by Yossi GuyA very nice entry at the Israeli Sighthound Club show two days after Christmas summed up a very active show schedule that began the previous day in the Negev Desert. Best In Show was a locally-bred junior Whippet dog. The entry in Salukis included dogs and bitches bred in the desert.
Mrs. Moa Persson of Sweden judged two shows on Saturday, the 27th of December - one organized by the Israeli Spitz Club and the other by the Sighthound Club. At the sighthound show, Mrs. Persson enjoyed a uniform entry, especially in the Whippets. She put up a Whippet from junior class, Philip Morag Beit Hameshi, owned by Yaron Yeruchin.
The biggest entry was comprised of Salukis, some of which actually came from the desert with their Arab owners – a rare sight at dog shows – although they wore regular clothes, not bedsheets or anything of that nature. However, the BOB, who was also the runner up BIS, was an imported dog, Barakisch Omar Yari, bred in Sweden and owned by Shay Spector.
Says Dr. Zafra Sirik, an all-round judge and president of the Israeli Sighthound Club: "there was a very nice entry of Salukis, mostly from the desert. The BOB, however, happened to be a Swedish import. On the other hand, the Best Bitch was a real desert dog, bred by local Bedouins – a very pretty bitch."
Besides Whippets and Salukis, there were a handful of Grayhounds, some Italian Grayhounds and a single Asawak bitch.
The Best In Show, in addition to the usual cups, won a rotating trophy in memory of Einav Arbel, a seven-year-old girl who died of cancer. Before she passed away she had a Whippet and her grandparents decided to donate this trophy in her memory. In a heart-warming turn of events, the first name to be added to the trophy will be that of a Whippet.
