Page 101 - K9 News - Issue 15 - March2021

Strawbridge Carol (b) (h: L Causeley) and Aporto hunting-pointing-retrieving gundog in the UK.
Of Monksway (b) (h: J Banks) were the other two
dogs awarded in the 1950s, and in total seven In October 1967 Lt. Col. HD Tucker’s 5- year-
field awards from trials of a hunting-pointing old bitch, Lotti Go-Lightly became the first
nature were awarded. Weimaraner to win a first place in a Field Trial
organised by an HPR club, in the GSPC’s Novice
These four dogs were the most prominent Stake at Wynyard Hall, Stockton-On-Tees. Lotti
Weimaraners in competitions in the 1950s. Go-Lightly was to dominate the field awards
With others being actively worked on lowland among Weimaraners in the late 1960s through to
shoots and grouse moors by breed enthusiasts, the early 1970s.
principally as roughshooting dogs.

Showing was ancillary to fieldwork, motivated
principally by the need to satisfy an increasing
public curiosity to learn more about the
Weimaraner.

The 1960s – Dedication and
Qualification

The fledgling HPR breed clubs began to organise
dedicated HPR field trials in the 1960s. Clubs held
a number of “Qualifying Stakes” which appraised
dogs broadly along field trial lines enabling the Lotti Go-lightly, the breed’s first Field Trial
award of a Qualifying Certificate to a dog which winner owned by “Tommy Tucker”.
had shown sufficient merit. The significant change
was that the dogs were shot over and were then The other Weimaraner to win a recognised field
asked to retrieve, and so more was demanded trial accolade in the 1960s was CL Church’s
than simply the hunting and pointing requirements Border Cleopatra (b) with a Certificate of Merit
characteristic of Pointer-Setter trials. Dogs were (CoM).
then regarded as “Field Qualified”.

The 1970s – Getting On
Strawbridge Oliver (d) handled by GV Webb
was the first Weimaraner to pick up a Qualifying For Weimaraners in the field the 1970s saw the
Certificate at a stake held by an HPR club, the breed pick up momentum. 15 handlers ran 18
GSPC at Hailes Castle, East Lothian in October dogs to share 29 awards in trials run by 4 HPR
1962. clubs and the L&BGA. Of the 29 field trial awards
three were 1sts, two seconds, and two thirds in
Mrs L Petrie-Hay’s bitch Andelyb’s Balch followed Novice with fourteen Reserves or CoMs.
suit in 1964 along with DG Roberts’s Theocsbury
Abbie (b) at the GSPC Qualifying Stake at There was a 3rd and a CoM in All-Aged, and two
Cerniau, Welshpool. 2nds and four CoMs in Open. On 7th October
1972 Lt. Col. HD Tucker’s Lotti Go-Lightly won a
These early owner-handlers pioneered the 1st place at a WCGB Novice Field Trial at Flixton,
Weimaraner in field competitions in what were Suffolk.
the formative years of the breed in the United
Kingdom, and a great deal is owed to the On 20th October 1973 Mrs VJ Sutton (later
dedication and persistence of this band of breed O’Keeffe) won a CoM with Grinshill Malplaquet Of
enthusiasts in establishing the Weimaraner as a Castle Garnstone (d) CDEX (later also UDEX), to

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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / MARCH 2021