On a typical morning, as light filters over Mancos, Kriston Hamilton begins a long day.
“We get up in the morning, we take care of the dogs before we take care of ourselves,” the dog breeder said. “I have made my life around my dogs.”
Hamilton, of Beehive Great Danes, and her Great Dane, Adonis, will compete at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York Jan. 31 and Feb. 2-3. The invitation, she said, reflects years of work and dedication.
“It’s a very big deal for us. This actually started many, many years ago. This starts in the whelping box when we are evaluating puppies for their future,” Hamilton said.
The pups are evaluated for health from birth, but the process begins even earlier with the careful selection of parents based on their records.
Once a litter arrives, Hamilton evaluates each puppy, spending about two years raising the one she believes has the best potential. During that time, she conducts additional health tests and takes the dog on the show circuit, traveling across the country to compete.
She says the work is expensive and time-consuming, but it’s how she ensures the dogs she breeds “can actually live healthy, long-lived lives.”
She described herself as “a reputable, responsible preservation breeder,” adding that, “I am not somebody who is breeding for profit. I don't just breed to sell puppies.”
In fact, Hamilton said she makes little to no money from breeding and works a regular 9-to-5 job to pay dog bills.
Her goal, instead, is “breeding dogs for their future,” with careful attention to health, structure and temperament. The Westminster invitation came because Adonis is among the top five Great Danes in the country.
Adonis goes by two names. He has his everyday name, but his registered name is MBISS GCHS Beehive N Liberty’s Le Quattro Stagioni AOM, Hamilton said. Parts of the name reflect his wins. She noted “AOM” stands for Award of Merit and means he has earned more than 500 points by going Best of Breed.
Preparing for Westminster requires its own regimen.
“These dogs are athletes,” she said. “Just like human athletes, they actually have a regimen just like a human athlete would.”
The dogs follow special diets, receive regular checkups, and attend acupuncture and chiropractic appointments.
“They're very spoiled,” she said with a laugh. “We do daily exercises. We have a running exercise, we have toning exercises.”
Hamilton described Westminster as a benched show.
“We will have to be on site all day. We do not get to leave the show site for this show until we are completed showing for the day.”
For Westminster, she and Adonis will be joined by professional handler Betty Jo Pyle.
“We really want him to be looked at in the best light possible,” she said.
Her background with animals spans decades.
“My whole life has been animals,” she said. “I’ve shown horses all across the country.”
As an adult, she transitioned to dogs.
Hamilton wasn’t born or raised in Mancos but is from Elko, Nevada. She moved to Southwest Colorado with her family to “find some acreage again,” establish roots and build what she described as the best program for the dogs.
Beehive Great Danes includes a reproductive program, and Hamilton is currently in school to become a veterinarian. She also breeds several coat patterns, including harlequin, mantle, merle and fawn. Color, however, is just “the icing on the cake,” she says, meaning structure always comes before appearance.
Adonis is a harlequin, which she called “a hard coat pattern to create” and “one of the most highly sought after colors in the breed.”
She called Great Danes an exotic breed because of their size but added that the dogs are easier to manage than many expect.
Hamilton emphasized the importance of working with reputable veterinarians and rescues and said she hopes to help others who want to learn.
“Animals, in general, it’s a hard climate for animals in the world,” she said. “It's very important for us all to work together for the future of animals.”
