news - 16/09/2005
Israel's First Aussie Specialty - Israel
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by Yossi Guy
The first ever specialty show for Australian Shepherds in Israel was held on Saturday, the 17th of September. "Most of the dogs were very well constructed and moved very well, and also had typical good temperaments," noted specialist judge, Mrs. Myrna Shiboleth. Best of Breed and winner of the special cup donated by Mr. Snir-Orr Levy was Italian-bred Ch. Around the World in 80 Days Del Whimper delle G. Jorasses.
The Israeli Herding Dog Club consists of most of FCI group 1, besides German and Belgian Shepherds. Shows usually have a mix of some 11-13 breeds, of which the most popular are Rough Collie, Border Collie and Australian Shepherd, a breed that was practically unknown here just a few years ago. Now, due to a large number of litters, several excellent imported dogs and bitches, and a handful of dedicated breeders, the breed is beginning to come into its own.
This was the setting for the first Australian Shepherd Specialty Show that drew a respectable entry of 22 – not bad for a small country, although there is always room for improvement.
Snir-Orr Levy, who donated the rotating cup, said: "People usually donate cups or trophies in memory of someone, but there are people and things that have made a significant difference in our lives without being deceased. This is exactly how I feel towards this amazing breed, the Australian Shepherd. For me personally, they have added a lot of color to my life, in particular after a traumatic injury I suffered while in the military. I therefore felt a strong need to laud the breed and initiate this specialty for Australian Shepherds, and donate the cup that will rotate and add to the glory of this family."
The natural choice for judging this show was Mrs. Myrna Shiboleth (Shaar Hagai Canaans, Netiv Haayit Collies), the only specialist judge for this breed in Israel, who recently judged a similar specialty in France.
"The Australian Shepherd is a breed that has rapidly gained popularity in the last few years all over the world," noted Mrs. Shiboleth. "As it is a breed that comes from a long tradition of working shepherd dogs, and with many dogs of the breed still working, whether at herding, agility or other activities as well as participating in shows, it is a breed that is still very sound in structure. It is hard to find an Aussie anywhere that is not a good mover with normal sound construction.
"The dogs here in Israel are no exception. The dogs were almost all of a correct type (there is a wide variety of types existing in the breed, a number of which are not correct), and were quite uniform in type without great variations. Most of the dogs were very well constructed and moved very well, and also had typical good temperaments.
"My Best of Breed Dog and Best of Opposite Sex bitch were outstanding examples of the breed, very correct in type, with excellent structure and typical powerful movement. In my opinion, they could compete with honor against Aussies anywhere in the world. The bitch, I was very pleased, is also a working cattle dog, which was obvious from her superb body condition and muscle tone.
"There were a large number of excellent dogs in the classes, in some cases making the decision of placement quite difficult," continued Mrs. Shiboleth. "There is somewhat of a problem with color – in some cases white markings that are not acceptable according to the breed standard, or dilute patches that are not desirable. But overall the quality of the dogs showed was high and I very much enjoyed judging them. My thanks to the club for inviting me."
The exhibitors, some veteran show-goers and others just novices, gathered from around the country with their dogs. The winning dog, Ch. Around the World in 80 Days Del Whimper delle G. Jorasses (Ch.Propwash Northern Dancer x Ch. Bayshore's American Pie) ("Barrie") was imported from Italy by Eyal and Ronit Kan. He has had quite a few wins at club and CACIB shows, including group wins. Barrie almost didn't make it to the show since his owner had an extremely hectic week, but Snir-Orr's persistence in persuading them to make the time paid off.
Best Opposite Sex, Ofra Tzayadei Harashim, was bred in Israel by Yossi Samuel and is owned by Mr. Avi Salonikio. Mr. Salonikio is the manager of a large dairy farm on a kibbutz and Ofra is a working cattle dog, as noted by the judge. He practically washed off the dirt off this blue merle bitch and brought her into the ring for the second time in her life. Although she was out of coat, Ofra gave a wonderful show and due to her excellent movement won a relatively large class and then went on to beat the champion bitch for the title of Best Bitch.
The winning junior is another import, this time from the USA – Aladdin's In the Holy Land ("Zeus"), owned by Mr. Shimik Regev, a young man from Haifa who has had his first Aussie litter just a few months ago. Zeus has already been BOB out of junior class at a previous show, but this time was beaten by the champion dog.
The best puppy was Mick Jagger Paz Ofir, bred and owned by Mr. Ofir Paz. Ofir has been breeding Border Collies for quite some time and has expanded lately into Aussies after developing a love for the breed when searching for the ultimate working sheep and cattle dog.
The entire show was a pleasant affair, without the tension one sometimes feels at shows. In the words of Mr. Ilan Frumkin, a first-time participant, "Thanks, I really enjoyed myself today. The show was very well managed and the atmosphere was extremely laid back and inviting."
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