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How to care for a champion pet according to Katya Santos

Article (news)

Liezel dela Cruz

Besides being a loving mom to her daughter Tala, Katya is also a hands-on pet owner to her Norwich terrier, Bacon, who now has a wide collection of awards from dog competitions and is on the road to becoming a Philippine Grand Champion.Katya introduced her champion ‘baby’ in an episode of Kapamilya Chat. She said their first reason for getting a dog was to help soothe her husband’s anxiety. True enough, their pets were a big help.At first they wanted to get a corgi but thought it can be messy for a condo living. Coincidentally, they saw a kennel owner carrying a Norwich terrier during a dog show and instantly fell in love with the breed. “Very friendly sila sa tao. Hyper dogs nga lang pero hindi na sila lumalaki ng sobrang laki talaga. Kaya din namin nagustuhan kasi ‘yung buhok nila hindi rin malakas maglagas. Hindi sila maamoy, hindi mabilis bumaho. And they’re very, very energetic,” she said.Since Bacon (he got the name from Tala, whose favorite food is bacon) can be very hyper, Katya has to walk him three times a day, “Para maubos ang energy kasi kung hindi, maglilikot sila sa bahay.”Bacon’s mom also owns the title of a Grand Champion, so Katya wants her pet to continue the trail. They started to sign him up in dog shows while he was still a puppy, “Natuwa kami. Ang saya, para rin silang mga artista. Sabi namin, ang cute naman! Hanggang sa inisip namin na ipa-champion na namin si Bacon.”Katya showed some of Bacon’s awards beginning with a trophy he got last 2019. The dog owns quite a collection of rosette ribbons that mark his achievements including a Best Junior in Group award that he got from his first show.The “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/mypapapi">My Papa Pi</a>” star went on to share tips for fur parents who want to raise champion breeds. She said Bacon trains at least twice a week. Her number one tip is don’t use ‘sit’ as a command because dog shows are like fashion shows wherein the walk is important to the overall score.“Hindi sila ‘yung agility na palakasan. Fashion show lang sila na parang kung sino pinakamayabang… ‘Pag ang aso umupo sa show, bawas point ‘yun,” she explained, adding that they use ‘stay’ instead of ‘sit.’Of course it takes patience, discipline, and a good budget. “Mas mahal pa sa gastos ng tao ‘yung gastos mo sa kanila,” Katya admitted. But the joy, love, and comfort dogs bring are nothing compared to these sacrifices. “Kailangan make the most of your time na kasama mo sila kasi siyempre hindi naman mahaba ‘yung buhay nila. Ibigay na natin, gusto lang namin nila attention mo, ‘yung lambing,” she advised dog owners.She plans to get more dogs or maybe put up her own kennel someday. To those who want to add more to their pets, Katya’s tip is to treat them based on seniority, meaning prioritize the one you had first so to have less “tampo” and fights.Meet Katya’s champion dog in this video!

Katya Santos is a hands-on pet owner to her Norwich terrier, Bacon, who now has a wide collection of awards from dog competitions.