ABOUT RAINY DAY AND SUNDAYS

You can tell its Berrie because she’ll always have something in her mouth!

Berrie, always the bridesmaid never the bride! I have always likened the two sisters to Brea being the beautiful one who receives all the attention and admiration while Berrie is the not so beautiful one that makes up for it by being clever and brainy. It was very obvious from the start that Berrie was very intelligent if not slightly obsessive. Berrie is more Border Collie than Flat coat in her ways she is very needy and very sensitive to moods, atmospheres or anything really! I did obedience with her as a youngster and she proved to have a great aptitude for it. Although she didn’t like the shiny floors or lighting in the hall she would always forget this for the retrieve at the end of the session. It’s down to her dislike of these places that she (or me) has rarely been shown at indoor open shows, she will just not show.
Although she is very different to her sister like Brea she can move! Berrie likes to power around a ring which she does so driving beautifully from behind. Even now aged nearly 10 years I still need to warn her to calm down before we set off. She has a very strange habit of wanting to stand on a slant which if you have ever seen me show Berrie is why she is constantly re moved and re stood. If she feels you are exasperated by this (and I often I am) then she starts messing about and dropping her topline! If you try to place any of her feet then she will lift the offending foot and will not put it down! If she is picked out either placed or making the cut then she will walk into the middle of the ring on two feet, the other two will be firmly wrapped around my waste. It is the only time she is allowed to jump up and she knows this and takes maximum advantage!
While I handled Brea Kelly Holland (Flatcharm) handled Berrie in her younger classes constantly keeping her in the cards. I took over handling her after Brea won her first CC therefore taking her into the limit Class. Although she matured slower than Brea it still didn’t stop her winning the Reserve CC two weeks before she was two years old at The Flat-coated Retriever Society Championship Show under Jenny Bird (Shiredale). Jenny has since gone on to do Berrie well every time she has judged her. She awarded her a fantastic 1st place in the Post Graduate class at Crufts in 2002. At Manchester Champ show in 2007 she gave her the veteran class stating in her write up “that this dog doesn’t know she’s a veteran”.
Berrie followed her win at the Champ show by winning the Reserve CC at Bath under Jenny Morgan (Wolfhill ) two weeks after she was two years old. Jenny went on three years later to award Brea a CC and then in 2005 Berries son Seymour the Reserve CC at Midland Counties!
In January 2001 she had her first litter to CH.Steeplehouse Chipper (owned by Roz Townsend, now Bellamy) and gave for Roz a dog, Rainesgift Reiver and for me my beautiful Rainesgift Renn. She made a fantastic mum and the two pups were a pleasure to rear.
Berrie was back in the ring again three months later taking Reserve Best of Breed (to her sister) under Bob Lane (Kulawand) at a local open show.
She continued to be in the cards throughout 2002 winning the Reserve CC under Linda Hughes ( Candease) at Birmingham in May. Linda again has gone on to give Berries son Seymour a Reserve CC.
Berrie took a short break in early 2003 to have a litter sired by Shiredale Lord of the rings. She gave birth on the 12th March to three dogs and four bitches. From this I kept Rainesgift Seymour with Rainesgift Serendipity going to Phil and Sue Goodman to restart their line.
Berre was back in the ring in the ring in 2004 taking a further three CC’S at Three Counties under Graham Lambert , Karen Joyce (Stranfaer) at Border Union and at National Gundog under Sylvia Bunting ( Mossdew). She has gone on to win just one more Reserve CC under Glenis Gwillam (Varingo) at Southern Counties in 2005. Altogether she has won a total of seven Reserve CC’s and as I said at the start of this she will always be the bridesmaid never the bride!
My one and only regret with Berrie is that I never trained her properly to the gun.Like all my other Flat coats Berrie loves to retrieve she will enter water more than readily and will bring to hand ANYTHING be it fur feather or scales! The others do not quite do it with the same verve determination speed or love that Berrie does, with perhaps the exception of little Myrtle whose water skills are another story. She would have made a fantastic field trial dogs and on the rare occasion we have been on a training day she has just been beside herself with the love of it all.
Over the years we have had allsorts retrieved. She is a renowned thief on the benches at the shows and has emptied many a bag of peoples bait, lunch and once even cigarettes. Strangely no one seems to stop her especially those opposite her as everyone loves to watch her do it, it’s clearly a skill! As I married in 2006 and became a “T” she has fresh unsuspecting folk to target! However I don’t think they’ll ever be as much fun as the” Vincent” families pickings!
Berries most spectacular retrieve was on the Isle of Mull whilst on holiday this last year. Whilst photographing the Sea Eagles falling out with the crows on the shores of Loch Barr Berrie took herself off down to the shores bringing back with her the beautiful trout they had been falling out over .
Now at nearly ten years old she shows little sign of slowing down and is currently going through a puppy phase! She will probably only come out now at shows where there are veteran classes .She has proved to be a wonderful mum to all her pups. Her grandchildren sired by son Seymour continue to do well in the show ring and are now joined by daughter Serendipitys puppies who showing early promise. Hopefully joining them this summer will be the new Gran children on the block Renns pups “Remus” and “Luna”. Watch this space! - Hayley Jan 2008