hi margerate and barry so glad you got through it all. I was really worried leaving you there i rang your house hopeing you had diverted calls to your mobi .just relieved you are all safe ,heres to the next trip

Janet

Margaret

The lady that was taken from the caravan site is home and doing well, fortuneatly it was not a heart attack but she does have health problems and this has left her feeling wiped out.  She has been advised to have total rest and her own GP today is arranging for her to see a specialist. Both Liz and her husband Dougie send thanks to everyone who helped them and others at the caravan site when it was needed most. 

thankgoodness for that this was a scarey experience for me as this was the first time i have been to a dog show and i am only 12

rhys

I noticed in that BBC report that yet again, they were focused on the Restaurant tent and BIS tent.  No where, other than on the Blackpool Gazette pages, has there been any reports on the Boxer tent (that I have seen anyway!).

We were lucky, our tent stayed standing by the look of it, but we were the same end as, but in the tent next to the boxer tent (if that makes sense!!).  The Dobe ring was next to ours, not sure where the Dobes were benched though?  No more than 10 minutes before that tent came crashing down, we were stood in the alley between the two tents getting ready to leave.  Mum and our friend saw the roof go on that tent, I was heading up the car park to get the van!

The more I hear and see of this, the more thankful I am that we got out when we did.  We were the 3rd breed in our ring (all small numerical breeds), and were followed by the Finnish Lapphunds, we all got finished (the Lapphunds only because They were so close (only had Best Bitch and BOB to do, which I gather Jeff Luscott did in record speed).  The Hungarian Puli's never got started.  We had won Best of Breed with our Estrela, and were waiting for the Group, as Steve Hall, roughly 10 minutes before the catering tent blew down, had told us the Groups were still going ahead!!

Thank God not more people were injured, I just hope that the dogs that were in the tent that blew down will recover eventually, I know that our dog would have been finished for life if she had still been in the show when that tent collapsed! 

It was the most terrifying experience I have been witness to at a show in just over 36 years!

We are thinking of everyone, and hope all are safely home now.  I think Blackpool is definitely jinxed with the weather!

Millie

Joan

really pleased that it was'nt a heart attack & hope she is soon ok

Margaret

Mum said that she was sure it was you Margaret but your back was turned!

Didn't know that the chef was here at the hospital, they have a good burns unit here though.  Hope he'll be OK!

Hi Debbie
No it wasn,t our dog that got loose his names Buzz
Louie is my friend and  the owner of Buzz AKA as Spellmaster.
I don,t know whose dog got loose unless it was Sengi when I went to the Arden Grange stand for some food and no one dare tell me LoL
But I,m so glad you managed to catch it.
How did Teka get on?

Hi Millie,

I know which tent you were talking about and about the alley between out tents.

My girl Maggie was benched about 3 rows from the gable end (near the alley you talked about) at the back (where the footings first gave way).  It was very scary inside the tent about half an our before it collapsed as the roof to floor support poles (the ones that were in the way in the wet weather rings) were jumping up and down making a right racket. There was also a flap on to of the roof that flapped all day long - you may of heard it.

I took her off the bench 5 mins before my class started. She was shaking on the bench and she never does that. I was really spooked by her behaviour as she crawling on her belly trying to get out of the tent. She must of heard noises we couldn't and her flight instinct took over. My friend asked Steve Hall if we were carrying on and he insisted that it was ok to continue. I found this info out later but before Maggie's class started I heard the tanoy message to abandon and leave. Anyway, I had to leave the class as Maggie was getting really agitated, my instincts read hers I think and took her out of the class (that was never finished) and left.

Maggie's sister who won her 1st RCC the week before was in the tent when the footings gave way and had to "run the gauntlet" with my friend. I really hope she gets over her ordeal and continues her winning ways. I do know that we will see lots of promising boxer babies spoiled by this incident and adults alike. Shame. It should have been stopped ages before.

Aimi.

Ah, right, no I was thinking the dog was called Louie, as the dog that got loose was called Louie. I caught hold of his collar as he ran past, but luckily his owner had just come back to check on him......but I was thinking this may have been your friend......gets confusing doesn't it!LOL!
Tika was 2nd in puppy bitch, so she's now qualified for Crufts, which I was pleased with and it made up for the rest of the day. With not reaching Limit class before show was abandoned will have to try and qualify Inka at WKC, which will be the next Champ show. At least she may have a coat by then!LOL
Buzz (Spellmaster) did well didn't he if I remember right? Unfortunately still no results showing for most of the breeds on sunday, I imagine it has to be cleared first with KC.

GSD results are finaly up on Higham's site. Thought you had entered Buzz in veteran class Sharon? I could have sworn I heard he'd done well or was it another show......or was it another veteran dog I heard about......going senile already!lol!

Hi Aimi,

I am very glad that your's and your dogs instincts were right and you decided to leave.  Do you have any idea how many people were still in the tent with their dogs when it collapsed?  No one is saying much about what happened in that tent, it's all about the catering tent (which is annoying me).  I hope that most were out already!  We were already packed up as Steve Hall (when he told us the groups were still going ahead) had told us to move to the top end of the showground as it was safer up there.  I know some people in our tent disagreed with that, but I can see the logic!  If anything was going to fly down the showground, it was going to be heading straight for us down at that bottom end where our benches etc were!  As it happened, we never got there, as we were about to go, that was when the decision to abandon show was made. 

It's just as well the officials did come in to make sure people knew, as it was impossible to hear the tannoy's in those tents!

Our dogs would never had coped with the noises your dogs had to put up with, I think we were lucky being in one of the tents facing the way ours was, as the bulk of the tent was not catching the wind like your's was!

You are right, they should have abandoned the show earlier, but then, that is easy to say in hindsight (never sure how you spell that word!!).  Still, at least the outcome was much better than it could have been!  It will be interesting to read the reports in the dog papers on Friday!

Millie

Hi Millie,

Had an email this morning and luckily everyone was out before it went down completely.
Aimi.

Hi Debbie
We didn,t bother showing Buzz as he is eleven and a half now my friends just entered him for a day out really,
He,d have been up against it anyway in that class with at least two champions entered ,very nice bitch won who I think is about eight years old.
The lad has a reserve ticket and was first in breed to win junior warrant when the latest points system came in so I,m dead proud of him as he was from my very first litter from my once in a lifetime girl who was bred by Buzz.s owners.
(oh if only I could have her back again)
Well done to Teka and good luck with Inka do you know who crufts judge is yet by the way?
Sharon

Thank goodness for that!  The last I heard was people trying to get out as it was coming down!

Thanks for letting us know Aimi

I missed the early classes as we arrived as they were on P.G.Dog. You must have mentioned to me what Buzz had won as I remember something about him doing well! Yes the winner of veteran was Cedarmarks Jemma, who belongs to a couple we know from our training club. Someone was saying she was looking stunning for her age. I think, if I remember right, it's Tony Stanbra judging GSD at Crufts. He gave Inka her very first 1st place at a champ show in Jr almost 4yrs ago......and she was totally bald then aswell!lol! So I'd definitely like to qualify her if possible.
Do you have any shows planned for nr future? will you be doing N.W.A.Champ show in september. You were at the the Open a few years back weren't you and our girls were in together. Wasn't it the judge who's judging WKC?

Hi we seem to have hijacked Blackpool thread (sorry everyone) no not going to many champ shows this year its hard not driving so have to get lifts I,m going to just do local and agricultural shows now.
Eddie Crouch gave Sengi quite a good day at the open show you mentioned but I can,t get to champ shows as I,ve mentioned.
Debbie I think we,d better get of this thread now but pm me if you want to,
See you Sharon

yes I know, I was thinking that also! lol! sorry guys!