Homestead Hoedown 2019

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Sunday 1st September 2019 was the date of the second Hoedown at the Homestead at South Milford (Home to Tracy and Phil Appleyard) and the family fun day drew a great crowd of Irish Wolfhound and other dog breed owners for a packed schedule. In addition to the dog show classes, there was a host of attractions on offer including live entertainment from the L.A. Jazz Band, fundraising activities, giant dog agility, marquees, a stage, large beer tent and various stalls selling goods, all coupled with a Cowboys and Indians theme. The event is run in conjunction with the Irish Wolfhound Charitable Trust (IWCT) and monies raised from the day go to help a whole array of Irish Wolfhound related causes.

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The dog show consisted of Irish Wolfhound classes in the morning and then novelty classes after the lunch break. For a year that has had very low attendance at many shows and events, including open and championship shows as well as charity events, The Homestead Hoedown certainly bucked the trend. Drawing 51 Irish Wolfhounds to attend, 39 of which took part in the classes on offer, judged by breed specialist, Pat Pask. Owners travelled from as far afield as Hayling Island and the Isle of Wight. The Wolfhounds ranged in age from just a few weeks to a super veteran coming in at eight years old. 

All class winners took home an engraved trophy, as well as beautiful rosettes and Wolfhound owners, were also treated to a glass of Bucks Fizz as they came out of the ring and received an IWCT goody bag during the lunch break. 

Irish Wolfhound Class Winners:

  • Puppy Dog -Valerie Shenton’s’- Dante

  • Puppy Bitch - Angela Fox’s - Grace

  • Junior Dog/Bitch - Fiona Dawson’s - Dillon

  • Postgraduate Dog - Julie Grimwood’s - Baby Arthur

  • Postgraduate Bitch - Bryn Saunder’s - Polly

  • Open Dog - Tracy Appleyard’s - Stan

  • Open Bitch - Bryn Saunder’s - Polly

  • Veteran - Valerie Shenton’s - Xander

  • Brace - Carole Kelly’s - Cian & Niall

  • Best Wolfhound in Show Julie Grimwood’s - Baby Arthur

  • Reserve Best Wolfhound in Show - Fiona Dawson’s - Dillon

The novelty dog classes were open to all and proved very popular with

everyone and were judged by Hound specialist, Debbie Carey. Despite some periods of inclement weather, the classes were well supported by both the Wolfhound owners and local dog owners. Amongst the novelty class winners were Julie Grimwood and family, who took first prize in the Best Dressed class with their three dogs and fabulous outfits and also won Best Novelty in Show. Local dog, Peter the Yorkshire Terrier, owned by Lucy Wilson, won 3rd prize in Most Handsome Dog and Best Condition and then won 1st prize in the class Dog Judge Would Most Like to Take home and finally was awarded Reserve Best Novelty in Show.

Novelty Class Winners:

  • Mixed Brace - Helen Crossley with Turbo

  • Cutest Puppy - Jack with Cody

  • Most Handsome Dog - Lisa Walker with Clyde

  • Girl’s Looking Good - Charlotte Blake-Anderson with Bella

  • Best Condition - Lauren CT with Titch

  • Nicest Head - Linda Stewart with Desmond

  • Prettiest Eyes - Sarah Stevens with Tan

  • Best Mover - Fiona Dawson with Dillon

  • Best Rescue/rehomed - Heather Foster with Mini

  • Musical Sits - Sarah Stevens with Jasper

  • Dog the Judge Would Most Like to Take Home - Lucy Wilson with Peter

  • Best Dressed - Julie Grimwood with Baby Arthur

  • Best Novelty in Show - Julie Grimwood with Baby Arthur

  • Reserve Best Novelty in Show - Lucy Wilson with Peter


There was a lot happening outside the show ring too, and the IWCT raffle and tombola were very well supported, along with the dog class entries. Children attending the show were also catered for with a host of fun activities including face painting, a treasure hunt around the village, pin the tail on the Wolfhound and craft activities and a photo with ‘Big Norris’. The Hoedown raffle had been running online for a few weeks prior to the show and raised a considerable amount to bump up the final figure, and the beer tent and catering wagon also donated a proportion of their profits to the Charity. 

The IWCT cake stall was just one element of the refreshments on offer and owners were given a piece of the IWCT celebration cake in the afternoon. Naturally, visitors needed liquid refreshment as well as food and we can’t deny that the beer tent, expertly run by Paddy Grice and the BCBF team, was a big hit! The party atmosphere had already kicked off with a bang the day before as the volunteers who spent hours setting up the marquees, tables, stage and bar equipment were treated to a pre-show party with those visitors that had also camped over on Saturday night. The party atmosphere continued throughout the show, and during the lunch break, everyone was treated to live music from the fabulous L.A. Jazz Band.

As part of the IWCT’s remit for research into breed health issues, we were greatly privileged to have Dr Serena Brownlie join us for the entire weekend and 24 Irish Wolfhounds took part in the health screening programme and underwent a 3 stage heart test, the results from which will all go towards an ongoing research programme in conjunction with Nottingham Vet School. This health screening has been running for over 30 years, and the data is now being collated and analysed and will be integrated into a Kennel Club system to reduce the level of heart disease in the breed and improve the health and longevity of Wolfhounds overall.

We are still waiting to finalise the grand total from the day, but with proceeds from the raffle, tombola, dog show, cake stall, bar, caterers, all contributing to the fundraiser, we are confident of an amazing result and donations are still coming in and the total is already in excess of £2000! As with all such events, it couldn’t have been done without the amazing support of our volunteers, generous donations from suppliers, our judges giving up their free time, the IWCT trustees and helpers putting in hours of planning and organising, public support both home and abroad making donations and finally, most importantly, from all at the Irish Wolfhound Charitable Trust, a huge thank you to everyone that came along on the day and made this event such a runaway success - we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts and your generosity will make a difference to Irish Wolfhounds in many ways.

Ali Irvine

Guest User