There are some special people amongst us, in the dog world today, whose contribution appears to go unnoticed because of the quiet manner in which they lead their lives. Some cannot attend dog shows as they wold like too, therefore ,do not amass impressive show records, and the subsequent publicity that they might have, if things had been different throughout their years as a Borzoi fancier.

      A number of you reading this, will not know Pam, well why would you?  Pam, even in her early days didn’t show very much, didn’t make up a champion, didn’t breed a litter, didn’t own a Prefix. Pam was at her happiest just living with her Borzoi who she regarded as her family. 

     Although Pam was an excellent student at Primary and Grammar school she decided in 1964 not to go to University but to study Accountancy. She qualified five years later. In 1971 she married Barry Wild. It was an abusive marriage and they were divorced in 1978. Not wanting to return home she purchased a two bedroom double story house with a very large garage, that never saw a car,  but made a comfortable day kennel, in Mickleover, Derby.  27 Ingham Drive became her forever home. 

     I first met Pam in 1974 when I moved from my home In Suffolk to Staffordshire. Not long after I had a call from Avis Charles, Dappleheath Borzoi , to go and have coffee and to meet another Borzoi owner. Pam had bought her first two Borzoi from Avis, Dappleheath Bianca, white and black, and Dappleheath Black Pearl, a self black litter sister. Born in 1974 they were both at the hooligan stage. Being a responsible owner of Borzoi , she joined the Borzoi Club in 1974. Avis lived in a large Georgian house on the edge of Uttoxeter race course. The beautiful property was complete with a large selection of stables. It was here that Pam placed four Borzoi needing a home when the Barthill kennels belonging to Mrs Harper had to close due to Mrs Harper age and poor health. She paid Avis to board and care for them for the rest of their lives. 

     In 1979 she started her judging career. Her first appointment was a Limit show at Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire.  She had three classes twelve Borzoi entered making seventeen entries. From her first Limit show in 1979 and open shows until to November 1995 she judged 58 classes 497 entries her largest entries was Northern Borzoi Association Limit show 25 February 1990 , fifteen classes, seventy four Borzoi and one hundred and one entries. In 1995 approval was given for her award CC’s her first championship show was Scottish Kennel Club where she had ten classes thirty Borzoi making thirty five entries. From 1995 to March 2022 she judged 111 classes,  298 Borzoi making entries of 301. As well as judging Sight and Scent hounds at  open show she gave tickets in Basset Fauve de Bretagne.

      In 1992 she was the first foreign judge welcome in the USSR Hunting show for all Hunting Breed of Dogs in Moscow. She has also judged in Australia, South Africa and in October 2015 awarded Green Stars in Southern Ireland. 

     Pam sat on the Borzoi Club committee, was the Treasurer from 2000 to 2004, she was a  Founder member of the Northern Borzoi Association and Treasurer of Northern Borzoi Rescue for some years. In 1998 she took on the role of Treasurer of the Hound Association a position she held until 2015. The Hound Association awarded her Honorary Life Membership for her magnanimous contribution. 

 Pam was a keen Genealogist and had a profound interest in the history of Borzoi  She was a Founder member of the Borzoi Encyclopaedia and submitted over the years twenty articles . 

      In 1992, when the judging of the Russian Military Hunting show had closed , along with Gay Slater, Pat Harris, Jim Clark and Richard Duckworth a pilgrimage organised by 

Anna Mikhalskaya , was undertaken to Perchino,  a few hour’s drive away.  They received a warm welcome. One man told them they hadn’t seen a ‘European’ since the end of their brutal civil war in 1922.  Sadly the famous house we know from the Chadwick Borzoi book was just rubble, the ‘lollipop’ trees either side had grown into massive trees. The kennels were still there so too the food preparation room. This is where the local people were living.  They gathered for a small picnic in a nearby field, the locals bringing as much food as they had. The Borzoi were fed from tins of Chum. Parting must have been of great sorrow

     Pam’s last judging appointment in Russia,  on the 17June 2018 , was for the Russian National Borzoi Club. I don’t know her entry, from photographs it was well supported with some lovely Borzoi. From photographs I saw it seemed to have been a very happy occasion amongst dogs she was passionate about and people who she had a great affection for. 

     In 2013 Pam was diagnosed with lung cancer. The diagnosis was not unexpected, she had been a heavy smoker for many years, nevertheless, it still came as a shock. She was very afraid. She endured the surgery and the Chemo treatment,   the latter was very difficult physically and emotionally and like many others she lost all her hair, her eyebrows and eye lashes. She said the loss of her eye lashes was very difficult as she has to wear glasses all the time. Typical Pam, she survived and persevered and got thru the ordeal and never smoked a cigarette again. 

     The above is testimony to her strength and her quiet way of approaching life. Sadly the cancer returned aggressively in August, this time she refused treatment and sadly died in the Royal Derby hospital the morning of the 5th September. 

     Pam was a woman with high principles, her integrity was very important to her, she wouldn’t tolerate fools and despised disloyalty. 

I am glad to have been a small part of her life.

 

Barbara Long.