YORKY CLUB MAGAZINE #3 -- May 2005

BORN IN 1920 ! - VERA MUNDAY

When I was born in 1920 there was already a Yorkshire Terrier in the house. My Grandmother had bred a few Yorkies from the Pellon line, and Mother took one with her when she left home to get married; but Mother did no breeding or showing until the late 1920's. When I was eight years of age I was taken to a show at Crystal Palace in London, The City and Suburban Show - there is no such show now, but she won Any Variety Litter Class with two yorkie puppies. The following day a lady who had been at the show offered us two Guineas for each puppy but mother wouldn't sell. She did a small amount of breeding and showing in the 1930's, using amongst others a dog owned by a Miss Hicks who was then the Treasurer of the YTC. However, being a housewife with two small children, Mother didn't have much time to go to dog shows. At the end of the thirties came the war with no dog shows until the 1940s, when they started up again. It was at this time that Mother took over as Secretary of the Yorkshire Terrier Club.

With my help Mother was able to do a small amount of showing. Before the war we had a beautiful dog called 'Try Again' who made it through the war and people like Mrs Swan (Invincia) and Lady Edith Wyndham (Soham) said if she let them have it they would make it into a champion, but Mother's opinion was that if they could make her dog into a champion, then she could do it herself! She never did though as in these days mother was very much the newcomer. We applied for the Yadnum prefix early in the 1950's and the first Ch was 'Wee Eve of Yadnum' – a bitch with a Johnstounburn pedigree, Mother being very friendly with Mrs Crookshank at the time, often staying with her when attending shows in Scotland. It was through Mrs Crookshank that Mother acquired 'Wee Eve'.

Our first male champion was 'Eoforwic Envoy of Yadnum' in 1953 obtained from Mrs Prosser. 'Wee Eve' was probably 3.5 pounds, and the dog 4.5 lbs which in my opinion is an ideal weights for male but small for a female. The male had gorgeous colours, beautiful head and in those days there were no such faults as bad movement and bad top lines. Mother probably kept about 8 yorkies at any one time including puppies, stud dogs and three brood bitches, but never any more. Dogs were never kennelled, but always kept in the house, living with the family.

I was in my thirties when I started showing, by which time I was Treasurer of the Yorkshire Terrier Club, a position held for 26 years. At that time Mother resigned as Secretary after 12 years.
My first champion was 'Pretty Debie of Yadnum' in 1969 who was actually bred by Gwen Bulgin (Azurene). Mother enjoyed showing but never made it a major part of her life. She had to stop showing when she developed arthritis of the spine as she was then unable to bend, but she continued the breeding side and judging so she and I became the first two members of one family to judge Crufts twice. A real honour! I only took over completely when my Mother died in 1977 and I gave up breeding in 1990. At that time I had my last remaining Champion - 'Ch. Johnstounburn Gold Trim by Yadnum' bred by Mrs Hillman. He was sired by my 'Yadnum Gold Topper', out of a Johnstounburn bitch and was the litter brother of my 'Ch Yadnum Touch of Joy'. He unfortunately broke a leg as a puppy which meant that he was no longer able to be shown. 'Ch. Yadnum Regal Fare' won 16 CC's when I retired him, but unfortunately he only won Reserve Best of Breed at Crufts although I have won two Best of Breed at Crufts with other dogs.

In my opinion the main improvement in Yorkie’s over the years has really only been in presentation, the colour and soundness of dogs has not improved. The Yorkshire Terrier Club once had a beautiful trophy on it's list of cups to be won by a dog with a coat clearing the ground, which meant that all emphasis was not put on length of coat. In the early days boxes were fishing baskets, shopping trolleys, shopping baskets, etc, with perhaps a towel or cloth of any colour thrown over the top for the dog to stand upon. However, dogs always had bows in their topknots.

We always bred Yorkie’s to how we interpreted the Breed Standard and Mother was able to help people from all over the World with her book 'The Yorkshire Terrier', first published in 1958, the ninth edition being published in 1987. Mother occasionally sold abroad but prospective purchasers always came to the house first to choose their puppy themselves.

The first time I awarded CC's was in 1956, having judged Crufts twice - once at Olympia - I think in the late 1970's and then at Earls Court some ten years later. I judged 'Ch Blairsville Royal Seal' at West of England Ladies Kennel Society where he went on to BIS. In my opinion Royal Seal was the ideal size for a male. Since then I have judged most of the English general championship shows at least once, sometimes twice. I have judged five breed club championship shows as well judging The Yorkshire Terrier Club twice. I have been privileged to judge in several European countries - Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain and twice in Japan. And I have judged all Toy breeds in Southern Ireland. The last time I judged abroad was in Spain in the 1990's and on that occasion I had the best class of Open dogs that I have ever seen anywhere……15 dogs and almost everyone a Champion - Spanish, Italian and French.

England has had some exceptional champions, amongst whom are 'Ch.Blairsville Royal Seal', 'Int.Ch. Mr Pimm of Johnstounburn' (owned by Mrs Cruckshank). Both these dogs appear in my dogs pedigree’s.
The last time I judged Yorkies was in 1995 at the Yorkshire Terrier Club, London.

There is a film entitled 'To Paris with Love' with a dog playing the part in this country ('Fleurette of Yadnum') and a French dog filming in Paris with Sir Alec Guinness taking the leading role.

Although being unable to show any more, I still retain the position of President of The Yorkshire Terrier Club and live at home in the New Forest with my one remaining dog ‘Ch. Johnstounburn Gold Trim by Yadnum’. Until 2003 I was the breed correspondent for ‘Dog World’, a post that I held for over twenty years.

My interest in the breed has not diminished but I have found that no longer being able to show dogs and go to shows has been a difficult change in lifestyle for me to come to terms with.
However, I wish everyone involved in showing Yorkshire Terriers every success and hope that they will all be supportive of the breed in the future.


This interview was taken by Angela Prophet.
This article was edited for Yorky Club, and published on YC Magazine #3 - May 2005