In October last year, a very special boy came to stay with us. His name is Ren (Salinacruz Renaisance) owned by Tanith Robb, who just adores him. Unfortunately, Ren had a bad experience at a show as a puppy which put him off being a show dog, so Tanith asked if we could work with Ren to help him get his mojo back.
Ren is such a lovely boy with the sweetest temperament. He soon made friends with the rest of our pack and we've slowly been working with him to build up his confidence and so he learns that strangers can be, to quote the shark in Finding Nemo, "friends, not food".
Today marked his first big challenge and his first shows since coming to stay with us. We entered him the South Canterbury Kennel Society Open Shows at Pleasant Point, under judges Deb Sheddan and Rebecca Stewart.
We are delighted to report that he did brilliantly, thanks in no small part to the excellent judges who both know Chihuahuas, have judged for the Chihuahua Club and were so patient and understanding with him. They gave him time to settle and lots of treats so his experience was a positive one, and he impressed both of them with his stunning conformation.
Ren not only took Best of Breed in both shows, he then went on to take the Reserve Best of Group and Best Junior in Group as well. Both judges expressed the opinion that given a bit more confidence, Ren is a real Group winning contender.
His sucess somewhat overshadowed the efforts of his Team Kitaco teammates, Poco and Nikita, who came along to give Ren some moral support. We brought Poco out of retirement for the day as he came to us for the same reason as Ren a few years ago (and has never actually gone back home - sorry Susan!) and now shows like a trouper. Nikita is the pack matriarch and has a calming effect on the boys when they get a bit antsy.
Poco took Best Veteran in Group in both shows, while Nikita took Best Bitch, Best NZ Bred of Breed and Reserve of Breed in both shows. too.
A bit more practice for Ren at the ribbon parades in a couple of weeks and then it's off to Gore to meet up with Tanith so she can see how well her darling boy is doing in person.
