An active junior handler from Arizona, Ruby Kaufax turns 12 in November and has already overcome serious health issues to remain competitive with her dogs. Kaufax was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a chronic health condition that impacts her life in a variety of ways.
Because of her experience, Kaufax is passionate about helping other kids with health complications and disabilities get involved and stay involved in dog sports. In addition to being an accomplished Junior Handler, when not in the ring Kaufax has trained her own service dog who now accompanies her to seventh grade.
Finding Her Breed
Kaufax stepped into the ring at a dog show for the first time when she was 8 years old, then started showing in Junior Showmanship when she was 9. Kaufax comes from a show family: her mom is active in the dog world, and Kaufax’s paternal grandfather showed dogs. Because of this, it was important for Kaufax to find her own place in the dog world, which also meant finding her own breed. Once Kaufax started expressing interest in showing dogs, her mom wanted her to find a breed that she could start in and become serious about. “We wanted a small dog, and we wanted a nice and outgoing dog,” Kaufax explains. “My trainer helped me to find the Löwchen, and they fit really perfectly.”
Kaufax’s primary Junior dog is “Target,” GCHG Musicbox Get Your Six At Roman Reign, a 7-year-old Löwchen, and also her working service dog. Kaufax also shows “Kiki,” GCHS Suma’s Moonlight Broom Ride, who is currently the #1 Löwchen in the country. Kaufax has also gotten involved with Italian Greyhounds, her mom’s breed, and now has a bred by puppy “Maya,” Lucciole And Still I Rise.
Working Through Health Challenges
Because of her health, Kaufax attended online school last year, but she set a big goal to integrate back to in-person school for seventh grade. She was able to achieve this goal in large part because of her service dog Target.
Target is trained to alert to changes in her heart rate, alerting her before she is about to faint, providing deep pressure therapy, rousing her with face licking when she does faint, and going to get her parents or others for help when Kaufax has a health episode. This helps to mitigate the effects of POTS and keep Kaufax safe.
Kaufax doesn’t let her health get in the way of the things she loves to do. In addition to showing, Kaufax has her own breeding program and bred her first litter at the end of September 2023. She’s very proud that the two puppies from that litter are doing well with their owners and are working towards becoming therapy dogs. Kaufax’s mom shows and breeds Italian Greyhounds, and Kaufax is following in her footsteps with that breed, too. Kaufax has now bred her first Italian Greyhound litter, as well.
At the Italian Greyhound National Specialty, Kaufax was especially proud to be in the placements in a large Bred-By-Exhibitor class. Plus, Kaufax made the first cut in Junior’s Finals at the 2023 AKC National Championship. Kaufax is also a founding member of the Arizona Sunset Juniors’ Club, one of only two Juniors’ clubs sanctioned by the AKC anywhere in the country.
Life of a Service Dog
While Target is a seasoned show dog, he also takes his work as a service dog very seriously. Last year, Kaufax and Target were competing at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show when she had an episode in the ring. He immediately switched to working mode and began alerting her. Since the show was televised, Kaufax’s mom immediately began getting text messages from concerned friends who saw Target alerting and wanted to make sure that Kaufax’s health was ok.
Although Löwchen aren’t a breed commonly thought of as service dogs, Kaufax explains that they’re especially in tune with their people. All the Löwchen in her home can alert to Kaufax’s heart rate changes. The dog with the best alerts though is Target who also has all the training to do public access work necessary for service dogs to accompany their handler in public. An all-around wonderful ambassador not only of his breed but of what show dogs are capable of. Target’s dedication to his job is a big part of what made it possible for her to return to in-person classes. At school, he ignores all distractions, including kids barking and trying to distract him. Kaufax explains that Target has taken all this in stride, and now her classmates have gotten used to seeing him in the halls. Her teachers are also all very respectful of Target and his important job.
Balancing Health and Training Routines
In the last year, Kaufax’s health has been very unpredictable, including being in and out of the hospital multiple times. Even with these health setbacks, Kaufax is committed to chasing her dreams. She ranked as the #1 Löwchen Junior Handler last year and is also in the top 10 Non-Sporting Junior Handlers. In the future, Kaufax wants to get involved in Lure Coursing with her Italian Greyhounds. She regularly trains obedience skills at home and has plans to debut in AKC Rally with her Italian Greyhound at an upcoming show.
Kaufax is committed to being the best handler possible and is especially proud of doing all of her dogs’ training herself. She’s also learning to do their grooming and coat care. To keep her dogs mentally and physically conditioned, she works with them daily. This includes time on the dog treadmill, and she alternates training for conformation and obedience. Kaufax explains that she wants training to be fun for the dogs. To do this, she keeps the training sessions playful and ends each one with rewarding her dogs by throwing toys or playing a “find the treats” game.
It’s All About Community
The support of the dog sports community is a big part of what Kaufax loves about showing dogs. She’s been especially grateful for the amazing group of juniors, especially older junior handlers, who have mentored her, including helping her to get jobs working with professional handlers. “It’s nice to know that there are kids who want to be your friend and be nice to you,” Kaufax explains.
Quality time with the dogs is always the most important thing to Kaufax. Her mom says that even when Kaufax was little and just getting started, she would always say, “Winning is just the frosting. Having fun is the whole cake.” This is the same spirit she still brings to every dog show, no matter how big or small. Looking ahead to next year, Kaufax has qualified for Westminster, and she’s very excited the show will be back at Madison Square Garden because her mom showed there for the first time when she was the same age.