Page 96 - K9 News - Issue 15 - March2021

on to win several reserve CC’s before finishing
Sh Ch Ryanstock Genteel JW (Davey)
her classes but turned out to be an excellent
worker, which suited our needs. Davey who we
had mated to Angie became ill and although
we nearly lost him, he came back to make
a good recovery but needed more attention.
From Angie’s litter born 2003 we again kept two
puppies, Ryanstock Invincible JW (Vinnie)
and Ryanstock Imprint (Meesha). The ‘Team’
would be out there with me showing Vinnie and
Elaine showing Meesha. We managed for about
a year and then there was no alternative, one of
us would have to stop showing to look after the
dogs at home, we could no longer bring them
for days out, they needed care in the comfort
of home. Elaine being a great carer offered to
be the one to stay at home. Elaine could visit
shows occasionally on a social level. Angie had
a litter to a Ch dog and we kept a bitch which
we called (Esme) Ryanstock Know How JW.
We needed a worker and she certainly was that,
she had a terrific nose and real drive, she was
passionate about finding game. She was a good
looking bitch and showed for a while but much
preferred to be working.
During this decade registrations soared to 2800
in 2005. Competition became intense for a
while. Zeb was showing promise winning his
first CC in 2003, so I would fly the ‘Ryanstock’
flag with him. He was the first of ours to win
the new KC show certificate of merit and was
competing with the best at each and every
show. After taking his second CC he would go
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off his title with CC’s at two consecutive shows
in 2006. Vinnie won his Junior warrant, both
he and Meesha won many classes but never
took any top honours. Whilst we still had good
dogs that needed to be shown, every weekend
now seemed not so much a pleasure but more
a necessity, a little like being a hamster on a
wheel. That enthusiasm that Elaine and I shared
when we first entered the world of showing
was not there, for me at least. I suppose the
discussion after the class, the analysis and even
the shared enjoyment or disappointment on the
journey home were all part of the enthusiasm
we had shared in the past. There were still
friends to meet and engage with but they were
becoming fewer each year.
Esme produced two litters to Zeb and we
had kept a dog from the first and a bitch from
the second. The dog we called (The Stig)
Ryanstock Lovematch, he was and still is so
bright and intelligent. Ahead of his peers I was
teaching him aspects of work that were 6 to 8
months earlier than I would normally. He was
swimming at 16 weeks in the pond and would
retrieve duck before he was 12 months old.
He is a sound dog, very gentle and biddable,
still loves to learn and is a great companion.
The bitch we called (Gracie) Ryanstock
Magic JW, she not only has a remarkable
nose when working but also tremendous drive
in the field. She went into the showing arena
and enjoyed every minute, it was clear she
had great potential and it was a pleasure once
more to take her to her shows. She won her
first CC whilst still in Junior and her second CC
six months later. Her first reserve CC was not
long after, and then completely without warning
she just stopped enjoying showing. At first we
thought it was something she would grow out of.
In the early days I suppose a spell in retraining
and gentle reintroduction to the showring would
have been the course we would have taken.
We have never had that desperation to win, but
always enjoyed giving a good specimen the
chance to prove it’s worth. Gracie settled down
at home and was happy, we had other things
happening in our lives and in the grand scheme