September is SABBA/SABT Boerboel Show month!



Sumsare Frisco

The 2011 SABBA Boerboel Shows are imminent. As in the past, regional shows will precede the National Show. Please refer to the table below for the dates of these shows and the contact details of the respective organisers.

According to the Chairman of the Show Committee, Jakkie Erasmus, the shows will follow the same format as last year. However, judges will be asked to pay more attention to showmanship – a winner must be the dog and handler that are the most impressive, and not necessarily the dog with the highest appraisal score.’

‘To make the events more interesting for our audiences, we introduced two new classes this year: a Family Class in which a female or male with two of their offspring will participate as a group. The offspring may be of any age or sex and from any litter or service. The parent will be judged at no more than 25% of the total score. The second new class is for the Dog of the Year. Any Boerboel of any sex that is older than six months (not necessarily the champions) may participate in this class, for which there is only one position. The judges will choose the winner, but they will take audience response into consideration,’ according to Jakkie.
The entry fees for the regional shows are:

1-3 entries: R150 per dog per owner. 4 or more entries: R130 per dog per owner.
Family class: R150 for the team.
Dog of the Year: R150 per entry.

Name	Portfolio		Date		Mobile		E-mail
Jakkie Erasmus		Chairman: Show Committee		082 574 5653		jakkie@ecba.co.za
Thys von Solms	Organiser: Western Cape Show		10 September Durbanville		083 447 8844		thys@floorpro.co.za
Jakkie Erasmus	Organiser: Eastern Cape Show		17 September Port Elizabeth		082 574 5653		jakkie@ecba.co.za
Alan Pittam	Organiser: KwaZulu-Natal Show		17 September Pinetown		083 461 5057		pittama@durban.gov.za
Clint Gouws	Organiser: Free State Show		24 September Heilbron (prov)		078 523 5400		clintstella@gmail.com
Frans du Toit	Organiser: North West Show		24 September Potchefstroom		083 938 1850		fransdutoit@sabt.co.za
Johan van Wyk	Organiser: National Show		12 November Pretoria (prov)		082 890 8887		graslandboerboel@mweb.co.za

** Information sourced from www.sabt.co.za

The Boerboel and Hip Dysplasia.

Boerboels are generally known for their good health. However, they can suffer from hip or elbow dysplasia.

Bliksem, our two year old Boerboel has hip dysplasia. At first we thought he just hurt his leg, but as time went by, we realised that it did not heal. After two scans we were told that he had hip dysplasia and both vets wanted to euthanize him.

After extensive research, we came to the conclusion that only a total hip replacement will heal him. This was not an option as it costs R24 000 to replace one hip. He is now on a special Hills diet formulated for dogs with arthritis and hip dysplasia.

He is still with us. Runs around and hops onto beds.

This book is a must read for any dog owner. Useful and informative, it helped us understand the disease:


* Image courtesy of Kalahari.net

Written by orthopaedic specialist Gary Clayton Jones, Veterinary Advice on Hip Dysplasia in Dogs, tells you everything you need to know about the condition - its causes, symptoms, and most importantly, treatments. Whether you are thinking of buying a breed prone to hip dysplasia, or whether you have an older dog who already had the condition, this indispensable guide is essential reading.

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Boerboel Appraisals in George

On Saturday we took Vegter, Bella and Katryn to the Boerboel Appraisals in George. All three of them scored above 80%.

The appraisor was Mr. Lukas van Vuuren and what we appreciated was that he explained what he liked about each dog, as well as how to correct any mistakes when planning to breed with that particular dog.

Middelpos Katryn was first up and also scored the best of the three.

Katryn scored 84,6%

Next in row was Afrika Bella:

Bella scored 82,5%

And last but not least was La Monte Vegter:

Vegter scored 83,5%

We are very proud of the three of them!