Escape to the West Coast

A fabulous 100km cycled on the West Coast with lovely friends Catherine and Tony Sellin (Castlepoint GSPs) The trip snuck in just before their litter arrives and our field trials start. Thanks guys, fabulous memories made and thanks to our great dog sitters for sorting the 8 dogs🐾😅🐾

Aytee dogs with a holiday friend who was in charge 🤣

What a Trip!

A 1750km Southland road trip in endless pouring rain to visit puppies from our 2025 “S” Litter, was a wonderful chance to catch up with owners  and see their dogs at 8 months old…  all looking fabulous, like Bev’s dog Loki, who I must persuade to show 😍 and with two super bitches starting to work. Training with Cliff Lloyd and “Iller" was a joy and also exciting to see Tim Brown’s “Isla" have her first proper point on a bird, and a big thankyou to Grant Adolph for training and organising birds and making the time …. until next time 😁

Tim’s Isla honoring Oxo’s point

Cliff’s Iller, starting to enjoy her retrieving

Bev’s Loki - who is growing into a stunning (and cheeky!) boy

Clever Oxo

Oxo (Aytee Oceania) relished her first NZ competition by winning the South Otago Gundog Club Novice this weekend with some lovely runs. Thankyou to the host for the super ground and to the judges, organisers and helpers for smiling through the rain and congratulations to all ribbon winners.

FW Aytee Quintessa Wins = 1st NZ Champ FT 2025

Mavis shared 1st Place at the NZ Pointer & Setter Championship Trial 2025 this weekend with lovely GWP NTL GFTC Hotwyr Its Getting Hot n Here and owner Grant Adolph. We couldn't have been happier sharing this trophy with such a partnership and congratulate them both too. I thank judge Russell Giles for a super competition and the hosting Working Retriever Club for all their hard work and providing great ground to run on.

Finally Congratulations and thanks to all the other prizewinners who made it such a great day.

Goodnight Dora

“Dora” 11/07//2011 - 27/10/2025 FT CH & KC HPR Champion 2015 Aytee Isadora.

A true matriarch of our 4 legged family, a wonderful competitor and shooting companion, an indomitable character and fireside queen, Dora passed peacefully at home today. She brought us joy, and we loved her well.   She was not ours. She was not mine.

K9 teen 😁

courtesy AI 😏

If you have an entire bitch you will have dealt with seasons and the nuisance that prevents normal exercise.  In New Zealand, bitches cannot enter trials during their season plus a 7 day clearance immediately afterwards and in 2 yo Mavis’s case this has been almost 30 days !

 I do agreed that it’s an exceptionally sensible rule, aiming to prevent competitors dogs from being unfairly distracted and she was very obliging in her timing,  loosing us just one weekend of trials.  However, despite my efforts, after a month of self induced lethargy, she might as well have watched TV and eaten crisps every day as her fitness is zilch, so getting back to work needs some serious tackling. All tips gratefully received !! ...I guess the good thing is that handler will benefit too 😆.

Mavis smashes her first natural game trial

Mavis, who relished the whole weekend !

I am so proud of 2 year old Mavis (Ch Aytee Quintessa) for winning her first Championship Pheasant Trial at the fabulous Poronui Station in central North Island this weekend. The end of season birds were jumpy and reluctant to hold but despite cold and wet conditions it was a fabulous weekend of sport. It was also a first braced trial for us both, so winning the only award of the trial along with a Challenge Point was amazing.   I’d like to thank judges Linda Beck and Rob Meredith, the Rotarua Gundog Club and the Pointer and Setter Club for all their organising and of course all the super friendly competitors for their camardie over the weekend. Finally, a massive thankyou to everyone who has been so kind and helpful since we arrived here in NZ with our dogs  …..we could not have done it without you ❤️  Thanks to Sandy Peter’ka for the great pix.