The BCCC at 50 - Part 3
The Early Years 1970 - 1979

Part 3 of Alice Bixler’s history of the Bearded Collie Club of Canada reminisces about the early years of the club and all the “firsts” that were achieved during its first decade of activity. 

“THE EARLY YEARS”  1970-1979

GO!  August 1970 saw the Bearded Collie become the newest member breed of the CKC’s Working Group.  And after that momentous announcement, just about everything we did rated as a ‘First’ for the breed.  It’s amazing just how many ‘firsts’ there can be! First champion, first Canadian-bred champion, first male champion, first bitch champion, first CD, first group placing, first CDX and so on.  Some firsts came about rather quickly while others took a while.

Carol Gold’s Gael (Ch. Wishanger Marsh Pimpernel CD) produced the first Beardie litter to be registered with the CKC. Incidentally, there was a pool to guesstimate the number of pups in Gael’s litter. Prolific Gael produced nine offspring in July 1970, all of them with ‘first’ as part of the registered name. Gael was also the first to debut in both conformation and obedience at the Scarborough K.C. show.

The old Greenwood show was the first to host Beardies en masse (well, five of them) in September 1970. The show was benched as I recall and Carol’s Rough Collie, Chevy, was stationed along with the Beardie bunch. To make him fit in with the Beardies, we fashioned a beard for him out of raw cotton. That was the show where a lady approached the benches with tears in her eyes as she gushed, “Beardies! I never thought I’d see them again.” Hers had crossed the Rainbow Bridge a few months earlier at the respectable old age of 17.

When it came time to come up with a name for our fledgling club publication, it was Gail Gordon who suggested The Bearded Colleague. Perfect! Gail was always a friend to our breed though her prime interest was Bull Terriers.

According to CKC policy, we adopted the breed standard of the country of origin, England. Trouble was, it wasn’t very informative. When a British Rough Collie breeder and judge, who was also well acquainted with Beardies, came to Canada, she was invited to judge a match for us. In the course of the afternoon, she pointed out a pup who had coat colour surrounding only one eye and commented, “This one is a mismark.” “Why?” she was asked, “The standard doesn’t say anything about that” (the only mention in that early standard read, “with or without white Collie markings.”) “Well, those of us who know the breed just know,” was her haughty reply. Not a lot of help for we ‘Colonials’ trying to learn about the breed. Back in those days there was no instant global exchange of information as today.

Fortunately, the British updated the standard some years later and we were allowed to clarify ours as well. And yes, the new standard specified there should be colour surrounding both eyes.

There was a difference of opinion between the club and the CKC when it came to listing our breed for judging purposes. The CKC thought it should be Collies, Bearded. Carol told them that was unacceptable unless they were prepared to change other breeds to nomenclature such as Sheepdog, Old English or Sheepdog, Sheltie. We won that round. Incidentally, in those days Beardies were assigned to the Working Group since a Herding Group was still years in the future.

One ambitious undertaking was an Evaluation breed match in August 1973 which drew an incredible entry of 60. Beardie owners came to Kingston, Ont. from as far as Nova Scotia, Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts and Thunder Bay, Ont., some 1500 miles northwest. Three well known British judges did the honours. Each class came into the ring to be judged first by Jenny Osborne, (Osmart kennels) then by Ken Osborne with each making their own choice of placings and handing out ribbons. When their choice for first place differed (as it did in four classes), referee Suzanne Moorhouse (Willowmead kennels) decided between the two winners so that only one went forward.  Colbara Brown Brady, owned by Fred Cashin, came from the 6-9 puppy class to take Best Male. Best in Match, as well as Best Bitch, was Irene Leduc’s Ch. Raggmopp First Affair, C.D., one of Gael’s offspring from her ‘first’ litter.

It was both an education and a pleasure to show under judges who were well versed in the breed. Not all of the Canadian and U.S. judges who presided over Canadian show rings were particularly familiar with our breed. Not long after the match, Irene Leduc entered her Best in Match bitch in a show. Her only opposition was a fluffy-coated, cobby, somewhat over-sized male which the judge selected for Best of Breed, much to Irene’s shock. She confronted the judge, asking for a critique of her girl and politely enquiring why he selected the male. The judge confessed this was the first time he’d ever seen the breed. “But you must have read the standard,” Irene countered. He shook his head and told her there was a mistake in his judging program and he believed he only had one Beardie entry, “So I didn’t bother to study the standard.” Holding her temper (but just barely), Irene questioned as how he then arrived at his choice. “Oh, I know the Old English standard, so I just judged them by that,” was his reply. Fortunately, he escaped back to the U.S. with his life.

With breed recognition several years away in the States, any number of US exhibitors were unfamiliar with the Bearded Collie. One time in the group ring with my brown boy, Brit, an American handler leaned over and rudely commented, “I’ve got to say that’s the worst example of an Old English I’ve ever seen!”  He was a bit surprised when I said, “Thank you,” and then added, “You’re right, he would be a horrible example of an OES……. if he was an OES. But luckily, he’s a Bearded Collie.”

Back in the early 70s, the show season in southern Ontario ended in November with the Ottawa shows. Through the long, dreary winter months we waited for March when the first shows of the new season appeared in conjunction with the 10-day-long Toronto Sportsmen Show at the CNE grounds. The shows were benched which meant arriving early and staying late. The building was drafty and cold, the benches hard, the hours long but we wouldn’t miss it for the world. We brought decorations, food, pillows, and other assorted amenities. Some of the BCCC early specialties were held there. Carol Gold’s Gael took the breed at the first one and Barbara Blake’s Panda Bayer was BB at the second though judge Margaret Thomas had a hard time convincing Barb she had won. Barb was sure she just wanted her to gait her dog again.

Since I did free-lance photography for the Toronto Star, I asked if they’d like me to do photos at one day of the Sportsmen show. Given the go-ahead, I wandered all over the building shooting human interest type pictures. Returning to my bench area, there was my young son, Kelly, asleep with his head on Brit (Ch. Bronze Javelin of Tambora) and Bounce (Ch. Raggmopp First Impression, CD) at his feet. So, I clicked off a quick shot. Of all the photos I shot, guess which one ended up on the front page of the Toronto Star the next day? Months and even years later, people told me that photo was what first got them interested in Beardies.

Through all the ‘firsts’ that were achieved during those early years, the contest for the first CDX Beardie was the one that was a real nail biter. It came down to the wire when two dogs – Fred Cashin’s Colbara Brown Brady CD and Ron Rose’s Ch. Raggmopp Bellarmine CD – each had two legs and were competing for the third and final leg on the same day, although in different parts of the country.  Fred was at a trial in Ontario while Ron was in Nova Scotia. Fate has a way of stepping in. Having successfully accomplished all but the last exercise, Rags was holding the out-of-sight down when a crated dog caught a paw in the wire and started screaming in pain. Ron rushed to see if he could help the stricken dog and Rags broke at the sight of his owner running by. Meanwhile, back in Ontario, Brady racked up the third leg and became the first CDX Beardie. For a while, it had appeared as though Carol’s Gael would earn the first CDX, but there was one small problem. Gael executed all the exercises flawlessly at class and at home, but not at the trials. Carol had Gael’s perfect performance on film just to prove it was possible.

When Beardies were accepted into Miscellaneous in the States, Bounce (Ch. Raggmopp First Impression CD) crossed the border to try for a CD degree at the Detroit Kennel Club show in Cobo Hall.  Out of an entry of some 3,500 dogs, she was the only Beardie. It took over an hour just to find her bench in the midst of all the breeds. Seven Beardie owners in the Detroit area learned of her entry when it scored a mention in the newspaper, and they turned out to cheer her on. Fortunately, she qualified and even managed a respectable score (187). Though she wasn’t the first Beardie to have an AKC CD or the first to have a CKC CD, she was the first to have an obedience degree in both countries combined. Maybe it could be termed an international CD. Sounds impressive.

Another first was totally unexpected. I had driven down to the Maritimes for a series of shows with some of my gang. Just for ring time experience, I had entered two six-month-old littermates in Brace Class at the last show of the circuit. And we left the ring that day with a ginormous rosette, which I proudly displayed when we returned to Ontario. As friends were wide-eyed with admiration at the huge rosette, it slipped my mind to mention the pups were not just Best Brace in Show but also the only brace. Yeah.

It wasn’t until 1974 that a Beardie scored the first (and second) group win for the breed. Jean Jagersma’s Ch. Misty Shadow of Willowmead (Shadow) topped the Working Group two days in a row at the Fort Garry K.C. shows in Winnipeg in October.  Shadow was having a good year, having also racked up five Group Thirds and four Group Fourths up to that time along with 42 breed victories.

The following year, Barb Blake’s Ch. Willowferry Victor became the first North American Beardie to attain a Best in Show. His BIS took place at a show in Halifax in 1975.

As the 70s rolled on, the 1978 specialty in Kingston was a happy time for most. It was a great day for Sally and Tony Taylor when their Ch. (Eng/Am/Can.) Edenborough Kara Kara of Josanda went BB under British breeder/judge Trudy Wheeler (Cannamoor). More about her later. And I was darn happy too when my six-month-old pup, Garth, went WD for a five point major plus Best Puppy and BCB at his very first show. But there was also a hefty helping of sadness when Anne and Matt Dolan’s Am. Ch. Willowmead Something Super went missing. The Dolans had driven from upstate New York for the specialty and left their Beardie in the motel while they went for dinner. During their absence Super managed to escape through a window in their room. Despite extensive searching with help from a multitude of Beardie owners, Super was never recovered though he was sighted on several occasions. The Dolans made a total of eight trips back to Kingston to hunt for him. On one quest, Anne chose to spend the night in her van after leaving a nightgown nearby in the marshes in hopes Super would be drawn to her scent. During the night, she awoke, aware that something was in the area and peeked out the window in time to see a tramp ambling away with her nightgown over his shoulder.

Earlier in the 70s, there was another Beardie who answered the call of the wild and went missing for several weeks. That story has a happier ending as she was recovered, trained in obedience and eventually earned a CDX.

South of the Border, the American Kennel Club finally opened their books to Beardies in 1976 and the Bearded Collie Club of America put on their first specialty show in August 1979. Held in Medina, Ohio, it drew an entry of 111 from all over North America. It may have been the American specialty, but the majority of ribbons, rosettes and trophies went to Canada. Top honours went to Ch. Edenborough Kara Kara of Josanda (Judy) who went from the Open Bitch class through WB to Best of Breed. First of the Canadian contingent to score was the Sawka’s Ch. Algobrae Sterling Silver who won the 12–18-month class. The Open Dog class was Canadian from first to fourth with Ch. Macmont Mackintosh (Jagersma), Ch Bedlam’s Go Get’em Garth (Bixler), Ch. Banacek Fawn Fabric (Gold) and Ch. Blue Gatling of Dovmar (Newman).  However, Winners Dog went to a puppy, Gaymardon’s Baron of Bramel owned by John and Kaye Webb of Duncan, Oklahoma.

In the Puppy Bitch class all seven entries were sired by Canadian males. The class winner, Jande’s Winsome Winnie was American owned by Jan and DeArle Masters and sired by Ch. Edenborough Silver Shadow out of Ch. Mistiburn Pocahontas.  In the Bred By bitch class the winner was Raggmopp Trillium Amber, bred by Carol Gold and co-owned with Dorie and Larry Roskin of Riverwoods, Illinois. As noted previously it was Judy (Kara Kara etc.) who won Open Bitch, followed by Ch. Bedlam Bit of Bounce (Bixler), Bedlam’s Echo Ere Raggmopp (bred by Bixler, owned by the Roskins) and Sweet Romance of Willowmead (Jagersma). The Americans pulled off BOS with the Dolan’s Ch. Glen Eire Willy Wonderfull.

There was no truth to the rumours the Americans would blockade the US-Canada border prior to their second national specialty.

As the BCCC’s first decade drew to a close, Colin Blake (the COL of Colbara Kennels) took time to check Beardie statistics.  According to his figures Beardies were entered in 1659 shows in that ten year period. Males went into the rings 1810 times and 1916 bitches paraded before the judges. When it came to groups, Beardies took home the big First Place winner’s rosettes on 53 occasions. They also garnered 55 seconds, 70 thirds and 78 fourths.  Beardies managed 17 all-breed Bests in Show in that decade and they were earned by just four dogs: Ch (Can/Am/Bda)  Willowferry Victor, Ch. Algobrae Sterling Silver, Ch. (Eng/Can/Am/Bda) Edenborough Grey Shadow, Ch. (Can/Am) Shaggylanes Beaming Teak. The handsome brown Teak racked up the greatest number of BIS victories.

So many fleeting memories of that decade flicker by. It was the time when pant suits were all the rage. Eleanor Rose, standing at ringside, observed, “There are four women and Ron (her husband) in the ring and Ron is the only one wearing a skirt.” Not really, he was proudly adorned in kilts.

Or the time when auctioneer Art Newman parted with half his mustache at the specialty auction to raise money for the club.

Or our Beardies’ first appearance at Westminster. One pro-handled dog actually getting excused for “foreign substances” in the coat. (Not one of ours). And, since the statute of limitations has run out, I’ll admit I was the one who called the NY Fire Dept to our hotel.

Or the time I tried to buy coconut oil to tame the frizzy head coat on my young boy, Brit, on the advice of his breeder. The helpful clerk kept asking how I wanted to use it. I didn’t really want to tell her but she persisted. “Does it matter?” “Oh, yes, we have coconut oil shampoo, coconut suntan lotion, coconut cooking oil….” Okay, enough. “I want to rub it into my dog’s head, he has dry scalp.” Silence. Then “aisle three at the far end.”

This wasn’t meant to be a book. So much for the ‘70s for now.

 

Copyright © 2020 [Alice Bixler].
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