The Fuzzy Dog Blog: About the Person

My name is Kat, but I'm a dog person. Obviously.

I was born in Paradise Valley, Arizona, and moved to New England as a teenager. I get cold if it's below 70 and I never really get too warm. I still like hot weather. Not warm - hot. Why do I still live in New England? I'm not really sure. I work for a health promotion company in Rhode Island, and they pay me, and that's a pretty big sell in today's economy. I do tend towards hibernation 8 months of the year, though.

I have a BA in English from Clark University in Worcester, MA. In case you were wondering.

I was raised with my parents' poodles - Minis and Toys - and I think I begged for the better half of my life before they caved in and I got Clover for my 12th birthday. Yes, there are embarrassing pictures of both of us when we were very little. No, you will not see them here.

Shortly after getting Clover, I joined a 4-H Dog Club with a few friends. I didn't really know what I was doing, but Clover was a rock star. We won the County dog show and were runner-up in the State. The club dissolved after one year, but the instructor was clear: "You have some serious talent. Don't quit."

I didn't. I found breeders who let me show their Basenjis without having them come live with me. I showed in Juniors, a competition for kids 8-18 who were judged on their handling ability, not on the dogs, and was Nationally ranked among both Basenji & Havanese Juniors. Once I aged out of Juniors, people started hiring me to show their dogs. Meanwhile, Clover did some performance sports... but please see his page for more information.

I have put Championships on dozens of Havanese and Basenjis, and have also shown, pointed, and major pointed many other breeds. In addition I have put titles on dogs in Obedience, Agility, and Rally.

I also like to travel. I don't mean that in the abstract - I studied abroad in England in college, and I've been to Europe, Asia, Africa, and 46 of the States. Hong Kong is my favorite city... so far.

I do a lot of travel writing, free lance editing, problem solving, and yes, I take the occasional client dog for dog shows. Drop me a line if any of these are of interest to you.

A few win photos -