Django Best Dog at Boston Championship.
Had a Great day yesterday – at 3:45AM Django and Tim headed off to the Boston Champonship Show (the first Champ Show that we’ve managed to get to since last summer) where Django won 1st Post Graduate Dog and then went Best Dog under breed specialist Keeley Newman-Jones – a great start to 2014!
Her critique for him was:
“25 months, one I liked as a youngster & he his maturing well. An upstanding dog who has a lovely eyecatching presence, lovely coat & colour, liked his head, all the correct proportions. Balanced all over especially on the move. Good depth of chest, correct front & rear angulation. Lovely temperament, he still has some maturing to do & I am sure will improve still. BD & very close to BOB”
Django’s Boston win s.
At the show we also met up with young Belatarr Hercules, 5 month old litter brother to Lyra and full brother to Django, Gryphon, Billie & Charlie.
Belatarr Hercules at 5 months.
…and then headed across country to Telford to visit two more baby sisters, Belatarr Andromeda & Belatarr Cassiopeia . 17hrs and 600 miles miles later we arrived back home – exhausted but with heads full of our lovely new generation of Belatarr babies!
Belatarr Cassopeia at 5 months.
Beltarr Lyra at 5 months.
Lyra, stacked at 5 months.
Our cheeky little monkey is coming along very nicely, brimming with personality and confidence she also seems to combine the flashiness and movement of her brother Django with her father Mingus’ full-body covering harsh red coat, exactly what we were hoping for!
Now 5 months old Lyra is stacked here at the exact location that we photographed Dad and big brother when they too were 5 months old. She feels very much the baby still, so it’s hard to believe that she’ll be stepping out into the ring for the first time in only a few more weeks…
Belatarr Mahalia Jackson Best Bitch at LKA
Ending what has been a terrific year in suitably terrific style Billie, Belatarr Mahalia Jackson, took 1st in Post Graduate Bitch at the LKA Championship, and then went on to be awarded Best Bitch and Reserve Best of Breed under judge Mick Howes.
His super critique for her read:
“A real showgirl with class & style. She did not put a foot wrong. With overall soundness & balance, this bitch has an eye catching outline. Shown in good coat & presented in lovely condition. She has a very pretty head with good earset & correct eye, strong neck & lay back of shoulder, plenty of fore chest with straight front good pastern. Plenty of depth with spring to rib, excellent tailset. She has good muscle tone which showed in her movement which was steady with drive & extension keeping her topline & using her tail. Well deserving of Best Bitch”
Billie on the move.
Belatarr Mahalia Jackson steps out.
Billie (Belatarr Mahalia Jackson) has had a superb run at Champ Shows all year, most recently taking 1st Post Graduate Bitch at Midland Counties under breed expert Sheila Grey, but she has been a little overshadowed going head-to-head against her brothers Django & Gryphon at recent Open Shows.
Billie certainly turned the tables today at the Exonian Canine Association show, though. She started by taking 1st in another big HWV Open class, with Django 2nd, and then went Best of Breed with Django Reserve BOB under judge Penny Gowland. Some hours later the 17-strong Gundog Group took to the ring and Billie did us all proud by taking an excellent Gundog Group 2 – congratulations to Billie & Irene on another really super result for the Mk 1 Belatarr babies!
Billie at Midland Counties.
Gryphon wins BEST IN SHOW!
Another sensational weekend for the Belatarr babies! On Saturday Belatarr Charlie Parker picked up another Best of Breed at the Huntingtonshire Canine Society Open Show; the following day, at the Bridgewater & District Canine Society Open Show, Belatarr Dizzy Gillespie (Gryphon) won Best of Breed and then went Gundog Group 1 under judge Mike Masters before going BEST IN SHOW under judge John Carter.
The judges critique for Gryphon was:
“Dog that impressed immensely. Oozes breed type & balance, appealing head & strong front. Lovely to go over with everything in the right place, in the correct proportions. Completed the picture with a good jacket. Moved so sound to win BOB, G1 & I was delighted to see him awarded BIS. ” Michael Masters
Gryphon’s Bridegwater wins.
This win means, incredibly, that Belatarr brothers have won the ALL of last three Devon & Somerset show Gundog Groups in a row over the last three successive weekends, with Django’s Group 1 win at Plymouth last weekend sandwiched by Gryphon’s two Group 1 wins at Minehead & then Bridgewater – an unprecedented run!
Best in Show.
Not only that but in the course of just three shows Gryphon has now collected more than enough points for his Show Certificate of Merit, just like his father, Mingus, before him. In so doing he becomes one of only a small handful of HWV’s, and only the 5th ever male (and the 2nd youngest after dad Mingus) to qualify for this prestigious award.
Many congratulations to Irene – we are incredibly proud, and currently incredibly excited!
Gryphon in the group winners line-up for BIS.
Django’s big win.
Following on from his brother Gryphon’s big result last weekend Django stepped up a gear today at the Plymouth & District Kennel Association Show where he won a large class in HWV Open and topped an all-Belatarr top 3 – with Brother Gryphon (Belatarr Dizzy Gillespie) 2nd and sister Belatarr Mahalia Jackson 3rd – before taking Best of Breed. This was Django’s 13th Best of Breed out of his last 15 shows, which is a pretty good score rate by any reckoning!
In a tough 17 strong line-up featuring many top dogs he then he went on to beat them all and be awarded a wonderful Gundog Group 1 (Best Gundog in Show) under judge Jane Lilley, prompting her to remark that “he does something to my heart” which was a lovely comment to hear. Her equally super critique was:
“Such a very high quality entry which, I was delighted to see, resulted in three siblings taking the first three spots. 1st Belatarr Django Reinhardt well balanced handsome and masculine, so good for make, shape, size and type. Here was quality combined with the best of construction and movement with excellent topline and tailset. A happy showman beautifully presented in hard condition and well textured coat. So very sound and effortless on the move, he looked as if he could go on all day with no trouble at all. Most impressive & should be even more so when fully mature. BOB G1“
Django’s Plymouth awards.
We took the gang out to the beach for a celebratory romp this morning and took the opportunity to capture a few new Django head-shots at the same time – very wet & very sandy – just the way he likes it!.
Wonderful win for Gryphon!
The gorgeous Belatarr Dizzy Gillespie (Gryphon) scored a stunning win yesterday at the Minehead & District Open show. He started by collecting 1st Graduate HWV, and then beat his sister Belatarr Mahalia Jackson (who was 1st in Open HWV) to take Best of Breed.
Then, after a few more hours of waiting, he won the Gundog Group too, a rare and very special achievement for any HWV, and only the third such win for a Belatarr boy, following similar Group 1 wins for dad Mingus and brother Charlie Parker, but Gryphon wasn’t finished there and shortly afterwards also took Reserve Best in Show! A fabulous achievement for Gryphon & Irene and one that instantly rewards them with 12 of the necessary 25 points towards a Show Certificate of Merit.
The judge’s super critique was:
“2 years dog. Typical, well balanced head. Correct skull, muzzle, nose, eye & ear. Strong jaws. Good head carriage, neck & forehand construction. Well boned limbs & feet. Excellent body & ribs. Powerful loin & couplings. Muscular, well made hindquarters. Correct skin, coat & furnishings. Sound free mover. Very typical all through combining quality with breed essence”
J Gill Davis
Needless to say we’re immensely proud of both Gryphon and Irene!
The Minehead rosette haul.
Lyra at 12 weeks.
Lyra glowing in some rare sun and suddenly looking terribly grown-up too, but still very tiny beside her parents and big brother.
Introducing Lyra!
The Belatarr pack expands once again as we officially welcome Belatarr Lyra to the household.
Belatarr Lyra.
The pick of Phoenix & Mingus’ recent litter Lyra (formerly Miss Lime, for our puppy watchers!) is an absolutely gorgeous girl with her fathers deep red wire coat and a completely unflappable confidence in everything that she does.
Lyra was named after the heroine of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and also, in line with all of her litter-mates, after the Lyra constellation.
Riding in the sling, just like her parents and big brother before her…
…and wiggling to get down to hurtle around in the grass, just like her parents and big brother did before her…
The famous “butter-wouldn’t melt” expression.
Looking eager, as usual!
Lyra almost does her first point.
The determined explorer.
Trying cow parsley for size.
Lyra at nearly 7 weeks.
and at 6 weeks.
So Lyra carries the hopes and plans for Belatarr into the future and it’s a future that we are now extremely excited about!
Saying ‘hello’ back at 5 weeks old.
Puppy Portraits: Week 7
The final week that the babies will all be together – where did all that time go!? Most of the pups will be heading off to their new lives at the end of the week, so, now that everyone has been allocated, we can finally reveal their Kennel names & destinations.
Our previous Jazz litter were named after their father, Mingus’, so for this litter we wanted to continue Phoenix’ name theme. As a result all the pups have all been named after constellations, following on from the Phoenix Constallation.
THE BOYS
Belatarr Sculptor (Kofi)
Kofi, Mr Black, will be heading off to join Vivien, Lox & senior GWP Freddie in Berkshire. Always a very strikingly handsome boy right from birth, Kofi will be gundog trained and, along with some of his brothers and sisters, will also be heading to the show ring next year – can’t wait!
Belatarr Cepheus (Rusty)
Rusty, Mr Blue, was the first boy to leave the nest & this very sweet boy joins a thoroughly smitten Ian & Anita in Chichester where many cuddles and adventures undoubtedly await them all.
Belatarr Perseus (Percy)
Percy, Mr Bronze, is another very striking boy, picked out by many visitors and blog-watchers, particularly for his intensely dark red coat. He joins a very excited Copper the HWV along with Jan & family in Chichester and we hope to see him out in the ring next year too!
Belatarr Hercules (Herc)
Herc, Mr Green’s, specialty is soaking up as many cuddles as he can secure. His melting expression and super-huge ears mean that cuddles tend to come thick and fast! He joins big brother Belatarr Charlie Parker, along with David, Jenny & Oz the Lab in Northants and will also be joining Charlie in the showring from next year – very exciting!
Belatarr Indus (Fergus)
Fergus (Mr Red) is a big boy with a big heart and from a very young age looked like the spitting image of Finley, Belatarr Art Tatum, so it only seemed fitting that he now joins big brother Finley along with Carole, Chelsea & Emma. They are just 3 miles away from us here at Belatarr HQ, so we will be delighted to be able to watch this handsome chap growing up at close hand.
THE GIRLS
Belatarr Andromeda (Ava)
Ava, Miss Fawn, was pretty much always destined for the show ring, and now joins Liz, Barry, Scooby the HWV and Dodd the Leonberger in Telford where this elegant young lady will live right beside sister Halle. We can’t wait to see these two sisters growing up.
Belatarr Musca (Gertie)
Gertie, Miss Orange, heads even further West to Cornwall where she instantly became the centre of all attention for Sarah, Paul & a very excited young Jack. We hope that this confident, outgoing and beautiful girl will fulfill all of their long-held HWV dreams.
Belatarr Libra (Twiglet)
Twiglet, Miss Pink, is definitely the sweetest and most polite of the litter, and this pretty and gentle girl seemed like the perfect pup for Kathy, Paul & a thoroughly besotted young Millie in Surrey.
Belatarr Cassiopeia (Halle)
Halle, Miss Purple, very nearly stayed here with us, but was finally destined to live with Tom, Gail and their two Border Collies where she will undoubtedly share many adventures with her sister, Ava, who lives just a few houses away in Telford. Tom & Gail are very keen to learn to show and we are sure that Halle will make the most wonderful and rewarding girl for them to learn with.
Belatarr Noctua (Kaia)
Kaia, Miss White, is quite the adventurer and was the perfect match for experienced HWV owners Tim, Laura & family on the Kent/Sussex border where she will have a lovely outdoor life and may also be trained to track when she’s a little older.
Belatarr Corona (Cooroo)
Cooroo, Miss Yellow, is the only one of the pups who will be flying to their new home. A true adventure awaits her in a few days when she jets off to join Will, Jess & young Arlo for a life of endless beaches and woodlands on St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly.
Belatarr Andromeda
Proud Dad.
Belatarr Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. 