Page 27 - Online Spring 2022 Newsletter

prominent author of dog books, wrote her tally of 24 challenge certificate
a lengthy piece for the New Year’s wins has been surpassed by several
Eve edition, titled ‘Dogs For Sport and dogs.
Pleasure, in search of novelty.’

He had interviewed Mrs Wingfield
Digby and featured her recollections
of how she had come to discover the
Dutch Barge Dog. Those of us
fortunate enough to own her book
“My Life with Keeshonden” will have
read her account of her first sighting
whilst on her father’s steam yacht on
the Dutch canals and how the captain
was sent ashore to find some for the
Miss Gwendolen. In Croxton Smith’s Mrs Rene Tucker and Panda with the
article she reported how they would Keddell Memorial Trophy for Best in Show
follow a horse and trap all day, never Crufts 1957
run off, be good to the gun and yet
learn tricks and be absolutely reliable ***
with children.
We have seen a steady decline in our
She also said how easy the coats numbers since then to the current
were to maintain, a testimony to the number of around the 100 per year,
shorter, harsh coats of the early dogs. plus or minus about 15. The world
of pedigree dogs has changed since
Her interest in the Iceland Dog came Mrs Wingfield Digby and her friends
to nothing as sadly one died before set out to build a hobby with their
they could be bred from. How lucky dogs and there are no longer any
for us today that she fell in love with big breeding kennels to continue
our wonderful breed and encouraged breeding their chosen line and type.
the support of other notable people Our breed has become international
in the 1920s. in breeding and will continue to be so.
As we look to the Centenary in 2025
By the Golden Jubilee, a good number I can’t help but wonder what
were being registered each year with the doyens of the past would make
288 registrations in 1975. This was of today’s obsession with designer
down from the high of 481 in 1947 crosses and the rare coloured
and the continuing good numbers in brachycephalic breeds.
the 1950s but still a steady number.
In 1957 the breed had achieved Those of us left have a proud tradition
the highest recognition in the dog to preserve and we need younger
showing world when Ch Volkrijk of enthusiasts to take up the baton as
Vorden, Panda to her friends, we have done from those who built
achieved Best in Show at Crufts, the breed in the early days.
something that has never been
repeated despite her record, although

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