As some of you will be aware there will be a Kiwi triallist flying the flag at the upcoming NSW State & National retrieving championships. Tony Hogarth from Christchurch is making the trip over the ditch to compete with his black Labrador bitch Molly.
This is a great opportunity for people to quiz Tony on how we run our NZ trials (are you there Julie C?) or if you were thinking of coming over for a holiday/hunting trip (I remember a couple of you approached me at the Easter Trials in 2004) – Tony is the ideal person to chat to. Tony is very much a keen sportsman when it comes to shooting and with the aid of his job (he’s a stock agent) he is able to get out into country that may be limited to others.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has granted Tony special dispensation enabling Molly to be out of the country for an extra day without having to go through rigorous re-entry requirements (the costs of which are apparently outrageous – these blood tests for the babesi tick will unfortunately start to kill future canine importations from Australia).
Tony is owned by four dogs – three black Labradors (Bess, Molly and Hurley) and one English Springer Spaniel (Abbey). Hurley was recently imported from the UK and is from working lines. Molly is one of NZ's top retrievers, however Tony is well aware that your trials are quite different and he certainly isn't expecting to be placed
He's just coming over for the experience!
I know that you guys will give Tony a huge warm welcome when he gets there, I hope you enjoy his company as much as I know he’s going to enjoy yours!! …. Wish I was coming over now….
Cheers
Karen
