Kaz Hosaka – Like No Other

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100 – The Annual, 2024-25

By Amy Fernandez

Westminster 2024 stood out as the rare occasion where everyone agreed about the winner. That included exhibitors, judges, handlers and, most of all, the millions of casual fans that still tune in every year simply because they love dogs. The fact that the winner was… another Poodle didn’t seem to matter this time. America fell in love with Sage and her handler, Kaz Hozaka. Post judging he stood there crying his eyes out for the world to see–both stunned and overjoyed. That real-time moment shattered so many media misconceptions of dog people as cynical opportunists. Sage was clearly delighted with the whole thing. It was a beautiful moment and the world was witness.

That night was suddenly jettisoned into an entirely different frame of reference when we learned that our sport lost a living legend. Shocking is an understatement and that collective grief extends far outside of our little world.

Kaz often said that he was getting too old for this and, more specifically, he announced his intention to retire after this, his 45th Westminster. He certainly earned the right. For decades, he seemed to magically conjure one great Poodle after another. Toys, Miniatures and Standards, GCHG Surrey Sage was his second Westminster BIS winner and also coincidentally the great granddaughter of his first, Ch. Surrey Spice Girl, winner of Westminster 2002.

Those were far from the only Surrey big winners he presented. Years earlier, he had campaigned Ch. Surrey Sweet Capsicum for Robert Koeppel, winning the Westminster Non-Sporting group in 1995. In addition to 109 groups, her record included 28 Bests and three Specialty wins. His other Surrey winners over the years included Ch. Surrey in Clover, GCh. Surrey Sugar And Spice, and GCh. Surrey Cherry Garcia.

Click here to read the complete article
100 – The Annual, 2024-25

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Posted by AnthonyA on Dec 27 2024. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.