News
Spring 2003
Horsham Newfs – News from
the Winter Months
So what has been going on since we last saw each other down at the water? It seems as though it has been a long time since we were last jumping out of boats at Southwater. As I write, my Millie is pacing the floor staring longingly out of the window at the river. She cannot wait to get back to regular swimming and sends all of her Newfie friends out there a ‘woof’ and a ‘wag of the tail’.
In November we called it quits for swimming, it just got too cold. Personally I lost the will to clamber into a wet suit back in September but there was a core of hardy enthusiasts who continued to get wet even with a frost on the ground.
Our winter walks kicked off soon after with a group of us delighting the residents of Frensham Pond with 8 humans, 8 Newfs (including 3 Landseers) and an Alsation. We didn’t half get some looks as we set off on a very windy slightly overcast Sunday morning. I don’t think the group of French people picnicking by the pond thought much of Hudson who was convinced the baguettes were for him.
In December Wendy and Pat hosted a walk in Billingshurst which was well attended and did not involve any mishaps at all. December was also full of Christmas parties for the group. We spent a wonderful day in Shoreham giving cart rides for the children at their school fete. We again raised an astonishing amount of money and had a wonderful day in our festive decoration. The dogs were beautifully behaved although following Merlin’s popularity back in the summer as a tiny little puppy, most of the children were astounded to meet him again as he had grown enormously!
Angela Dalgliesh hosted a superb party at her home in Reigate. There was a wonderful turn out from members new and old with much food and wine consumed. Thank you again for your hospitality Angela, can we come again this year?
The disco provided great merriment and the raffle was enjoyed by all. The trip home was quick and efficient although I know of one party maker who had a bit of a hangover the next day!
Christmas came and went and with it the arrival of a new puppy in our midst in the form of Loxley Mercer. A delightful little puppy dog who has settled in beautifully with Izzi, Kayos and Dexter.
At the beginning of January we went to the boat show to order our new boat. We negotiated a wonderful deal for a 4.3 metre Quicksilver with 30hp Yamaha outboard which will enable us to adventure out onto larger bodies of water and the open sea should we wish. The boat is largely thanks to Chris’s boat fund raised by friends and family in her memory. We shall be launching her on March 8th and hopefully enjoying many a working weekend in her.
Our committee meeting in January was well attended with a most enjoyable walk in the morning and a delicious lunch provided by Steve and Elaine. The walk itself was exciting with 15 dogs to herd up and down dale. With the exception of Millie’s insistence on scaling a fence and going for an unplanned swim there was absolutely no bad behaviour whatsoever. After all, we are used to the sexual demands of Duke and Odin, aren’t we?
And now to this year. A full packed diary of events awaits us with a lot of weekends away, many opportunities to help our dogs pass their tests both on land and water, many shows to prepare for and a lot of wine to be drunk.
Let’s make it a good one!
Results from around the country – late 2002
First of all I would like to apologise to Charna Cundy. In the last Newsletter I dutifully reported on some of the successes for other dogs in the show ring and failed to note the result of Charna’s first ever show. A Bonio awaits you the next time we meet ….
Bournemouth Championship Show – 11/08/02
Charna Cundy – 4th in Minor Puppy Bitch (Charna’s first ever
show)
Welsh Kennel Club Championship Show – 17/08/02
Charna Cundy – 2nd in Minor Puppy Bitch
Midland Counties Show – 25/10/02
Merlin Hawkins – 3rd in Minor Puppy Dog
Dylan Lucas – 4th in Puppy Dog
Charna Cundy – 1st in Minor Puppy Bitch & 2nd in Puppy Bitch
Newfoundland Club Championship Show – 09/11/02
Charna Cundy – 1st in Puppy Bitch
Izzi Mercer – 5th in Veteran Bitch
LKA Championship show – 14/12/02
Dylan Lucas – 2nd in Junior Dog
Charna Cundy – 2nd in Puppy Bitch
Horsham Newfs Working Achievements in 2002
The following dogs all passed these tests in 2002
| Handler | Dog | Water | Draught | |
| Adcock Bridger Bridger Chrismas Cundy Hawkins Leybourne Leybourne Lloyd Thomas Mallett Mercer Mercer Mercer Rowe Stevens |
Panda Esta Megan Hudson Charna Mica Millie Tallie Louis Bruno Izzy Dexter Kayos Kodi Freya |
A B B A C A B A, B B A A, B |
1 1, 2 1 1 1, 2 1 1 1 3 (5 Times) 2 1, 2 |
Izzy also earned a certificate of merit for passing level 3 draught test 5 times (which she achieved in just over 6 months)
Congratulations to everyone.
Horsham Newfs …. impressions of a new member
Looking at the list of members that arrived through the post today I think I might be the “longest-distance” member of Horsham Newfoundland Activity Group – NOT that I am new to the group, but now I am an officially paid-up member instead of just an (albeit very welcome) “hanger-on”!
Having trained for the last seven years in two groups each of which consisted, for the most part, of two or three people and two or three Newfs, I attended my first training session at Southwater Country Park with no small degree of trepidation. Would I be able to cope with being in a huge group? Would I spend all day (yes, all day) feeling frustrated at the lack of opportunity for my dog to “have a go”? Would I be overcome by the crowds? (well, perhaps that thought wasn’t foremost in my mind!)
As it turned out I had a great time and didn’t feel cheated at the lack of time allotted to my (now two) dogs. However, it was different. Let me explain ….
Training “at home” consists of fixing a date and time that’s mutually convenient and fits in with the tides (yes, we’re talking SEA training here) and meeting at the harbour by The Cobb at Lyme Regis. In the summer it is usually necessary to clear the wooden slipway of holiday-makers (who seem to think it’s a bench put there for their convenience, babies and toddlers parked there by parents who think it’s nice for them to sit on while digging vast entrenchments in the sand at its foot and sundry buckets, spades, shoes, picnic bags and other items essential for a day on the beach, before one can drive down it, through the entrenchments and across the sand of the harbour (scattering more townies) in order to launch the boat. Our group has two boats … one belonging to each member, and a 4x4 “beach vehicle”!!
This obstacle course has to be negotiated twice in each direction (once with boat and once with trailer only) and the trippers don’t seem to realise that a working harbour actually has boat launching and recovery going on all day and so immediately recolonise their chosen spot as soon as the unreasonable boat people have passed by!
Occasionally there is the added excitement of an emergency Lifeboat launch or a training exercise down the concrete slipway immediately adjacent to the small craft one; that really sends the trippers into a tizzy. On one occasion, after the maroon had gone up for a genuine launch, a woman (obviously NOT local) was heard to comment “Oh, it must be a fireworks display, how nice!” Bearing in mind it was 11.00am on a burning hot sunny July day … well … say no more.
Once we are on, or in, the water, depending on the temperature and time of year, the dogs work constantly for anything up to 2½ hours in waves, currents, tides and in and out of a heaving boat (…… and some people think it’s too much for a dog to take two water tests in one day … hmm!!)
So .. you can see Southwater Training is different! Once you get over the lack of clarity of the water and the lack of waves though, …. it’s GREAT FUN. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages of course. One of the most enjoyable things for me was experiencing so many dogs working and seeing the different ways they tackled the tasks set for them. Obviously I have intimate and longstanding knowledge of the way Tansy and Chloe (Tansy’s training ‘partner’) work; their personalities – very contrasting – lead them to adopt totally different approaches, but seeing so many new dogs was really fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed helping to find a variety of strategies for dogs learning something new (just maybe I’m revealing my previous incarnation as a teacher here!!) I hope I didn’t overdo the ‘training tips’ and advice. (Please see me privately if you think I did!!!!)
I did find the break for coffee, and then for lunch, different. The first week I was unprepared, the second week I had my picnic bag with me! At Lyme we go flat out until we are exhausted and then repair to the pub for large mugs of hot coffee. However the biggest and most welcome difference came at changing time! At Southwater there are loos ……. HOT showers and a warm place to change. At Lyme we have the wide-open spaces of The Cobb or the car park in which to strip off our sandy wetsuits in full view of the passing public. This is just about acceptable in the summer, but with pouring rain and a Force 5 or 6 blowing in off the sea, it’s not so funny!!
I’d like to thank all the active members who’ve made me so
welcome at the social occasions the three training sessions and I’ve
attended. I won’t be able to come every week of course, but I know
I’ll have a thoroughly enjoyable time when I AM able to get there.
Fi Lucas
© Horsham Working Newfoundlands