Baba was a great character and much loved favourite in the Bramatha Kennel. He was the only puppy in the litter, therefore he was rather spoilt. He enjoyed his days out in the shooting field and unfortunately never fulfilled his potential in the show ring.
Ragnhild Ulin of the Almanza Kennel wrote "Masculine, powerful male with all the breed essentials. Long well moulded head well filled in between the eys. Lovely dark eyes and expression. Correct bite. Could have a better lay back of shoulder and longer neck. Good upper arm, bone and feet. Good body, correct angulation behind but could be a bit stronger in the rear. Moves beautifully from the side, could be a shade better coming and going. Very good coat and colour. Lovely "biddable" temperament."
“Baba” was the only puppy born on 20th September 1998, from a repeat mating, of Fenstorm Kyalami (Wizardwood Tawny Pheasant x Bramatha Tic-a-Teena) x Galleywood Merton Charm (Bramatha The Emperor x Galleywood Queen). Bramatha Tic-a-Teena was sister to Nor. Ch. Bramatha Ticket to Ride.
Fenstorm Kyalami, known by his friends as “Sky” was a black dog of good size with excellent bone, bred by Mr. & Mrs. Aldo Harkin (the Fenstorm kennel) and subsequently owned by Mrs. Jenny Coddington (the Brascan kennel). Sky was a truly dual purpose dog, who held his own both in the field and the show ring. He won several field trial awards both in the company of flatcoats and any variety retrievers. He was a faithful companion to Jenny for many seasons of picking up on shoots and is sadly missed.
Sky was a consistently placed dog in the show ring. A well balanced dog of correct size, he took his time to mature, but then maintained his quality. He had a nicely moulded head and the kindest of eye expressions. He was well angulated, which enabled him to move with great drive.
Galleywood Merton Charm, known as “Lottie” is a very typical black bitch of good size. She has the most wonderfully moulded head, with a good dark eye and melting expression. An excellent reach of neck into well laid shoulders, good body and a nice turn of stifle. In her youth, she glided around the ring. She was a great under achiever in the ring, probably because dog and handler were not as “one”, which is an important factor in the show ring. Lottie now lives in the kitchen in retirement, although she keeps her eye on what is happening! Unfortunately, she only had the two litters, both to Fenstorm Kyalami. In the first litter there were 10 puppies of which Bramatha Mister Blue Skye went to Jenny Coddington to continue the line. A black bitch Bramatha Bluebell went to Switzerland and she works with the police searching for drugs, where she has been very successful and is admired.
Baba is a great character and one of my favourites. I have always been rather raciest towards my livers and because of his wonderful temperament he has gained many admirers. He is the clown of the kennel. Baba is very much a “peoples dog”, I think this is partly because of being the only puppy in the litter.
Baba has only ever competed in one working competition and that was at six months old in a puppy working test. He did remarkably well in the disciplines we had trained for, but unfortunately I let him down by not training thoroughly enough. However, he has redeemed himself in the actual shooting field and has taken over from his uncle, Master Master, as my number one dog.
Baba, like his father, has been slow to mature. He has one of the nicest moulded heads, with correct fill in, a good dark eye and kind expression. Excellent pigmentation and a good dark liver coat. He has a good level topline, tail set and carriage, well angulated hind quarters that allow him to move with drive. Baba is a good sized dog, with quality bone and overall a very typical Flatcoat.
Further information about Bramatha Hot Chocolate and Galleywood Merton Charm can be found on www.flatcoated-retrievers.com click on “Directory” and search for the names.
Sarah Whittaker has owned Flatcoats for over 30 years and has prided herself in having dual purpose dogs, although rarely competing in working events, preferring to use the dogs in the shooting field. The Bramatha kennel was established in the late 1970s, the first litter bred was from the liver bitch Atherbram Ability. Baba is line bred back to Ability.
Top of page
<< Back
|
