The following is an article written by Alice Bixler of Bedlam Bearded Collies - thank you Alice for this wonderful tribute to Burton.

No other Beardie has made such an incredible, indelible impact on the breed. Even as a puppy, it was evident he was slated for greatness. Born in England, on February 21, 1986, at the renowned Potterdale Kennels of Janet and Mike Lewis, Potterdale Double Image came to Canada and started to turn heads at six months of age. The precocious black-and-white pup was entered in two all-breed sanction matches and soared to Best in Match in both.

That was just the warm-up, a sign of things to come.  Owners Bea and Kevin Sawka began Burton's serious show career when he was eight months of age.  At nine months, he had finished his Canadian championship, taken Best of Breed six times over Best in Show Beardies, collected two Best Puppy in Show awards as well as several Puppy Group wins, earned three group placements and won the Bearded Collie Club of Canada booster show.  And he capped it off by winning the prestigious all-breed Puppy of the Year competition.

At the age when most Beardie youngsters are looking decidedly scruffy while metamorphosing from puppy to adult coat, Burton won his initial Group 1st in Canada at 12 months old.  Shortly after, Bea was slated to judge a match on the west coast and decided to take Burton along to enter an all-breed show that included a supported entry by the Northwest Bearded Collie Club.  Topping an entry of 42 Beardies, Burton went from Best of Breed to Group 1st and then Best in Show, making him the youngest Beardie in history to win an all-breed Best in Show and the first (and so far, the only) Beardie in the U.S. to win a BIS from the classes.

Back in Canada the following weekend, Burton added two more Group 1sts and his first Canadian Best in Show to his laurels. 

Still anticipating the expected coat change, the Sawkas decided to keep showing Burton until he hit the catastrophic stage.  He never did.  During 1987, he collected eight Best in Shows, 37 Group 1sts, 21 Group 2nds, 14 Group 3rds, five group 4ths and 86 Best of Breeds.  During that time, he attended four shows in the U.S. and brought home one Best in Show, one Group 1st and one Group 2nd with two of those wins at supported-entry shows, one of them under British judge Shirley Holmes over an entry of 86 Beardies.  He finished out the year as Number 1 Beardie, and Number 1 Herding Dog and Number 3 all breeds in Canada. 

In the years that followed, Burton blazed a trail that culminated in 27 all-breed Best in Shows (a world record for the breed at that time). He was the Number 1 Beardie in Canada for 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992.  And he won five specialties, including the American National and the Canadian National (twice).

But, as impressive as his conformation career has been, Burton's star has shone even brighter as an outstanding sire.  The all-time-top-producing Beardie Collie in Canada, Burton was the winner of the Bearded Collie Club of Canada Top Stud Dog award for 12 consecutive years.  Many of his offspring read like the who's who of Beardiedom. In the U.S., his grandson, Ch. Windfiddler's Still Cruisin, is the all-time Top Producing Sire with Burton running second to him 70 AKC champions to his credit.  Two more of Burton's sons are ranked third and fourth in the U.S.  Perhaps the best known of Burton's kids is Can.Am.Ch. Classical Image of a Legend, who went on to break his father's record for most all-breed Best in Shows and who rose to Number 1 all breeds in Canada.  

As an ambassador for the breed, 'Burton' bounced his way into the hearts of judges and spectators alike.  His bubbling good nature sparkled on the move and he'd often jump straight up in the air and come down without missing a step.  Most judges loved the antic and Bea recalls one who moved him four times.  Every time he bounced, the crowd would laugh and Burton thought that was wonderful.  So did the judge, who said he had never seen anything like it and couldn't get over how he could do it without breaking stride.   

"Burton loved to win and always knew when he had won", Bea recalled.  "He'd immediately jump for joy, sometimes landing in my lap."  On the rare times he lost, Burton would stalk right out of the ring, looking straight ahead but giving the judge a sideways glance, showing the whites of his eyes to let him know what he thought about his judgment.  But Burton didn't have to use that look very often.  Most judges were lavish in their praise for him, like British judge Sue O'Brien who commented, "What can I add to what has already been said about this lovely dog? He really is superb in all departments."  Australian breeder-judge Lyndall Black penned, "There are few superlatives left to be used when describing this dog. He is a dog of breathtaking quality." 

Predominately owner-handled throughout his phenomenal career, Burton and Bea were a formidable team that always worked in perfect sync, complementing each other.  More than the quintessential show dog and stud dog par excellence, Burton was a beloved member of the family, as devoted to Bea and Kevin as they were to him.  Burton (Can. & Am. Ch. Potterdale Double Image HC, Can. & Am. ROMX, ROMIX, ROMA & ROMO) crossed the rainbow bridge on December 8, 2001, but his legend and legacy lives on.