Our First Annual Winter Wonderland Festival, proudly sponsored by Pet Central, proved a bit hit with the 40+ Chihuahua (and dogs who identify as honorary Chihuahuas) owners who attend and their wonderful canine companions.
We had so many prizes and over 45 dogs in attendance! Every had a great time and the dogs were so well behaved there was not some much as a grumble the whole day from any one.
The event was judged by Nicole Pizzo from Pet Central, who found it far more stressful than she was anticipating, deciding such important categories that included Prettiest Bitch, Handsomest Dog, Best Grand Veteran, Waggiest Tail, Best Rescue, Best Junior an Child Handler and of course, the all important, Best Dressed which was won by Vinnie, to thunderous applause, dressed as a detective in his fabulous Trench Coat.
Vinnie is a beloved regular at our playgroup; a rescue dog with a permanent brain injury from some questionable treatment before he was surrendered to the NZCR and we all thrilled to see him carry off his Humphrey Bogart look with such panache!
Nicole did a wonderful job as our judge and then, at the end of the show, she made a donation of $500 in Pet Central gift vouchers to the club!
We can't thank Pet Central enough for their ongoing support. Not only do they allow us to use their wonderful venue every week for Playgroup, but they are always willing to support our little club and help us provide a safe space in Christchurch for small dogs to socialise without stress.
We made committee member, Debra Barltrop, accept the donation From Nicole and Nicola from Pet Central on behalf on the club after a brief discussion among those of us on the committee who didn't want their photo taken, that at least Deb was wearing make-up, so she was elected!
Special thanks must go to Deb for going above and beyond for the catering and to the very hard-working Katie O'Neill for our fabulous certificates and Jai Shurety for being their whenever we needed him.