Community Contributed

Rosemary Cleator

Kete Horowhenua2020-03-23T16:51:21+00:00
LEGEND in the dog training world Rosemary Cleator and Obedience Champion and breed Champion Future Harvest of Sarelle CDXGod. UDX WDX, CGC Gold, RA. They have just been awarded the runnerup Central Region Obedience Working Trials Dog of the Year. Tracking is arguably the most difficult of the canine disciplines. Dogs run through a series of obedience, agility and tracking exercises of ascending difficulty. At top level the dogs are trained to the same standard of tracking as police and search and rescue.

All class with canines
 ByFRANKIEWEBB

Rosemary Cleator 12-4-2013

Levin woman Rosemary Cleator is a legend in the dog training world, a status she probably doesn't feel comfortable with.
Rosemary has a midas touch when it comes to breeding, showing, training and competing dogs
Her canine connection spans over 50 years.

In 1963 she was given an out-of-control german shepherd named Kim. Rosemary admits she was a bit wary of dogs, had
never owned one before and didn't really know what to do with him so enrolled in a dog obedience class.

Call it a gift or a natural talent, whatever it is, the delinquent dog was to be the first of many dogs Rosemary would turn
into New Zealand Obedience Champions. Since then she has bred and trained the most decorated German Shepherds in
the country, is a life member of the New Zealand Kennel Club since 2005 and of the Horowhenua Obedience Dog Training
Club since 1984.

In 1968 Rosemary was appointed an obedience judge, the youngest ever, it was also the year she began breeding
german shepherds.

While the Cleator/Sarelle Kennel name is synonymous with winning in dog circles, it became a household name eight years
ago when Rosemary and homebred Mint won the Tux Wonderdog title on national television.

Mint retired as officially New Zealand's most qualified dog, with championship awards in the four fields: obedience,
working trials,breed shows and agility. While Rosemary is very modest about sharing her success stories, she is very
generous sharing her expertise with anyone who seeks it.


Time is something Rosemary never has enough of running her boarding kennels, dog-grooming and training services, competing and judging and attending. Horowhenua Obedience Dog Training
Club on a voluntary basis.

Her contribution to dog training, not only in Horowhenua but nationally, is immeasurable, and the local club feel extremely privileged they can count her in their ranks.
ByFRANKIEWEBB HOROWHENUA CHRONICLE,

Rosemary Cleator’s involvement with Dogs

 As a child Rosemary was scared of dogs!!! However in 1962 a friend was leaving to work on a farm and couldn’t take her male german shepherd with her, so it was gifted to her.

She started competing in 1963 with him. Overcoming a lot of problems, such as fighting and running away, he eventually became an Obedience Champion and gained his UD title.

Since the, apart from a spell doing agility with her son’s Shetland Sheepdog, she has always had german shepherds which she has worked in obedience, working trials and agility, as well as the odd foray into the breed ring. Most of these have been dogs she has bred herself under the kennel name Sarelle.

Rosemary has made up 3 breed champions, 4 dogs to ADX(agility qualification), 7 Obedience Champions, and 8 Working Trial Champions, including NZ’s first Working Trial Champion, and NZ’s first triple Champion German Shepherd -the top star Mint who won the Wonder Dog TV series.

Rosemary has been on the New Zealand Kennel Club Obedience Judging Panel since 1967,and is currently on the top Obedience panel -Test C and the Working Trial and Companion Dog Panels.

Rosemary sold her lunchbar business in 1999, and since then has been training, grooming and boarding dogs on a professional basis at her property in Gladstone Road, rural Levin. She has helped a considerable number of people to gain top awards with their dogs.

Rosemary has been heavily involved with the administration side of dog clubs, over the years she has been President and secretary of a number of Horowhenua dog clubs, as well as being on the New Zealand Kennel Club Executive Council in her position as National Chairperson of the Dog Obedience Committee, and is Chairperson of the Canine Good Citizen Committee. Canine Good Citizen (CGC) is a nationally recognised qualification for all dogs that are able to demonstrate good manners under all situations.