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BRITISH NORFOLK TERRIER CONQUERS AMERICA

ENG & AM CH CRACKNOR  CAUSE CELEBRE 

(Photo Carol Beuchat)

Congratulations to 'Coco' !   At Westminster on 10th February in Madison Square Gardens, New York 
CH/AM CH CRACKNOR CAUSE CELEBRE was best of breed and then went on to win the Terrier Group.

ENG & AM CH CRACKNOR CAUSE CELEBRE, known as ‘Coco’ is Top Dog of all breeds in the U.S.A. for 2003.  She set a new record in October by winning the grand slam of all four best in show titles at the prestigious Montgomery weekend in America - the first ever dog to do this.       

ENG & AM CH CRACKNOR CAUSE CELEBRE
BIS at the prestigious Montgomery Terrier Specialty
Oct 5, 2003
Judge Hans Lehtinen (Finland).
(Photo John Ashbey)

Coco has won 48 BIS and more than 117 groups in 10 months, making her the top winning Norfolk Terrier ever in America.   Her latest big win was Best in Show at the American Kennel Club Invitational, clinching $15,000 for her breeder Elisabeth Matell
and $50,000 and a Suzuki 4WD for her owners Pam Beale, (Venerie Norfolk Terriers) Stephanie Ingram and Elisabeth. 

Pictures  of Coco at the AKC Invitational Eukanuba Show:

Coco wins BIS at the AKC Invitational Eukanuba Show

The rosette!

Coco with Beth Sweigart.
(Photos by Carol Beuchat)

Five year old Coco lives at Greenfield Kennels in Pennsylvania looked after by the Green Team and is usually handled by professional handler Beth Sweigart who has the Yarrow Norfolk and Norwich Terriers.   On a few occasions Coco has been piloted to wins by Beth’s partner, America’s top handler Peter Green, but Beth and Coco have forged a special bond that is very apparent in the ring.

 Before leaving England in January 2002 Coco had, in spite of limited showing, won 8 CCs including one at the Norfolk Terrier Club 1999 ch show and another at Crufts 2000.  In the same year she also won the Terrier Group at the Welsh Kennel Club ch show and group 3 at South Wales Kennel Association ch show.  At the Norfolk Terrier Club millennium ch show she won reserve best bitch, beaten only by her famous half sister Ch Cracknor Call My Bluff, the top winning Norfolk Terrier ever in Britain.          

CH CRACKNOR CAUSE CELEBRE
and Elisabeth Matell
at the Norfolk Terrier Club Championship Show in 1999,
after she was awarded her first CC 
by Judge Cherry Howard.
(Photo Sally Anne Thompson)

Coco also had a litter of two bitches, of which one,
Cracknor Copyright, went BIS at the Swedish Norfolk Terrier Club’s main show this year.
Born on 9th July 1998, she was sired by Rita Mitchell's
top stud dog Ch Richell Claret, (known as Cookie)  the breed's Top Stud for four years and Top Terrier Stud Dog in 2000.

CH RICHELL CLARET
Coco's sire.

He has now sired six champion in the UK, four bitches
Ch Richell Material Girl,
Ch Kinsridge Chaos
Ch Richell Fire Opal and
Ch Cracknor Cause A Stir at Richell, the litter sister to Ch C.Cause Celebre.
His first dog champion was Ch Honey King of Gregarth,
but his sons also include the millennium 2000 top winner,
Ch Jaeva Dutch Gold, BIS at Birmingham National and who won extensively in the UK and is now in the USA.  
Litter brother to Fire Opal is Swed Ch Richell Fire Water
owned by the Guestlings kennel in Sweden.
Through his dual CC winning son, Jaeva Duty Free he continues to spread his influence on the breed.

Claret wins Veteran Dog at the NTC Ch Show in 2003
(Photos Sally Anne Thompson)

Coco’s dam is Hatchwoods Madrigal, bred by Cherry Howard.   Madrigal has proved to be an exceptional brood bitch producing in her first litter (by CC winner Cracknor Close Call)
Ch Cracknor Call My Bluff (mentioned above), who beat every Norfolk record, won a total of 27 CCs, was Best in Show at two all-breed championship shows; she also won 6 Terrier Groups and many group placings; she was runner-up Top Dog and Top Bitch of all breeds in 1996.   In later litters Madrigal produced
Eng & Swed Ch Cracknor Courtesycut (also by Close Call) and
Ch Cracknor Cloak 'n’ Dagger (by Danish import Tjeps Red Lord Kenton of Cracknor).   In her last litter was Coco and
Rita Mitchell’s Ch Cracknor Cause A Stir at Richell gained
her title in the summer of 2004 at Bournemouth Championship Show.

Many thanks to
Carol Beuchat for her lovely photographs of Coco.