Page 150 - K9News_Issue16_May2021

MAGPIEBANK
MAGPIEBANK
MANCHESTER TERRIERS – AND FRIENDS
MANCHESTER TERRIERS – AND FRIENDS
Chris and I had both grown up with our
respective family pet dogs, and I had an
extremely competitive horsey upbringing, but
we first got involved with the competitive dog
world through Lurcher and Terrier Shows.
When himself and I first met I had a 2nd cross
Collie/Greyhound and Chris had homebred
Jack Russells which in those days were not KC
registered. We would visit the local Country and
Game Fairs entering the showing classes, the
simulated coursing and the Racing with varying
degrees of success. In the mid 1990’s we were
at Chatsworth Country Fair watching the Terrier
Racing when we spotted a black and tan streak
leaving the rest of the field in it’s wake. We had
no idea what it was at the time, but pretty soon
found out it was called a ‘Manchester Terrier’.
This was pre-internet and it took us quite some
time to research the Breed, and as both our
dogs were in their prime at the time we were not
in the market for another, so it was a case of
looking forwards to having one in the future.
Moving on three years, picture me sitting at my
desk in work (I am a farm secretary), and a lady
comes into the office asking if we would have a
spare field where a dog club with smallish dogs
could hold a Fun Weekend. Call it fate, but I
knew she was going to say Manchester Terriers.
The lady was Margaret Clowes (Churnet), the
Fun Weekend happened and a year later we
were the proud owners of a bitch from her line.
Sadly, we lost ‘Bridie’ far too young in a road
traffic accident, but naturally we were hooked.
150
K9 NEWS DIGITAL / MAY 2021
by Ann Harrison
by Ann Harrison
We had met so many lovely people in the
breed and were fortunate enough to be able to
adopt ‘Monty’ who through no fault of his own
had been returned to his breeders and needed
re-homing. He was Sophyla Salute the Flag
and Peter and Ella Eva entrusted him to us,
I think the fact that he bonded instantly with
our other dog, a white lurcher called Grace,
had more to do with them entrusting him to
us than our credentials! One Manchester is
never enough so when the time came to have
another bitch we managed to persuade Peter
and Ella to have one more litter – their last –
and along came Sophyla Sophie. What a girl.
The most trainable dog I had ever had (and
that included GSDs) she acquitted herself well
in the showring, but her forte is being part of
the Manchesters Reunited Obreedience Team
where she has twice performed in the Finals
held in the Crufts Obedience Ring.
As a vulnerable breed with only about 120
puppies registered each year we wanted to do
our bit so chose NZ Ch Lindhorne Spellbound
as the sire for Sophie’s first litter. We kept the
biggest, softest boy from this litter, although
he had decided at 5 weeks off age that he was
going no-where and would scream the house
down if a visitor picked him up. He is now Ch
Magpiebank Ash, BIS at the BMTC Open
Show in 2016 and shortlisted in the Group at
Richmond Ch Show 2016. He quite enjoys his
showing, but like all our dogs gained his Gold
Good Citizens award, which he achieved at 12
months of age. His trainability and flair led to