Day 1 of the Geraldine Country Kennel Association Shows, at the Orari Domain under Australian judge, Kerry King saw Team Kitaco killing it in both the Long and the Smooth Coat events.
In a large field of contenders, Kyrie (NZ CH Kitaco's Valkyrie Warrior) beat out not just the rest of the field but also her father and her sister, taking the Best Bitch CC, Best NZ Bred of Breed and Best of Breed. Her daddy, Narci (GR CH, GR JNR CH, NZ CH Mystic Legion Narcissus (Imp Greece)), took Best Dog, Best Open of Breed and Best Reserve of Breed, while little sis, Tara (Kitaco's Divine Miss T at Eldivino) - also known famously as #DontTouchMeTara - decided the judge could touch her after all, and was rewarded with the Reserve Bitch CC and Best Junior of Breed.
Not to be outdone by her long-coated friends, Delilah (Maraschino Princess Ala) finally made her South Island debut and absolutely slayed it, taking Best Bitch, Best Junior of Breed and Reserve Best of Breed. Spenny (NZ CH El-Toro Rey Spencer at Kitaco) took the Reserve Dog CC and Best Intermediate of Breed, pipped at the post by his older half-brother, the spectacular Rusty (NZ CH El-Toro Rusty Gold) and his lovely owner Trish. It was great to see them back in the ring after a long hiatus. So nice to see some other quality dogs on show and we look forward to seeing these fabulous brothers together in the ring for a long time to come.
Day 2 was even hotter than the first day but the Team had their A-Game on. Under NZ Judge, Geoff Whitfield, Narci took Best of Breed, Best Open of Breed and the Dog CC. Kyrie took the Best Bitch CC, Best NZ Bred of Breed and Best Reserve of Breed. while #DontTouchMeTara again took Best Junior of Breed. Thrilled that in the Group Line-up, Narci was shortlisted and later in the day we were approached by the visiting US judge, who'd spied Narci across the way and had some wonderfully complimentary opinions about our boy. Have to admit, it felt pretty awesome to be able to tell him Narci came from the same European kennel (Mystic Legion) that just won the Best of Breed at Crufts (and yes, he was suitably impressed!!).
The Smooth Coats, however, were the highlight of our day, Delilah again took Best Bitch, Best Junior of Breed and Reserve Best of Breed. While Spenny upped his game and beat his big brother, Rusty, and the rest of the field to take the Best of Breed, Best Dog CC, Best Intermediate of Breed and then topped that haul off with the Intermediate of Group!
We also had an honorary Team Member this weekend. Lexie,the 13 week old Chinese Crested puppy belonging to our friends Laura and Gary. Tracey helped out by showing the adorable but very excitable pup in her very first shows. She took the Best Baby Puppy Bitch which is pretty good for a newbie on her first outing. Watch out for Lexie. She has a very bright future ahead of her.
Some very tired puppers now, but they were so good and did such a great job, not just in the ring, but being cuddled by visitors to the show and making sure the St Bernards in the Gazebo behind us knew who was boss.
Now for our next assignment - our gorgeous pet boy Loki, Narci and little Seamus (soon to be known by his new family as Benji) have a modelling assignment in Queenstown - the Southern Hemisphere's premier lake and alpine resort (or so they claim on their website) for a professional photo-shoot at Barkzealand, following which, our darling baby, Seamus, will head off to Invercargill and his forever home with his excited new family. Elfie is already happily ensconced with his new adoring owner in Nelson and Pedro is off to Auckland next week. So sad to see them go, but so happy we have such fabulous homes for them to go to.
