Top dogs visit Shropshire for show
Tails were set wagging as the top dogs descended on Shropshire for a competition last weekend.
The British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry welcomed 30 of the top German Wirehaired Pointers from across the UK for their breed only open show for the title of Best in Show.
Tom Mather, Chairman of Crufts and judge for the event, assessed each dog based on their closeness to the breed standard, a list of requirements for movement, appearance, and temperament.
He said: "I feel very privileged to have judged so many nice dogs in such a beautiful venue. I will certainly be coming back here to visit and will tell my friends about the beautiful exhibitions on display."
Chairman of the Shropshire Council, Vince Hunt, presented the bespoke Judge’s trophy to Tom during the show, saying: "It is great to come down and support local events, as it shows that Shropshire is opening back up for business after several months of closure." The show was a whole day event, and the public were allowed to view the show from behind event rope to comply with current Covid restrictions.
Barbara Stamp, chair of the German Wirehaired Pointer Club, said: "All exhibitors and dogs really enjoyed themselves. It is such a beautiful venue with such a great atmosphere and so many lovely statues and metal exhibits to look at. We will certainly be hoping to make this a more permanent venue for our annual shows."
Clive Knowles, chairman of the British Ironwork Centre, added: "We were delighted to be approached by the German Wirehaired Pointer Club and offer our venue and facilities for this prestigious one-day event. As a dog friendly site, we welcome any other dog activity groups and dog breed clubs to get in touch with us as loan of grounds is entirely free for such groups."
