Mi-ki UKC Champion: Royal T’s Brilliant Brighton
We are very excited to announce that we have two new UKC champions! First, it was Royal T’s very own Brilliant Brighton, and she really did shine with her silky white coat and gleaming personality. The icing on the cake was that Brighton achieved her champion status on my birthday, and I couldn’t have asked for a better gift!
As you may recall, our first foray into the show ring last November was very successful, except for the fact that yours truly managed to accidentally miss one of the group competitions. Being so rare, Mi-kis can usually only receive their UKC championship titles by competing with other breeds in the companion category. Along with at least 100 points, three competition wins are required to win a championship. Brighton had enough points but needed one last competition win.
So when Brighton beat her kennel mate Truffle on Friday, I realized, “I think she’s a champion!” And she was, and is, and always will be… ribbons or no ribbons. She’s our firstborn Royal T offspring, and it felt right to have her win on my special 45th birthday.
Mi-ki UKC Champion: Jubilee’s Champagne Truffle
With Brighton’s championship in the bag, next, we focused on our sweet little chocolate Truffle, bred by Barbara Briggs of Jubilee Mi-kis. Weighing just 4 pounds 5 ounces, Truffle is a little dot on the show ring floor. Her beautiful chocolate color has silvered to a gorgeous taupe, but I was worried that she’d blend into the concrete floor of the ring.
To become a champion, we needed Truffle to beat Brighton in the next four shows. Those would also count as competition wins. Beating Brighton would be a feat because Brighton’s outgoing personality and bright white coat are so vibrant.
How would tiny Truffle do against the other companion breeds in the group competitions? We learned that many of the other dogs were already AKC champions, so the competition was pretty stiff! Plus, with UKC shows, our tiny Mi-kis can be competing with athletic Dalmatians, glamorous Shih Tzus, popular French Bulldogs, and flashy miniature Poodles.
Truffle always gets lots of positive feedback at our Plum Creek Kennel Club conformation class. She naturally stacks beautifully (meaning she stands straight and evenly) and always gives the judge a warm expression with alert ears. Truffle moves so smoothly and has such lovely proportions, so I was hopeful that she was just a little nervous when she lost to Brighton but would do well after that practice run.
Sure enough, after a long weekend of four more shows, Truffle was able to beat Brighton each time to gain her required 100 points! Since Truffle beat Brighton, those also counted as her competition wins.
The pleasant surprise was that tiny Truffle was able to catch the notice of the judges. She placed 4th in the group competition three times! I’ve heard from more experienced showers that the rare breeds don’t usually get much recognition in the group rings, so the fact that Truffle placed at all was a significant win not only for her but also for the Mi-ki breed. We’re very proud of her!
Special Thanks
Of course, these wins wouldn’t be possible without the support of our friends and family. Thanks to Bill Parker, the other half of the Royal T Team for helping me show, to my daughter Annaliese who also showed for the first time, and my aunt Marty Frick who came to support us and even took a little video for us!
Aunt Marty Frick came out to support us at the Twin Peaks dog show!
We are also grateful to our judges including Kathy Carter who awarded Brighton with her Championship, Alan Krenek who gives us wonderful advice and training, Heidi Scheff, the cheerful and thorough Sandy Shaw, and Rick Gann, who awarded Truffle with her Championship.
Championship photos credit: Randy and Kindra Solomon.