August 2011

    We are just bursting our buttons!!!  If you want to know why, just click HERE!!!!!

July 2011

    After a quiet June, our pups have been busy all over the continent!!!  In Pennsylvania Phoebe (Affinity Free Spirit) picked up a 4pt major at the Mid-Atlantic FC Retriever Club's supported entry.....which leaves her 1 major away from her championship!  Meanwhile in Calgary Maizie (Affinity Amazing Kiss) made her presence known at the Westwinds Sporting Dog Specialty by winning Best of Breed from the classes.  Maizie now has 4pts towards her championship.  Not to be left behind Zoe (CH Affinity Just Add Water) moved closer to finishing her American CH by taking WB in Mount Vernon, Washington.

    In the field Fangio changed his WCI to a WCX.  He was joined by his uncle Stitch who is now CH Affinity Highlight *WCX* JH RN.  Maybe yet we will find the time to get him ready for his SH.  Stitch would like nothing better!!!

May 2011

    Fangio took up where he left off last fall and picked up the last 2 legs he needed for his MH.  He is now Affinity Spirit of the Dance WCI MH at the tender age of 2-1/2 yrs old....the youngest Flatcoat to have ever achieved this title!!  This also qualifies him for the Canadian Master National scheduled for August

    Meanwhile in Texas, his 1/2 brother Rook (Affinity Stolen Kisses JH) finished his Junior Hunter title in 4 straight tests at the tender age 15mos.  Rook just pinned his marks and earned rave reviews from the judges!  Congratulations to Rook and his partner Betsy Montgomery.

February 2011

    The Hunting Dog of Year for 2010, awarded by the BC Labrador Retriever Club, has been won for the 4th consecutive year by the Affinity flatcoats owned, loved and trained by Michael & Amanda Rigby.  This year Fangio (Affinity Spirit of the Dance WCI SH) had his name added to the trophy.  He follows in the footsteps of his dam Lola (GMH CH Affinity Highland Fling CD WCX MH, Am WCX) who won in 2008 & 2009.....and in the footsteps of his grandsire Senna (GMH CH Affinity Lord of the Dance CD WCX MH, Am WCX) who won in 2007.

    Affinity In Like Flynn is quickly adding more agility titles to his name by finishing his Open Fast title and Excellent Jumpers.....both on the same weekend!!

January 2011

    Stitch, Zoe and I had a relaxing weekend in the US this month.  We met up with friends we hadn't seen in a while which was fun.  At the dog show, Stitch was WD one day to add another point to his total while Zoe got to look cute:-))

Catching up on 2010

    Happy New Year to all our friends and visitors to this site!!  May 2011 be filled with health and happiness for all our loved ones; two and four footed alike.

    I've been very remiss keeping up on our news in 2010.  We started the year with a lovely litter.  Doing the babies justice and socializing them properly means spending huge amounts of time just playing with puppies.  A sacrifice....but someone's got to do it<BG>  In the meantime, I was also busy opening a second veterinary practice which left limited time for many of our other activities.  But some of our very special Affinity pups certainly picked up the slack!

    Fangio (Affinity Spirit of the Dance WCI SH) and his people, Michael & Amanda Rigby, had an amazing year in the field.  In the spring, he started by picking up the last leg needed for his JH title and then proceeded to complete his SH in four straight tests.  After more training during the summer, Fangio was ready to tackle his MH.  By the time the hunt test season ended, he had 3 legs towards his MH title.  All this was accomplished before his second birthday.  I can hardly wait to see what happens in 2011.

    Darby (CH Affinity Spirit of the Hunt) and his dad Chris Archbold made a great team in the showring in 2010.  Darby is Chris's first show dog and together they won all the points needed to make Darby a Canadian Champion, including winning Best of Breed over a Special.  Darby's final points for his title were won by taking WD/BW at the largest show in Canada.....the same place where we met Chris & Karen & Liam for the first time (4yrs earlier), and they decided a Flatcoat was the right dog for their family.  It couldn't have been more special.  Darby and Chris are planning to start working on that American Championship, time permitting, in 2011.

    Flynn (Affinity In Like Flynn Can/Am CDX TD OA OAJ RE) and his mum Karen have been burning up the Agility ring this year.  Not only has Flynn finished titles in Fast, Standard and Jumpers levels, all his qualifying runs have been with a class first!  His accomplishments haven't been limited to the Agility ring....in March, on his first try, Flynn passed his TD.  And in the obedience ring, his Am CDX was earned with a HIC and his Can CDX was earned in one weekend.  On to Utility for 2011.

    Roxy (CH Affinity Treasure in the Rox CD AgNS AgNJS RA) and her mum Judy were also busy this year in a variety of activities.  Starting in May, Roxy began to tie off a bunch of loose ends and finish a bevy of titles.  First came the Rally Novice title in May....but that weekend also started off the Rally Advanced title which was finished later in the summer.  Later that same month came the Agility titles.  The missing point for her Canadian CH came in July and the final leg needed for her obedience CD came at the Canadian Specialty.

    Speaking of Specialties, the "Kiss" litter were 6mos old just in time for the Canadian National and Alberta Regional specialties this summer.  As typical Flatcoat puppies of that age, they were full of fun and were leggy youngsters.  Still, Mazie (Affinity Amazing Kiss) bounced and wiggled her way to a 3rd place in both the Canadian and Alberta Specialties.

    A number of Affinity pups made us proud at the Specialties.  Roxy placed 3rd in her class at the Cdn Specialty and 2nd at the Alberta Specialty.  Fangio placed 2nd in his class at the Cdn Specialty.  And Tango (Affinity Indelible Ink) won his class in both Specialties......and went on to take Reserve Winners Dog in the Canadian Specialty behind only the Best of Breed winner.  I'm very proud that all these dogs did so well while being handled by their owners.

    Those who live here at Affinity did well at the Specialties too.  Zoe (Affinity Just Add Water) took 4th in her class at the Cdn. Specialty and 2nd in the Alberta Specialty....while Justa (Affinity Not Justa Pretty Face) came 1st in her class in both Specialties.  In the specials ring, Pip (Can/Am CH Affinity Great Expectations WCI JH) made the final cut and was competing for Best of Breed at the Alberta Specialty.

    Rook (Affinity Stolen Kisses) made his show debut in the fall and this lovely boy proceeded to win Best Puppy in Breed twice.  But equally exciting is that he earned his first Junior Hunt leg in a tough test with minimal training.

    In the fall we took some time out to attend a few shows.  Zoe quickly finished her Canadian CH and added a 2nd major toward her American CH.  Stitch (Can CH Affinity Highlight WCI JH RN) also added a 2nd major towards his American CH.  Both Stitch and Zoe are now sitting on 7pts in the US including both majors.  We're planning to attend some US shows early in the new year and can hopefully add to that total.

    And our New Year's resolution for 2011 is to keep this page up to date!  I'll do my best:-)))))

January 2010

    We welcomed the Affinity "Kiss" litter.  Mum Lola presented us with 8 beautiful babies; 5 boys and 3 girls, born on January 18th.

December 2009

    December is a quieter month but always fun because of our Christmas booster.  This year Zoe took RWB at the booster itself, but at the associated shows the rest of the weekend, she picked up 3 additional points towards her Canadian Championship.  She is now at 8pts and so will stay away from Canadian shows until after the Specialty in July.

    Meanwhile in Lethbridge, Roxy (Affinity Treasure In the Rox) picked up a couple more points to bring herself up to 9pts towards her Championship.....and she too will probably sit it out until July's Specialty.

    We wish everyone, both human and canine, the happiest and healthiest of holidays.

November 2009

    Okay....even though much of this happened on the last 2 days of October, on November 1st, Ollie officially became CH Affinity Just Imagine by winning the last 2 points he needed to complete his championship.  At the largest dog show in Canada, Ollie won WD on Friday, WD & BW on Saturday, and WD on Sunday for a total of 6pts over the weekend.  One of the highlights is that Ollie was handled by Jane for all his points to his title.....Jane's first show dog ever! And not to be left behind, Zoe (Affinity Just Add Water) won 3 more pts towards her championship by being WB & BW on the Sunday. 

    Two weeks later, Zoe decided to add a bunch of points towards her American championship too.  At Munroe, she was WB one day, and WB/BW and BOS over a bitch Special the 2nd day.  She came away with 4pts including one major.  Stitch (CH Affinity Highlight WCI JH RN) was there too and did almost as well by winning a 4pt major by going WD/BW.

    And to top off the month Flynn tied up some loose ends by finishing his Canadian CD title with 2nd in class placement.  He is now officially Affinity In Like Flynn Cdn/Am CD RN NA NAJ.

October 2009

    Ollie (Affinity Just Imagine) spent Thanksgiving weekend working on his CH title, earning 4pts and BOB for 2 days.  And at her last show as a puppy, Phoebe (Affinity Free Spirit) won a Puppy Group 3.

September 2009

    After a quiet August, September started with bang for Flynn (Affinity In Like Flynn CD RN NA NAJ) who finished his jumpers title and picked up his first Open leg.....while for fun, Phoebe (Affinity Free Spirit), won Best in Match at an all breed sanctioned event.

July 2009

    Not even the record setting, energy sapping heatwave this month has slowed down Fangio (Affinity Spirit of the Dance WC) as he earned his WCI....just 2 days after turning 9mos old.  He is an incredibly talented youngster and I suspect he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

    At the same time Flynn (Affinity In Like Flynn CD RN NA) has been burning up the agility ring.  He finished his novice standard title and is one leg shy of his jumpers title.....all of which is done within 1/2 to 2/3 of his allotted time.

June 2009

    We started June by travelling to Rhode Island to attend the Flatcoated Retriever Society of America National Specialty.....and it was a trip well worth making!!  Only two Affinity Flatcoats were there to fly our flag....and they sure made us proud.  In a show with almost 400 Flatcoats entered, Ryan (Affinity Just In Time) placed 2nd in the very competitive Bred By Exhibitor class, behind only the Winners Dog.  And Phoebe (Affinity Free Spirit) had a playful time, as only 7mos old puppies can....but still placed 2nd in her Specialty class and 4th in her Sweeps class.

    Then, 2 weeks later, we went to Nanaimo for the Flatcoated Retriever Society of Canada National Specialty.....and I found myself bursting with pride for my canine family and their people.  With over 128 Flatcoats, the Affinity clan did very well! 

    Affinity In Like Flynn RN (Flynn) and his mum Karen Dolphin earned the top Obedience prize by winning the Specialty  HIGH IN TRIAL.....and for good measure won High in Class the next day at the Nanaimo Kennel Club trial.  That gives Flynn two legs towards his Canadian CD.  Not content to stop there, Flynn went on to earn his first Canadian Rally leg....with a first place.....and two Agility legs.  And Quip (Can/Am CH OTCH Affinity Easy For You to Say UD, Am UD TD RN NA NAJ VCD1 WC VFCR1) showed everyone that the Veterans still have it by doing a beautiful job on the way to winning her Obedience class.

    We all had a lot of fun in the conformation ring.....with a long list of class placements!  In the puppy classes, Darby (Affinity Spirit of the Hunt) was 3rd in both the Specialty and in Sweeps.  His brother Fangio (Affinity Spirit of the Dance WC) wasn't there for Sweeps, but placed 2nd in the Specialty.  Also in the male classes, Ollie (Affinity Just Imagine) won 2nd in Canadian Bred.  Not to be outdone by the boys, the girls did well in the classes too. Zoe (Affinity Just Add Water) won 3rd in the Bred By class while sister Justa (Affinity Not Justa Pretty Face) won 3rd in the Canadian Bred class.  And we were thrilled to see Jazmin (Affinity Calypso Jazz CD AGI AGNS AGNJS RN), who is a very young 11+, win 2nd in her Veterans sweeps class and 3rd in the Specialty.

    The Champion Specials class included many lovely dogs, so we were thrilled when all 3 Affinity dogs were recognized.  Lola (GMH CH Affinity Highland Fling CD MH WCX) made the first cut in BOB.  Pip (Can/Am CH Affinity Great Expectations WCI JH) made both cuts in BOB and was there at the end vying for top honours.  And Stitch (CH Affinity Highlight WCI JH RN) lived up to his name and was the highlight of our conformation day by winning one of the top honours, a Judges Award of Merit (JAM).

    Actually, it was Stitch's weekend in more ways than one!    I decided to enter Stitch in Rally Obedience for fun.  We hadn't done any work in Rally for a full year since having earned a first leg.  On Friday, Stitch entered the ring and earned 2 legs, both with class placements, to finish his RN title.  Then on Saturday in the conformation ring Stitch earned his Specialty JAM.  And on Sunday and Monday we went to the field where he went on to earn his WCI title - twice!  That kind of weekend earned him a Beauty & Brains award -- way to go Stitches!!!

    Stitch can't rest on his laurels however, as his young nephew Fangio (Affinity Spirit of the Dance WC) has served notice that he too is going to be someone to contend with.  Fangio went to the field on Sunday & Monday and earned his WC - also twice!  At 8mos of age, Fangio was the youngest field competitor by several months and, with his Specialty class 2nd place, qualified for a Beauty & Brains award too.

    The following weekend, at the other end of the country, Ryan (Affinity Just In Time) went to the Southwestern Ontario Sporting Dog Specialty.  Under flatcoat breeder-judge Connie Howard (Curlee Hill), Ryan was WD/BW....and the following day, under Michael Faulkner, Ryan won WD/BW and Best of Breed, in the process beating a mature, BIS-winning Special!!

    It will be a while before we come down from Cloud 9:-)) 

May 2009

    What an exciting month we've had!  We are absolutely thrilled that Lola passed 4 Master Hunter legs to complete the title of GRAND MASTER HUNTER.  Lola is now officially called GMH CH Affinity Highland Fling CD WCX MH, and is only the 5th Flatcoat to earn this title.  Lola is the second Grand Master for Michael & Amanda Rigby, who previously completed the title with Senna (GMH CH Affinity Lord of the Dance CD WCX MH).  And through their efforts, I am proud and honoured to be able to say that Affinity is the first (and at least for now) the only Flatcoat kennel to have bred more than one Grand Master flatcoat.  Thank you Michael & Amanda.....I'm so glad you came looking for a 'pet' all those years ago:-))

    We've also been busy in the show and obedience ring.  Pip picked up the last 2pts he needed to finish his American championship by going WD at the Lynden show.  He is now officially Can/Am CH Affinity Great Expectations WCI JH.  And Pip's niece Roxy (Affinity Treasure In the Rox) was busy winning Best of Breed in Medicine Hat.  This win was over a lovely male Special and Roxy went on to make the cut in the Group....not bad for a not-quite-2yr old!

    And Roxy's litterbrother Flynn (Affinity In Like Flynn RN) earned his Rally Novice title in 3 straight trials....all with perfect 100 scores.  He also earned his first Rally Advanced leg and 2 legs towards his American CD title.  Flynn is one young man who loves to work!!!   

April 2009

    This year we were able to travel to Malvern to attend the Flatcoated Retriever Society's Championship Show....the English equivalent of our National Specialty.  It was wonderfully educational to see the English dogs and study some of the bloodlines.  We spent a week travelling and visiting with some of our English friends and lots of black (and liver) dogs:-))

March 2009

    We decided to enter our baby Zoe (Affinity Just Add Water) in a show as a tune up for the upcoming Specialty.  Under Flatcoat breeder/judge Doug Windsor, Zoe won WB and BOS over a mature bitch special for her first 2 points.

    And in one weekend, we added 2 more obedience titles.  Lola became CH Affinity Highland Fling CD WCX MH by picking up her 3rd and final leg for her Novice title.  And Quip  passed her 3 straight trials to earn her Utility Dog title and become a Canadian Obedience Trial Champion.  Quip is now Can/Am CH OTCH Affinity Easy For You To Say UD, Am UD TD RN NA NAJ VCD1 WC VFCR1.  Huge congratulations to Quip and her people Nancy & Peter Dyson.

February 2009

    At the Alberta Kennel Club shows, Roxy (Affinity Treasure In the Rox) was WB/BOS for 2 days earning 4 more points towards her championship.  Roxy is getting close to finishing and will probably wait until after the Specialty in Nanaimo this summer before completing it.

    Lola (CH Affinity Highland Fling WCX MH) and her owners were honoured by the Labrador Club of B.C.  Lola was named Hunting Dog of the Year for 2008.  This was the second year in a row that Michael & Amanda Rigby have won this award with one of their dogs.  Last year Senna (GMH CH Affinity Lord of the Dance CD WCX MH, Am WCX) won.....so that lovely trophy is staying in the Rigby household for a while yet:-))

    Lola has really been on a roll this month.  Entered in her first 2 obedience trials, she came away with 2 legs towards her CD title.....and was High In Class both times!

January 2009

    What a fun way to start a New Year!  Pip spent 3 days at the Puyallup shows and came home with two 5-pt majors.  This included WD at the NWFCRS Supported Entry and WD again the next day under Flatcoat breeder/judge Kurt Anderson.  Pip now has 3 majors and is 1pt shy of his American CH.

December 2008

    The annual FCRSC booster held in conjunction with our local December show was a great success.  Fergus (Affinity Intrepid Warrior) was WD one day and Justa  (Affinity Not Justa Pretty Face) was WB on the day of the booster.  Tango (Affinity Indelible Ink) was RWD at the booster too.

October 2008

    Thanksgiving was rather busy around here.  Lola (CH Affinity Highland Fling WCX MH, Am WCX) had her puppies on the 13th.  There were 6 pups in total; 3 boys and 3 girls.  Mum and babies are doing great.

September 2008

    We were able to attend the FCRSC National Specialty in Milton, Ontario which gave us an opportunity to catch up with old friends....and make some new ones.  A good time was had by all.  Our star of the weekend was Ryan (Affinity Just In Time) who was Best of Opposite in Puppy Sweeps under Helen Szostak (Grousemoor) and 1st in the large 12-18mos class in the Specialty under Pam Stanley (Hallbent).  Ryan pushed hard for RWD but was beaten on maturity according to the judge.  It was a honour just to be considered at such a young age.  Not far behind Ryan was his litterbrother Oliver.  Ollie placed 4th in Puppy Sweeps and was 3rd in the 12-18 class in the Specialty.  We also got to see Paisley (Affinity Great Northern Diver) for the first time since she left us at 8wks of age.  Beautiful Paisley placed 2nd in the Altered Class in her first time in a show ring.

August 2008

    The Canadian Master National was held in Saskatoon.  Lola (CH Affinity Highland Fling WCX MH, Am WCX) qualified to run but came into heat and so could not run.  Instead she was bred to Ross (CH Meadowrue Original Dance WC RN).  If all goes well, we will welcome puppies in October.