Straight to the pool room: the pet owners and their award-winning animals
Pets are so much more than companions for some people. They are prize-winning animals that cost a small fortune and require countless hours of care but their devoted owners wouldn’t have it any other way.
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There’s no doubt Australia is a nation of animal lovers. RSPCA figures show about 62 per cent of Australian homes include a pet or two, and our pet population sits at around 24 million animals.
Dogs are the most popular pet — about 38 per cent of homes have a pooch — while 29 per cent have a cat. Birds, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs and reptiles are also popular.
A growing body of research has highlighted the physical and emotional health benefits of pet ownership, with our furry, feathered and scaly friends linked to everything from boosting cardiovascular health and encouraging us to exercise more to helpingreduce depression and stress.
While most of us love our family pets, some Victorians’ pride in their animals runs even deeper.
Every weekend, in cities, suburbs and regional communities across Australia, there is a show somewhere giving animal devotees an opportunity to display their prize pets.
Lavished with love, with many hours of training and grooming and, quite often, a significant financial investment, these are some of the state’s most prolific prize-winning pets.
What does it take to show a top-quality animal? And why do these people gain so much pleasure from this pastime?
WENDY MIEGLITZ, 55, FROM HASTINGS
WENDY HAS BRED AND SHOWN CATS FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. WITH HUSBAND GERHARD, SHE TRAVELS ACROSS VICTORIA AND THE COUNTRY TO SHOW OFF HER PRIZE-WINNING PERSIANS
Wendy Mieglitz had been married 18 months when her husband bought her a Persian cat.
“He knew I was never allowed to have a cat as a kid, and he worked with a lady who had a litter of Persian kittens,” Mieglitz says.
“This little black and white kitten with the brightest eyes crawled on me. He became Bright Eyes, my first show cat.”
Mieglitz clearly remembers her first show, in Gardenvale. Her cat won “best whiskers”, the start of a long career showingcats. She juggles it with her job as a carpark supervisor.
“When I won my first ribbon, that was it,” she says. “It’s a thrill to win something, whether it’s Best in Show or Cat of the Year.
“It’s addictive. After that first win, I wanted to win again. I’ve shown 30 to 40 cats now.
“Once I took 11 of my Persians to a show and seven of them were placed in the top 10.”
Mieglitz flies to Perth and Tasmania with her prized cats and takes to the road to compete in Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide.
Each trip takes logistical planning and three days to pack. She travels with show cages, carry cages, litter trays, waterbowls, food and cat litter, plus grooming products and show curtains.
“Every few hours, I stop and open the car doors and windows, so the cats get fresh air,” she says.
“One of my cats developed car sickness and wears a special bib to avoid getting anything on the ruff under the chin.
“I listen to my cats the whole time when I’m driving — they’re like children.”
Mieglitz begins preparing for shows six weeks ahead. Regular bathing with shampoo imported from the US is essential, as istrimming the ears and tops of the eyes to make the eyes look bigger. Eye drops and make-up wipes keep eyes clean and Mieglitzuses white powder to keep faces clean.
Cats with white feet live on white sheets to avoid stained feet and Mieglitz’s laundry has been fitted with a $2500 hot water service for her cats. Her cat hairdryercost $625 and the shampoo $120 a time.
“A cat with staining will be marked down by the judges and you don’t want to spend all that time and money and get markeddown because your cat isn’t pristine,” Mieglitz says.
Her efforts have paid off. She’s won the country’s most prestigious awards, including Cat of the Year, Kitten of the Year and Supreme All Breeds Exhibit.
“It’s a super-competitive world. Some people want to win at all costs,” she says.
“But my husband and I have made some wonderful friends through our cats.
“My kids will grow up and leave home one day, but my cats will always be with me.”
ANNE BEATY, 45, FROM TOOLERN VALE
ANNE SHOWS POULTRY. SHE ALSO HAS A COUNTRY PROPERTY THAT’S HOME TO ABOUT 30 GEESE, 60 DUCKS AND 60 CHICKENS — MANY OF THEM CURRENT CHAMPIONS
AS a child, Anne Beaty spent many happy hours at her grandmother’s farm in Bacchus Marsh. She and her siblings and cousinswere often given the job of rounding up the geese and caring for the many goslings and ducklings.
“My other grandparents lived at Creswick and whenever I spent the weekend with them, I’d come home with a kitten. I’ve alwaysloved animals, but particularly poultry,” Beaty says.
“My grandmother with the geese often got goslings left behind by their mother and I’d collect and rear them. For 10 years, I had a gander called Goosey that I reared from a gosling.
“I’d watch my grandmother make a special mash from ground grain and a few other things and she’d show me how to feed the goslings. She always told me not to give them too much protein when they were young or they’d become too heavy for their legs, and I remember her telling me that when they lost their down they needed to exercise in water to strengthen their legs.
“But while my Nan sold birds for meat and they’d disappear for dinner, my birds are for showing only.”
Beaty has been showing her chickens, geese and ducks since 2006 after joining Poultry Stud Breeders & Exhibitors Victoria. Her prizes include the reserve champion of the Victorian Waterfowl Show and reserve turkey in the Royal Melbourne PoultryShow. She is also proud of her award-winning eggs and her birds are sent across the country.
“Six weeks out, I bring the birds into the breeding paddocks and look at the ones that might be ready to show,” she says. “I then put them into special training pens and look at them one by one. I look at how they will behave in the pen.
“Two days before the birds leave, they get a final wash and I oil their beak, legs and feet. I also use a pawpaw cream and a silk scarf to wipe down the feathers of the ducks.
“White ducks take more care and may need a rinse if they get messy on the way to a show.
I spend about four hours a day with my birds and it’s very competitive. You can’t touch anyone else’s birds.”
While prizes are a bonus, the most important thing for Beaty is raising healthy birds.
“My birds follow me around,” she says. “Some of them know which room of the house
I am in and come around and sit on the windowsills if I’m sewing or at my desk.
“Some of my mallard ducks nibble on my fingers as I oil their feet and beaks and when they hear my voice, they put their head out of the pen because they know it’s me.
“They bring me a lot of enjoyment and you get the best eggs. You’ll never want to buy them from the supermarket again.”
DESTINY HAMILTON, 18, FROM SUNBURY
DESTINY SHOWS AFGHAN HOUNDS AND DOBERMANS. SHE’S ALSO THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HANDLER AFTER WINNING THE TITLE AT CRUFTS IN ENGLAND
Destiny Hamilton can’t imagine a day when she isn’t surrounded by dogs. Both sets of grandparents are accomplished dog breeders — Afghan hounds on her father’s side of the family and samoyeds on her mother’s side.
So, it’s perhaps inevitable that the Year 12 student is an accomplished dog handler and shower. She is so accomplished, she’swon a string of national and international awards.
“My parents met through both their families showing and breeding dogs. They used to see each other at the dog shows and theirrelationship grew over time,” Hamilton says.
“I was seven when I did my first show. My grandparents taught me what to do because
I used to go to shows and watch them. And then I began entering junior handling events.
“I also showed Shih tzus and Afghan hounds, but now I have two dobermans.
“I’ve been lucky to travel the world through dog showing and handling, and I’ve met a lot
of people. It’s a lot of fun.”
At handling competitions, Hamilton is judged on her ability to connect with and control a dog that is not her own. In March, she was named best junior handler in the world, taking out the top prize at the prestigious Crufts dog show in the UK.
“The judges look for someone who can understand the dog’s temperament well,” Hamilton says.
“You’re given a dog you don’tknow an hour before judging and so you have to connect with that dog and know about the breed. You have to get to know yourdog quickly to bring out the best in them.
“My family were watching Crufts on the livestream from home in Sunbury and they cried when I won. They were excited for mebecause they knew it was a big achievement.
“It took weeks to sink in because it’s the main event to win as a junior handler and Crufts is way up there in the dog world.”
Hamilton juggles Year 12 studies at Sunbury College with caring for her show dogs and travelling across the country to compete. She also spends hours every week training her dobermans, Grace and Gunner.
“The dobermans are a lot easier to get ready for a show than an Afghan because they have a short coat,” she says. “I givethem a bath, trim their nails and whiskers, and about 20 minutes before we’re due in the ring, I do a few laps to get themin the right mindset for showing.
“The afghans take two to three hours to bathe and dry and they take a lot of brushing.
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“I enjoy showing and handling dogs, but the early morning starts are a challenge sometimes. If the show is a long way away, I’ll be up at 4.30am. I take homework with me and study on the road when we have a long trip.”
The dog world can be highly competitive, but Hamilton says the shows are second nature because they’ve been part of her lifefor so long.
“I always try and stay calm,” she says. “Sometimes people get upset if they don’t win but at the end of the day, it’s a hobby.”
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