Sh Ch Pitswarren Levi
14/11/88 - 4/9/02

I am sorry to have to report the death of the Vizsla breed record holder Sh Ch Pitswarren Levi just a few weeks short of his 14th birthday. Levi was bred by his owners Peter and Liz Harper, by Pitswarren Zaccheus ex Sh Ch Gardenway Rica at Pitswarren, and began his rise to fame as a youngster taking his first Reserve CC in 1989 with BP at the HV Society Championship show. His early wins included 10 Best Puppy awards at CH shows where CCs were on offer, nine of these in competition with his sister Leila who only beat him once - she also went on to take her show title.

Levi also won the Gundog Puppy Group at Leicester CH Show under the late Pat Chapman at 9 months of age. He went on to great things as an adult, taking 37 CCs, 15 RCCs, 3 Groups and 4 BIS awards at a time when Vizslas were not often in the limelight and was the first Vizsla to win Reserve Best in Show at an all-breeds Championship Show – East of England 1993. Levi was Top Dog in 1990, 91, 93 and 94 siring CC winners including Fran Harper’s SH CH Pitswarren Tanzie.
He was the first Vizsla to win a Pedigree Chum Champion Stakes.

Liz writes that he was a ‘perfect gentleman’ in the ring, known for his showmanship and harmony with Peter who always handled him and they are honoured to have shared their lives with such a special friend. Fit and well to the end of a truly wonderful life, he died peacefully and with no pain only leaving them to suffer his loss. Liz says they miss him dreadfully but are so happy to have had him for almost 14 years.

Jackie Perkins

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Ken and Diana Allan bade farewell to their Saluki Ch Jazirat Bahiyya JW 14CCs 13RCCs (Bronte) just two weeks short of her sixteenth birthday. She had an illustrious show career, notably winning Best in Show at the Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club Championship Show and the fourth Saluki to win the Hound Group at Crufts (in its centenary year).

Her breeding was four generations away from Ch Almanza Kafiat, the second Saluki to win the Group at Crufts and was descended from Ch Burydown Freyha, the first Saluki to win a Cruft’s Group. She raised one litter which produced two British Champions and the top winning Saluki in Germany who won some fourteen Best in Show awards.

Although Bronte was retired from the show ring at four years of age, she made spasmodic appearances in veteran classes at Club Shows, her last being at the Club Championship Show in 2000 where Nick Waters covering the event for an American magazine penned the perfect epitaph: “For some, myself included, the star of the show was the Allans’ Ch Jazirat Bahiyya, who was best veteran bitch from a line-up that included a number of other champions.

One cannot help but admire a bitch in her fifteenth year still with all the pride and elegance one associates with Salukis and obviously enjoying her day out.” Bronte will be sadly missed.

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SAD NEWS from Tony Walden of the death of Shah, great grandson of Crufts Best in show Ch Viscount Grant and himself a Crufts qualifier, who later went on to excel on the race track, taking the Supreme Racer award at Intertrack 1996 at the age of three. The photo above taken by David Paton not only made the national newspapers but also the TV news.

A son of Karaburan Jelly Roll Morton, Shah - pedigree name Charvan Toby Twirl - was one of a litter of nine bred by Angela Corke-Legge out of her bitch Charvan Jazmin. A stud dog himself, Shah is succeeded by two racing sons, Joshua who followed in his dad’s footsteps becoming Supreme Racer at Intertrack 200 at the young age of 18 months, and Khan, who is currently the fastest dog around the circuits this year and hopefully a future national winner.

Shah died on 18th September at the age of nine years and five months, following an operation for spleen cancer. A delightful character, he will be much missed by Tony and his wife Sue. He has been buried at home between his beloved oak trees.