Day One…
Our first night in Moscow and the lights of St Basils pierced the midnight sky over Red square on this my first, of what I hope to be many visits to our beloved breed’s homeland. Having only ever seen Red Square on the television with memories of it being filled with tanks and other displays of military strength I was surprised at how much smaller it looked than I had expected. It is a large cobbled square surrounded on all four sides by some of the most stunning architecture I have seen. After crossing the road from the hotel that our host’s had arranged we entered the square from behind St Basils but it is not until you are in front of that beautiful building that we have seen so many times, usually with a Blackie standing in front of it, that you see the full view of the square. With the Kremlin and Lenin’s tomb on the left and an enormous building of palatial proportions, taking up most of the length of the square on the right. One could imagine this having played a vital part in Russia’s history, to our delight it is now adorned with top designer stores in which some serious retail therapy could be prescribed. As you get to the other end of the square with St Basils behind you, you become aware of the celebration of 60 years of peace with a bright coloured display. It is not very hard to find a monument, not only because of the number of them but also the size, the general theme being defiance rather than memorial “This will never happen again!” As you walk out of the square there is a statue of a soldier on his horse, guarding the great square, off to the right is the eternal flame of peace complete with two sentry boxes and guards similar to our home guards who stand watch, never moving till it is time to change, there is also a third guard standing off to the left. The flame is exactly what you would imagine it to be set in a marble surround the flame appears to burn out of the ground. Behind it is a large plaque showing the dates of WW2, with floral wreaths and tributes and a floral display “60”. A bit further on was a larger water feature consisting of a shallow, man made canal only a foot or so deep with a mosaic bottom. All along the canal are lights and at set intervals are statues depicting famous Russian stories. The canal leads to a breathtaking fountain where four horses appear to be leaping out of the spray. With so much to take in it was a wonder that we slept that night. Just as I closed my eyes I remember a little voice saying “Tom, we are in Moscow”.
Day Two…
A busy day sight seeing had been laid out for us and once we had met up with Kate our interpreter the day began. We were taken to an enormous park to visit a little Russian church. The quaint little building looked very old and quite run down from the outside. As we walked in we were taken a back by the amount of decoration that was crammed into such a small building, everywhere you looked were trinkets. The gold was dazzling. Embossed picture frames and etchings, goblets, plates, busts and crucifixes, you had to remind yourself you were in a church and not a curiosity shop. As we walked around the building we were led to the centre of the church, which was closed off with bright red ropes. With no ceiling the decoration continued up to the top of the steeple. One wall completely covered with pictures of religious icons from throughout the ages. One thing you did notice was the number of children who were also looking and paying their respects. No giggling or playing as you would expect, the children in general are very respectful.
We were taken around the park a little further to a museum which was displaying artefacts of local interest from Stone Age tools to cups and chalices from medieval times. There were pictures and plans for ancient architecture and wooden models of old buildings, it was interesting to see that where they had replaced the wooden structures with brick and stone, they had kept the same design, look and feel of the original buildings. There was a display showing locks and keys from the 15th and 16th century, the padlocks the size of briefcases and keys over a foot in length. It was a very interesting excursion that I probably would not have thought to do.
That afternoon we all went for a meal at a very nice restaurant and sampled some traditional Russian Borche, a soup made with beef, beetroot, cabbage and sour cream. After lunch we visited the Pushkin Gallery which was presenting a rather interesting exhibition of a famous Russian Impressionist, with pieces of work ranging from approx a4 in size to murals that covered a whole wall.
By the end of the day our brains had taken in their fill so it was time to chill out and reflect. We found a lovely quiet little café/Bar on the fourth floor of our hotel with a table by the window, as you glanced out of the window you eye was filled with the beautiful sight of the sun going down behind St Basils. It was difficult to get to sleep that night because off all that we had seen, the excitement of being where we were and also of where we were going to be…
Day Three…
Driving around, or should I say being driven around Moscow is an adventure in itself. With six lanes in each direction it is easy to understand why the driving is so erratic; we had our very own white knuckle ride. We arrived at the show ground, an indoor athletics arena early, whilst exhibitors were still arriving. We were greeted by Marina Gerasimova and taken to the hospitality area where we were introduced to the three judges for the festival which was to take place on the following day.
There were four rings set up, one for puppies and juniors, one for intermediate to champion class, one spare for the festival and one for measuring the dogs. Over both days of the show Marina Gerasimova was measuring and charting the dogs taking down all their physical measurements and also grading the eye colour according to the ADRK (German Rottweiler Clubs colour) chart. By the time we came down from breakfast the showground was buzzing. Again all preconceptions based on what I had been led to believe were contradicted. There were a couple of dogs laid on blankets with the leads tied to railings but most were in the fabric type kennels that we see at shows here in the UK. Also this notion that the grooming is not important, having been told in the past that it wasn’t was clearly not true. The same as you would expect to see at a UK show, there were grooming tables all around the only difference being that there were blasters and dryers being used more or less at ringside.
As judging commenced it was possible to talk to people who were at ringside and take the opportunity to chat with some exhibitors and of course meet some of the dogs. In general the temperaments were superb, most people were proud to answer questions, some insisted that you went over their dogs. Jumping back to size for a second the biggest dog on the showground over the two days measured a massive 80 cm’s (32”) to the withers but we were told that he is not the biggest dog in Russia. The size, bone, substance and overall quality of the dogs left me speechless. Type was more than evident with most dogs conforming (ignoring the individual differences) to a very similar type. There were some faults, as you would expect, a lot of which were hidden by expert grooming.
The protocol for the judge was to go over all the dogs in the ring and shortlist to three (not a job I would have liked to do with some classes having in excess of seventeen exhibits) then, move the three short listed dogs and place them accordingly. Best Dog and Best of Breed were found in Lukamor Char is Russian Dynasty owned and bred by Olga Vorobejeva and Best Bitch and Res. Best of Breed in Nefertiti iz Zolotogo Grada owned and bred by Svetlana Zolotova, interestingly we discovered later that night that the results of last years show were the same two dogs but the bitch taking Best of Breed. Last years show was judged by Marina Gerasimova after the scheduled judge was asked to leave the ring. With an electric atmosphere the best dog and best bitch were moved around the ring for that final selection, the judge applauded the two exhibits and as BOB was declared the spectators erupted into a standing ovation with applause and cheers.
We met up with a couple of other UK travellers whilst at the show too Jackie Ferrigan and David Innes both looking intently at Russia’s pride and joy. It was nice to know that I was not the only one blown away by what I was seeing.
After the judging was completed gifts were exchanged and then we were all taken to dinner by the Club. Looking around the table it was a who’s who of the RBT world. The restaurant was buzzing with a superb atmosphere with individual nooks and crannies for each party to enjoy their meal privately but still witness the dancing. Superb company, exquisite food, live music and a professional dance display topped the evening off to perfection. You guessed it after changing into something more comfortable it was back to our little café/bar to dissect the days events.
Day Four
Back to the showground for the festival, which I would compare to something between our open shows. Three judges today go over the dogs and each give them a score and at the end of the class they announce the scores, the exhibit with the highest score takes first place and so on. A slightly more relaxed day today with more opportunities to talk to the Russian breeders and exhibitors about the Blackie. So many tips and insights so much knowledge. Chatting with Marina was inspiring, she has been involved with the breed herself for over thirty years and her family was involved with the original Red Star Army kennel giving her combined experience in the breed of over 50 years! I must admit here that by midday my brain was fried there is only so much that you can take in. I have already mentioned the temperaments and one dog that sticks in my mind is Karabas Barabas Iz Chigasovo the bestdog at Crufts 2005 who when I got down on the floor and scratched behind his ears sank into me for a cuddle. My overall impression of the dogs in comparrison to here in the UK: they were bigger and more even in type, grooming in general is better (save the few exceptions in the UK), better bone, now don't take this as me poking holes it was an observation and they way I see it a target to aim for.
More to come...