We headed off to the deep south last weekend, to the very bottom of New Zealand for the Southland Kennel Association 90th Anniversary Show Extravaganza, and to deliver our beloved Maddie to her forever home, now she has retired as a mum.
The weather forecast looked dire the further south we trekked, making us wonder about the advisability of setting up the gazebo outside when we arrived, particularly as we had not just Maddie, the Show Team – Narci, Ben, Ava, Serena and Scotty - but Tinky, along for the ride with Deb as well as Wendy with her two, six-week-old babies, Sam and Dean.
A few well-placed calls on the road and we traded our prized (and paid for) Gazebo spot outside for a fabulous corner of the hall where we could set up camp, spread out a bit and have somewhere for Wendy and the babies that wouldn’t stress her out.
It took us 8 hours, roughly, to get to Invercargill from Christchurch, which was pretty good given the multiple stops along the way to let the dogs stretch their legs. Sadly, the Dunedin small dog park was a boggy mess, so they didn’t get the long run we would have liked there, but we did find a great place in Waiho, so they were OK.
When we arrived, Lillian – owner of Just Hold Me Jade and Maddie’s new fur mom, - was waiting for us. There followed a bittersweet few moments as Tracey – who has a very special spot in her heart for Maddie – explained all her quirks, her diet, her favourite spot for cuddles and promised about 20 times that we would take her home with us if she didn’t settle in… For weeks, Tracey has been convincing herself Maddie should stay with her and the rest of us have been reassuring her Maddie would be fine in her new home.
Having seen off Maddie and set up our camp on Thursday evening all ready for three days of showing, we headed to our accommodation which was a gorgeous little house not far from the grounds. About 10:00pm we got a text and a photo of Maddie sitting on Lillian’s husband’s lap with smug look on her face, happy as a clam. Tracey was both thrilled and a little miffed that her darling Maddie seemed to take to her new family with so little drama. Lillian continued to regale us all weekend with similar photos and stories about how she’d just walked in, looked around and decided this new place was just fine, the other two dogs seemed nice and I’ll be very happy here.
With her concerns about Maddie assuaged, you’d think all would be well, but no… the McDonalds we had for breakfast in Christchurch on the way down decided to revisit Tracey. All. Night. Long. By Friday morning, after having been up all night sick, she was looking and feeling like a wrung-out dishrag and the McDonalds hadn’t finished with her, so we left the babies in the warm at the house and Jenny, with Deb and Tinky to assist, headed off the show.
The first show was the Open Show, in which we had only entered Serena and Scotty. Turned out, that was all we needed. Under NZ Judge, Claire Brooks, Serena took Best of Breed, Best Bitch and Best Puppy in the Long Coats, while not to be outdone, Scotty took Best of Breed, Best Dog and Best Baby Puppy of Breed in the Smooth Coats.
Our little dynamic duo then went on to take Best Baby Puppy of Group, and Best Puppy of Group! Marsha’s Bestie, Frankie the Papillion, won the Group, too, so we were extra thrilled to see our extended Kitaco family doing so well.
Next show up was the Championship Show and the decision about what to do with Ben. He had a dental a couple of weeks ago and has been sulking ever since (because apparently losing a tooth is akin to losing a leg in Ben’s mind), and we really weren’t sure if he was over it. We decided in the end not to push him. He was still a little toey, and there would be plenty of other shows for him to strut his stuff. We scratched hum, leaving it up to Narci, Ava and Serena, to hold the fort. The team did us proud under Malaysian Judge, Ken Chuah with Narci taking Reserve Best Dog, Serena was Reserve Best Bitch and Best Puppy of Breed and Ava took Best New Zealand Bred of Breed.
This was Serena’s very last show as a Puppy, so we were thrilled when she also took the Best Puppy of Group.
On to Scotty and the Smooth Coats and our little guy was on fire. He took Best of Breed, Best Dog, Best Baby Puppy of Breed and then won his 2nd Best Baby Puppy of Group for the weekend.
We gathered up our prizes and headed home to show off to Tracey who was much improved and we had a very yummy dinner while watching the movie, Best in Show, once we realised Deb had never seen it. If you haven’t seen this mockumentary about dog showing, do yourself a favour and rent it off YouTube. It is hysterical. Think Deb is still laughing about it.
Saturday dawned cold and wet, and this time we loaded Wendy, the babies and the heat pads into the cars and headed off to the showgrounds, eternally grateful we made the call to set up inside the hall instead of the gazebo. Ben was in a great mood. Apparently, the dental was forgiven, Narci was as happy as a clam, Serena got some extra treats for her birthday, Scotty was his cheery little self and Ava…
Let’s talk about Ava.
Ava is our beloved, prize-winning show girl. She has 94 Challenge Certificates. She won Best Bitch at the National Dog Show this year. She has won multiple Specialty Best in Shows. We’re just waiting on the FCI to confirm her international title. But she is, without overstating the issue one bit, as dumb as a box of rocks.
Ava loves routine. Ava doesn’t understand the word NO. Ava gets an idea in her head and it is lodged there. Forever.
So, our problem with Ava is that she has been in so many shows, she knows exactly what is expected of her. I walk to the table. You pick me up. I get a treat. The judge gives me a pat. I walk up and back (or a triangle), get another treat, then I walk around the ring and we leave. Then I walk back in with the other girls, and sometimes I walk back in with one of the dogs, and quite often I walk around the ring with a whole lot of other dogs. All good. And if I stand there wagging my tail and looking adorable in the lineup, I get lots of treats. Especially if Nana is holding my lead. Mum doesn’t give me nearly as many treats, so I’ll just stick with Nana, thank you.
Our problem (besides the “Nana gives me more treats so I want her” issue) is that as soon as Ava walks into the ring and spots the table, she drops and waits for you to pick her up so you can carry her the rest of the way, even if she is only one step into the ring. Why should princess walk when she knows exactly what’s going to happen next?
She’s been doing this for about a year now, and there is no way to talk or train her out of it. She does it almost every show. She did it at Nationals. She knows the drill. This is what we do. So, let’s do it. Sigh.
Needless to say, except for one show where the judge moved the table right around the ring and she didn’t spot it until we almost got there, she did her “oh, there’s the table, you can carry me now” trick every single show. Fortunately, most judges think it's funny, especially as she is so good on the table and is clearly not being naughty, just an experienced show dog who has worked out a hack for getting to the table with the least amount of energy expended as possible, LOL.
But we digress…
Show Two. Saturday Morning. Under Australian Judge, Linda Buckley, our Birthday Girl, Serena, took the Reserve Best of Breed, the Best Bitch CC and Best Junior of Breed. Ben was pretty much back to his old self and took the Reserve Best Dog CC and Intermediate of Breed while Ava took the Reserve Best Bitch CC and New Zealand Bred of Breed.
In the Smooth Coats, our little firecracker, Scotty, took Best of Breed, Best Dog, Best Baby Puppy of Breed and then won his 3rd Best Baby Puppy of Group for the weekend.
In Show Three. Saturday afternoon. With gale-force winds and hail outside, the Team really stepped up. Under Australian Judge, Guy Spagnolo, Ben proved all was forgiven and took the Best of Breed, the Best Dog CC and Intermediate of Breed. Serena took another Best Bitch CC and the Junior of Breed, and Ava took the Reserve Best Bitch CC and New Zealand Bred of Breed.
In the Smooth Coats, yet again, Scotty, took Best of Breed, Best Dog, Best Baby Puppy of Breed and then won his 4th Best Baby Puppy of Group for the weekend.
Back home we went to our little house with all our loot and this time we made Deb watch the fabulous NZ documentary, Pecking Order, which is even funnier than Best in Show, because it’s a real documentary, set in New Zealand, and an utterly delightful take on showing chickens.
The final day of showing was Sunday, and under NZ Judge, Pam Douglas, Team Kitaco cleaned up. Ava – despite planting one step into the ring – won Best of Breed, the Best Bitch CC (#94) and Best New Zealand Bred of Breed. Serena won the Reserve Best of Breed, the Reserve Bitch CC and another Best Junior of Breed. Ben won the Best Dog CC and Intermediate of Breed, while Narci won the Reserve Best Dog CC and Open of Breed.
And just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, in the Smooth Coats, Scotty, took Best of Breed, Best Dog, Best Baby Puppy of Breed and then won his 5th Best Baby Puppy of Group for the weekend. What a little star!
We packed up and headed back to our lovely warm house, stopped along the way by people wanting puppy cuddles and a fan who follows our blog who wanted to meet Scotty. We then had dinner with the Southland Kennel Club people and the judges all of whom did an epic job. Shout out to the committee and to Show Manager, Pat Dance, for running all the shows early, even those interrupted by the weather. A special thanks to Deb for all her help and her coffee machine (Team Kitaco knows how to party – we bring our own barista with us!) and to Lillian for welcoming Maddie into her family.
So an epic weekend for our team with lots of wins, many laughs (especially with the judges on Sunday night after the show) and our little star Scotty who took 5 Baby Puppy of Groups and never flagged once or even looked like he wasn’t having the time of his life.
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