About K9s

13/10/2026

A shout out to Lisa at Kiwi Canine . Enzo loved his GoughNut Stick a lot...and it lasted more than 3 months! The previous record was 5 days for an advertised tough chew toy. Anyway, Enzo's GoughNut comes with a replacement guarantee. His new toy arrived on Friday. We are both very happy 😁

06/10/2026

Wow! Time flies. How can these puppies have graduated already? Brandy (with Rhys and Carolyn) and Cash (with Nicola). They've all built some great skills. I look forward to seeing what these pups get up to next. Good stuff, right? 😂

02/10/2026

To all you treat tossers out there, Tegel Chicken Luncheon is half price at Woolworths this week. Just $4!

01/10/2026

I love scent work! And I love sharing my obsession with other dog owners. Here is puppy Cash starting on one of the foundation skills, indication.

27/09/2026

A puppy owner gave me another shot.

They first reached out about their little canine shark. I let the message sit there. Desperate for help, they paid another trainer a lot of money for some practical support. But after the first session, the recommended correction stuff felt wrong for them and their puppy.

We both feel lousy about how it all went.

What really gets me is knowing I didn’t respond right when they needed someone to get in touch.

But they reached out again. And the progress this team has made makes my heart sing. They remind me why I got into this work in the first place.

It's not about fancy social media posts. Most dog owners want a reply. Or a call returned. Just another person there when they need help. That’s what matters.

Marketing is not my forte. Replying to every query on time, I fumble that one too often. My fault completely.

So, I am going to do better. And while I'm getting my act together, if you sent something and heard nothing, nag me. Send it twice. Phone me. Tell me I forgot. I mean it; I really do not mind.

And to this particular puppy owner, thank you for giving me a second chance. I’m so glad you did. And I love working with you too.

21/09/2026

After yet another weekend at a dogs sport event, the Koolies got a much off lead run on a stunning Southland morning (before the weather turned pear-shaped again 🤣).

06/09/2026

The Koolies spent the weekend at yet another scent work trial. They put up with a lot.....or not a lot, really. While I spent most of the trial judging and helping to run things, they mostly hung out on the car. They did get to play but there were times when my head wasn't in the game. They still seemed to enjoy themselves even when I let them down and we didn't qualify. Despite this, we came away with three qualifying certificates - two for Maisie and one for Zelda. As a bonus, Maisie got a judge's choice award for her Excellent Interior. And pending Dogs NZ approval, Maisie will be able to add Excellent Interior Search to her name and Zelda, Excellent Exterior Search. Enzo is always my Best Boy! Here's a photo of a tired Maisie.

11/08/2026

🐾 **Team Koolie had a great weekend!** 🐾

We spent the weekend at the Otago Canine Training Club scent work trial, held at Beachlands Speedway. It was cold, muddy and occasionally a little damp. But that didn’t stop us from having a fun time!

The dogs did really well (sometimes in spite of the human on the end of the lead 🤣).

Enzo and Maisie each qualified in one of their two searches, while wee Zelda qualified in both of hers!

That means Zelda has now achieved her Excellent Vehicle Search Award (pending Dogs NZ approval).

So incredibly proud of all four of them all. ❤️

https://pixies.et/bf7Tcnm7

Image: Thanks to Brya Ingram Photography for this photo of Zelda in Excellent Vehicle.

Photo by Brya Ingram Photography

28/07/2026

⚠️ **Trigger warning**

Here is the second part of the story about the alleged abuse at the Auckland-based doggy daycare.

Please don't assume that incidents like this only happen in the major centres. These things can happen anywhere.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361011652/former-staff-claim-dogs-were-abused-auckland-daycare-where-four-dogs-died?fbclid=IwY2xjawTU8BRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe1c_sIyZEWbXAHXsW8YjhOaFyVFPK8aI0sEhYNyFvC3XaRpomjPet6_UloxA_aem_UsE7_fzu4T3-uvjnIN4NFg

Former staff told Stuff they witnessed repeated abuse of dogs at an Auckland daycare where four dogs died in recent years.

18/07/2026

Today I learnt that Maisie's brother, Rik, passed away last night.

I know that dogs are not here for the long time, but sometimes life gives us a reminder that we really do need to make the most of the time we do have with our dogs.

Take the photos. Take lots of photos. And videos. Go on adventures. Celebrate your ordinary days. Make memories.