Page 31 - ShowSight Presents The Bullmastiff
P. 31
THE BULLMASTIFF
A SURVEY WITH PAT LAURANS & JANE TREIBER
PAT LAURANS
I reside in Newtown, Connecticut. I am involved in Take the Lead, Trailer Task Force and Parent Club work. I also enjoy gardening and traveling. I’ve had pets all my life; I’ve been showing dogs for 52 years and judging for 34 years.
JANE TREIBER
I live in Nine Mile Falls, which is in the Eastern part of Washington State. Outside of dogs, I enjoy quilting, but I am not very skilled. I enjoy walking every day possible in a local park, and I always have a Bullmastiff with me. Often, I take all four dogs. I really enjoy grow- ing flowers, and I have a massive gar- den that is way too big for one person
so I share with the neighbors and my friends. I have been in dogs since the early 70s and have been judging for the past 20 years. I started with Great Danes and Bassets, which we had for many, many years. Now my life is devoted to Bullmastiffs and Border Terriers.
1. Describe the breed in three words.
PL: Substantial, compact, balanced silhouette and cube-on-cube head.
JT: The Bullmastiff in three words: long is wrong!
2. What are your “must have” traits in this breed?
PL: A correct head, proper silhouette and proportion, strong bone, body and called-for temperament.
JT: When I am judging or evaluating breeding stock, I want to see a square, powerfully built and confident dog. The bite is to be level or slightly undershot with a wide jaw.
“A CORRECT BULLMASTIFF DOES NOT FLY AROUND THE RING.”
3. Are there any traits in this breed you fear are becoming exaggerated?
PL: Long and low, moving too fast—their gait is to be deliberate and powerful.
JT: The Bullmastiff should have moderate rear angulation. I have seen too many with over-angulated rears and top lines that are not level. Cow hocks and splayed feet are serious faults.
4. Do you think the dogs you see in this breed are better now than they were when you first started judging? Why or why not?
JT: I do think that the overall quality has improved. When I first started judging, I saw many that were short legged, especially the bitches. We have better heads and not as many that are a reversion to the Bulldog.
5. What do you think new judges misunderstand about the breed?
JT: This is a Working dog and thus should be able to move correctly and be built to chase a poacher through the English countryside at night. They must have good feet and thick pads. Their forequarters must have muscular shoulders and hindquarters with a well-developed sec- ond thigh. A correct Bullmastiff does not fly around the ring. He covers ground with power, using his moderate angulation. Please do not reward a beautiful head that is not built to do its job.
6. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? Please elaborate.
PL: I love this breed!
JT: Brindle is the original color, and if you ever try to see
a brindle at night, you will know why. They need to be judged with equal consideration to the fawns and reds. I have heard judges say that they will never reward a brindle because they do not like them.
7. And, for a bit of humor: what’s the funniest thing you’ve ever experienced at a dog show?
PL: There are many fun and funny stories from some of the after show gatherings over the years.
JT: The funniest thing that I have experienced at a dog show happened the first time that I showed in confirmation in the early 70s. I was showing my harlequin bitch and had practiced 16 weeks in handling class. Ric and Nancy Byrd came to watch me as they had been helping me also.
In addition, my husband and some close friends were ringside! I was nervous, but confident. Halfway around, I tripped over a sprinkler head and went flat on my face. The Dane stopped and waited until I tried to gracefully right myself, and thank goodness, my dress was not
too short.
