Judge Profile

Judge Name : Dr David Lowe (NSW)

Please visit the Dogs Australia site for contact details for this judge.

I became involved with Staffordshire Bull Terriers in Adelaide, South Australia in 1980 when my family purchased our first Stafford, a bitch. Inevitably, the Stafford family quickly grew with the addition of a dog and then another bitch. Showing very quickly became a regular pastime, and the whole family became active in the Breed and between my Mother, Sister and I, we have campaigned over 70 Staffords to Championship, 4 to Supreme Champion, 5 to Grand Champion and 15 to Obedience titles.

Upon relocating to Melbourne in 1986, we broke away from the family lines and commenced breeding under the Seighford prefix, in partnership with my wife, Fiona.
In 1991 it was our great pleasure to provide an Australian home for Aust & NZ Ch Budmarsh of Tarlair. We campaigned him to his Australian title and through him introduced the Black Tusker line into our stock. As well as showing our Staffords, we have always advocated that the breed should be involved in Obedience due to its natural intelligence. As a result of this, Anvilhart Daring Duke became the first male Stafford to gain CDX in Victoria, and 12 Seighford dogs to date have also gained Obedience titles.

We are not prolific breeders, only breeding when having a need to add to our own Stafford family and from 19 litters over 37 years, we have bred 24 Champions, 2 Grand Champions, 1 Supreme Champion and 12 Obedience titled Staffords. Fiona and have also campaigned 4 Champions, 1 Grand Champion and 2 Obedience titled dogs from other prefixes.

Our five most noteworthy dogs are Aust Ch Seighford Lykaspike CD ("Spike"), Aust Grand & NZ Ch Seighford Budmarshs Heir CDX (“Swampy”), Aust Grand Ch Boldhart Olly Took (“Olly”), Aust Ch Seighford Surprise Paket (Molly) and Aust Ch Seighford Out Of Africa (Ivy). Spike is a breed specialty Best in Show winner under Mrs Joyce Shorrock (UK), and the first Stafford to gain both Conformation and Obedience titles in Victoria. Swampy has a long list of achievements, including the youngest Stafford to hold conformation titles in 2 countries and Runner Up in Group at the 1994 Melbourne Royal Show (129 Staffords & 644 Terriers). Later he became Australia’s first Obedience titled, Grand Champion Stafford (and remains the only one to this day). Olly is a Specialty Best In Show winner under Mrs Vera Westwood (UK), a two time Specialty Runner-Up Best In Show winner, and an All Breeds Best In Show winner, recently retiring with 112 CC’s to his name. Molly is a 2-time Runner-Up Best in Specialty Show winner with entries of 250 dogs on both occasions and is the totally spoilt pet of the Brandrick family and shown by Melissa.

Currently we are campaigning Aust Ch Seighford Out Of Africa (AI) (“Ivy”), the daughter of the top South African Show Dog of the year (All Breeds) in 2016, Sth Af & Intl Ch Eukleia Aurora Sparkle Of Sivhana. As his only show progeny in the ring in Australia Ivy is closing in on her Grand Champion title, with many top awards at Specialty, Group and All Breeds level to her name, including Runner Up To Best In Show at the ACT Terrier Club Show in 2015. In terms of challenge points earned she is our most successful show bitch ever.

In canine administration, I was on the Committee of The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of Victoria, from 1988 until 2001, holding the position of Vice-President for 2 years, Treasurer for 7 years and Editor of “The Stafford Bulletin”, the club magazine, for 10 years and in 2015 I was bestowed Life Membership of this club.

At the Terrier group level, I spent a period as Treasurer of The Sporting Terrier Club of Victoria, a position I held for 5 years. Finally, at the All Breeds level I was on the committee of the Victorian Poultry & Kennel Club for 8 years and for 14 years, The KCC Park Show Committee (a sub-committee of the Victorian Canine Association), for whom I spent time as Show Secretary for 2 years and Show Manager for 8 years. I also spent 6 years on the Victorian Canine Association’s Protective and Legislative Advisory Committee (PLAC), responsible for providing direction and advice to the association on all matters relating to legislative impacts on pure breed dogs, 2 of those years as Chair.

Since 2011 I have also been very active in the fight against the Breed Specific Legislation in Victoria, having spoken regularly in public forums on the matter, and been involved in more than 20 court cases either as legal advocate for the dog’s owner or as an expert witness. I have a perfect 20/20 winning record in these matters, and am pleased to see that the Victorian Government has announced impending changes to this legislation. Since relocating to NSW in 2016 I have become an Authorised Breed Assessor.

I am licensed by the Australian National Kennel Council to award Challenge Certificates to Staffordshire Bull Terriers, gaining this right in July 1995, and on 4 occasions since, the Victorian Canine Association have invited me to facilitate as lecturer to Terrier Trainee Judges on Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and Bull Terriers. In October 2007, I became licenced to award CC’s to the remainder of the Terrier Group.

In 2003, I was approved by the American Kennel Club to judge Staffordshire Bull Terriers in the USA, this approval being upgraded to the entire Terrier Group in 2010. In 2005, after I judged at the Manchester Dog Show, an experience I thoroughly enjoyed and one the highlights of my judging career to date behind my later appointment at East Anglia Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club, I received an approval letter from The Kennel Club.

I currently remain the only Australian Stafford Specialist judge to have awarded CC’s to Staffordshire Bull Terriers in the UK more than once, and am privileged to have been listed on the UK A1 list by more than one breed club.

I have judged on 55 occasions as follows:


Australia - 33 times, 2,667 entries
New Zealand - 5 times, 311 entries
UK - 4 times, 439 entries
USA - 5 times, 404 entries
South Africa - 6 times, 489 entries (includes 1 FCI Show)
Europe - 2 times, 222 entries

Total Dogs 4,492

As a judge, I have always enjoyed my privileged opportunities to date, and look forward to more in the future, as it is a highly satisfying aspect of my canine activities.

Judging Appointments (Australia and NZ Only)

Appointments are based on shows entered in our system since 2012. Please inform us of any errors.