Euro OES Show 2025 in Snekkerten, Denmark.

When someone goes on a journey….. Do you remember our turbulent journey to Euro OES 2024 in Finland?

The start of our trip to Denmark on Thursday, 5-6-2025, was once again quite extraordinary……

This is how it was: Chris was due to arrive in Maaseik at 3 pm to stow her travelling gear plus ‘Winnetou’ in my car. She called 15 minutes before and said she had to leave the motorway because her car had a problem. I briefly thought about what to do. My car was ready to go, I just had to pack ‘Peter’ and ‘Caro’. After 30 minutes of driving, I reached Chris near the exit. She parked on the hard shoulder at the entrance to a ‘cafe’, and there was nothing else for miles around. In the meantime, Chris rang the European car help centre. They sent two friendly young police officers. Her husband Jan had to come to make all the necessary arrangements for the broken car. The journey took 1 hour and 20 minutes. Everything was taking an infinitely long time, and I wanted to drive towards Denmark finally. In the meantime, I started to unload Chris’s car and tried to fit all the things, plus ‘Winnetou’, in my vehicle. It wasn’t that easy, and I stumbled when I got out of the rear boot, tripped over my beauty case and landed broadside on the floor.

After making sure nothing was broken, I needed the smart policeman’s help to get back on my feet. Don’t ask how much it all hurt. Today, 2 weeks later I am still on Ibruprofen and the osteopath is very familiar to me. My back still hurts like hell.

We wanted to drive off, but the guardian of the Dutch roads, who had arrived in the meantime, wouldn’t allow it. He would then have the car towed away and taken into custody. It was a matter of 20 minutes, then Jan would have arrived.

In the meantime, a lady from the cafe on whose driveway we were parked came and complained. The well-hidden ‘cafe’ was not visited by customers who normally come to visit because of the police car and our group….. it turned out to be a brothel and not a ‘cafe’.

Finally at 16.30 we set off and encountered all the Whitsun traffic there was in the Ruhr area. After 6.5 hours of non-stop driving and 550 kilometres, we arrived at our hotel in Neumünster. I was tired and aching all over.

The night in the hard hotel bed and 3 dogs in the room didn’t help. It was also pouring with rain. I didn’t feel like travelling the day before and would have preferred to turn back. So I gritted my teeth and drove on for another 4.5 hours via Fun and the big bridge to Zealand to Helsingor. As we drove out of Neumünster, we passed the Holstenhallen. This is where I took part in my very first dog show, on 28 May 1972

The weather forecast was dramatic, on Saturday at the first show in Holsbaek it was only supposed to rain a little, but on Sunday at the Euroshow, which was outside, it was supposed to pour with rain.

When we arrived at the hotel it was raining and we unloaded the dogs very quickly and brought them inside immediately. It took a while until everything was unpacked and we kept meeting people from all over the world with and without OES.

I had tried to persuade Chris not to exhibit at Holsbaek on Saturday and just stay calm and relaxed in the hotel. I didn’t succeed. We set off at 6.30 the next morning, it was a 1 hour drive. Thank goodness it was dry with some sun and wind. When we arrived at the site we couldn’t believe what we saw! The car park was about 1.2 km away from the showground. I thought, I’m not going to think about this with my back and the pain. We then walked twice to the site with the cages, tables, bags and the tent. At 9.30 everything was ready and we fetched the dogs

We had about 24 dogs in front of us, so we had just enough time to get the dogs ready for the show. 24 OES from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and England as well as us from Belgium were entered. The judge was Mr T. Rohlin from Denmark. Everything went well: ‘Peter’ was best of breed, ‘Winntou’ 2nd best male behind him. Only my ‘Caro’ had to be content with 2nd place behind a Reata bitch who lives in Denmark. At the Euro Show the next day she got a very good, which in my opinion was also correct. Anyway, don’t grumble!

What was positive was that the bitch before Caro was already Danish Champion, so ‘Caro’ now has a new title ‘Danish Champion’

The best bitches, the Reata bitch and Caro and 3rd from UK                                        Best bitch ‘ Reatas Emma Lou’ and our ‘ Caro’

‘ Peter’ BOB, the judge Mr Rohlin/DK, BOS ‘Reatas Emma Lou’

Now the wait for the ring of honour started again. It took a while and my back wanted to rest. I looked around to see if there was any way of getting to the showgrounds by car. That should be possible after the show is over. That was too late for us! We had the BBQ at the hotel at 7pm for the Euro Show. Just before the ring of honour started, which was 1 hour late, I walked back to the car for the 5th or 6th time and cheekily took the footpath which was the only access road to our tent. Chris and I were so happy ….

I went to the ring of honour and Chris dismantled the tent. ‘Peter’ was also best junior and was among the last 6 of all the young dogs with the judge Mr Draganescu from Romania.

Group 1 was judged by Mrs Lena Danker from Finland and ‘Peter’ and I found ourselves in 2nd place shortly before dying of back pain. Of course I would have liked to win, but then I would have had to come back on Sunday. That would have been impossible because we were at the Euro Show.

We quickly stowed everything in the car and drove towards Snekkerten. It was 18.30 and it was starting to rain. But we still had to set up our tent for the next day. Everyone else was allowed to pitch their tents from 3pm.Everything was occupied and the view of the tent with the ring was completely blocked. No matter! We set up the tent in the rain, got to the room as quickly as we could and arrived at the BBQ 30 minutes late. We had very nice neighbours at the table, the Bekkötter family. Mr Bekkötter thinks I should become Pope…… you will see that on the video of the Euroshow.

Impressions of the show in Holsbaek.

The next morning it was dry, but from midday it was supposed to rain. The show tent was at the lowest point of the grounds. In the morning it was slippery in the ring on the wet grass and from midday everything softened up and we stood in the mud and all walked around the ring with ‘handbrake’.

The judge for the 106 OES was the Australian Mr Ashley Reid. Nobody knew him and he doesn’t breed OES. But the rule is that the judge who judges the Crufts in Birmingham in 2027, i.e. 2 years later, is allowed to judge the Euro Show.

It turned out that he was a very pleasant judge, who appeared confident and judged quickly. We liked judging the males better than the females. But once again it was a very special atmosphere. Many, many spectators from all over the world were present.

Everything started really well. ‘Peter’ won the junior class males and ‘Winnetou’ the intermediate classes. Then all the males came into the ring, 16 champion males and the open class alone …… He chose 4 males and that was the ‘Bugaboo’ male from Hungary, who later won best of breed, ‘Winntou’ from Chris, Sjaak Meijer with “Robbie” and me with ‘Peter’ Now I almost had a cardiac arrest. It was simply unbelievable.

‘Winntou’ was 2nd best male behind the Bugaboo, Sjaak 3rd best male with “Robbie” and my ‘Peter’ with his 14 months 4th best male. The world stood a little still at that moment.

Then it started to rain and the bitches still had to be judged. We could hardly see anything from our tent and tried to go into the tent from time to time to see something. It was overcrowded there because everyone was trying to stay dry with their dogs. ‘Caro’ was in the champion class with 23 bitches and I had to settle for 4th place. I wasn’t really happy with that. But ‘Caro’ is a completely different type and something special. In the mud it was hardly possible to see her beautiful movement.

At the end of the long day there were two very nice winners, the ‘ Bugaboo’ male who lives in Hungary with Jozef and was shown as always by Zsolt and the wonderful ‘ Blondie ’ from Greece who was Res- Best in Show at Crufts 2024. As always harmoniously presented by Matteo from Italy, her breeder.

Well, last but not least ‘Peter’ became Best in Show Junior. Exactly 10 years ago at the Euro Show in Denmark ‘ Norman Harrison aus dem Elbe-Urstromtal’ won Best Junior in Show under Woody Nelson/USA, Both are children of my beloved ‘ Multi Ch. Eldorado aus dem Elbe-Urstromtal’

We drove the car very carefully onto the waterlogged lawn and packed everything up as quickly as possible. Back to the hotel, fed the dogs and in 15 minutes we were dressed up for the gala dinner.

At 7pm the gala dinner began, famous for its celebration of the winners and the performance by the Aussies, the French and a few others.

It was so successful! Great food, great music, lots of dancing and lots of laughter. I was so full of Asperin and Ibruprofen that nothing hurt and I danced a lot. In between, ‘Peter’ had a visit from a very beautiful girl, who he mated again behind our car the next morning. A natural talent at 14 months old. I am so proud of him.

Monday morning breakfast at 7am, this time the lovely Claudia Schibler and Regular Steiner were our dinner companions. Although everyone is tired and has a long journey home ahead of them, we take the time to say a long goodbye.

At 9.30 a.m. we drove in glorious sunshine towards Rodby to catch the ferry. We were back in Maaseik at 8pm, without any traffic jams and with Burger King from the drive-in.

Shortly after the ferry we took a short break to give the dogs time to stretch their legs.

The car was full again and ‘Caro’ is only travelling with her sheepskin.

Impressions from the Euro Show. Many videos from the evening can be found on Facebook