BREED NOTES FOR CIRNECO DELL'ETNA

The Cirneco dell'Etna is still basking in the success of Crufts, this has been helped by the Pharaoh Hound winning the group for a second time. Spectators can not help but see the resemblance and have taken not just a passing interest but also actively spent time questioning the attendants at the Booth about the breed. A full report on the four days has been published on the web site courtesy of Diane Clarke.

The following is an out take of the day as seen by Jackie Brown who manned the booth with her husband and 'Amber' .

Having owned and shown an "uncommon" breed in Manchester Terriers, we were already prepared for the usual questions and comments (What is it? Oh, it's a Pharaoh Hound/Egyptian Dog puppy etc. etc.). We tried our hardest to get on tv and made it as far as talking to Marc the vet. By lunchtime on Sunday it was manic but our booth being on a front corner was ideal as it was a main thoroughfare through the hall and we had two open sides for crowds to gather - which they certainly did! Although there are not many Cirnechi in the UK we had turned out in force to share the manning of the stand and the dogs can only be commended for their patience and good nature as can be seen from the pics on the website. Many thanks to Diane who organised the whole thing and was there to the bitter end! We had visitors from all over the world - USA, Australia and of course, Italy - showing serious interest in the breed and we also had loads of people stopping us to talk as we tried to go shopping! In summary, a great opportunity to put the breed in the "shop window" seems to have been incredibly successful. Made new friends (human and canine), went home tired but happy and drank a bottle of Sicilian Red........ JACKIE B.

It is a good thing when the Kennel Club get it wright and Discover Dogs if definitely a positive step in the correct direction to enable people to see all the different types both K9 and human companions who are able to explain what the breeds are like to live with. It is an expensive day with gate tickets at £16.00 and then to pay for parking but I suppose when you compare it against getting the wrong type of dog it is a small cost.

The Club has seen a benefit with the membership both Limited and Members numbers rise as a potential direct result of the presence at DD. The Limited members are at 62 and Members stand at 46 which at a little over a year since the Club/Site started is great for the breed.