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NEWSLETTER NUMBER 17

SUMMER 1996

FAME AT LAST! by Ann Gatenby 

EDITORIAL

Nettle Cottage
Privett
ALTON

When you wake up some mornings, do you ever get the feeling of impending doom, and although you can't understand why, you wish it was 6PM instead of 6AM? However, let's go back to before the beginning......

After our 1995 June show (which we have to apply for annually) as it was a well-attended show, we applied to the Kennel Club to get our 1996 June show back, and were delighted to receive confirmation that we had been granted a licence for that show. The hall at Liphook was duly booked, and all went according to plan until about three weeks before the show (schedules had already gone out by then and adverts put in the dog papers). Then I received a phone call from the manager at the Bohunt School to say that he was awfully sorry but he had forgotten to tell us that there would be a charity bicycle ride starting from the main entrance at 10AM (the same time as our judging was due to start!) He said he didn't think there would be a problem as he would inform the stewards of the bike race that we would need parking space as well as the cyclists.

Luckily, my inner self told me that it would be wise, if possible, to take some of our equipment up on the Saturday evening, so that if we had a problem getting in on the Sunday, at least we would have all our "gear" there, so Jamie and I spent a couple of hours assembling the rings, chairs, etc.

Sunday morning dawned, and, as I said earlier, I woke with a feeling that things were not going to be quite "as normal."

When I arrived at the venue, I was told that there would be at least 700 bikes arriving any minute and would be there until about 2PM! Well, I really must congratulate and thank all the exhibitors and committee who arrived and coped with all the parking difficulties. Their self-control was fabulous!

Once parked and in the hall, there was no problem, but, (and I'm afraid this was according to "Sod's law") we were just about to start judging, when lo and behold, who should turn up, but a Kennel Club Field Officer, which happened to be the first time we have had a visit from one of these people. I must say, though, she could see our problem, and was very understanding about it, and in fact gave us a pretty clean bill of health, with just one or two points needing attention. I must give praise to Jamie whose first show it was since taking over as show manager, and also to Vickie Robinson, who at the last minute had to do her own job as catalogue marker and membership secretary, as well as take over the jobs of treasurer and trophy secretary from other committee members, neither of whom could attend owing to illness. Thank you Vickie.

Anyway, the show went off well, and at least the weather was kind to us. The committee worked very hard, and the judges Paul Grant (bitches) and Glynis Yuill (Dogs) did a very efficient job.

Our next show is on November 10th with Steve Halifax judging bitches and Les Crawley doing dogs, and hopefully all the traumas of the last show will be laid to rest. (If not, then surely I will be).

Don't forget our Head to Head Seminar on September 1st. Nigel Hunt has all the details, so contact him (phone number elsewhere in this issue).

I do hope you are all having a good show season this year. I have been kept quite busy with a litter this summer, but all (but one) will be in their new homes by the end of June, so I shall be coming down from the ceiling after that.

Please can we have some contributions for the Christmas issue - Christmas greetings, or anything you like to put on paper to send us.

Enjoy the rest of the summer. See you around the shows, that is, if you don't see me first! Only joking!

The Newsletter sub-committee would like to send their best wishes for a speedy recovery to the Downlands Treasurer Kathy Palmer who has been out of circulation due to illness since March. Get well soon Kathy - look forward to seeing you back at shows again soon!

I had a phone call early one Monday morning, from a lady called Gloria, asking me if I had Staffords.

"Yes," I said, wondering what was to come. She was a very chatty lady and said she and her friend Amanda worked for a firm called Otterhouse Greetings Cards, and would it be possible for me to get a few Staffords together for a photographic session for their next issue of greetings cards. I agreed to do this and four of us duly turned up at the appointed village hall on the following Thursday. There was me with my daughter's white dog, Zippy, Kathy Lloyd with Murphy, Tracy Parsons with Zeus and Roz Leadbeater with Brodie. We arrived at about 10am and were greeted with coffee and biscuits. Then the fun began.

They started with Zippy, and it took them about half an hour to get him to stand on "all fours". I had to retreat out of sight before he would behave. Anyway, we all had our turn, and after about four hours and lots of tea and biscuits, the photo call was over, and we all went home.

After a few days, I had a phone call to say that they had sent off the photos to the card company, and they had picked Zippy and Brodie (I think because of their colours) for the cards to be printed. I'm sure by now you have seen the cards at shows, and they have been distributed all over the world. The one with the white dog on is Zippy, who belongs to my daughter Mary Sarjeant, and was bred by Pat Bryant. He is by Saxonmoor Masked Ranger, out of Kerrisdale Cantata, and is twelve years old (and all this fame has gone to his head!). Roz Leadbeater's bitch is by Midnight Rebel Flyer and is soon to be living in Switzerland with a new Kerrisdale puppy.

There are always plenty of these cards on the rescue stall so don't forget them when Christmas comes.

Anyway, you see - you can achieve fame at twelve years of age!

He was a trusting sort of guy, brown and muscular, and not the least bit shy;
A brawny back and shoulders wide, it always felt good, with him at my side;
An easy going nature, and a wicked sense of fun, he'd jump and swim, and boy could he run;
He didn't say much, but one look said it all, the slightest sign from me held him in thrall;
He was gentle with kids, despite his size, he could read my mind, I could tell no lies;
He had strength and dignity, and perfect poise, nothing escaped him, not the faintest noise;
He didn't ask much, ate but once in a day, always on guard, without a thought for pay;
Muggers and thieves, passed our house by, he sensed their intentions, as in wait he'd lie;
He was loving and forgiving of all abuse, he forgot in an instance every misuse;
He didn't like thunder and barked at planes, unfriendly dogs, got bitten for their pains;
He was cocky and confident, with a big wide smile, he could strut or lope in his very own style;
He had a weakness for chocolate, and could eat it by the pound, he could scent it in a second, like the sharpest hound;
Mental telepathy was his great forte, he could read my thoughts, I never had to say;
So when the vet said, he didn't have long, leukemia for sure, the test was never wrong;
He looked into my eyes, and I uttered a prayer, hide my thoughts from his penetrating stare;
Alas my mind, was to him an open book, as the needle went in, that same trusting look;
Gone is that dog, that great gentle bear, that canine wonder, a pal so rare;
Buried in the garden, his body is gone, but he's still on guard, his spirit lingers on.

We have two Staffordshire Bull Terriers - Sophie, twelve in June 1996 and her daughter Bertha who was eight in April 1996. My husband Terry and I took out a "Super Insurance Pet Plan" for Sophie in September 1984 with a well-known company. We arranged to pay the premium by a yearly banker's order.

Sophie had two small operations, one in January 1985 and another in June 1986. These were our only claims until December 1994 when Sophie had a decayed tooth removed, and, as she had a small wart on her stomach, our vet said that he would remove it while she was under sedation.

I rang the Insurance Company for a claim form, filled in the details, cost £81.50 etc., and left it with the Vets, who sent it off to the Insurance Company on the 20th December.

On the 26th January the next year I rang the company and was told that Sophie's claim had been rejected. I asked why and was told that the insurance cover had been lapsed in September 1987. Knowing that the yearly premiums had been paid, albeit at the same amount as when the policy was taken out in 1984, I asked them to explain who had cancelled it and what had happened to the money that had been paid to them for eight years. I was told that the company had tried to contact us after September 1987 because the standing order amount had not been updated and, being unable to contact us, had discontinued the policy. Many telephone calls ensued - our reasoning was that the insurance company had accepted and kept our payments and had therefore entered into a contract with us, and we wanted our settlement for Sophie's claim. This they agreed to do if we paid £264.01, this sum being the difference in premiums that we had - and should have - been paying over the eight year period. When we declined their offer, they said that we could have back our eight payments of £27.50 amounting to £220 but if we did agree to this they would not renew Sophie's insurance cover. As she was nearly eleven years old we felt that we could have trouble obtaining cover from another Pet Insurance Company, so again refused their offer.

Soon another letter arrived (strange, isn't it, so many of their letters finding our letter box now when they had been trying to contact us for eight years) this one informing us that our claim for £81.50 was incorrect, as unknown to us our Vet had charged £10 for the removal of the wart. It was now implied that we were trying to defraud the insurance company by claiming too much!

In April 1995 we obtained forms from the Insurance Ombudsman Bureau, these were filled in and sent off. Their reply was for us to write to the Insurance Company Underwriters, another large insurance company. Their solution was that we take the correct premium of £94.50 the Sept 94/95 subscription - less the £27.50 we paid - less our claim £36.50 which was after our excess and send the Insurance Company a cheque for £30.50. This, wrote the underwriters, would bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion. Maybe for them not for us, still we refused. In June the Ombudsman Bureau got involved - we then received another letter from the Underwriters, they would settle our claim if we send them a letter from our bank saying we had cancelled the standing order to the Pet Ins Co. - this we did and thought "the end is nigh". In mid July our claim cheque for £36.50 arrived but so typical of their administration it was unsigned. A telephone call to them resulted in a Director visiting our home later that day to sign it.

Our main points are - if the Insurance Company could not contact us for eight years (we have lived here for thirteen) why not use Registered Post or write to our bank or return the yearly subscription to them? If we had not made a claim in December '94 would they have continued to keep our payments, however small, for the rest of Sophie's life, she has attended the same vets since her birth and we were disappointed that he offered s no help or advice. And last of all one 

would think that the claim money was being paid out of the Company's administration staff's salary, for they really do wear you down - if you really believe that you are justified in claiming - fight on even for a small amount. Remember the Downlands motto 'Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat'. Seven months of battling, letters, umpteen long telephone calls, Pet Ins Co., their Underwriters, Ombudsman Bureau, row with vet who didn't want to 'get involved', asking ourselves was it worth it, shall we just 'let it go', but no we continued and had the audacity to ask for a written apology, this we received in September from the Pet Ins Co chairman. Sophie's insurance was renewed with them by cheque (signed of course). Were we very unlucky - just the one in a million, or have you had similar treatment from Pet Insurance Companies?

And so to Bertha - never had any cover for her - she goes once a year to the vets for her boosters - wormed twice a year - tough as old boots.

It's a long story but we feel better for putting pen to paper and if you have been - thanks for reading it.

Just a few lines from the Downlands Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue - Pat Pritchard, our co-ordinator, has been busy but coping very well, rescuing and re-homing as many as seven Staffords in just over a week. Some days are quiet and then the telephone goes mad - non-stop but what is an ideal situation is that, at the time of writing, we have more people wishing to offer a home than Staffords on rescue with us.

At the February 1996 Downlands show we received £50 from the auction held there for the Rescue funds - thank you very much.

I have seen lots of you wearing your Rescue sweatshirts in so many lovely colours - I have worn my bright pink one a lot during the very cold winter we have just gone through, I hope those of you that had one felt cosy and warm, especially with the knowledge that you also helped the Stafford Rescue Fund.

Many thanks to Ann Gatenby for holding an Exemption Show for the Downlands Rescue on May 12th, and for giving us a cheque for £440. This was another fun day at Rake Village Hall with Obedience classes as well, and it really warmed my heart to see Staffords competing in these classes - having Mum and daughter Staffords that are quite fiery it was great to see members of their breed participating with such decorum. Our Rescue stall also did well taking just over £52 so thanks to Doris Crew for her help in running the stall for us. Please do give us your bric-a-brac that you no longer want - just between you and me my Mother-in-law gave me a bright orange vase - one of us had to leave home so I put it on the stall and along came a lady who fell in love with it - and proudly took it home to love with her.

So please bring along to us anything you don't require or use anymore.

Waiting for spring and some warmer weather

Regards to you and your Staffords

Kate Reed (Rescue Treasurer)

Dear Mrs Gatenby

Thank you for our telephone conversation on Sunday evening. The loss of Major is most obvious as it now is so very quiet at home. Something is missing! I think if I could speak for him it would be something as follows:

"I had three owners before settling in Farnborough. Here I lived until I became old, ill and eventually at the age of sixteen, had to be put to sleep after a stroke. I was well looked after, and had my own moneybox for treats and snacks. I would like to leave this money to others less fortunate than myself. I could have easily ended up as a rescue dog, but luck was on my side. Please accept my 'Life Savings' as a small donation towards helping others who have been less fortunate than myself".

Yours sincerely

'Major' Hoy

As some people may not know our president Mr Fred Clark we have asked him to put pen to paper to 'introduce' himself to our newer and/or younger members. This is how Fred started his long association with our breed:

Early in the 1940s when returning to my unit I jumped into a vacant railway compartment at Waterloo Station. On the seat was a Readers Digest magazine which I browsed through. In it was a story about the Stafford and all his qualities of gameness etc. This really impressed me and I carried it through the war with me until 1949 when I was in the position to have my first Stafford. I bought it from John Gordon 'Hotspur of Summermuir' bred by Mrs Dunsmuir of Kent - Ch Bandits Red Rogerson x Hot Chutney. I joined the Southern Counties Staffordshire Bull Terrier Society and have been a member ever since. During those early years I had the pleasure of Vic and Betty Pounds' company. I bred several litters, in fact my first being a litter of ten!

At one show while sitting with Vic we both sat admiring Eastaff Danom and I said 'Vic, if you mate your bitch to him I'll buy pick of the bitches'. Vic had a great headed bitch Orchids Beauty. Danom excelled in body. Only one bitch resulted in the mating - a white one. Vic wouldn't let me buy it and gave it to me - hence Curfews White Orchid. In my opinion the second best bitch ever - the first Tawny of Dugarde. White Orchid had 13 CCs to her name, B.O.B. Crufts and three times winner of the S.C.S.B.T.S. Championship show. Those were good days with Vic, Betty and my first wife who tragically died in 1969. We travelled all over and many funny tales we could tell about those days. There were great Stafford people about then, real characters - Jimmy Russ, Nap Cairns, Harry Tomlinson and many more. To serve on committees with the two former was quite an experience. It seems a different world now, people striving so hard to get to the top. Leaving the Stafford world to judge so many other breeds - what a joke when a person is allowed to award CCs in 130 plus breeds - surely it's got to be a joke!

So enjoy your Staffords but for Heavens sake don't take it too seriously.

WESTERN SBTC versus DOWNLANDS SBTC

On April 28th the Western Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club challenged the Downlands to an inter club match to be held at the Watchfield Inn, Watchfield (near Bristol). The event was well publicised but the response was poor, so Jamie Mace had to pick a team to go down. Unfortunately only two of our committee managed to get there, however the Western had almost a full turn out. The weather was nice and competitiors came from near and far, some as far as 175 miles!

The venue was delightful - a super country pub with a nice garden and good parking facilities. The judge was Brenda Banbury, an all-rounder who seems to like Staffords very much. Our team was small in numbers, owing to the fact that several people who promised to bring dogs didn't turn up, so we had to borrow dogs from the Western and also from the Southern Counties (of course all of these were Downlands members as well). All of those who did attend had a jolly good day. The Western committee were most generous, there was some good pub food on offer (yours truly had a delicious lunch provided by the Western committee), and obviously being a pub, plenty to drink.

Some very nice trophies were on offer, and altogether the day went off very well. The Western won the match by a narrow margin, the winning dog being Mr Toms' dog COCHON NOIR, Huw Davis' bitch SUNWARE MAID PERFECT was best puppy, and a Downlands bitch (modesty forbids me to name her) got reserve best in match.

Our thanks go to the Western committee for their generosity, and a most enjoyable day.

Analysis of Expenditure re Shows and Meetings £

Bank Reconciliation at 31 December 1995 £ £

Accountants Certificate

In accordance with instructions given, the attached accounts have been prepared from the accounting records of the Downlands Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club, and in my opinion these give a true and fair view of the financial state of the club as at 31 December 1995.

Sandy Myers A.C.M.A.

Owing to the illness of our Trophy Secretary it was not possible to contact people who won trophies at our February show to arrange their return.

Some of these people were coming to the June show and kindly returned the trophies on the day. Unfortunately this has still left us with a considerable number missing, and several people who won at the June show had to go home empty-handed as a result. If you won a Downlands trophy in February and still have it, or if you have any Downlands trophy and are not sure when it should be returned, could you please get in touch with me, Vickie Robinson, the Membership Secretary on 01420 549074, and hopefully we will be able to sort something out. If you get the answering machine please leave a number and I will call you back as soon as possible. Thank you.

PROOF OF IDENTITY

I daresay that some of you will remember my article in Newsletter Number 16, "Identity Crisis", questioning the continued existence of Staffordshire and bemoaning the name "West Midlands Bull Terrier" as being unwieldy and confusing - especially with one of our fellow breed clubs potentially going under the appellation of "East Midlands West Midlands Bull Terrier Club".

Well, I have some encouraging news. Before those Eurocrats from Brussels get it into their heads to ensure that every breed is named after its point of origination, I am indebted to two gentlemen, Mr. Jack Carter for his telephone call and Mr. Percy Tottman for his letter.

In short, it seems that Staffordshire is alive and well, and only in close proximity to those dreaded West Midlands. Mr. Carter hails from there originally, and maintains contact with a number of leading lights of our breed. Mr. Tottman is actively dealing with computer supply companies from that area which all possess postal addresses in Staffordshire, and also has in his possession a road atlas that clearly indicates a county of that name.

Many thanks to Jack and Percy for taking the time and trouble to check this out. It just goes to show that, a driving instructor with a couple of pints in him probably knows nothing about either dogs, politics or geography, and contrary to popular belief, I'm not that gullible that I'll believe everything I'm told after a few beers.

Naturally none of our Doncaster-based members, being responsible dog owners, will have fallen foul of the masked crusader "Poopaman". Apparently he's a thirty-two year old chef, who has made it his mission to harangue those irresponsible owners that allow their dogs to foul public places but don't clear it up. It seems he wears a costume and hides behind trees, photographs the dogs then asks their owners to pick up any excrement that they may be about to deposit. If they refuse, he follows them home and posts it through their letterbox. The dogsmuck is sealed in a plastic bag, with a photograph of the dog doing its business and Poopaman's calling card. The intention is to encourage them to clear up their own dog's mess in future. The whole crusade was sparked off when out for a walk with his nephews and becoming appalled at the filth. Although he has some public support, a police spokesman warns "He is on very slippery ground and wants to watch where he is treading."
If anyone from in or around Doncaster has views on this then we would be very interested in hearing from you.

It also seems that the Sussex coastal air is beneficial to the canine constitution. The Hastings inshore lifeboat was recently called out when a lone dog was spotted swimming one and a half miles offshore. The lifeboat crew tried without success to get the animal aboard. The dog then set course for dry land, and under its own power, "returned to shore at St. Leonards and ran off, pursued by coastguards." Any of our Sussex readers noticed unusual vitality in their dogs?

1996 AGM MATCH RESULTS

Downlands Show Manager and Match Secretary Jamie Mace has a penfriend in Norway. The Downlands Newsletter is pleased to publish the following letter sent to our readership.

Hello Folks!

I'm a Norwegian Guy who has fallen in love with the great breed that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is. My dog, Mike, is now 5½ years old and he is my first dog ever.  So I haven't been in the breed longer that 5½ years but I must say I have done my homework about the breed in those years.

I have bought every book in existence about the breed and have studied them a lot. But, you know, when you have a Stafford, you learn something every day.

I started showing my Staff when he was young and he turned out to be a full sized Stafford with a lot of temperament and character. I have shown him before several UK judges with good results. He has been an International Norwegian and Swedish champion.

When I really was "hit" by the breed, I made contact with Mr. Bob Blundell of Swansea and he sold me a bitch that I took over to Norway when she was fourteen weeks old.

Her name is Samtor Clymene (Alice). She is now three years old and she has thirteen challenge certificates and is Swedish and Norwegian Champion. There aren't many Staffords at the shows here in Norway because there aren't more than about one hundred Staffords in the whole country. The Norwegian dog people haven't opened their eyes to the Stafford yet, and what great family pets they are.

We have also a little bit of the Pit Bull hysteria here, and that's not fair to the Staffords. But anyway, the breed is growing, and hopefully the people will open their eyes to the breed. There are about five registered breeders here in Norway now. This summer we will hold a special show just for Staffords, and Mrs. Jessie Dunn is coming over from Scotland to do the judging.

Okay, folks, these were some words from a true Stafford fan in Norway. Wish you all a good summer with your Staffords.

Best regards

Svein Kristensen