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About the Judge
Mrs Avril Herd (Feregait)
Our Scottish Judge now residing in France

I was born in a small village on the outskirts of Edinburgh and brought up in a mainly farming family. I did not start my dog showing career until my marriage to my husband, John, in 1970. After showing Wire Fox Terriers for three years, we applied to The Kennel Club and were granted our prefix "Feregait", which was the name of the main road running through the village in Fife where we lived at that time. German Shepherds joined the kennel in 1974 and were shown enthusiastically for a number of years. My first Scottish Terrier, the breed which my family members had shown and bred in the war years, was given to me by the late John McIntyre of the Boquhan prefix in lieu of a favour, knowing my love for the breed. From then on, Scotties have been the love of my life and still are. The kennel being founded mainly on the Noonsun, Kennelgarth, Tamzin and Wildermist lines. Many of our dog's pedigrees are present in the pedigrees of the world's top dogs in the breed for which I am exceedingly proud.

In my early years, I was secretary of the local Canine Club, a position which I held for some 10 years from which I gained a great knowledge in how clubs work and how much hard work is done in the background of shows. I also was given the honour to steward for some of the great Terrier men of the time, many of which have gone to the great Dog Show in the Sky, and who demanded correct procedure in the ring with no ifs, or buts, a great lesson for the future. I also held a position of secretary of The Scottish Terrier Club of Scotland for a number of years and was Breed Representative of The Scottish Breeds Championship Show.

I owned my own dog grooming establishment from 1972 and some years after, in conjunction with the, started my boarding cattery, which I continued until my retirement in 2004, when we moved with most of our dogs to France.

Champion Hot Gossip at Feregait gained her first Challenge Certificate and Best In Show under the eminent Mr Archie McLaren, Viewpark at The Terrier Club of Scotland's Centenary Club Show in 1988 and shortly thereafter was awarded the Bitch Challenge Certificate at Crufts, great memories.

International Champion, Feregait Ignatius Bean was the first dog in the breed from Britain to be loaned to Sweden where he was campaigned by Thomas and Monica Rosendhal and gained multiple Scandinavian titles as well as his International. He was used successfully at stud by breeders throughout those countries. At this time, two of our bitches were also sent over to Sweden to be mated so that we could introduce in our the kennel, alternative bloodlines as well as re-introducing some of the old lines.

My judging career began in 1977 at Open Show level and before the change of Kennel Club rules and regulations regarding judging, I had judged all Group and Best in Show many times at this level. I awarded my first set of Challenge Certificates in August 2004 and have since then judged on several occassions abroad at the equivalent level. STB&EA will be my first time awarding tickets at a Club Show in Britain and I am delighted to have received this honour from the members and office bearers.