Compared with many of today’s Open shows, things were very different then, at this particular show there was one Judge for each group, one of these doing Best in Show, and one breed specialist judge. A total of seven judges for 802 dogs in 138 classes.

When it eventually came to the show, and having carefully read and reread the Kennel Club standards many times, everything went well and everyone seemed happy.

Two similar appointments came my way in the next three years, together with judging Border Terriers at a Terrier Club of Scotland’s Open Show and the Scottish Kennel Club’s Xmas Show. In 1992 I was privileged to judge the Scottish Border Terrier Club’s Open Show. At that time I started receiving invitations to judge in England, but with the distances involved I declined them, and it was not until 1996 when I was in the process of moving to Cambridge that I judged my first show in England. This was the East Anglia Border Terrier Club’s Open Show, which conveniently fitted in well with a trip to the locality, house hunting.

Once I had settled in England, invitations came in fast an furious from as far a field as the Lancashire Sporting Terrier Club ‘up north’, to the Terrier Club of Devon and Cornwall in the West Country. In the autumn of 1997 I received an invitation to judge Border Terriers at the Ladies Kennel Association’s Championship Show in December 1999. The appointment was approved by the Kennel Club, this happened to be was the last show to be approved by the Kennel Club before the present judging regulations came into force. I will say nothing about what I think of them.

This was a daunting experience, with an entry of 174 dogs, but one which I greatly enjoyed. The show I have most enjoyed judging was the Centenary Championship Show of the Swedish Terrier Club, which was held in Rosersberg near Stockholm in June 2003. In August 2003 I judged Border Terriers at the Welsh Kennel Club’s Championship Show in Builth Wells, and next October 2004 I judge Border Terriers at the Driffield Agricultural Society’s Championship Show in Doncaster.

I have often been asked ‘What makes a good judge?’ I cannot answer that question. I can really only say something about Border Terrier judges. There are a number who one enjoys showing under, and who one can respect whether they like your dogs or not, and there are some judges who just haven’t a clue when it comes to judging Border Terriers. In between there are regrettably a number of mediocre judges. In my opinion the Border Terrier is a special sort of dog, and a large number of so called ‘all rounders’ do not really understand the breed and its fine points. One great exception was the late Catherine Sutton who in my opinion really knew her dogs. It would be invidious to mention judges still alive whether good or bad. As long as the judge has a good grounding in the breed, then a judge is either good, bad or indifferent, and I don’t think any training or the number of dogs judged will make the slightest difference.

Everyone interested in judging should read the book ‘Good Judgment’ by Peggy Grayson, published by Kingdom Books (ISBN 1852790253).