Klára Miketová

I was born into a family of dog lovers, so the Dachshund would ride along with me in my baby pram. Our family history of breeding Dachshunds goes back three generations to the 1950s and my grandparents. My grandfather was a passionate hunter, which made the Dachshund, with its utility and hunting versatility, a clear choice. Both of their daughters, that is my mother and her sister, also breed dogs. From a very young age, I was making the rounds at the dog shows and going to hunting trials, and as it usually goes, I didn’t want to break the family tradition, so the pack of Dachshunds has been passed on to me too. And while they may be small in size, they’re huge in personality. 

When I was only four years old, I took to the show circuit like a duck takes to water. My bitch Xira and I dominated one Child & Dog competition after another. We even made it to the top three at the 1990 World Dog Show in Brno. Then came Junior Handling, and that’s when things started getting a lot more serious; there were rules and scoring tables, and we were even beginning to encounter some competitors. I represented the Czech Republic a total of three times in the final of Crufts in Birmingham, and it was there that I decided I wanted to become a professional handler. 

In 2003, I moved to Italy, which is a true cynology superpower, and began my pursuit of a career in handling. I stayed there for two years, and then spent another year in France. I exhibited a wide variety of breeds in all FCI groups.

During that time, mu canine charges and I won hundreds of titles, of which I most value the multiple BIS and world and European championships. Together we’ve crisscrossed Europe back and forth and have visited the USA a few times as well as Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and South Korea. It’s nice to see that there are enthusiastic and devoted cynologists all over the world. 

In recent years, I’ve spent more of my time breeding again. Handling and breeding go hand in hand. After all, if I didn’t raise high-quality puppies, I wouldn’t have anyone to exhibit. I work as an educator on the topic of exhibiting by conducting workshops and handling courses, and I also specialize in show grooming, which is a crucial ingredient in any dog show successes. 

In 2015, I became a Brit Ambassador. I consider the brand to the be the best there is on the market. Thanks to it, our dogs are always in excellent condition, and there’s real added value in the fact that it’s a Czech company with a long tradition. Because I travel a lot, I know that awareness of the brand is also growing rapidly among dog breeders and keepers abroad.