Kishdigra

Grainne Keeling
Wexford
Wexford
Ireland

Breeder of:

  • Alaskan Malamute
  • Shetland Sheepdog

Kishdigra Kennels is a family run kennels set in the south east of Ireland. We show Alaskan Malamutes and Shetland Sheepdogs both here in Ireland and further a field. I fell in love with the Alaskan Malamute breed after seeing the great Rasta winning in crufts. After a few years of research I felt it was time for me to become involved in the breed. Little did I know five years later I would have four and be in the showrings every other weekend!! Having grown up around dogs I knew how to look after them and the work that they need. Malamutes, however take this to a whole new level of dedication and without my fathers help I would never be able to have them and would never dream of being able to achieve such results with them. The breed captured my heart while driving home to Wexford with an eight week old puppy sitting on my lap and I have never looked back since.

This Kennels would not be where it was today without the hard work and dedication of my father. I owe my success with my breed all to him. My father, Kieran, runs the kennels while I am away at college. It was he who gave me my love for dogs and taught me everything I know about them. He himself has had great success showing shelties and when I let him (ahem!) he too does a great job showing the mals. He single handedly campaigned Issa and Luna to their Junior titles.

And finally, the main person behind all our success is my mother, Shirley. It was really her love for the little Sheltie that brought us into the breed and from her "Buttons" our sheltie love grew. She is at every show with us and never has the car gone anywhere without Mam in it or giving us her full support! She makes the long trips bearable and the short ones (which there are few) enjoyable. A true inspiration to us and to the kennels.

Demi and Hera winning at CACIB

Demi and Hera winning at CACIB

photo by: Grainne Keeling

Introducing our two mal girls. Here after competing at the IKC CACIB weekend where Demi picked up her first CACIB Day 1 and Hera won the greenstar on Day 2 but was too young to compete for the CACIB. It was a great finish to a summer of showing with Hera becoming the first Malamute ever to qualify for the Pup of the Year competition.

Gabe getting his 6th GreenStar

Gabe getting his 6th GreenStar

photo by: Grainne Keeling

Gabe was our first male mal to join our team. He came to us at seven months old and has been a pleasure to work with ever since. Sometimes he is not the brightest penny but he will always put a smile on your face when you seem. Do not be deceived by his mask, he is a big sortie underneath it. He is always there with a good morning woo!. He is a typical mal, friendly, independent and happiest when at work. He would work all day and all night if he could. He thrives on the long walks in the forests and on pack runs on the beach he will never be far from my side.

He is a fantastic example of the malamute breed with a good strong head, well furred, small ears and the outgoing personality needed to shine in the rings. He is typical working mal with strong and powerful movement which makes his work effortless. He has had great success in the showrings from an early age and is consitantly graded excellent. These traits he has passed on to his progeny who have also been shown.

He is hip-scored and eye tested and polyneuropathy clear.

Some Results to date:
Irish Junior Champion
6 green Stars
45 Res Green Stars
1 Cacib
6 Res Cacib
Junior Stakes Winner
Multi Group wins
Multi Group Places
Multi Best of Breeds

He is loved owned and exclusively handled by Grainne.

Demi winning her first CACIB

Demi winning her first CACIB

photo by: Grainne Keeling

Demi is the sweetest of all our mals. she has a beautiful temperament to work with and she is so laid back in everything that she does. She is a very pretty female that never puts a foot wrong in the rings. She is a pleasure to show and one of the steadiest and most reliable members of our team. Since beginning her show career last year she has achieved a great deal of wins and is often placed amongst the champions. I am very proud of her as her owner and handler. She makes showing fun and easy as she is so consistent and never has a bad day in the ring.

Demi is a very pretty mal who has a fantastic temperament. She has a very pretty head set, floats around any ring and finishes off with a perfect tail carriage. Her effortless movement is testimont to her construction. She combines some of my favorite lines that gives her a unique place in our pack. Perfectly sound with great movement she is one to watch with a bright future ahead of her.

Some Achievements to date:
Irish Junior Champion
Junior Celtic Winner 2014
Crufts Qualified 2015
Best Puppy in Show
3 Green Stars
Muliti Res Green Stars
1 Cacib

She is exclusively owned and handled by Grainne.
Eye test is clear and has been hip-scored.

Hera, qualifying for Pup of the Year

Hera, qualifying for Pup of the Year

photo by: Grainne Keeling

Hera is the baby of our mal pack yet she has achieved so much in her short time with us. We fell in love with her when she arrived in Ireland after her long journey from her breeder Katerina of the Star of Yukon Kennels in the Czech Republic (someone who I will be eternally grateful to). Hera was a long awaited addition to our kennels and she combines the some of the best malamute lines from around the world. We are extremmly pround to have her in our kennels. She is a typical mal of her line who loves to work. She is a happy young pup who loves her long walks and runs. She has a fabulous temperment to work with and she loves to show off in the big rings. Her playful attitude and sable colouring means she is never far the spotlight when in the rings.

Hera is a beautiful mal that is somewhat different from what is normally shown here in Ireland. For one her fabulous colour and great expression means she finds friends in every corner of the show scene. She has a beautiful that is feminine yet show cases the strength of the malamute along with its distinct friendly yet alert expression. She has fabulous movement which she loves to show off in the big rings and has dones so perfectly in her short time showing here. She has proven that being different is not always a bad thing and that the youngsters can hold their own amongst the champions.

Some Achievments to date:
Pup of the year Qualified
Puppy stakes winner
Multi Best Puppy in Breed wins
Puppy Group winner
Adult Group winner (at her first show)
Best of Breed
3 Green Stars from Junior Class
3 points towards her Jr Title
Multi Res Green Stars

She is eye-tested clear.
Hera is owned and exclusively handled by Grainne

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