Dandie Dinmont Terriers in the UK

Introduction

Born Phyllis Passmore on January  5th 1891 to parents who were Dandie Dinmont Terrier breeders but who never showed their stock, it was 1922, just after her marriage to Arthur Salisbury, that saw the inauguration of Kennel Salismore - the name being a combination of  Salisbury and Passmore which should be pronounced as 'saulsmore'.

This Kennel study shows the immense legacy Phyllis Salisbury left that we all benefit from today. There are pictures of her Champions and a kennel history, tributes and annecdotes from her friends and colleagues all remembering one of the true doyennes of our Breed.

Janet Roslyn
Kennel Renald

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Breeding

Phyllis Salisbury's very first Dandie Dinmont Terrier was never shown. He was called Wasp and unfortunately he drowned in a quarry under some ice in 1919. So it was after her marriage and the registering the Salismore kennel that her breeding programme began.

Naming Convention: All homebred pepper Dandies begin with 'P', mustard homebreds start with 'M' and dogs bought in begin with  'S'

Totally dedicated to Dandie Dinmonts, Phyllis strived to maintan the features of the breed which the Standard deemed important. After World War 1, many Dandie bitches were producing litters being too light in the eye and one of her main aims was to recover the correct eye colour. To quote her daughter, Audrey, "my Mother had a ruthless crusade to get the eyes darker". Looking through the old pedigree book and records, it is very noticeable that this breeding policy was paying off dividends as from about 1927 as it is regularly noted that litters had dark eyes."

Audrey continues: "All through the years that my mother bred Dandies she culled ruthlessly and anything that did not reach her high standards was sold as a pet. Questionable mouths, poor tail carriage, light eyes and poor fronts were all disposed of."

Another project that Phyllis, helped by her husband, began in 1925. She was always interested in pedigrees and the breeding done by the many different kennels at that time. They began to collect registrations of Dandies and made a card index system, as did the Kennel Club; the difference being that the Salisbury’s records were much bigger. Remembering that they were showing in the early 20s and so were able to acquire both verbal or copies of old pedigrees from the early breeders and members of their families. The index is still being maintained today, an important legacy for the Dandie Dinmont world.

An extremely strong foundation of Dandie breeding was one of the assets the Salismore Kennel has bequeathed to future breeders.

Salismore Champions

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Showing

Phyllis' first Show Dandie succumbed to distemper caught at a Birmingham Show

The first Dandie which Phyllis Salisbury exhibited was Salismore Sporran. He was bought from Mr J B Richardson of Hawick (Kennnel Slitrig), but bred by Mr George Jardine, the original owner of Kennel Waterbeck.  Sporran was entered at the National Terrier and won the CC. A fortnight later saw him receive his 2nd CC at Crufts. This was then a show promoted by Charles Cruft, not the UK Kennel Club as it is today. His third show, at Birmingham, was to be his last. Sporran didn’t get the CC but along with many of the Dandies shown there, he caught distemper and all of them died of the disease.

This disastrous start to showing dogs would surely have deterred some exhibitors, but Phyllis bought more stock from Richardson and was soon back in the ring with great success. If you are conversant with our older pedigrees, you will realise that Phyllis, when showing at this time, was competing against the breeders whose stock made up the 'back-bone' of our breed. Alpin - Mrs Tibbie Simpson-Shaw, Glassford - Mr John Wilson, Scotby - Mr 'Honest' John Millican, Howcaple - Mrs Janet Gordon (later Lee-Gordon), Bellmead - Miss Trefusis-Forbes (the original director),Waterbeck - Mr George Jardine Snr, Giffnock - Mr Andrew MacCulloch, Darenth - The Hon Mrs Susan MacDonnell. Salismore Dandies competed against many other notable breeders and their exhibits during the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, all of whose names can be found somewhere in any of our three breed club's Magazines for enthusiasts who enjoy delving into the past.

In all, Phyllis Salisbury bred or owned twenty-one champions and fourteen more Dandies who won one or two CCs but who were never awarded the important third to make them up to a Champion. Salismore Mustard (bitch) was her first Champion - whelped 22/11/1923 and awarded her third ticket by Mrs. Lloyd Raynor at the 'Charles Crufts Show' in 1927. Mustard won five CCs in all. Phyllis' last Champion was Salismore Muskin (dog) - whelped 13/10/77 and awarded his third ticket by Miss I V Paterson (Kennel Franabella) at the Three Counties Show in 1982. He was then owned by Misses Soutter and Greenlees (Kennel Drevaburn).

Salismore CC Winners

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Judging

As well as breeding Dandies, Phyllis was also a judge of the breed. Her first judging appointment at Championship Show level was in 1928 at Birmingham. Her judging appointments included Crufts in 1937 when it was a private show run by Charles Cruft, The Kennel Club Show held at Crystal Palace in 1932 and Crufts again when it was run by The Kennel Club in 1955.

She had been invited in many times to judge the Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of America's Specialty Show, but had never accepted. In 1964 she was invited yet again by Dr. Josephine Deubler to judge the 1965 Specialty Show. At that time no person over the age of 75 was allowed to judge in America, so this was her last opportunity. She was persuaded by her close friends to accept, which she did. Mrs. Jameson ('James' - Kennel Sowdens) went to the Show with her. It would seem that she thoroughly enjoyed both her judging and her visit.

Her last appointment should have been The National Terrier Show 1978, but a few weeks before the show her daughter Audrey sent an apology on behalf of her mother and the show was judged by Mrs Ena Bayliss. Therefore Phyllis judged for the last time at WELKS in 1976.

[Note from Janet Roslyn: "Held in the early months of the year and the first outdoor Championship Show of the season,  the weather was more like winter. John and I had entered our new bitch, Warkworth Witchery, in Limit Bitch. Then we were very new to Championship Shows. We had told some of our friends about this entry and were greeted with dismal comments: "Southern show, Southern judge, your faces are unknown, etc". We still went and I received my first CC from one of the most knowledgeable judges that our breed has ever known. So much for the comments!"]

Phyllis judged the DDTCChampionship Show in 1966 but to my knowledge never judged the SDDTC Championship Show.

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SDDTC

The Southern Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club owes its existence to the Salisbury’s and their close friends. At the end of the 1920s, the DDTC had already been in existence for over 50 years but the Club at that time was experiencing troubled times. The then Secretary, Mrs. Simpson-Shaw, was part of the reason regarding the trouble, ballots and various decisions. This was happening to such a degree that Mr and Mrs Salisbury thought that another Club would be the best solution and contacted their friends to sound out the idea. This was certainly appealing and so the foundation began. They started forming a temporary Committee at the end of January 1930. They wished to hold the first meeting of the SDDTC at the National Terrier Club Championship Show in that year and anyone who wished to join the new Club could do so at that show. The Club was duly registered and the temporary Committee, plus others, worked together and organised an Open Show which was held on Wednesday November 5^th. There was an entry of 141 dogs for Mr L Irwin Scott to judge and 54 special prizes were on offer. Now, as Dandie enthusiasts all know, the Club has gone from strength to strength and is now in its eighth decade.

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Tank Show

Another Show, quite different, was the Special Sanction Show for which Phyllis was one of the chief organisers. During World War II showing dogs was put on hold unless given special permission. This permission was obtained as the show was in aid of the “Tank Fund”. It was to be a Sanction Show and because the event was for charity, Champion dogs were also allowed to compete. The Show was held in the gardens of Bellmead at Haslemere, Surrey, on Thursday August 7^th 1941 at 2pm. The judge was Mr L Irwin Scott and he had an entry of 73 dogs, 14 of which were NFC (not for competition). The Show was a joint effort of both the DDTC and the SDDTC and  Best in Show was Salismore Pikeman.

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Cook Book

Phyllis had several photographs taken in a similar situation to those of the drawings in Cook’s book. Here are two of them. Perhaps she was trying to show that her Dandies still resembled those in the illustrations? Or perhaps it was her well known sense of humour!

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Tributes

At the request of John Roslyn, Phyllis' daughter, Audrey Hall-Parlby, penned the following:

Here follow a collection of tributes to Phyllis Salisbury on the occasion of her 90th Birthday from M Barnett, P D Hulme, C Dandison, R Bradbury and Kennel Drevaburn:

...and finally, some of Janet Roslyn's memories of her friend and mentor:

We started showing again in the early 70s when our children were 10 and 8 years and old enough to watch or help. We were always fascinated by the immaculate way in which the Salismore dogs were presented. Phyllis Salisbury was then twice my age and no way in those days would you just go and talk to people who you did not really know; especially one as noted as she. Although throughout this kennel history I have used the name Phyllis, I always called her Mrs Salisbury, even when we had become good friends. No one at that time used a person’s Christian name, unless you were asked to do so. I admired the way that Phyllis trimmed ears. Look at the picture of Ch. Salismore Watersend Pioneer. At one show, when I saw Phyllis and her friend Barney (Mrs Margery Barnett - Dunkery Dandies ) set off to look round the stands, I went over to his bench and lifted Pioneer's ears to get a good look. I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked round to find Phyllis standing there! She had forgotten something and returned early. “Can I help you?” she asked. With a very red face I explained my presence at her bench. “If I lift him onto this table,” she replied, “you will see them much better.”

That was the moment when our friendship began. This photograph of Pioneer, to me, is still how a Dandie should be presented when being shown as today many Dandies seem to be sporting a “crash hat” on their head, not an attractive top-knot.

On one occasion at a Championship Show when judging had almost ended, she asked me who one of the new exhibitors was, plus the breeding of her Dandie. I said that John always kept the Catalogue, which I always read on the way home, so I didn’t know. “Do you read all the breeding as well as the results?” she asked. To which I answered, ”Yes, I enjoy reading about the breeding.” End of conversation. At the next Championship Show, Phyllis gave me a brown paper parcel. “Open this when you start to go home”she said. This I did and discovered many marked up Show Catalogues of both Clubs from the very early shows. A real treasure for me.

Returning together from the D.D.T.C. Championship Show at Carlisle in my Range Rover, we came the scenic route, not the motorway, and managed to find a Fish & Chip shop still serving! John, with son Danny and five Dandies in his car stopped. I, with daughter Alison, Phyllis and Barney and their Dandies, all the secretarial and treasurer’s belongings plus the “shop” items, also halted. Portions of fish and chips, individually wrapped, were enjoyed by all, washed down with Tizer pop. Phyllis thought, at first, that her portion of food was to share with Barney and she was amazed at the amount being much bigger than those served in her part of the country. Although my guests had, no doubt, eaten Fish & Chips before, this was the first occasion when fingers replaced a knife and fork and the table was a newspaper!

Mrs Phyllis Salisbury died at Bridgwater, Somerset, on Monday August 9 1982 aged 92 years. In my opinion, the Doyenne of the 20th Century Dandie Dinmont world.

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