NPPA 2022 Breed Appreciation Day

The Kennel Club requires all breed clubs to hold a Breed Appreciation Day ("BAD") every two years. The purpose of the day is to educate anyone interested in the breed - whether they are pet owners, exhibitors, breeders or aspiring judges - and provide them with information to make informed decisions to preserve and safeguard the breed. The day forms part of the formal training programme for judges and for them – and them only - the day includes a Kennel Club approved exam, which is followed by a hands-on mentoring session.

During the pandemic, the Kennel Club allowed breed clubs to hold virtual BADs, i.e. doing them online. This was a pragmatic approach in line with the restrictions but nothing can beat a hands-on, in-person session with dogs and breed experts in the room to demonstrate and take any questions.

This year, we were able to hold the event in person and it attracted a mix of judges and exhibitors keen to extend their knowledge.

Sadly, our planned speaker – Gabriela Veiga from Portugal – was unwell but we were delighted that Angela Pedder was able to come at short notice and present the day. Angela is an experienced podengo exhibitor and judge who has done a lot of work for the Association over the years.

Angela gave an excellent presentation with many slides and pictures to illustrate the history and purpose of the breed as well as a detailed run through of the breed standard. This was shown by Diana Curtis who presented Tink to model these points in-person. Tink is, as many will know, a former Best Puppy, Best of Breed and Best Veteran at Crufts and was World Winner in 2018 so was quite some model!

After Angela's presentation, there was a break for lunch and then the judges took the exam that forms part of their formal training and qualifications. It's a testament to both Angela's teaching skills and the judges' learning skills that they all passed and we moved on to the mentoring session, when attendees could go hands-on with the dogs. At this point, Anna Sampson and Eileen Segui brought out a number of their dogs to join several more of Diana’s for people to examine. This gave everyone the chance to see the dogs at first hand, ask questions and learn more about the breed. Some of the key points that emerged were:

The Portuguese Podengo is a primitive breed and the NPPA is committed to ensuring it remains such. Aside from sensible measures like managing ear and paw hair, it is not meant to be an overly brushed or clipped / groomed breed.
Note the wide range of height and weight limits allowed in the breed standard. We stood three dogs of different sizes, all within standard, side-by-side and the differences were striking.
There are also a number of permitted colours but note that there are some differences between the KC and FCI standards on this.
Podengos shouldn't have an undercoat, although this does happen sometimes.

Organising the BAD is big job so many thanks go to Rob Dunning for his great work organising the day. Many others were involved from doing the catering to marking the judges’ exam papers so in addition to those already named above, we must give big shout-outs to Sue Dunning, Susan and Keith Pearson and Jenny Wedge for all their hard work preparing and running the day.

We have had to re-schedule the Breed Appreciation Day originally planned for May to a new date of Sunday 13th November 2022.

Unfortunately, our speaker - Gabriela Veiga - was recently taken ill and has been advised by her doctor not to fly. As we are very keen to have this renowned Podengo expert at the event, we have decided to re-schedule it for later in the year on a date that doesn't clash with other shows or canine events.

We understand that this may not be convenient for everyone and have written to all attendees to explain the decision and the next steps. If you have not received this email or if you would like to go on the waiting list for a possible place, please use the contact form below to confirm this with our BAD Organiser.

This change will not affect the NPPA Open Show on the 14th May, which will still go ahead with Vitor Veiga judging.

In the meantime, I'm sure you'll join us in wishing Gabriela a full and speedy recovery.

The Kennel Club requires all breed clubs to hold a Breed Appreciation Day ("BAD") every two years and we will be holding ours the day after our annual show in the same venue. The purpose of the day is to educate anyone interested in the breed, whether they are pet owners, exhibitors, breeders or aspiring judges. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the breed or just refresh your knowledge.

For judges who have already passed the JFC entry level criteria (and only for these judges) there will be a KC-approved multiple choice exam and mentoring session after the talk.

Date: moved to Sunday 13th November 2022
Time: Registration from 10:30 am and presentation from 11:00am - 12:15pm.
Speaker: Gabriela Veiga - a highly experienced judge and acknowledged expert on the breed.
Venue: Yelvertoft Village Hall, Lilbourne Road, Yelvertoft, Northants, NN6 6LJ

Interested?

Download the Booking Form below and send it to the address at the top to secure one of the few remaining places. If you have any queries, use the contact form below to email our organiser, Rob Dunning.