The UK Lancashire Heeler Club
Tony Hancock came upon the Lancashire Heeler dog and the show scene by pure chance.
Here he tells us how a Lancashire Heeler puppy, bought as a pet, became much more and how the Lancashire Heeler community and the Lancashire Heeler Club can benefit all Lancashire Heeler owners.
Lancashire Heeler club membership and how to join.
Visit CH Bowanne Yule Delight and other Lancashire Heeler Champions in the gallery
Rudy, pet to something special… by Tony Hancock
It all began in early December 1999 when after reading an article in a dog magazine we arranged to visit the Bowanne Kennels in Norfolk in January 2000 to see a dog breed that until a month earlier we had never even heard of, the Lancashire Heeler. Having lost our beloved Golden Retriever to cancer we decided we wanted a small (but not a lap dog) who was intelligent, biddable and good with children and the LH seemed to fit the bill. We had owned dogs all our lives and this particular breed according to the article ticked all the boxes.
Anne Bowes the kennel owner was very helpful in answering all our questions as we outlined our requirements. We wanted a dog; we had always had dogs in the past and that primarily he would be a pet as we had no showing experience. We saw three dogs in different litters and agreed to come back when they were approximately eight weeks when Anne would allow us to choose from the dogs available to us. So on the 8th Feb. 2000 we left Norfolk with what we thought was a wonderful little Lancashire Heeler puppy, who after consultation with the family and grandchildren was named Rudy. Shortly afterwards in conjunction with Anne we decided on his pedigree name ‘Bowanne Yule Delight’ which reflected his birthday just after Christmas.
At sixteen weeks we took Rudy to his first socialization classes with the object of letting him take the Good Citizen Awards if he was good enough. I was amazed at his progress, he learned at an incredible speed and by seven months he had passed his Bronze Award, quickly followed by his Silver and then Gold. I thoroughly recommend these awards for any budding show dog as they give the discipline of obedience training together with the socialization that is essential to owning a dog.
At the age of six months we took Rudy to a village fete which unknown to us had a small dog show going on in one corner of the show. Whilst wandering around we passed the dog show not giving it much attention when suddenly a voice said and I quote, “Where did you get that Lancashire Heeler, he is a wonderful example of the breed are you going to show him?” We responded by saying, “you are the first person we have met since we bought him that even knew what breed he was”. The gentleman in question was the judge at the show Peter Eva who breeds Manchester Terriers and had a considerable knowledge of L.H’s. He went on to recommend we got in touch with a Liz Cartledge at Bracknell who was a Lancashire Heeler specialist, a breeder and also a top international judge. It seems inconceivable now but at that time my wife and I had never even heard of Liz., Sorry Liz but it’s true. However, since those days we count Peter and Liz as our friends along with many others in the dog showing world.
As a result of visiting Liz and the encouragement she gave, we decided to enter Rudy at ten months old into his first show, The Lancashire Heeler Championship Show at Wigan just to see how he compared against other heelers of his age. At that stage we were still not convinced that showing was for us but we went for the experience and to meet other Heeler owners and their dogs.
My wife being a little shy decided I should show Rudy, so there we were, not having a clue what to do, getting ready to show Rudy for the first time. We tucked into the back of the line of puppies hoping to get a look at what was expected and subsequently hoping to follow their lead. Our turn came and although his Good Citizen Training helped in getting Rudy to stand, the attempt to get him to go around the ring proved to much for his puppy hormones and he just charged around like a dog being shot out of a gun. He had a wonderful time with all his training flying out the window. All I can remember is that his tail did not stop wagging and he just loved it. In spite of all this the judge must have seen something in him and to my astonishment placed him second, we were absolutely delighted and overwhelmed. We had travelled 230 miles to Rudy’s first show and had a wonderful result but the most astonishing thing was still to come. Following his second place we had many words of congratulations from all the owners but when they told us he had qualified for Crufts at his very first show we were speechless. We knew nothing about showing but we had of course heard of Crufts so this news was unbelievable.
Following this result we felt we had no choice but to enroll him and I for ring craft training under the watchful eye of Stuart Chamberlain at Camberley and the rest is now history and his achievements since that day are well documented.
Rudy is still first and foremost our pet where he enjoys life to the full. He has a wonderfully happy nature and will avoid confrontation wherever possible (bit of a woos really). Although Rudy is not a lap dog he is really loving and affectionate. Of all the dogs we have had he is without doubt the most intelligent and biddable and will do anything for food. He loves to show off but at times is a little over zealous but that’s part of his charm and why we love him. He is extremely stubborn when he decides he does not want to do something and like most dogs has a convenient deaf ear when it suits him, especially when off the lead.
We appreciate how fortunate and very lucky we have been in producing a champion show dog at our first attempt but it should give heart to all up and coming owners who enter the world of dog showing. Given the right pedigree dog, with a lot of hard work, training and determination, even the most inexperienced owner can compete at the highest level.
Our Thanks
I have mentioned four very influential people in Rudy’s progression into showing, Anne, Peter, Liz and Stuart but there are many others too numerous to mention. I must however mention the Lancashire Heeler Club Committee and its entire membership for giving us their support and encouragement from day one. In particular, Julie Swann the Chairperson of the club who has a very difficult role to play but has always been totally supportive towards us, thank you Julie.
Also to all the judges who have thought so highly of Rudy, thank you.
Summary of Achievements to End March 2007
Top Lancashire Heeler Show Dog 2004
BIS @ Lancashire Heeler Championship Show (Twice)
Lancashire Heeler Best Dog Crufts 2007
15 CC's & 5 RCC's
23 Best of Breed at Championship Shows plus 9 at Open Shows
Championship Show Group Placings: - Grp 2, Grp 3 and Grp 4
Open Shows Group placings: - RBIS x 1, Grp 1 x 2, Grp 2 x 1 & Grp 4 x 2
Kennel Club's Good Citizen Awards at Bronze, Silver & Gold.
Owned, loved and proudly shown by Gwyn and Tony Hancock
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