2023 Summer Specialty Recap

Bichon Days of Summer

It was one of the Brightest most Cheerful kinds of a day, as we unloaded our vehicles. The excitement filled the air at the Bates Nut Farm with views of lush grassy show rings. Fond memories were shared of our late club members Mary Ellen Mills and Tracey Fishell with a Raffle raising $5,000 for the Canine Health Foundation.

A “Veteran’s Parade” ended the day with some old time favorites taking one last turn around the show ring. Congratulations to our winner of Best of Breed in Specialty, Deb Gibb and Linda Rowe, GCHB CH Hollyhock Alfa Romeo, “Romeo” and winner of Best in Sweepstakes, Renata Drumond and Jenny Listug, Drumhill’s Still Standing, “Pixie”.

A special thank you to our Judges.

Our Sweepstakes Judge, Mr. Stephen M. Cabral, had this to say;
“This was a lovely group of puppies. Although it was a small entry, I loved the overall balance and free and effortless movement of the entry. I saw good length to height in all classes; however, I noted some shortness in neck length and shoulder layback. I was pleasantly surprised to see the equilateral triangle of the face at this age. The faces were very pleasing and dark eye color. Some of the entries did have (in my opinion) excess trimming of hair from the eyes. To me this takes away from the inquisitive and alert expression that is important to this breed.”

Our Conformation Judge, Ms. Joy S. Brewster, had this to say;
In general terms the entry was presented well. I found the majority of eyes were set well, round and dark in color. The Stop placement was not consistent and therefore ranged from one being too deep to being what I term a “sliding stop”. This affects the length of muzzle which is very important for the properly balanced head and expression. I pay particular attention to balance in the overall dog. While some were to my liking of having a compact body, being square from behind the front legs to the ischium, there were those that appeared ether long in back or short on leg. In this entry body development, tail set, and length of tail I feel is an area where some improvement is needed. Also not just in your breed, I found few with proper layback of shoulder. My final placements could be switched on another day. However my final choice for Best of Breed was based on the overall dog along with having the proper coat texture, and rear angulation. I thank all for their entries.

For full results and photos of our summer shows, please visit
bichonfriseclubofsandiego.com/2023specialty-summer/