Page 142 - K9 News Digital - Issue 11 May2020

BEST

IN SHOW

WINNER’S

INTERVIEW

Kim & Duncan McCalmont took some time out to and a friendship grew and continued for the next 15
chat to us about their Crufts experience and life years.
with their Crufts Best in Show winner, Maisie. Over time working together we imported dogs from
the USA and bred litters in together and in tandem.
Tell us a little about your experience; how long
On Jill’s passing we were bequeathed the Silvae affix
have you been breeding and showing?
and continued to breed and show Silvae Wires.
We have been showing and breeding since the
early 80’s. We started with a pet dog, that the What awards and accolades have you received
breeders hoped we would show. Neither of us had a over the years?
background in showing but had a strong love of dogs. We have been very fortunate to have received many
So after some thought we felt it would be a hobby we awards and accolades within the breed, such as
could share, so decided to give it a go. top breeder, top dog, top brood bitch and top stud
Our first show was a local all breeds open show dog in successive years. We have been particularly
where we got a third place, needless to say we were fortunate at Crufts where we have had 22 green
over the moon, and thought we had cracked it. We cards with 10 different dogs and doing the double four
continued to show our boy, peaking with a limit win. times since the turn of the millennium. We have had
We then progressed to our first bitch and subsequent success winning breed BIS, General championship
litter both producing limit wins. It was at this point, that show groups including 2 group placings at Crufts.
as a result of an unsuccessful litter of four unilateral We have also had BIS’s with two different bitches
cryptorchid dogs and our bitch being spayed that our including BIS at Birmingham National in 2018.
line ended. Fortunately for us at this point, we were However, winning 2020 BIS at Crufts is our obviously
taken under the wing of the late Mrs Jill Johnstone, our highest accolade.
of the world renowned “Silvae kennels” whose stud
dog we had used. At a show Jill fell over handling in What preparations do you make for a large show
the ring injuring her knee. Looking around the ring for like Crufts?
a friendly face her eye fell on us and I was asked to I can’t say that I make any additional preparations for
complete the class. I must have done a reasonable Crufts but as most exhibitors will know preparation
job as I received a phone call prior to the following is year round all the way through nutrition, exercise
show to handle again. Honoured to do so I agreed to coat preparation all have to be balanced to peak

142 - K9 NEWS DIGITAL