Elaine
04-13-2011, 06:15 AM
I am posting this for the author -Abe, who posts here as Minka. This great Afghan kennel is also discussed here, with photos of many of the dogs Abe mentions http://www.dogshownewsnetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1420 Enjoy
When a litter arrives at Aviva the afghan world takes notice; when a litter sired by Packer arrives at Aviva, expectations reach proportions which can only be described as epic
When Spyder left Aviva to go to Melbourne he was best described as “a nicely put together afghan pup with potential.” When the prodigal son returned three and a half years later, he was Aust Ch. Aviva Man In the Moon.
At most kennels this is a triumphant return. At Aviva, the context is markedly different. Put yourself in Spyder's shoes
• the guy who lived next door is your half brother and he is A BREED LEGEND
• your nephew is the World Winner
• the girl who whips your butt when you go out to romp is a Specialty Best In Show winner and she hasn't even hit two years of age
• the chap whose job you’re taking is the most beautiful son of a bitch to come out of the kennel in the last 5 years
I could go on, but you get the idea ...
The day Spyder came back to Aviva coincided with my second visit to the kennel.
When Ros introduced me to this wet (he had tipped over his water bucket) wrinkly, less-than-100% responsive young male & told me that he could go Best In Show... well, you could forgive me for being a skeptic (especially when I looked over my shoulder and saw Kiwi prancing around). Little did I know that under that soggy wet coat was a 27 inch adult male Afghan with a front some breeders can only aspire to, a neck & shoulder tie in which was smoother than marble, a correct top-line and croup, which was finished off by a long tail with a natural ring. But all of Spyder's superb qualities became apparent the moment I first put my hands on him.
We were both fortune's favorites that day: Spyder because he had a savant working on him, and me because I was still permitted to get within 5 miles of an Aviva dog after I accidently allowed Spyder to slip his lead and bolt off across an unfenced yard.
Over the next few months Spyder became the black board that Ros would use to teach me the art of grooming (or one of them). I became the recipient of Spyder’s kisses when he choose to bestow them and I was his cheer squad at the shows.
The only person who got a bum deal over here was Ros, who had to deal with not one but two nincompoops.
Spyder was learning the Aviva way
• Don't go round the ring with your head down
• Come over yourself when you set yourself up
• You’re an aristocratic Afghan male; spayed Dachshunds are not the right sort of women to chase
• It’s not okay to bark at all odd hours of the night
• No you can't pee on the judge when he is not looking & no you can't pee on your kennel mates
While class was in session Spyder picked up a Group win and Reserve Dog Challenge at a Specialty on the Australian East Coast, where the best Afghans in the world routinely go head to head (impressive stuff elsewhere but at Aviva Spydey was still back of the bus )
Fast forward through the holidays and Spyder emerged as a stallion of a dog; the Bacich home had done him a world of good. The conditioning on the dog was brilliant; Spyder had gone from the nice chap next door to Alpha male - the transformation from clown to superb show dog was complete.
On the 2nd April 2011 India won a world cup & I stayed up till 5 am to celebrate. And so it was that I arrived at the show grounds in Helensburg at 10 a.m. after having driven well over a 100 km to get there.
And so it was that at the Buli Kennel Club Show - Packer’s errant son finally stepped up to his birthright, fulfilling the promise of his pedigree. Spyder’s performance in the Breed ring should have warned me that it was going to be a long long day; his performance in the Group was spectacular; and in a tough BIS line-up I watched him float around the ring. The judge made the call – the moment belonged to Ros and her labor of love – Best In Show went to Spyder. And through it all, Ros barley cracked a smile, she’d known the dog’s potential all along. And now Packer has one more BIS winner to add to the pantheon.
Veni, Vidi, Vici Aviva ... the Aviva story continues…
When a litter arrives at Aviva the afghan world takes notice; when a litter sired by Packer arrives at Aviva, expectations reach proportions which can only be described as epic
When Spyder left Aviva to go to Melbourne he was best described as “a nicely put together afghan pup with potential.” When the prodigal son returned three and a half years later, he was Aust Ch. Aviva Man In the Moon.
At most kennels this is a triumphant return. At Aviva, the context is markedly different. Put yourself in Spyder's shoes
• the guy who lived next door is your half brother and he is A BREED LEGEND
• your nephew is the World Winner
• the girl who whips your butt when you go out to romp is a Specialty Best In Show winner and she hasn't even hit two years of age
• the chap whose job you’re taking is the most beautiful son of a bitch to come out of the kennel in the last 5 years
I could go on, but you get the idea ...
The day Spyder came back to Aviva coincided with my second visit to the kennel.
When Ros introduced me to this wet (he had tipped over his water bucket) wrinkly, less-than-100% responsive young male & told me that he could go Best In Show... well, you could forgive me for being a skeptic (especially when I looked over my shoulder and saw Kiwi prancing around). Little did I know that under that soggy wet coat was a 27 inch adult male Afghan with a front some breeders can only aspire to, a neck & shoulder tie in which was smoother than marble, a correct top-line and croup, which was finished off by a long tail with a natural ring. But all of Spyder's superb qualities became apparent the moment I first put my hands on him.
We were both fortune's favorites that day: Spyder because he had a savant working on him, and me because I was still permitted to get within 5 miles of an Aviva dog after I accidently allowed Spyder to slip his lead and bolt off across an unfenced yard.
Over the next few months Spyder became the black board that Ros would use to teach me the art of grooming (or one of them). I became the recipient of Spyder’s kisses when he choose to bestow them and I was his cheer squad at the shows.
The only person who got a bum deal over here was Ros, who had to deal with not one but two nincompoops.
Spyder was learning the Aviva way
• Don't go round the ring with your head down
• Come over yourself when you set yourself up
• You’re an aristocratic Afghan male; spayed Dachshunds are not the right sort of women to chase
• It’s not okay to bark at all odd hours of the night
• No you can't pee on the judge when he is not looking & no you can't pee on your kennel mates
While class was in session Spyder picked up a Group win and Reserve Dog Challenge at a Specialty on the Australian East Coast, where the best Afghans in the world routinely go head to head (impressive stuff elsewhere but at Aviva Spydey was still back of the bus )
Fast forward through the holidays and Spyder emerged as a stallion of a dog; the Bacich home had done him a world of good. The conditioning on the dog was brilliant; Spyder had gone from the nice chap next door to Alpha male - the transformation from clown to superb show dog was complete.
On the 2nd April 2011 India won a world cup & I stayed up till 5 am to celebrate. And so it was that I arrived at the show grounds in Helensburg at 10 a.m. after having driven well over a 100 km to get there.
And so it was that at the Buli Kennel Club Show - Packer’s errant son finally stepped up to his birthright, fulfilling the promise of his pedigree. Spyder’s performance in the Breed ring should have warned me that it was going to be a long long day; his performance in the Group was spectacular; and in a tough BIS line-up I watched him float around the ring. The judge made the call – the moment belonged to Ros and her labor of love – Best In Show went to Spyder. And through it all, Ros barley cracked a smile, she’d known the dog’s potential all along. And now Packer has one more BIS winner to add to the pantheon.
Veni, Vidi, Vici Aviva ... the Aviva story continues…