‘BEN’
Irton Benbecula
Our first Border Terrier, Ben, was a shy puppy having been bred in a back shed and not with a family so it took us some time before he started to behave like a ‘normal’ puppy - a big learning point - but once he was settled in we became a team and he came everywhere with us. Our first holiday together was in Shetland where we had rented a small caravan on a farm for a couple of weeks. The boat journey out was horrendous since we had to leave him locked in a kennel on deck but after that it was sheer magic. Shetland is an Island full of birds and Ben soon became as keen a birdwatcher as us! He quickly learnt the ropes and as soon as we got back to the car or caravan he would drop fast asleep to be sure to ready for the next walk which he was determined not to miss - it was a long holiday for a very small Border terrier!
In the meantime a friend in the village - who also had Borders - was nagging us to start showing. We were a little apprehensive and not that interested but close friends of ours had just acquired a new West Highland white puppy and were also being encouraged to show so we all decided to have a go! Ben was not a great show dog and we were not very sensible exhibitors - entering him from puppy up to open!! at his first championship show. His greatest win was a first prize at Bellingham under some forgotten judge.
