New Kid on the Block: Norfolk Sports Dog Club!

As the ‘newest kid on the block’ we would like to tell members a little about our club and its origins:………

While training at an established club our 3 founder members, decided that they wanted to put back a ‘little something’ into the sport; so they set about setting up a small friendly club (Ok to be honest, there was another ulterior motive – wouldn’t it be fantastic to have a local trial ……?).

You may ask yourself, why the ‘hell’ call it ‘Black Shuck’? Well put simply, we didn’t want to name it after a place; since if the club needed to relocate – it would look ‘pants’. Secondly, we wanted a theme specific to the area in which we lived - but one that had a touch of mystery and mythology to it with strong correlations to ‘something canine’. So after much discussion - and a vote, we settled upon the name ‘Black Shuck Sports Dog Club’.

The legend of Black Shuck roaming East Anglia dates back to the time of the Vikings, and is said to be the inspiration for the novel ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’. Often Black Shuck is said to terrify its victims out of their wits – a quality much desired in the ‘Hold and Bark’ exercise! There are stories of Black Shuck making appearances at Churches in Bungay and Blythburgh. In Kilby Black Shuck is supposed to have saved a girl from being mugged by scaring off the attacker – another worthwhile quality for any working dog.

Our endeavour is to create a friendly club, where there is an expectation that handlers will try their best to work towards competing in dog sports. Even though our club is numerically quite small, we have a fair a cross section of breeds and can boast that we have a Dobermann, German Shepherd and Malinois all qualified to Schutzhund Three. Several of our other members have qualified their dogs to BH in 2007 – not a bad start; so who knows what 2008 will bring …..?

All members of the GSDL are welcome to visit us - but please contact the secretary first to check that we are not working or competing away. East Anglia is a beautiful part of the country with some super beaches; so why not consider visiting us as part of your holiday? But remember! if you are planning a visit to the Broads - it’s worth checking behind once in a while - especially if you can hear panting?……..it could be ‘Black Shuck!’

Check out our web site: blackshucksportsdogclub.co.uk (online very soon) and watch out for future trial dates

Our members wish all those involved with dog sports a very Happy Christmas and successful 2008!

By: Grahame Greene