Oct long weekend in Canberra: Teddy won Best in Show & Mel’s dog won Runner-up to Best in Show at the Canberra Toy Dog Club Championship show. Judge was Mrs Iris Glynn from S.A.
Pat Cassidy is well known for her champion Pomeranian dogs but she says she is better known for her garden, which is an absolute picture at the moment. Pat has been having considerable success with Australian Champion Tupishka Totally Toasted, better known as Teddy. He was ranked as Best in Show recently in Canberra with Mel Sterret taking out runner up. Pat said that because he is black and tan he is up against other more popular colours.
His success however, is helping to promote the darker Poms. She said, “Judges either like the black and tans or not, but they are a very necessary part of the breeding program to get the pigmentation right. Pat’s husband Darryl bought her a Pomeranian dog in 1973 and so started a long association with the breed. She began showing and breeding dogs in 1987. She said that the breed came from the Spitz family of dogs which used to grow to around 30lb in Queen Victoria’s time. They have been bred down to 4-5 lb and have 2 litters per year of between 1 and 2 dogs.
Six months old Ready to Toast or Chilli has been winning prizes recently at Forbes, Temora, Cowra and the ACT. Pat said she enjoys showing the dogs and that in the early days she would head off to a dog show with her dogs and trusty tent for a weekend. She has now graduated to home comforts with her caravan and wagon. She says it is not uncommon to attend a three day show and have wins on each of the days. She says she has been fortunate in winning trophies, sashes and some prize money over the years.
