Her collar says “Princess,” but this lady is a champ.
Proud owners Carolyn Cataldo and her son William Freitas of Medway are hoping their 2-year-old Siberian husky Kaya will add another trophy to her growing collection at tomorrow’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog show at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Kaya, known in canine circles as Champion Teeco’s Kaya, is ranked No. 11 among the top 25 Siberian huskies in the country.
“She has more miles on her than me,” said Cataldo, a Sherborn police officer and dispatcher, of the family pet’s travels. Urged by friend and Siberian husky breeder Margaret Cook, Cataldo started showing Kaya when she was 6 months old.
“She won over bigger dogs because her conformation is perfect,” Cataldo said. Kaya represents Easton’s Teeco’s Kennel, run by Cook.
“When dogs are about 8 to 10 weeks old you can tell (if they will be good competitors) by watching them stop and stand and how they hold themselves,” said Cook, who has been breeding Siberian huskies for nearly 40 years. “Also their personality in the show ring is important. They can’t be shy - they have to be very outgoing.”
Cataldo said Kaya knows how to pour on the charm.
“She loves her shows. She’s a true showman,” she said.
Though Freitas, a 34-year-old Medway police officer, trained Kaya since she was a puppy, she will be escorted in the show ring by veteran dog show handler Paul Levesque.
While the frisky and friendly pup has already accomplished a lot, Cook and Cataldo are realistic about her chances at Westminster. She will have to beat 27 other Siberian huskies to win best of breed.
“The competition is extremely stiff,” said Cook, who is also an AKC dog show judge and on the board of directors for the American Siberian Husky Club. In total, 2,500 dogs will compete at Westminster; Kaya is one of 102 dogs from Massachusetts.
The champ had to go to New York without her constant travel companion, her cousin and pampered playmate Kiowa, another Siberian husky Cataldo shows. Younger than Kaya by two months, Kiowa needs a few more points to reach the championship level.
Source: news.bostonherald.com
