Page 22 - News Letter

The First
Mastiff

World
Cup

Someone had the brilliant idea of calling together Mastiffs from around
the world to meet in the month of September in a corner of France
renowned for its wine and its sunshine. The Mastiffs turned up, the
wine flowed, it was only the sun which failed to put in an appearance
but the welcome was so warm that hardly anyone noticed its absence.

Mastiff enthusiasts came from far and wide, from as far afield as
Australia as well as from Europe and the USA, to celebrate this
wonderful breed and people were able to meet in person individuals
with whom they had communicated for years via social media.

The World Cup Show itself was impressive because it is rare to see
Open Classes of 27 or 28 except in the US. One has to admit that
quantity does not always bring quality but on the whole there were
enough reasonable dogs there to keep judges and spectators happy.
John Bromley, Debbie Harding and George Zadeh were among the
successful exhibitors so the British contingent had reason to cheer. The
Saturday Show was a special moment in the history of our breed and
everyone appreciated the opportunity to see so many Mastiffs at the
same time and in the same place.

Of course I was not an exhibitor and so the show results were less
pertinent for me than for owners. For me the most important part of the
whole weekend was what happened on the Friday and carried on
throughout the weekend. The CFBM organised a conference which was
attended by delegates from many countries. Christofer Habig spoke of
the work which awaits us if we wish to protect and save our breed in its
purest form, a warning which we should ignore at our peril.

22