Dog trio pick up trifecta at Ekka
AN Ipswich dog-showing team is celebrating after proudly picking up a rare golden trifecta at the Ekka this week - and the success may not end there.
Dog showers Brenda Kent and Shayne Careless showed four-year-old golden retriever Nujak and his 12-month-old puppies Jayda and Gibson.
Nujak claimed the best in breed title, while Jayda and Gibson were each named best in class.
The accolades will hopefully continue for Nujak on Saturday as he is exhibited in the best of group other dog breeds.
Mr Careless said it was an exciting time for the friends who had bred and shown golden retrievers together for 12 years.
"We're very good friends with Brenda and her family. We show for the love of it. For us it's a hobby," he said.
Preparing the dogs is a detailed process which starts in the days leading up to a show.
The pooches are shampooed, blow dried and have their coat and nails trimmed before they get to the ring.
Mr Careless said the dogs were trained to have the correct stance and poses from when they were puppies.
"All this training goes in from the time they are puppies. At six weeks old they are taught how to stand."
Success runs in the family for Nujak, with show victories reaching back four generations, Mr Careless said.
"We have had really good results. He's been placed at every specialty show since he's been in the baby class."
Mrs Kent said Nujak didn't get distracted by the Ekka's large crowds.
"He loved every minute of it. He loved all the people that came up to him in the crowd," she said.
She is looking forward to exhibiting him again.
"I don't know what I'm expecting. We're not going there to win, just to exhibit him and do the best we can with him on the day," she said.
"A win would be lovely. To go further would be great.
"We'll just give it a good go."
Princely pooches
Historically, golden retrievers developed as gun dogs to retrieve shot water fowl.
The intelligent nature of the breed allows them to be guide dogs for the deaf and blind.
They are known as poor guard dogs because of their friendly nature.
