Dakoozi Hounds

01/01/2026

Happy New year from the Dakoozi crew!

2025 was a little slower for us than 2024 in terms of showing, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy!

In 2025, three of our dogs completed their Grand Championship titles: Charlotte in June, Monroe in August and then Ace in September. Dallas completed 2 components towards his Scent Detection Open title with just one remaining to finish this achievement. He has also been training for his trick dog title and we are in the process of making his videos for assessment 🥰

Dallas, Memphis, Monroe and Ace all put points towards their Grand Champion Bronze titles, and Pepper made it just over halfway to her GCh with very limited showing.

Charlotte welcomed her 2nd litter in July and we had the pleasure of raising 8 beautiful puppies, one of which brought a couple of new people into our show family. Our pups have ventured out near and far, and we have also welcomed several new people into our Dakoozi pet family. I am excited to watch them grow over the next year.

And finally, a large part of our year was spent planning. We hosted the first Basset Hound Club of Canada Regional Specialty at the Aurora Kennel Club shows in Mississauga in November. The event was a resounding success and we hope to be able to do it again next year. It was a huge undertaking, but SO much fun and worth every stressful moment. 🥰

All in all, it was a huge year despite the fewer shows and titles. We accomplished SO much to be proud of and we can't thank those who have been by our side enough! ❤️

Love to you all, and here is to a wonderful 2026. 🎆🎉🎊🥂🎇

12/26/2025

... being picky is fine, and wanting to ensure that a pairing is going to improve on at least one of the parents is fine. It's how everyone's breeding programs can move forward instead of backwards.

But refusing to sell to newer breeders, or not wanting outsource altogether to "protect" a line that a breeder has created is counter-productive. That breeder's line will essentially die with them, a complete waste of all that time, effort and money. I get wanting to keep what you create in your own program consistent. But not allowing other, newer breeders to obtain a pup and start with good quality, or refusing to allow another program to use a proven, great producing stud you own isn't helping anyone but yourself, and is certainly not helping the breed in the long term.

I have been very lucky to find quality breeders around the world willing to work with us as we develop our lines from the bottom up. And I will forever be the person willing to help another after me. 🥰❤️

This is how our breed will survive and thrive for many generations to come.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1D4WeBHPFq/

12/12/2025

Ace got happy mail! He achieved his Grand Championship back in September, but now it's CKC Official! 🥰

Introducing (again, but now OFFICIALLY) our very first bred-by Grand Champion, GCH Dakoozi's Ace in the Hole!

(GCH Lake & Shield's Wonder Strijder SDN x GCH Shay's Country Friends in Low Places NS)

So happy with this incredible boy, as he embodies everything we were hoping to achieve with our first breeding. Breed type, improved angulation, solid, heavy bone, effortless movement and a temperament one could only dream of! 🥰 My big marshmallow, my Mr Squish - he will be taking a bit of a break to mature (he only turns 2 in January!), but I can't wait to see what he matures into over the next couple of years. 🤩

12/05/2025

Hits a little hard, but so heartfelt, and is so very true. I haven't been showing long in relation to many others, but I have already retired 2 girls from the ring and know I am facing the retirement of my favourite partner in the ring in the next couple of years. It's emotional to think about it. When you bond so completely with one dog who shines in the spotlight, no matter how well you do or don't do, it's hard to face the end of that time together. Our next generations are maturing, so we can enjoy a bit more fun until they're ready to step up and take over. They'll tow the line and keep the success of our foundation moving forward. Until then, I will cherish every minute I have left until that special lead gets hung up for good.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1acLhbZmZn/

The moments when it’s over…

We all carry our own funny little rituals through life, and the dog show world is no exception. When a dog is being specialed, everything becomes uniquely theirs: the show lead used only for them, the tweaks to their diet, the crate they always settle into at shows, the pad that fits just right, the walking lead in their color, the grooming products and routine dialed in over time. Young hopefuls in the wings don’t get that level of ceremony yet. Their collars are swapped, leads get borrowed, and whatever is handy becomes “theirs” for the day. But the specials… they have their own universe.

We pour years into them - training, traveling, practicing until we move as one. There are the quiet dawn mornings and the frantic ringside scrambles, the long flights and even longer drives where it’s just you and your dog and the road. They’ve carried our worries, our celebrations, our whispered hopes. They’ve heard us laugh, cry, and process life somewhere between grooming tables and gas station coffee. They’ve shared fancy dinners and McDonald’s fries. You reach a point where you know every nuance of them. How they think, what they need, how they’ll react, and exactly how every hair on their body behaves in and out of coat.

And then, one day, it’s over.

The final left-hand circle has been run. Another dog steps into the spotlight. Their name slowly slips from results and rankings. Sometimes we’re ready. Goals have been achieved, a promising youngster waiting for their turn, or simply a peaceful sense that it’s time. Other times life steals the decision from our hands.

But it’s in that small, sacred moment, when you put their show lead away for the last time, that everything comes rushing back. Every mile, every road trip, every quiet adventure. The good, the bad, the learning, the grace. The people they brought into your life. The next generation they helped create. All the joy they carried with them, without ever saying a word.

As I officially retire their lead, as I retrain my muscle memory to stop preparing their meals a certain way, as I catch myself filling out entries and instinctively reaching for their name first…I’m reminded of all the moments we lived together. All the stories and relationships I wouldn’t have if not for the privilege of standing beside them in the ring.

And in that remembering, I also feel the spark of what’s still ahead. The future dogs, the future journeys, the future moments waiting to unfold.

- Jessica Viera

12/01/2025

From Online: DOG show, or dog SHOW?

By Wayne Cavanaugh

When trying to understand the ever increasing shift in what it takes to win at American dog shows, I keep coming back to the same bunch of questions. If dog shows are about evaluating breeding stock, why must a dog “nail the free stack” from 10 feet away, regardless of the breed? Why must a dog lead it’s handler by 10 feet going around the ring, regardless of the breed? In breeds where markings do not matter, why do they? If a breed requires a dense, water resistant coat, why do they have to be blown dry backwards and covered in mousse? Do we underestimate the ability of judges to find good breeding stock based on breed type and merit alone?

Little by little, maybe unknowingly, we participate in the subtle shift in emphasis from the dog to the show. We watch from the sidelines as the evaluation of breeding stock turns into the canine version of America’s Got Talent. The goalpost gets moved a few inches at a time until it requires an entirely new field. It’s called incrementalism. I know that we are better than just poses, sequins, speed, and spotlights...

Read the entire article here: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=344516

11/27/2025

Yesterday was a very busy day, and while I didn't get a chance to post, we didn't forget to celebrate our wonderful first Mama here at Dakoozi.

Our forever puppy, the sweetest dog to ever exist, Charlotte, turned 4! She has been a model girl for our first breedings and has spoiled me with her amazing temperament, flawless trust, ability to carry her babies to term, whelp like a dream and still have enough magic left over to be the best mama ever to her puppies. 🥰🥰

I couldn't have asked for a better girl to start this journey with, and we love her to the moon and back!

Happy birthday baby girl! And thank you for all you have given us. ❤️

11/14/2025

A fellow breeder/exhibitor shared this tonight and I can't deny that I got RIDICULOUSLY excited and giddy watching it. Does anyone else see a resemblance to someone special within our own pack? 😉🤪🥰😍

1989 Westminster Dog Show - Hound Group - basset hound breed winner Ch Pitter Patter's Replica

11/09/2025

11/05/2025

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10/31/2025

REMINDER: Entries for the Aurora Kennel Club shows and the 2025 Basset Hound Club of Canada Regional Specialty close on Tuesday, November 4th! Get your entries in. This is going to be an amazing and super fun show with CASH prizes and wonderful gifts for winners (over 20 ribbons awarded!), plus a great food and sweets spread for exhibitors, volunteers, friends and family in attendance! There will be a raffle, there will be stories, there will be laughing, there will be love of all things basset! 🥰 Come for the bassets, stay for the company and good times. Hope to see all my basset family there, as well as new faces to meet and get to know! ❤️

10/31/2025

Pretty miss Izzy had her bath & brush today. We've set up a standing appointment Thursday mornings with our groomer to allow us to get all our hounds done regularly. Sometimes, you just have to admit when there's too much on your plate! 😅