Dog News

Tea Time: Glam Show Hound Gets to “Just Be a Dog”

by Amy Drew

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Photo courtesy of Luke Kavanaugh.
Photo courtesy of Luke Kavanaugh.

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Brushing a family pet can be tedious, so just imagine the work and time and effort required to keep a dog like Tea looking as silky-tressed as she has for years on the show circuit.

It only took one stunning photo from her owner, Luke Kavanagh of Sydney, Australia, to turn his lovely dog into a social-media sensation, garnering the same oohs and aahs from millions on the Internet as she gets when striding through the show ring.

Tea has no less than nine Best in Show awards under her shiny-dark coat — all earned before the age of 5. She’s also the top-ranked Afghan hound in Australia.

And although her fame and beauty brings with it all kinds of lucrative endorsement deals, Kavanaugh also saw the regular, old dog inside the supermodel, just waiting to get out.

Tea doing her thing in the ring. Photo: Luke Kavanaugh
Tea doing her thing in the ring. Photo: Luke Kavanaugh

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And so not long ago, at the height of her Internet fame, he decided it was time for Tea to retire. No more dog shows. No more pressure. No more silky tresses, even — they have been clipped into something more sensible, more manageable, more “family dog.”

“Her retirement is due to no other reason than I reached a point where showing (grooming & show day) was taking me away from spending time with my family….” Kavanaugh wrote in an emotional Facebook post.

“I have such a special bond with Tea & we have shared a lifetime of wonderful moments together. On show day she exemplifies Afghan hound: she is dignified, aloof & most certainly displays a keen fierceness. At home she is such a character & really loving her retirement… she actually reminds us of Kramer from ‘Seinfeld,’ especially when she runs inside, haha…”

A dog show "Rapunzel" sans locks. Relaxed and happy. Photo: Luke Kavanaugh
A dog show “Rapunzel” sans locks. Relaxed and happy. Photo: Luke Kavanaugh

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“She just makes me smile non-stop. She’s so entertaining,” he told the Dodo.

Tea time is couch time apparently, and she is happy and relaxed.