The Kaliak Cavaliers story started way back in June, 1993, when Sam and Karen Axiak brought home their first cavalier puppy, Jack.

Jack was a birthday present for my wife, Karen. But once he came home, the kids definitely claimed him. He was a playful, cheeky little Blenheim, who loved a good cuddle on the couch as much as a boisterous wrestle in the backyard. We took him everywhere we went - weekends away, trips to the beach, afternoon walks in summer to the local park. Our family was in love with him.

When Jack (Champion Maranty Digger Jack) got a little older, Karen decided to have some fun and try her luck showing him. It was then we brought home our second cavalier, Magic (Champion Elfking Algernon Mouse), a loyal little black-and-tan boy, for myself to show. Jack and Magic were inseparable, and we had lots of fun entering our young team in dog show competitions all across NSW.

A few years in, we acquired our first girl, Annie (Elfking Arabella), and from then, our true obsession with Cavalier King Charles Spaniels began.

We had our first litter of cavalier puppies with Annie in 1998. That first litter produced our two first homebred champions, Reilly (Champion Kaliak Rebel Reilly) and Katie (Champion Kaliak Paddy's Revenge). Both Reilly and Katie took out many wins, Class in Group awards and Specialty awards, over their dog show careers. In 2000, Reilly was named the NSW Oz Dog breed leader, only to be booted from title top spot by Katie by Christmas that year.

We had huge success with Reilly and Katie in our NSW Cavalier Club specialty shows and point-scores. Katie won the NSW Junior Point Score in 1999, with Reilly winning Runner-up in 1999, 2000, and 2003. Katie was off on maternal duties in 2000, but when she returned to the show ring in 2001, she won the NSW Senior Point Score in 2002. The success of these two dogs, and Champion Kaliak Arabella's Pride, from Annie's third litter, meant Annie won the NSW Brood Bitch Trophy in 1999, 2000, 2001 and runner-up in 2002. This is an achievement we are extremely proud of.

Katie also produced us some lovely puppies, like Champion Kaliak Fancy Pants, a.k.a Fancy, who just recently passed away with us by her side at 14 years old. In 2007, Fancy equalled her mum Katie's achievements, winning a tied first place in the NSW Senior Point Score. She also achieved her Neuter Championship, and won multiple Neuter in All Breed Show awards. Reilly's daughter, Kaliak Strike It Lucky, took out a tied first place in the NSW Junior Point Score in 2007 as well. Two years later, our second black and tan boy, Kaliak Michaelangelo won the 2009 NSW Junior Point Score.

From our first few litters, we have well and truly established a unique Kaliak line, with all current generations linking back to our first three cavaliers - Jack, Magic and Annie.

Some of our most successful dogs in the years that followed were;

• Champion Kaliak Kraker Jack and Champion Kaliak Le Femme - fourth generation Kaliaks, born in 2010 and still running around the backyard today like old puppies, both having won a Best Class in Show at an All Breeds level.
• Kaliak Guiliana, our first fifth generation Kaliak (born 2012), who at her first three shows won Best Baby Puppy in the Toy group.
• In 2014, we bred our first tricolour, Kaliak Femme Fatale. She won Runner-up in the 2015 NSW Junior Point Score.
• A year later, Gigi's son Kaliak Cosmic Rebel won Runner-up in the 2016 NSW Junior Point Score.
• In 2017, Kaliak Material Girl won Runner-up in the NSW Senior Point Score.
• A year later, Ch Kaliak Kraker Jack came in 3rd in the 2018 NSW Senior Point Score at the age of 8, which is a huge achievement.
• In 2019, Champion Kaliak Captivation, at the age of 18 months, won his first Best in Group under breed specialist judge Lucy Williams (ACT), following several Class in Group wins

2020 was set to be one of our most exciting years yet, with a number of planned matings and the resurgence of a black-and-tan line, but this has been delayed slightly due to COVID. But 2022 has seen us back on track and 2023 feels promising for the Kaliak clan.

Have a scroll through our Hall of Fame and 2020 Team pages to see some of the dogs mentioned above, and others we've had the pleasure of showing.

#HappyCavaliering