Breed Show and Fun Day!

On Sunday 5th September 2021 we will be holding a single breed open show followed by a fun day at Steventon Village Hall. Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Our show is open to all KC registered Kooikers, and we encourage everyone to come and have a go, there is a mountain of fantastic prizes up for grabs! The schedule to enter your dog into the show, which must be returned by 23rd August 2021 is available on our links and download page of this website.

In the afternoon, following the show we will have a super fun day, with again lots of prizes to be won! Our classes include;

  1. Best Puppy under 6 months
  2. Fancy Dress – dog not human! (Although owners are welcome to join in)
  3. Best Earrings
  4. Most Impressive Tail
  5. Most Appealing Eyes
  6. Waggiest Tail
  7. Prettiest Bitch (Under 7yrs)
  8. Handsome Dog (Under 7yrs)
  9. Golden Girl (7yrs+)
  10. Distinguished Gent (7yrs+)
  11. Best Movement
  12. Child’s Best Friend

All breeds and crosses are welcome to join in these classes which you enter on the day.

We will also offer KC Good Citizen Bronze Testing for those of you looking to show off your dog’s fabulous good manners and skills!

Kooikerhondje Breed Open Show 2021

We are very pleased to announce that subject to all future Covid restrictions we will be holding our annual Kooikerhondje Open Show in Oxfordshire on the 5th September 2021. More details will be announced in the coming weeks, but save the date!

If you are interested in owning the breed this is the perfect place to come and learn about our little, complex breed. To speak to lots of owners about their experience of living with the breed, as well as being able to chat to breeders.

Do you have an outstanding Kooiker?

The Kooikerhondje Club of Great Britain are offering a new annual award in 2020 – Kooiker Achievement of the Year!
We want to hear from you if your Kooiker has;

  • Achieved something amazing in their activity field (agility, obedience, rally, scentwork, parcour, heel work to music, trick training, etc.)
  • Has helped a member of your family through a difficult time
  • Has overcome a traumatic experience of their own
  • Has become a medical assistance superstar
  • Has helped to raise money for charity
  • Gone above and beyond what most dogs do
  • Is generally just incredible.

To enter send a description of why you think your dog should win, together with a photograph or video through to kooikerUK@gmail.com. You must be a member of the Club to enter – but it is never to late to join the club, the application form is on the download tab of the website. Entries must be received by the 30th June for the committee to shortlist, and then the winner will be selected via a public vote at the annual club show and fun day!
Please note, by sending us a photo/video you are agreeing to it being posted on the Club’s website and on Facebook to advertise your dog’s story before voting.

Good luck, and start telling us about your outstanding dogs!

A eulogy for Julia Swinburn

When Peter telephoned me and asked for a favour, I immediately said yes. I think Peter sensed my panic when he asked me, as the favour, to deliver the Eulogy today.

I was both honoured and terrified to be asked to say a few words about Julia on this occasion.  Honoured, because I have known Julia for more years than I care to remember, terrified, because I found it hard to find suitable words to describe her. She was a so much a larger than life personality. 

The Julia I knew would be very dismissive of anything I am about to say. I can hear her now at the back of this congregation saying “for heaven’s sake Ken, stop waffling and get on with it.”

Although this is inevitably a sad occasion, we should also remember it as a happy remembrance of a life well lived. She certainly touched the lives of many of us here today.

Julia was a Marmite personality. At times I have been on both sides of that argument.

Sheila and I first met her 30   years ago, when we were all showing dogs on the Gundog Import Register. Both our animals were very successful, so we were friendly rivals and our friendship grew.

A formidable opponent in an argument with strong opinions of her own, but, underneath that formidable appearance there was a very kind heart. Anyone who stood up to Julia earned her respect. She found it hard to suffer fools kindly.

Julia spent a great many years in the teaching profession. Strangely, although I have never been involved with education, except in industry, I found our paths did meet.

In my working life I have spent many years in Quality Management Consultancy. I ran many training courses for people wanting to enter that profession. Quality Management involves achieving accreditation to an international standard. This standard involves meeting many requirements of that standard. One of those requirements involves what in engineering terms is called calibration. To ensure that all measurements made are accurate and reliable. When it comes to applying such a standard to education it seems, initially, that this is not possible. However, as I had to explain to my students many times, there is a way of ensuring that the measure you apply, usually by examination, is to have all exam papers checked independently.

This was where my path and Julia’s met. She was one of the independent assessors of the completed exam papers, papers for exams such as GCSE or, in my Old Fashioned days, “O” and “A” level.

She had interest in many breeds of dog. The ones I most knew her for were Dalmatians. Kooikerhondje and latterly, Swiss Mountain Dogs.

Julia and Peter worked with the importers of the first Kooikerhondje, Mrs. Molly Yates and her husband, Bill, together with others to get the Kooikerhondje Club of Great Britain started. She held many offices with the club and Preceded Peter as club President. Anyone who knows Julia when in positions of authority will know that she was staunch defender of protocol and she and I had many healthy discussions in Committee.

When she decided to call it a day with any official role with the club, I was the one who was in the unfortunate position of accepting her resignation. In more recent times she was a great support to Celia Clarke and us to get the breed off the Import Register and on to Rare Breeds Classification. Julia, with Peter was responsible for producing the breed standard as required by the Kennel Club even though one already existed on the continent. We all know the KC attitude of not being invented by us.

Following this she was the first Judge, ever, to be asked to Judge the Kooikerhondje at Crufts.

Sheila had the honour of being asked to go to Holland to choose a puppy for them from a litter at the famous Manusia Kennel. We persuaded Julia to come with us and see the puppy first hand. Luckily she chose the puppy that Sheila would have chosen for her. (Sigh of relief!!) The weekend turned out to be one that stays in the memory as thoroughly enjoyable and special. On the way home we stopped at a Dutch street market and as ever she managed to find dog memorabilia

Julia cared very much for the health, welfare and selective breeding of dogs for health and temperament.

Today, Julia has appropriately, met St. Peter, although many would say that she has been living with him for the 52 years of their marriage.

Before we all go our separate ways can I say, on the Marmite theme, please remember the things about Julia you loved and not the things that you may not have loved.

Now I can definitely hear Julia saying “for heaven’s sake Ken, stop waffling and get on with it.”

Ken Rees

A deeply sad announcement

It is with great sorrow that we have to announce that founding club member Julia Swinburn passed away suddenly early on the 25th January.

Julia and her husband Peter played a crucial part in establishing and promoting the wonderful Kooiker breed in the UK

I know that all our thoughts will be with Peter at this very sad time. Julia’s funeral shall be held at St. Peter’s Church, Binton CV37 9TN on Friday the 21st February at 12.30pm.

Peter has asked that only family send flowers to the church, if you wish to remember Julia, please donate to charity in her memory.

KOOIKERHONDJE CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN COMMITTEE MEETING

KOOIKERHONDJE CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN
COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT FOR COMMITTEE MEETING NO 52
Date of meeting: 17 November 2019
Venue: The Hare at Loddington, Main Street, Loddington Northants NN14 1LA
Present: 11 committee members, including President, Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer
Apologies received from 5 committee members
Discussions and decisions
This meeting was mainly concerned with a report on the planned improvements to the Club web site and it
was agreed that Breed Notes should be posted on the web site along with a full list of contact details for
the committee and short reports of the Committee meetings for members to review. A GDPR safe list of
judges will also be posted to make a show secretary’s task easier when searching for qualified and
experienced judge of Kooikerhondjes.
It was also again confirmed that the AGM would take place on 15 March at Weedon Bec Village Hall and
that a judge for the match that will follow will be appointed shortly.
Finally the Breed Education Co-ordinator updated the committee on current developments in the JCF
programme and how they would affect the Club and its maintenance of the Club judges’ list. As it is now
possible for breed Clubs to maintain their own judges’ list again it was agreed that all judges on the current
Club list would be contacted so that their details can be updated as soon as possible. It was aslso agreed
that the Club would hold both a Breed Appreciation Day and a Health seminar during the year to meet the
growing demand for these two events.
Finally it was announced that there would be a 2nd Agility day (organised by Dave Deaville) on 22 February
(venue yet to be confirmed) and that a Handling training day (organised by Claire Johnson) would be held at
Steventon Hall sometime in February as well. An Xmas party (mainly aimed at pet owners) is also being
planned for December 2020.

KOOIKERHONDJE CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN COMMITTEE MEETING

KOOIKERHONDJE CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN
COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT FOR COMMITTEE MEETING NO 51
Date of meeting: 4 August 2019
Venue: The Hare at Loddington, Main Street, Loddington Northants NN14 1LA
Present: 9 committee members, including President, Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer
Apologies received from 8 committee members
Discussions and decisions
This meeting was mainly concerned with a report of the very successful Open Show, which was expertly run by Claire Johnson and which resulted in an income of over £550 for the Club, a further £220 for the Polymyositis fund from a raffle and £156 from sales of merchandise – altogether a really good effort from everyone.
The plans for the 2020 ( Sunday 7 June) and 2021 (Sunday 13 June) Open shows (both at Steventon Village Hall) were then discussed and it was confirmed that the judge for the AV classes in 2020 would be Angela Walton and the two judges for 2021 would be John Steele and his wife.
The planned improvements to the Club were site also discussed and it was confirmed that the AGM would take place on 15 March at Weedon Bec Village Hall. It was also confirmed that Christina Suiter would be taking over from Sheila Rees as Breed Note writer for Our Dogs.
Finally the Breed Education Co-ordinator updated the committee on current developments in the JCF programme and how they would affect the Club and its maintenance of the Club judges’ list.

Club Single Breed Open Show and Fun Day

We have a fabulous 48 Kooikers entered in the club show! We have 22 dogs making an entry of 35, and 26 bitches making an entry of 37 for the classes before BIS, and another 48 entries for the classes following BIS at the club breed open show on the 9th June. That is the most Kooikers ever entered in any UK show ever! If you aren’t entered in the show I hope to see you in the fun day games which follow! Judging will commence at 10am at Steventon Village Hall, The Green, Steventon, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 6RR.

The show will be followed by a fun day open to all dogs, Kooiker or otherwise! Games and classes will include ‘Best Sausage Catcher’ and ‘Best Fancy Dress’ amongst many more.

We shall also have an incredible raffle, with money going to help find a test for polymyostis in Kooikerhondjes.

Breed Health Update

Hello you lovely Kooiker people! It is time for me to send through the 6 monthly update to the global breed health register. This is an INVALUABLE tool to breeders to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to keep the breed healthy. This is a database that contains all pedigrees, health tests and medical conditions of all Kooikers born in all countries since the 1940s.
I need to hear from you about points such as;
* Your dog has had an ENM, vWD, patella, eye or hip health test
* Your dog has had a litter
* Your dog has sadly passed away
* Your dog has been diagnosed with patella luxation
* Your dog has been diagnosed with any cancers
* Your dog has been diagnosed with any eye issues
* Your dog has been diagnosed with epilepsy
* Essentially any condition that isn’t due to an accident or simple bug/ virus
PLEASE DO YOUR BIT TO HELP YOUR BREED STAY HEALTHY
Please email c-l-Johnson@hotmail.co.uk with any details, thank you!