Lass collects another championship title

The 6-year-old black and white female Border Collie recently won the Goldfields Kennel Club Dog of the Year competition, held at the Gillooly’s Farm Show Grounds on August 24 and 25.

Mrs Venessa and Mr Ron Juckes own Lass, but she was bred by Mrs Lindy Coetzee. The story about how they acquired Lass is an interesting one.

“We gave Lindy a female Border Collie some years back, which she bred with and had a puppy, champion Venron Bounce-Back,” explained Mrs Juckes.

“Lindy then bred with Venron Bounce-back and gave us one of her puppies, hence the name Return to Sender,” said Mrs Juckes.

Return to Sender, or Lass as she is affectionately called, has won at shows as both a puppy and a senior.

Lass was ranked in AnimalTalk’s Top 100 in 2009/10 and 2011. A week before her victory at the Goldfields Dog of the Year competition, she won the Goldfields Working and Herding Dog of the Year at the same venue. She also won the title of Best in Show at an invitational competition in Port Elizabeth earlier this year.

“Lass is exceptional. We have numerous dogs but she is the boss who keeps everyone in line,” said Mrs Juckes.

Lass has undergone basic show training and being from a farm, she has a keen interest in her sheep. Mrs Juckes describes Lass as being part of a busy and active breed, which enjoys running in the yard. “In the evenings, she makes sure she sits between Ron and I when we are watching television and lays her head on Ron’s shoe,” said Mrs Juckes.

One of the judges at the Goldfields Kennel Club Dog of the Year competition was impressed with Lass.

“She typifies everything a Border Collie should be, I can’t believe her quality,” said Mr Bo Skalin, a Swedish judge at the event.

Another judge, Mr Guy Jeavons from Canada, who recently judged at the Border Collie World Show, was also impressed with Lass. “She was superior,” said Mr Jeavons.

“We truly believe she is special, she represents a culmination of our breeding for the last 25 years,” said Mrs Juckes.