SLIGO '15 BEST IN SHOW
Ch, GB, Lux & Am Gr Ch Bayshore Stonehaven Cat Burglar stole the show at Sligo’s 18th all-breed championship show in Ireland on Saturday. Seven-and-a-half year-old ‘Prowler’, owned by Tracey Douglas, Neil Allan and Robert Harlow, topped the entry on a very wet day at the Allen Sports Complex in Newtownforbes, Co Longford, under BIS judge Stephen Lloyd, known for his Owenavera Lhasa Apsos and Afghan Hounds. US import ‘Prowler’ was winning his second BIS of the year, having topped the entry at the Conmbined Canine Club’s National Ch show at Easter. He had earlier taken his fourth group win of 2015 under Markku Kapina from Finland, having also triumphed at Fermoy international, where he was BIS3, and Cork, finishing BIS4, and is well out in front on the Gain Petfood / Irish Canine Press / Dog World Group 1 Leaderboard, he also clinched his GB title at The Scottish KC Show in May. RBIS under Stephen was the well-known multi group and BIS winning Siberian Husky, Jimmy Duggan’s Ch, GB & Int Ch Bedarra Cold Paws Warm Heart; ‘Flint’ handled as ever by Anita Foley Duggan. This was his fourth group this year and he was also RBIS at both Munster Canine and Deise, with group 1 at Conmbined Canine Club International, these wins taking him to the top of group 5 on the Gain Petfoods/Irish Canine Press/Dog World Leaderboard, which he won last year.

SLIGO '15 BEST IN SHOW
Ch, GB, Lux & Am Gr Ch Bayshore Stonehaven Cat Burglar, seven-and-a-half year-old ‘Prowler’, owned by Tracey Douglas, Neil Allan and Robert Harlow, topped the entry under BIS judge Stephen Lloyd.

SLIGO '15 BEST IN SHOW
The 10 group winners assembled for BIS judge Stephen Lloyd to make his final selection.
(l-r) Group 1) Douglas, Allan & Harlow's Ch, GB, Lux & Am Gr Ch Bayshore Stonehaven Cat Burglar (Australian Shepherd Dog) BIS, Group 2) Long's Argus Electra Kalibra (Black Russian Terrier), Group 3) Broaders' Ch Brookside Aristocrat (Lakeland Terrier), Group 4) Patton's Lesandnic Snow Fairy (Dachshund Wire Haired) BIS 3, Group 5) Duggan's Ch, GB & Int Ch Bedarra Col Paws Warm Heart For Leorient Jun Ch (Siberian Husky) Res BIS, Group 6) O'Neill's Ch, GB & Int Ch Knockogue Arthurs Legacy Jun Ch (Basset Hound), Group 7) Mervyn's Tomanipoint Celtic Knight (German Short Haired Pointer), Group 8) Archibald's Sh Ch Abinvale The Aviator Jun Ch (Retriever Golden), Group 9) Alford's Araki Kaught Ulookin At Christate (Tibetan Terrier) & Group 10) Cuthbert & Minogue's Ch & Int Ch Donskoi Asmodey (Borzoi) BIS 4.

SLIGO '15 BEST BABY PUPPY IN SHOW
BIS judge Stephen Lloyd also judged best baby puppy in show and he gave the rosette to the Bulldog, Thomas McCallon’s Ashaka Our Alfie; not quite five months old, ‘Alfie’ was handled by Stephen Minogue and was bred by Marie Thorpe. Runner-up was the French Bulldog, Heather Blair and Claire McBride’s Ardhub Maid for Irishpride, handled by young Shannon McBride.

SLIGO '15 PUPPY STAKES
Judging the stakes at Sligo was well-known gundog man Bill McEntee of the Baysway Cocker Spaniels. Bill’s Puppy Stakes winner was the Italian Spinone, Irene Glen and Sue and Sally Knowles’ Afterglow Hashtag Scandal at Bessalone,, ten months old ‘Sid’ handled on the day by David Shields, over from Scotland. Chris Laverty handled his and wife Hilary’s Cocker Spaniel Snowgate Special Edition to Laveris to take the runner-up spot.

SLIGO '15 JUNIOR STAKES
Junior stakes under Bill McEntee saw Clodagh Fallon take the winner’s rosette for her homebred Pug Clodana Enchantment, while the Weimaraner, Caffrey’s Quick Silver Hugel Lilly, was second.

SLIGO '15 CHAMPION STAKES
Heading up the entry in Champion Stakes under Bill McEntee was the Keeshond, Liz Wogan’s Ch & GB Ch Neradmik Beach Boy Avec Deminiac. ‘Wilson’ won his GB crown at the end of 2014 in four consecutive shows, and in Ireland this year he took the group and BIS3 at Newtownards and also the group at ILKA; he will now compete in the Fosse Data Champion of Champion final next January.

SLIGO '15 VETERAN STAKES
Just two exhibits made it to the BIS ring during a downpour for the Veteran Stakes and the rosette winners under Bill McEntee were Michael Kenneally and Mairead Jones’ Weimaraner, eigth-year-old Sh Ch & Int Sh Ch Zilverein Wanda Rinn to Minima, and Sally Tonks and Dione Fitzsimons’ Pyrenean Mountain Dog, almost ten years old Ch, GB & Int Ch Shanlimore Maverick, handled by a very wet Howard Tonks.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 1
Group 1 winner under Markku Kipina from Finland (Dane York), who started judging in 1999 and is now just a few breeds off all-breeds status, was the eventual BIS winning Australian Shepherd Dog Ch, GB, Lux & Am Gr Ch Bayshore Stonehaven Cat Burgler, owned and handled by Tracey Douglas, and Neil Allan and Robert Harlow in England. The Pumi, Ann and Austin Long Doyle’s Ch Pumidor Splinter, was runner-up; ‘Marco’ taking his third consecutive group placing.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 2
Peri Burnside of the Libertia Alaskan Malamutes and formerly Dogue De Bordeaux, Akitas and Eurasiers was adjudicating group 2 for the first time. Her final choice was Stephen Long’s Black Russian Terrier bitch Argus Electra Kalibra, ‘Rhonda’ also has a previous G4 win from Hibernian back in May. Runner-up was Diane and daughter Lauren Whan’s Leonberger Ch Loveliens Nukva of Norris, handled by former successful junior handler Lauren; ‘Nukva’ has two CCs from her trips across the water, and was G3 last year at ILKA.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 3
Elle Weijenborg Weggemans from the Netherlands judged the terriers of group 3 and she found her winner in Catherine and Tina Broaders’ Lakeland Terrier Ch Brookside Aristocrat, his first group win after two G2 at Munster Canine and Bray and he has several other placings as well. Runner-up was the 2014 Champion of Champions winner, Richard Dalton, Philip O’Brien and Jarka Poulova’s Kerry Blue Ch & GB Ch Dalstar Il Divo; BIS at Fermoy international, he also took BIS4 at South Tipperary.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 4
Kerry Lee from Australia judged the Dachshunds of Group 4 from which he chose for top spot Lesley Patton’s eventual BIS3-winning Wire Lesandnic Snow Fairy, with runner-up the petite Smooth Kaninchen of Karen Weir, import Ch Magik Rainbow Gloria; a little lady who has been racking up the wins this year with nine group placings including four group wins, and is second on the Gain Petfoods/Irish Canine Press/Dog World Group 4 Leaderboard.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 5
Kerry Lee, was back ring centre for group 5, sending on to the big ring the Siberian Husky, Jimmy Duggan’s Ch, GB & Int Ch Bedarra Cold Paws Warm Heart for Leorient, who finished RBIS later, while Stephen Minogue’s young Japanese Shiba Inu Jiltrain Jackpott was second. ‘Jackson’, who was crowned POTY at Easter, at just 16 months can now claim his Irish crown, though he is already a BIS winner from Hibernian, was BIS3 at just over 12 months at IKC CW in March, and this was his ninth group placing.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 6
The Bassett Hound, Barry O’Neill’s Ch, GB & Int Ch Knockogue Arthurs Legacy has become a bit of a phenomenon in the ring, and today he took his 11th group 6 win of the year, and he also has BIS at South Tipp, RBIS at both Portadown and Hibernian, BIS3 at CCC National and Cork, BIS4 at CCC International plus five other group wins, putting him well at the top on the Gain Petfoods/Irish Canine Press/Dog World Group 6 Leaderboard, which he has dominated for the past three years. Finnish judge Markku Kipina chose Eamon Murray’s latest Beagle star, homebred Heathergrove Caravola, not yet 14 months old though group placed five times and winner at Fermoy international and Swords, for second place here.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 7
Sheila Hughes was ring centre for Group 7, finding her winner in Tom and Annie Mervyn’s young homebred German Shorthaired Pointer male Tomanipoint Celtic Knight; not yet 16 months and surely now being over 15 months, ‘made up’ today; ‘Rory’ has been group placed since March with his first group win at Fermoy international, where he finished BIS4, and has been sharing top honours in the breed with his litter sister T Schumacher, Heidi beating him to it at Hibernian, Newtownards and Swords. Sinead Taggart’s Hungarian Vizsla Sh Ch, GB Sh Ch & Lux Ch Bitcon Card Tricks for Cooley was second, repeating his Portadown and Munster Canine wins.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 8
Sheila Hughes was also in charge for Group 8 and her winner was the Golden Retriever, Emma Archibald’s Sh Ch & GB Sh Ch Abinvale The Aviator; ‘Denver’ bred and owned in partnership with her mum Bette and dad Frank. The previous weekend he had won his third CC with BOB at East of England. Colleen and James McLoughlin’s Cocker Spaniel Bencleuch Buck The Trend, took second place; this was ‘Paddy’s’ first group placing of the year.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 9
Helen Hegarty was in the middle of the ring for group 9 and her winner was the Tibetan Terrier, Cybel, Dermot and Georgina Alford’s Araki Kaught Ulookin at Christate, a first group win for ‘Jack’ this year and handled as usual by Cybel. Second placed was the Papillon Ch, Cz & Ger Ch Hundebuden’s Juno Pondabudens, owned by James Newman and Sean Carroll; ‘Juno’ BIS3 at Combined international and group winner at Cork this year.

SLIGO '15 GROUP 10
Anthony Moran judged group 10, his choice for the BIS ring was Ann Cuthbert and Stephen Minogue’s Borzoi Ch & Int Ch Donskoi Asmodey, handled by Stephen, who finished BIS4. Breda Dunne, who has already had success with her Salukis was absolutely thrilled when Tony chose for runner-up her Azawakh Swala’s Shi-Senti; ten-month-old ‘Paris’, imported from the Netherlands, making breed history on the day.

SLIGO '15 SHOW VENUE

SLIGO '15
the weather took its toll

SLIGO '15
The Caterer's marquee was another victim of the weather

SLIGO '15
the now 'roofless' cafe

SLIGO '15 SCOTTISH BREEDS
A new show this year, the Scottish Breeds championship show took place at Sligo on the same day, with generous rings set aside for them by the Sligo committee. Winning BIS at this first ‘speciality’ event was Emma, Bette and Frank Archibald’s youngest homebred Abinvale star Abinvale Levanto, RBIS at South Tipperary as a puppy. Laura Cox, popular secretary of Limerick on the Munster Circuit, was the BIS judge and her reserve rosette went to Emilio Castillo and Patrick Fortune’s Shetland Sheepdog Can & Lux Ch Grandgables Romantico, ‘Tica’ had earlier been second in the champion stakes at Sligo and has three G2 wins and a G3. The Scottish Breeds was a great success, so no doubt will now become a regular date on the Irish canine calendar.

SLIGO '15 KERRY BEAGLE
One of the Irish Native Breeds rarely seen at dog shows is the Kerry Beagle, mostly living in packs around County Kerry and used for hunting, but at Sligo several made their appearance when Mike O’Dwyer and Mike Irving bought some adults and puppies from their kennels to visit the show; these men are determined to bring the breed into the show ring in order to ensure their continued existence, and have them recognised as one of our native breeds, not just in Ireland but throughout the world.