This happened soon after in 1982 when I bought a beautiful flashy brindle bitch, Awel-Y-Tyrcan O'r Dderwen.  I now had a rough idea as to what to look for in a Boxer, as I had been to many shows and taken in lots of advice from other exhibitors.  So to me she was the best thing since sliced bread.  Now the showing bug had got a firm hold of me.

Smelly Melly, as she was known at home, was by Winuwuk American Ginger and out of a Picasso and Delapoer War Paint grand-daughter.  At her first open show she took 4 firsts and short-listed for Best in Show.  As you can imagine I thought this is it, Crufts here I come.  Now although Melly took numerous Best of Breeds and Best in Shows at Open level, Crufts was never to be for her.  But as the show bug had seriously taken a hold, I was desperate, as anyone who shows dogs will tell you, to qualify a Boxer for Crufts.

One day, at an Exemption show with Smelly Melly, I was asked by a young couple how I had managed to get my Boxer to stand still in the ring.  So after a little chat about ringcraft, I asked to see the dog in question and perhaps I could show them how to do it, to the best of my ability.

What I saw next, on the end of a very heavy chain lead was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.  She sent shivers up and down my spine.  I then took hold of her lead and expected to have a difficult time of it, as she was 2 years old and had no training at all.  How wrong can one be!  She was an absolute darling.  I did not even have to touch her, just stand in front with a loose lead and a nice bit of liver to tempt her with and that was it, a perfect show stance.

Well, as you can imagine, her owners were very impressed and asked would I like to handle her for them at other shows.  You know the answer I am sure!  What was to follow, was weeks of waiting for a phone call to enter Maxine for a show.  It eventually came a few months later, but the conversation to follow was not what I had expected.

The husband asked me straight out, "Would I like to purchase Maxine".  He explained that they had to move and could not take Maxine with them.  So with a heavy heart, they had to find her a new home and as I was taken so much by her, I was given the chance of owning her.  I was given a price, which was way and above my savings at that time.  But after speaking very nicely to my father, I had enough money to purchase a stunning Boxer.  Arrangements were made, and off I went with Smelly Melly to meet a very upset man and collect Maxine.  What was to follow was a dream come true.

With only two ringcraft classes, I took her to an Open Show winning Best of Breed and Reserve Best in Show.  What a day, I thought this was remarkable, but what was to follow was even more so.

I entered the Midland Counties Championship show.  I was advised by friends to enter her in the Open Class because of her age.  I was not sure of this, as really speaking she was still a novice.  But I had to eat my words as she came 2nd to the top winning bitch at the time, Ch Skelder Pot Luck.  I had now qualified for the first time and was a quivering mess sitting on the bench, when a friend came rushing over shouting, "They want you back in the ring to challenge for the ticket".  I thought it was a very sick joke at the time, but was soon to realise that it was not, when the steward came round for me.

Back in the ring I began to feel very sick.  Beefy Sutton, the judge for the day, asked me to go around the ring along with the winner of limit.  This was a major task as someone had taken all of my limbs away!  After one circle of the ring, Mr Sutton in a very loud voice shouted "Madam" and held the Reserve Challenge Certificate (RCC) out in my direction.  What a day!

Maxine became my foundation bitch and got "Y Dderwen Boxers" off on a wonderful start.  Well done and thank you Maxine, now at "Rainbow Bridge", love you lots.