the stalls and at the other were the pens where the dogs were kept. They were exercised early morning and late evening but otherwise spent the whole show in their pens, usually three or four to a pen on comfortable flooring. Temperaments were superb. They were like meercats - there always seemed to be one on sentinal duty. As soon as you looked in its direction, it would be up, paws on top of the pen with shining eyes and wagging tail pleading to be smoothed, quickly followed by the remainder of the pen demanding the same treatment. We didn't see one nervous Collie or one that backed off the judge.
Handlers were busy most of the day grooming their dogs on stands and openly applying chalk and eyeliner to faces. Thier attitude was "it's a beauty contest. You wouldn't expect Miss World to go on stage without her make-up"' The Kennel Club would have a field day! Many of the handlers were professionals and changed their outfits each day, sometimes with each dog. No scruffy jeans or trainers here. Men wore smart suits or jackets, and the sparkling women's outfits would have graced a fashion show. They had to be fit to keep up with the speed their dogs moved round the enormous ring.

We spent an uncomfortable four days perched precariously on tiered metal benching. If you dropped anything it disappeared forever but we had a good view of the proceedings. We had come to learn about the American Collie, and learn we did. We expected to see big, heavy-headed dogs but it was evident they have been refining their Collies over the years. Some of them were big but most were around 24 inches at the shoulder,our maximum and their minimum height.

Movement came as a revelation to us. The dogs moved smoothly and soundly with true precision, no plaiting, no knitting, no in-toeing in front and no weak hocks at the rear. All the dogs had strong bone and tight, thickly knuckled feet. The only Smooths we watched were the puppies. They were quite delightful and again very sound. Every dog that moved was clapped and the whooping and hollering when the crowd's favourites were moved was deafening. We felt like putting up a notice " No Clapping please, we're British". Most of their dogs were de-barked but they joined in with their strangulated voices, which sounded worse than the ones that had been left intact. The combined noise level was unbelievable.
The dogs were not faultless; ears were a problem in some dogs, many of them had a rise between the eyes which spoilt the eye-set and consequently expressions were not as sweet as ours but overall they presented a picture of a proud, impressive Collie that filled me with nostalgia and would have instantly been recognised by Mrs George and Miss Grey. They all carried the rounded muzzles, strong underjaws and lean, clean cheeks that were so essential when I first came into Collies. Almost every sable was dark shaded and reminded me of my first champion,Lad of Ladypark. There were quite a few we would have loved to take home, in particular the puppy bitch winner.

Their dogs answered once and for all the question I am continually asked in England: "Why has the Collie changed so much when the Standard hasn't?" Their dogs had been refined and improved but they had not changed. America has kept faith with the "Collie"

[Article first published in Dog World, May 2004. Reproduced by kind permission of Hazel R. Hunt]

PS. An in-depth illustrated article is being prepared for the forthcoming ICS Handbook.

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