Kalona poodle earns champion dog show title

By Emily Marner
Posted 6/29/21

Lynelle Mellecker, owner of the Pink Begonia in downtown Kalona, and her poodle Miranda travelled to Kalamazoo, Michigan for the United Kennel Club Premier.

The event took place over the course of …

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Kalona poodle earns champion dog show title

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Lynelle Mellecker, owner of the Pink Begonia in downtown Kalona, and her poodle Miranda travelled to Kalamazoo, Michigan for the United Kennel Club Premier.

The event took place over the course of four days, June 17-20. During this time, Miranda participated in multiple classes where judges looked for “champion-worthy” criteria. The results of Miranda’s competition were the Champion Class win and Reserve Champion.

The United Kennel Club, otherwise known as the UKC is an international dog registry. They offer a large variety of programs, which include obedience trials, weight-pull events, nose-work and much more. The UKC is a profit-making corporation open to any individuals, making it easy for small-town breeders like Lynelle to enter and compete. Another popular organization is the American Kennel Club, the AKC. Unlike the UKC, the American Kennel Club is non-profit, which only clubs can join.

“I find the UKC a more comfortable environment because it’s very family-friendly and ‘less political,’” Mellecker said.

Miranda is a purebred poodle, one of Lynelle’s first purebred that she has bred herself. After asking why she chose poodles, she explained that they are the second-most intelligent dog breed, they are hypoallergenic and very well-rounded dogs.

“I have been an owner of poodles for over thirty years, and over time I feel that there has been so much cross-breeding that there’s no appreciation for the purebred poodle,” Mellecker said.

She went on to elaborate on Miranda’s caretaking. Miranda is fed very nutritious foods, not store-bought brand dog food. Lynelle also explained that Miranda is not a “kennel dog” but she is a normal house-pet — Miranda even sleeps in bed with Lynelle.

“The judging criteria on the awards is very specific, they have to have experienced people who can identify valuable traits,” said Mellecker.

She went on to talk about the “breed standard” for poodles. Things like sociability, intelligence and bone structure are of vital importance to a champion dog.

In order to receive the Champion title like Miranda did, you must check a lot of boxes. The overall requirement is a minimum of 100 Championship points, and the dog must earn three competition wins awarded under three different judges.

Miranda is a variety breed, so her points are based of first place class wins, best of variety, best of sex and best of winners, each of which are five points. Dogs can also earn bonus points determined on the number of participants in the best of male and female categories.

After Miranda was awarded the Champion Class win and Reserve Champion titles, Lynelle found herself very honored and humbled. Such a large event with a multitude of participants meant that Miranda really stuck out, and that was the goal.

“This win encouraged me that maybe I’m on the right path,” said Mellecker.