Three local dog handlers have proven they know their canines and know how to move them, at the New Zealand National Dog Show.
Wakefield handler Paige Rees, 14, won the 12 to 15-year-old age group in the young dog showing category, while 11-year-old Kayla Jordan from Brightwater won the eight to 11-year-old group.
Seven-year-old Rosalie Gray from Richmond gained second place among the five to seven-year-olds.
For Paige, it was a trot around the ring with a corgi, a husky, a German shepherd and an affenpinscher, for dog owners needing someone to show off their dog to the judges.
“They’re looking at how well you talk to the dog and how well you know your breed in the way you handle the dog,” Paige says.
While judging might be based on dog knowledge and knowing how each breed is supposed to move, Paige says the enjoyment for her, is simply spending time with the dogs.
