Toby (NZ CH El-Toro Tobias at Teddee) is having the best 2020. So far he's achieved his Championship title, fathered 5 spectacular little clones we're calling the "Toby Army" (pictured above) and then this weekend, as the lone Team Kitaco competitor, he managed to take a Best of Breed and a Reserve Best of Breed out of the 3 Waikouaiti Kennel Association shows in Dunedin.
Last minute work and puppy commitments meant we were unable to travel to Dunedin for the Waikouaiti shows, so rather than scratch him, the amazing Desiree Hanson of Glenstar Kennels, offered to take Toby down with her team of BIS winning Lagottos and Labradors and show him for us.
The first show proved a bit of a bust. We'll never know if Toby might have placed as the Reserve Best of Breed, because the Steward didn't tell the judge there was dog to come back in for the Dog judging after he awarded the Best Dog CC. In an interesting display of... ahem... "sportsmanship" by the other Chihuahua exhibitors, no-one said a word to correct the obvious error until the judge had mistakenly awarded the Reserve Dog to one of the two remaining dogs in the ring. When the steward realized the error, they offered to recall both dogs, but Desiree, being the good sportsman that she is, declined the offer and allowed the erroneous decision to stand.
No such problems in the next show, and a hint of what might have been in Show 1. Toby demonstrated his quality by taking Best of Breed, Best Open of Breed and the Best Dog CC in the second show and in the third show, he deservedly took the Reserve Best of Breed, and the Reserve Best Dog CC.
Not a bad result at all for a little guy who'd travelled all the way to Dunedin with a complete stranger in a vehicle full of boisterous Lagottos and Labradors and a handler he'd only met the day before. A testament, I suspect, to Desiree's expertise as a handler, Toby's fabulous, easygoing El-Toro temperament and how well socialised he is living with Amba Waghorn at Aunty Amba's Toy Dog Finishing School.
Can't thank Desiree enough for stepping up to help us once again. We didn't even have to bribe her with Wicked Wings this time.
