UK Afghan Hound JUDGES
Numa Afghan Hounds
Photo David Paton
David Evans
I was captivated by the breed at a very young age and always wanted an afghan of my own. My parents did not think an afghan suitable and introduced me to a Dalmatian cross Labrador who I called Tango. We went everywhere together but I still wanted an afghan. After Tango’s demise I asked again for an afghan, by which time I was working and a very firm NO! resounded in my ears.
So I did what every other strong-minded wilful person did – I left home and became second owner to Flossie – I changed her name to Suki – I thought, and you will laugh at this, Flossie was far too camp for an afghan hound! Well, Suki and I started going to a few exemption shows for a bit of fun, and the bug took hold.
A year and a bit later, Marion Newitt (Kamiren) advertised a litter out of Terry & Shirley Carr’s Mullions Mockingbird (Rufus) and her Pollyanna of Kabella. My then partner and I went off to look at them. There was a black-masked gold girl, Kamiren Araminta (Bubbles) available so we chose her. But I still kept on looking at this black and cream girl, who Marion called Beryl, and she was a real Beryl The Peril! Marion noticed this and said that Terry & Shirley were making up their minds between Beryl (Kamiren Ambroisine) and a pale gold boy called Trampus (Supertramp from Bozwood). If they did not want Beryl, she would give me first refusal. Terry & Shirley chose Trampus so we came home with Bubbles and Beryl. I renamed Beryl “Blue” – short for Hulabaloo because she was so noisy and strident. Both Bubbles and Blue did extremely well in the show ring. Bubbles on her first outing won the MPB Class at Windsor in 1976 under Eileen Snelling (Khorassan) which caused quite a stir at the time. They both won BOB, BIS and BOS awards at general open shows and club open shows and did well at CC level. Ambroisine took the CC at Three Counties in 1980, and I thought the judge had made a mistake and perhaps meant to give her RCC. The judge, Carol Hill, assured me that she had not made a mistake. I was on cloud nine for months and wouldn’t let the CC out of my sight in case someone took it away!
I also owned at that time Sarik Starise bred by Dot Stent out of Ch Sachaverell Zukwala and Rifkas Masindi. She did well as a youngster, winning best puppy awards, but never kept coat and in the 70’s coat was everything. She was adorable and was the only afghan I owned that I could guarantee to come back to me when running free. All I had to do was call her, lift up her lead and she would come galloping back. She was similar to Daisy, Ch Wilbus Lovesong JW.
After they died, I couldn’t face owning another, and my personal life was all up in the air. I met Brian in 1984 – I know you get less for murder – and we had discussed afghans, but that was as far as it went. Shirley Carr phoned one day to let me know about an afghan hound, Channelle (Pepita Of Blackchad) who at 10 years old needed a home. Brian agreed, as long as I gave up smoking – hmm!, hmm!, that we could have her. She behaved like a puppy until the day before she died at the grand old age of 15 years. Brian, used to Border Collies, was by now hooked on afghan hounds.
Then Misha (Wishful Misha At Numa) came into our lives as her fourth owner on her first birthday. We just clicked and she became a very special lady in my life, accompanying me on working trips away for weeks at a time. She enjoyed showing and won over 100 first prizes at all levels and gained a CC at the age of 3 years under John Whittaker at Birmingham National. I also owned Bunty (Bozwood’s Hanky Panky At Numa and her brother Beano (Bozwood’s Leader Of The Pack At Numa) who Terry & Shirley kindly let me have. Both these comics did well at all levels and both gained their Stud Book entries. These two were very special and full of fun and mischief, both sadly dying at 11 and 12 years old within a short time of each other.
Page (Rusmar Arpage For Bowentree) joined the household at 18 months of age. In partnership with Dee Waterman, Page gained a CC under Alan Brooks at Manchester in 1997 from Post Graduate and an RCC under George Giles at Three Counties in 1997 after being placed second in Limit. That same year she had four of her front teeth removed due to advanced gum disease, and gracefully retired from the show ring. She was known to superglue herself to the sofa, though loved an amble through the fields. She was a kind lady who had a very laid-back approach to life, accepting all humans and animals, because they had all come to see her. We lost Page to mammary cancer in 2005, very suddenly. Although Page never suffered – she ate her dinner and cuddled up to Brian on the sofa the night before we had to give her sleep – her sudden and unexpected loss at 11 years old still hurts.
After Page’s early retirement from the show ring because of dental problems, Daisy (Ch Wilbus Lovesong JW) came into my life, and what a lady she is too! She has won the Pedigree Chum Top Afghan Puppy Award, she was Junior Points winner for the Afghan Hound Year Book, BPIS or BIS at most Breed Club Open shows and of course gained her title as a Champion at WELKS in 2004 under Roy Metcalfe. She has a huge space in my heart.
Also at home are Bart (Ratheeli Nadir) and our latest baby Lily (Mashaalah Faridah JW).
Of course, I have rambled on about my dogs rather than my judging experiences, but they have always been the most important part of my life. I do enjoy judging. It started in 1979 at Open show level, stewarding whenever I could and was passed to award CCs at the WAHC (bitches) in 1997, followed by dogs at MAHC in 1998 and both sexes at Three Counties in 1999 and Paignton in 2003. I awarded the CC for bitches at the SAC 2004.
DAVID EVANS
NUMA AFGHAN HOUNDS
Updated 22/12/2008 09:11
© David Evans-2006 - all rights reserved