Dr. Christensen jokes that he is an “Ideas Guy” but that probably most of his ideas turn out to be bad or at least impractical. This project started as one of those ideas as Dr. Christensen mused about how Kokopelli could demonstratively celebrate their shared commitment with responsible breeders to canine health and the production of the healthiest, soundest puppies possible. Dr. Christensen wanted Kokopelli Veterinary Center to represent veterinary service at its best to these dedicated breeders and their magnificent dogs. His vision of a beautiful clinic where breeders would feel safe while receiving the highest standards of veterinary care included the entire aesthetics of the campus, with a lovely garden leading into a peaceful hospital. He envisioned seven diverse dog statues representing the seven AKC groups leading clients through the garden and into the clinic. Each dog not only represented their group, but also was modeled off an actual animal who had played an integral role in the formation and growth of Kokopelli Veterinary Center. Dr. Christensen enlisted the artistic talent of local sculptor, Garr Ugalde, and the result is the Kokopelli Best in Show Sculpture Garden. Owners/breeders of these dogs have all been Kokopelli friends and supporters from our earliest days starting out as a consulting service at Franklin Ranch Pet Hospital and each has continued to be a part of our growth until the current time.
Best in Breed
Kokopelli Celebrates Healthy, Responsibly Bred Dogs
Best in Show Sculptures
Doberman Pinscher
Addox’s King of Diamond, a.k.a. “Vito” is owned and bred by Adrian Woodfork, a longtime Doberman breeder, exhibitor and AKC judge. Born September 13, 2017.
Vito became champion before he was a year old. He earned his points at Doberman Specialty shows ONLY, winning under four breeder-judges! A spectacular feat! He was not campaigned as a champion because his owner is a judge and does not believe judges should campaign. Otherwise, Vito is King at the Woodfork residence.
He has been bred to beautiful bitches from around the country and even Canada and Korea. He has sired 10 champions and others who are in line to become champions. His puppies have wonderful playful temperaments that make them a joy to live with.
Outside of the Woodfork household, the Kokopelli staff are Vito’s best friends. Drs. Christensen and Shelby are the key players in creating Vito’s legacy as a successful producer of beautiful Doberman puppies. Vito’s frozen semen is at Kokopelli to ensure his future impact on the Doberman breed can be appreciated for years to come.
In the near future, Vito will be brought to a few local Doberman specialty shows to show what a beautiful well-kept veteran Doberman should look like. He still sparkles like a diamond!
Vito with owner/breeder Adrian Woodfork
Vito with owner/breeder Adrian Woodfork
Golden Retriever
Saturday Night Redtail Phantom JH THDN CGC a.k.a. “Phanny” was the first dog to work with Kokopelli from Redtail Golden Retrievers when she was bred with semen shipped from Alaska in 2019. Since then, Kokopelli has timed all Phanny’s litters, natural and TCI, resulting in offspring that have excelled in hunting, retriever sports, nose work, rally, obedience, and family dog extraordinaire. A remarkable team player, Phanny willingly took on 11 puppies in addition to own litter when the other mother was unable to nurse due to necrotizing mastitis. After Phanny retired from motherhood she continues both upland and waterfowl hunting and loves her work as a Certified Therapy Dog.
Phanny doing what she was bred to do
Phanny doing what she was bred to do
Basset Hound
GCH Bluefence Castlehill Crossroads Rebel Just 4 Kicks, ROM, RN, CGC. Owned and bred by Sara Watson, Jan Allison and Vicki LePenske of Bluefence Bassets. “Rebel” was a singleton puppy and very precious to her breeders and the Bluefence breeding program. At 2 years old, in the very early days of Kokopelli, Rebel was diagnosed with a pyometra. Sara called Dr. Christensen and Rebel was brought in immediately. Rebel stayed under Dr. Christensen’s care getting IV antibiotics and prostaglandin treatment for 5 nights. She was discharged on oral antibiotics and cabergoline. She recovered from the pyometra and was placed on a drug (mibolerone, formerly marketed as Cheque Drops®) to delay her next heat cycle to give her uterus time to recover. This was a difficult drug to get, especially with all the supply chain problems during the pandemic and specific restrictions in the state of California. We had it shipped into Reno, but then the original overseas source became unreliable and we couldn’t get it anymore and Rebel went into season. She was bred and she had one embryo at her 30-day ultrasound which eventually also resorbed. The next cycle, Rebel was bred again and had a beautiful litter of six; the breeding was repeated and she had another litter of six! As of 2025, one daughter is a Dual Grand Champion, one is a Field Champion, two are Champions, one is a Dual Champion, and more to come! She was named a Basset Hound Club of America Most Prolific Dam of 2024 having had the most champion get for the year.
Rebel and her puppies at Basset Hound Nationals in 2025; L-R – CH Bluefence Smooth like Butter w/ owner Cindy Patrick; DC Bluefence Warden of the North, RN w/ owner Dr. Alyssa Shelby; GCH Bluefence Castlehill Crossroads Rebel Just 4 Kicks, ROM, CGC, RN w/ owner Sara Watson; GCH FC DC Bluefence Crossroads The Yodeling Cowgirl RE, HH, VCX and FC Bluefence Army of Me, RN w/ owner Vicki LePenske.
Rebel and her puppies at Basset Hound Nationals in 2025; L-R – CH Bluefence Smooth like Butter w/ owner Cindy Patrick; DC Bluefence Warden of the North, RN w/ owner Dr. Alyssa Shelby; GCH Bluefence Castlehill Crossroads Rebel Just 4 Kicks, ROM, CGC, RN w/ owner Sara Watson; GCH FC DC Bluefence Crossroads The Yodeling Cowgirl RE, HH, VCX and FC Bluefence Army of Me, RN w/ owner Vicki LePenske.
Havanese
MBIS MBISS GCHP2 Oeste’s in the Name of Love, ROM, a.k.a. “Bono” is the top-winning Havanese show dog of all time, including winning the Toy Group at Westminster two years in a row and taking Reserve Best in Show one of those years. In his career he won 353 Best of Breed awards, 253 Group 1 awards, and 100 All Breed Best in Show awards. His offspring have also gone on to win Best in Show and Reserve Best in Show awards. Bono, himself, is a charming, happy, lovely personality. It is a pleasure to work with him. Owners Taffe and Bill McFadden have been friends and mentors to Kokopelli staff from their early days in Elk Grove. Interestingly, this is not the only bronze statue of Bono; one also was commissioned by the AKC in the Museum of the Dog.
Bono’s 100th All Breed Best in Show. L-R Judge Eugene Blake, Taffe McFadden and Mary King. Photographer Warren Cook
Bono’s 100th All Breed Best in Show. L-R Judge Eugene Blake, Taffe McFadden and Mary King. Photographer Warren Cook
Bono visits Dr. Christensen to get a health certification to travel during the pandemic
Bono visits Dr. Christensen to get a health certification to travel during the pandemic
Australian Cattle Dog
Grand Champion Bronze BOSS BSV AOM’s Int/National CH Rocking P’s Shooting Blue Star Sapphire Wishes Come True, a.k.a. “Star,” has always been a special dog at Rocking P Ranch. Star loves to be with her owner and breeder, Misty Pursell, no matter what she is doing. Star LOVES to show & has always been in the ribbons when she steps in the show ring. Controlled high energy, very sweet and always wants to please temperament! Star is a wonderful mom who loves her puppies & is also an amazing grand dam. Kokopelli has managed all of Star’s reproduction from progesterone testing to TCI’s to pregnancy ultrasounds to delivery (three planned c-sections). As of 2025, Star has produced 1 Grand Ch Bronze & 2024 CA #1 AKC Conformation Bitch, 6 USA CH, 1 MX CH, 1 ACD Specialty Best Puppy In Show with quite a few more working their way to Championship titles currently. She also has pups that are certified and ranking in agility, herding, scent work, farm dog, rally and flyball. A couple of her pups are also diabetic alert dogs. Along with her gorgeous movement and balanced temperament, Star is a beautiful example of the AKC ACD standard for conformation. Star is the foundation bitch at Rocking P Ranch.
Star with owner/handler/breeder Misty Pursell after one of many wins
Star is an excellent mother
Star loves showing
Boston Terrier
NOHS RBIS MBISS GCHG Delphi’s Put Your Lips Together & Blow CA FCAT2 CGC ROM, a.k.a. “Bacall,” was the first from Delphi Boston Terriers to win a specialty show, and their first gold grand champion. She’s also an exceptional canine mother — she’s given birth to two litters, ten puppies, six of them champions. Her second litter was conceived and delivered at Kokopelli and she was later spayed using the Laparoscopic OVariEctomy technique (LOVE spay), also at Kokopelli. While Bacall is now retired from both the show ring and the whelping box, she still enjoys an occasional trip around the ring with a junior handler and she adores her role teaching her daughters the art of neonatal puppy care. And even in her senior years, she is still a fiend at Fast CAT.
Even as a senior dog, Bacall loves competing at Fast CAT
Even as a senior dog, Bacall loves competing at Fast CAT
Bacall with owner/handler/breeder John Flora in the ring
Bacall with owner/handler/breeder John Flora in the ring
Norwich Terrier
Verdant’s Dancing Queen, a.k.a. “Queenie,” was the gateway drug Dr. Christensen never saw coming that introduced him firsthand to the show dog world. During the earliest days of Kokopelli, Cary and Andrew Chen-Trexler brought many of their Norwich Terriers in for breeding management and wellness visits. Every single dog was an absolute charmer and it didn’t take much persuasion for Dr. Christensen to take Queenie home, filling a hole in his family that she’s been jealously guarding ever since. Initially, Dr. Christensen co-owned Queenie with Andrew and Cary and she was shown in her younger years, winning some points as a puppy. It was this relationship that ushered Dr. Christensen into the world of AKC competitions and took him from someone who helped others breed their dogs to breeding his own: Queenie whelped three litters and was a fabulous mother.
Queenie in a field of poppies
Queenie with Dr. Christensen and Aja
Queenie on a visit to see George Lucas, who thought she looked like a Wookie (but we think she looks more like an Ewok)
Much Gratitude to Our Collaborators
Special thanks in this project to the artist, Garr Ugalde, whose talent brought these dogs some measure of immortality. Thanks also to the fantastic owners of these dogs: Adrian Woodfork (with “Vito”), Sara Watson, Jan Allison, and Vicki LePenske (with “Rebel”), Mary and Tim Livingston (with “Phanny”), Taffe and Bill McFadden (with “Bono”), Misty Pursell (with “Star”), Dolores Ferrero and John Flora (with “Bacall”), and to Cary and Andrew Chen-Trexler (who bred and co-owned “Queenie” with Dr. Christensen).