We always have a great time at the Geraldine County Kennel Association Shows. and this weekend was no exception. Besides our stellar results record at these shows, they are so relaxed, so welcoming, the committee is fantastic and such a lovely day out with our dogs and our friends, that we'd probably turn up, even if we got our butts kicked, every show.
Ava (Kitaco Smashed Avacado) outdid herself by winning Best of Group in Show 1 in a strong field, under judge, Robert (JR) Alcantara Jr, as well as Best Junior of Group, Best Bitch and Best of Breed.
Young Dave (Kitaco Queen's Gambit) did us really proud, taking Best Baby Puppy of Breed, and then taking Best Dog and Reserve Best of Breed. As if that wasn't enough, he then blew us all away by taking the Reserve Best of Group against the stiff compeition, even though he’s still in Baby Puppy!
Alice (Kitaco Jappy Jalapeño) took Open of Breed and Reserve Bitch but couldn't get past the charms of young Mr Dave or Sassy Ava to place any higher.
In Show 2, Ava again beat out the field to take Best Bitch and Best of Breed under judge Judith Hyslop, She then went on to take Reserve Best of Group and Best Junior of Group. Alice took Open of Breed and Reserve Bitch again, charming both judges with her sweet nature and her firm belief that she is meant to sit, not stand, on the judging table,
Dave was a bit put out by the idea that having done so brilliantly in Show 1, we expected him give a repeat performance in Show 2. He still managed to take Reserve Dog but was knocked out for the rest of the competition, which suited him just fine. The wind was starting to bite a bit by the afternoon (it's actually snowing down in Orari today!) and he was perfectly happy to curl up in his nice warm crate and be done with all this silly dog-showing business, so he really didn't give a toss.
We also got a lovely surprise when one of our puppy owners saw on our Facebook page that we would be in Orari, so they drove up from Timaru for us to have a visit with Shiloh, who is 20 months old now and just the sweetest, happiest little Chihuahua on earth. It was such a delight to see our boy and his beloved family, and know how well he is being looked after. It also gave us the opportinuty to do a quick health check for our health-tracking program and are very pleased to announce he passed with flying colours.
So, between some great wins and fantastic prizes (which included 40kg of primo raw dog food!), great competitors and a lovely suprise seeing Shiloh, it was pretty much the best day we've had at a show for a very long time.
Thanks to the Geraldine County Kennel Association and to the amazing Jorja Dixon for her wonderful photos.
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