Why is your kennel so-called? How did you choose the name for it?
I registered Pelajilo early on and it was simply a combination of my then-husband’s name and mine. Later it was obvious that a name, relating to our breed, would have been more appropriate. Never mind, it sounded exotic!

What do you emphasize in breeding?
I don’t breed OES anymore so these comments are for the past. When I used to breed, I’d spend hours looking at pedigrees, watching champions but also young dogs in the ring, trying to find a male to complement my bitches. In a puppy, I always looked for a showy dog and so a good front and reach of neck was important, as was good movement and of course coat. The angles had to be right with a good head atop it all. But really I don’t think one should ‘emphasise’ anything in breeding. You breed for the overall dog – for breed type - not to exaggerate any one thing and, of course, the dog must be able to move. Always x-ray, do eye tests and only breed from dogs with sound temperaments.

Pelajilo Garbo

Was there a litter that remains in your heart and of which you are especially proud?
There were several litters of which I was proud: I repeated the mating that produced Ch. Pelajilo Milly Mistletoe several times and every litter produced good dogs, several of whom became champions. I also loved the combination of Bumblebarn, of which I had several bitches (either from Ch. Shaggyshire Bumblebarn Caesar or my own, Ch. Bumblebarn Scramble of Pelajilo) with Flockmaster John Barlycorn and later with Ch. Pelajilo Dan Dare.

Ch. Pelajilo Dan Dare with his daughter, UK and Australian Ch. Pelajilo Nifty Nancy

Is a champion title necessary to breed dogs?
Absolutely not.

Jilly Bennett on Bondi Beach, Sydney with UK and Aust. Ch. Pelajilo Nifty Nancy (the first dual UK and Australian champion)

What is the happiest moment in your life concerning the bobtail? If the question relates to wins at a show, there are several: the first CC you win is never-to-be-forgotten and that was with my little Ch. Bumblebarn Scramble of Pelajilo, bred by Corinne Pearce. Later, when Mistletoe won Best Bitch at Crufts in 1981, that was, of course, an amazing moment. But more than anything I was a breeder and so, for me, the proudest moment, was at Bath Championship show in 1981 when Pelajilo bitches took the first three placings in a strong Open bitch class, taking the CC and Reserve CC. Another time was at WKC when Pelajilo’s also gained the CC and Reserve CC in bitches, and won Best Puppy Dog and Post Graduate Dog on the day. These were in the ‘80s when entries were enormous with up to 200 and more OES at a show. However, if you mean outside the show ring, then of course, it’s the day-to-day life with my dogs. Perhaps my happiest moments were when I lived in Wales and where the dogs enjoyed a 5-acre field, running free in the snow. And friends – I’ve been lucky to have made many life-long wonderful friends thru Old English Sheepdogs. Did you experience misfortunes and how did you avoid them? Like most breeders, some matings didn’t work. I produced some cleft palates with one particular mating and knew not to double up on those lines again. We all try to get it right by studying pedigrees and hopefully putting the right dogs together, but I do think luck played a big part in any success I was fortunate to have

What criteria do you use to choose the best puppy in the litter?
Wet from the mother, with the puppy in your hand, you can see the angulation and often the one you choose then, ends up the best but of course you have to wait until you can see the puppies move. You’ve got to get the angulation right, fore and aft.
Between 7 and 8 weeks was always the time for me to assess movement. I’d look for a puppy, short in body who moved well - with a good reach of neck and good head and that had that little extra something – style, call it what you will – a quality that said ‘hey, look at me’. This counts for a lot in the show ring, provided everything else is right, of course.

Could you give a piece of advice to beginner breeders?
Don’t breed unless your bitch is of sufficiently good quality. If she isn’t, learn how to present and show with your first bitch, make the mistakes we all make, and then buy a better bitch to start your breeding programme. And when you decide to breed; don’t use the current top winning dog unless you are sure he’s right for your bitch. Before anything, learn, learn, learn. Read everything available, ask questions, ask owners if you can go over their winning dogs (and also those that don’t win so you learn the difference between a good and not so good OES), watch videos, understand breed type, structure and movement so you know what you are aiming for. Learn to see, in your mind's eye, the ideal OES. It’s always helpful to have a mentor in the breed, one you can trust implicitly and who is passionate about our breed and not just about winning. You need to have in mind what you are breeding for – an ideal, as it were. Develop an eye for a dog. Some people have it, some never get it.

What is your opinion about what had happened to the breed in the world and your country for the last 15 years?
There have been massive changes in the breed. First of all, in the UK at least, we don’t have the numbers of dogs in the ring anymore and there is a lack of depth of quality. That isn’t to say there aren’t good dogs. There are. But it used to be that you could easily find five good dogs in a class, any of whom could have won it. Now it can be hard to find a winner in some classes, let alone sort out the lower placings.
Many bitches are bigger than they used to be and many dogs and bitches are simply too long in body to be typical. Overdone grooming and trimming is used to disguise bad movement. We don’t see that typical driving movement so much these days and more’s the pity. It’s harder to find a good quality coat too – often they are too soft and tending to brown.
There are other changes too – the world has become a much smaller place with frontiers opened up which means we see dogs from other countries at many shows, opening up the possibility of foreign dogs being used in breeding programmes. This can be both a wonderful thing and a danger, as doing a total outcross can cause problems. It all depends on the knowledge and experience of the breeder, knowing the strengths and weaknesses in his or her line and knowing when to bring in new blood to improve the stock. The problem often arises in the next generation when a novice, with a puppy from an outcross, just doesn’t know where to go to mate his or her bitch.
There also seem to be far more health problems in OES than there used to be.
It also seems that nowadays emphasis is placed more on breeding a dog for the big ring (i.e. Group and BIS) and not on preserving and/or improving our breed.
There seem to be two types of people who show OES these days – those who are passionate about the breed and who strive to breed the best OES possible and there are those who breed to win. Unfortunately they are not always the same thing.

What is an exhibition for you?
Again, I write in the past. I used to LOVE going to dog shows. Of course it was nice to win but really it was a social occasion for me. I loved seeing everyone, luckily made many friends, and if I didn’t win, there was always the next show. I appreciated the quality of other people’s dogs and loved looking at the new male puppies with a view to perhaps using one at stud in the future. It was always fascinating too, to look at what puppies had been produced by any particular combination of breeding. The need to win didn’t seem to be quite so important as it is now and I do think people were nicer to each other and behaved properly and in a sportsman-like way but then the world has changed, it’s not just the dog world. Don’t I sound old? But then I guess I am!

Beginning from what age should a dog start being prepared for a show career? What is the best way to do it?
From birth and even before, with the correct feeding and care of the mother. I’d begin by regular handling of the puppies when they were still in the nest with the mother. Then, when the puppies were about 3 or 4 weeks old, I’d start very gentle grooming, just so the puppy got used to the brush. I’d lay it down and gently run the brush all over him, including his feet, so that it was an enjoyable sensation. I’d do this every day. I also started standing the puppy around this age and looking at the mouth regularly, so he got used to this. Early training to move on a loose lead is very important and once the puppy has been vaccinated, then it’s important to go for regular trips in the car and to go to busy areas like shopping centres so the puppy will get used to people and also not be car sick. Later, ring-training classes were essential. All this should be done in a spirit of fun and then you won’t end up with a shy, scared puppy in the ring. Every visitor to my house was asked to ‘go over’ the puppy – again so he’d get used to being handled. The more you can do when the puppy is young, the better these lessons are learned.

Which of your dogs performed most successfully at the exhibitions?
Ch. Pelajilo Milly Mistletoe in the UK with others having great success abroad. 1981 was a great year for Pelajilo OES who won the most top awards in the UK that year.

Do you remember the first time you took an OES into the ring?
I can’t remember which of two shows was my first. One was in Kent, where Pelajilo Lady Peggotty won the Puppy Class. I was so proud and excited, I rushed off to find a telephone to call my husband without realising I had to take her back into the ring for the challenge. Felt a mighty fool that day! The other show was in Monmouthshire. I think Peggotty was placed second in the puppy class that day. It was an Agricultural show and so, once the judging was over, I went and looked around the rest of the show. I found the Rabbit section with hundreds of exotic rabbits in cages and I thought ‘how peculiar that people would want to travel miles to show a rabbit’ – little did I know that I’d spend the next umpteen years travelling the length and breadth of the UK showing my dogs. I’ve no doubt rabbit exhibitors think dog exhibitors are crazy too.

The dog is standing in the ring waiting for the judge. What do you look at and go over first of all?
After I’ve looked over the line-up of dogs before me, I ask the handlers to move the dogs around the ring once or twice, depending on the size of the ring. Then when I inspect each dog, I first look at it from the front, then side and then rear and then go over the dog’s head, looking at eyes, bite, size and shape of head and jaw, including width of jaw and depth of underjaw, set and size and shape of ears. Then I run my hands down the dogs neck to the withers and then feel the front assembly of the dog, down to elbows and down the front legs to the feet, assessing quality of bone at the same time. Then I run my hands from the withers over the dog’s back assessing topline. My hands then feel the body, assessing depth of brisket and spring of rib and up to feel the length and strength of loin. I then feel the hindquarters running my hands over the dog’s rear end and down the rear legs, feeling for angulation in the stifles and strength of hock. I also assess muscle tone and of course if a male is entire. Finally I take a look at coat – colour, texture and profuseness - and then I asked the owner to move the dog in a triangle. Sometimes I additionally request the dog to be moved up and down if I’ve not seen enough in the triangle.

Assessing shoulder placement.