ERNEST SHARPE
Ernest Sharpe, the ultimate professional handler, was born in Sheffield in 1922. His father kept some wires and showed them at the local shows but it wasn't until after World War II that Ernest was able to do anything serious in the showring. In 1947 a local man put Ernest's dog, Drakehall Diplomat, to his own bitch. Subsequently Ernest went to look at the pups and obtained the pick of litter for £4, a bitch, whom he named Drakehall Dairymaid. The following year whilst still a puppy she won BIS on the first day at Cruft's under May Pacey and Winnie Barber and returned on the second day to win RBIS overall. At this time Cruft's was a 2-day show and was not run on the group system. In 1948 Drakehall Dairymaid was sold to Baron van der Hoop, a well-known dog man who lived in Switzerland , for £500. At this time, such a sum was more than a year's wages. This was not the end of Ernest's association with Dairymaid because the Baron retained him to handle the bitch on the continent.
Thus began the start of a long and successful career in which Ernest has, to date, made up over 300 British champions and, for many years, he won an average of over 65 CC's a year. Other clients soon sought him out and in 1949 Ernest left his job at the colliery where he was an engineering draughtsman, to become a full-time handler. He met and married Marion and together they formed a formidable handling partnership, Marion taking on the dolling-up of their charges and Ernest handling them in the ring.
Although Ernest had to give up handling in the early 50's because the family haulage business required his presence, after a visit to Blackpool Show 3 years later the dog game bug bit again and professional handling once more became Ernest's full-time occupation. In 1956 Ernest repeated his initial Cruft's success by winning RBIS once more with Mr.P.H. Copley's Ch. Caradochouse Spruce This was the nearest he has ever come to winning BIS at Cruft's, the one major win that has eluded him and, in fact, he has never won the terrier group at Cruft's either. Ernest his very philosophical about this - but it is worth mentioning that he has won BIS at Blackpool 9 times and has had multiple BIS wins at South Wales and National Terrier.
Around the end of the 70's Ernest and Marion felt like a change of scenery and the opportunity came for them to live in a little cottage owned by Lily Stella, the then famous terrier breeder, in the lake district of Italy. It was here that the Sharpe's enjoyed semi-retirement for about two and a half years before tragedy struck in the form of Marion's sudden death. Initially Ernest went to stay with his daughter in Mannheim and thence to the USA to spend time with Micheal Collings (Purston). Eventually he found his way back to Britain and continued to handle dogs. In the meantime his daughter took up residence in Australia and Ernest now spends his days commuting between here and Australia, spending the British winter in Australia and the British summer in this country. He still does a bit of handling in both halves of the world.
How was it that Ernest started handling almost at the very top? His earliest days coincided with the heyday of the wire fox terrier. In 1947 there were 8,227 registrations - only cocker spaniels and GSD's were more popular. Competition in the ring was fierce with many handlers trying to win the tickets on offer. You had to be better than good to succeed - in fact you had to be very, very good. The stuff of legends - Billy Mitchell, Jimmy Butler, George Bartley, Bob Barlow, Les Atkinson, Joe Cartledge, Albert Langley et al are the names of just a few famous handlers who have stood down the line from Ernest on many occasions. Ernest is entirely self-taught, being possessed of the priceless ability to be able to channel and focus acquired knowledge as a means to an end. He watched and he learned, looked at photographs, saw how to get the best from the raw material he handled; his head carried a picture of how that dog should look; this is not to say that he had a "uniform" picture in his mind and that all his efforts would produce a virtually identical dog. Each dog is trimmed according to its individual merits. He is not the product of any apprenticeship to other top pre-war handlers and his achievements are entirely due to his own efforts.
Ernest seems to be able to read into a dog's mind and they instinctively respond to him, creating an enviable bond between handler and dog. He can take an unruly dog and in a very short time make it move up and down the ring without putting a foot wrong. It is unlikely we will ever see the likes of Ernest Sharpe again. There are no longer enough clients with the necessary committed interest and finances to afford professional handlers over an extended period. We that have been privileged to be around at the same time as Ernest and see him in action with his immaculately presented dogs must consider ourselves fortunate that he is still to be seen at dog shows retaining his life-long interest in show terriers.
This profile has been compiled from facts contained in an article on Ernest Sharpe written by Michael Sarjeant.
