From PENNY RANKINE-PARSONS (Vice President & Hon Secretary French Bulldog Club of England)

I would like to thank the Presidents and the French Bulldog Club of Russia for inviting me to judge their speciality show in Moscow this year. It was a great honour for me to visit your country and to judge your wonderful dogs. The hospitality provided for me and my companion was excellent, much more than I expected; I cannot express my thanks enough to all those who contributed to making my visit a perfect one.

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the French Bulldogs exhibited under me. Many were most definitely world class dogs. My winners were excellent specimens of the breed, in my opinion they rank along with some of the best I have seen.

I was particularly impressed with the number of male Frenchies with superb head qualities. Large square heads with plenty of cushioning under the eyes and well-padded muzzles, almost all had dark eyes and super expressions. Ear carriage and size was also very good. I was impressed that even though the venue was quite warm, I did not see any Frenchies who were breathing with difficulty and temperaments seem excellent as well.

The overall size of the Frenchies was very good. I admired the amount of bone they had, but I would urge caution that the degree of bone should not increase further as this would make the Frenchies look too much like English Bulldogs. Movement was generally very good. I was impressed, particularly with rear movement. I was pleased to find well-muscled first and second thighs, something that is lacking here in the UK. I found a number of otherwise excellent dogs that paddled slightly at the front when they walked. Some due to a short upper arm but most due to a wide chest. Again something which should be watched in future breeding selection. Soundness of movement is very important.

I adored the Bronze brindle male winner, his colour has been lost in the UK for many many years. There were a few Frenchies which I would describe as parti-colour, which although it is not a disqualification it is not preferred , they are neither solid colours or pieds. I was pleased to see that Fawns were of a good hue and not too red in colour.

One small negative point I have to make is that many French Bulldogs had long nails which splayed their feet, this problem can easily be rectified, by trimming back those nails.

I would be most interested to return to Russia in the future to see how the breed progresses, I am sure I will be impressed.

My thanks to all the exhibitors who showed under me and gave me the honour of judging their dog and to all those who showed me such great kindness and friendship.