The Dog Fancy Lost One of Its Finest with the Unexpected Passing of Legendary Poodle Handler Kaz Hosaka

The dog fancy lost one of its finest with the unexpected passing of legendary Poodle handler Kaz Hosaka on June 22, 2024.  

Just the month before on May 14, Kaz won Best in Show at the 148th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show with the Miniature Poodle “Sage” (MBIS/MBISS GCHG Surrey Sage), fulfilling a dream to win a second time. In 2002, Kaz handled “Spice Girl” (MBIS CH Surrey Spice Girl) to Best in Show at Westminster. The proud co-breeder of both dogs became one of only 15 handlers to win Best in Show at Westminster two times. 

Kaz, 65, of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, recently announced his retirement after 45 years. He was looking forward to spending time with his wife, Roxanne, and relaxing. He attributed his decision to his age, the long time he had been in the sport and ongoing pain from an injury he suffered in October 2022 that shattered his right heel. With a metal plate and 13 pins holding the heel together, he often dealt with pain and the swelling of his leg.  

It was a good time to retire, he said, as he could show no better dog than Sage. 

“To me, Sage is the best I’ve ever bred. A dog is not perfect, but she is the best to my idea, as best I know,” he said.  

Kaz is survived by his wife, Roxanne, and two sons who live in Japan. A native of Yokohoma, Japan, south of Tokyo, Kaz was the only child of Kazutoshi and Teruko Hosaka. His mother died when he was 10 from a heart defect.  

His uncle, Kensei Tsuyuki, influenced Kaz’s passion for showing dogs. He was a professional handler who bred Doberman Pinschers, and Kaz would spend summer vacations helping him at the kennel and later showing dogs for him. 

During his career, Kaz was a seven-time Group winner at Westminster, four times with Toy Poodles and three times with Miniature Poodles. He campaigned the Toy Poodle “Vikki” (MBIS/MBISS CH Smash JP Win A Victory) to be the No. 1 all-breed dog in the country and the top-winning Toy Poodle in breed history with 108 Bests in Show.  

Kaz was discovered by the iconic Anne Rogers Clark, a three-time Westminster Best in Show handler, and her husband, James, in 1979 when they went to Japan to judge a Poodle specialty show where Kaz handled a Standard Poodle. In August 1979, Kaz came to the U.S. to apprentice with Mrs. Clark. He was 19 and knew no English but trusted that the opportunity to learn from the best would be worth the experience. 

His relationship with the Clarks became very close, though he always lovingly called them Mr. and Mrs. Clark.  

“Mr. and Mrs. Clark were like my parents. He was like my father, teaching me how to live in this country. Mrs. Clark taught me everything about the dogs,” he said. 

With Mrs. Clark’s guidance, Kaz became an extraordinary Poodle handler and breeder of black Miniature Poodles under her Surrey kennel prefix that she began and he continued after she passed away. They co-bred Spice Girl.  

Kaz went back to Japan after the three-year apprenticeship with Mrs. Clark, though he returned to the U.S. the next year on a three-month visa. Mr. Clark contacted a lawyer who helped Kaz get a green card so he could stay and work. Seven years later he became a U.S. citizen. He worked for the Clarks for one year before going out on his own as a professional handler in 1984.  

Kaz established his Sakura Kennels in Greenwood, Delaware, in 1990. The kennel was named in honor of his first Best in Show winner, the Miniature Poodle CH Surrey Sakura, who won May 16, 1982, at the Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Kennel Club. Until he sold the kennel five years ago, Kaz would often bring Japanese assistants to train with him.  

Through the years, Kaz also would travel to Japan to give seminars on trimming and conditioning the Poodle coat. He would stress the importance of exercise and nutrition on a dog’s coat, health and well-being. A longtime feeder of Purina Pro Plan Sport Performance, Kaz believed, “Poodles must be fed a quality food to have a great coat. If they are not healthy, they do not have great coats.” 

Kaz’s meticulous eye as a groomer was a reflection of his passion for perfection. He would describe the hours spent before a show washing, trimming and spraying a Poodle coat and then washing out the spray after a show, along with the daily maintenance.  

“Trimming every dog is different. If the trim is not right, Poodles don’t come out,” he said. “Only one perfect trim exists for each dog. I learned from Mrs. Clark how important this is.”  

Kaz’s love of Poodles touched all aspects of his life. He and Roxanne shared their home with Sage, her brother “Bay” and their 16-year-old granddam “Sugar Baby,” plus two rescue Standard Poodles, “Millie” and “Kay,” and a rescue Miniature Poodle, “Ethan.”  

A devoted Poodle enthusiast who gave his all, Kaz Hosaka will be sorely missed by all who knew him and even by those who knew him only from afar. His passion and energy for doing what he loved was truly inspiring. To his family, friends and many fans who loved him deeply, we offer our condolences.