Poodle Variety Magazine January-March 2025 - January – March 2025

When did you first become aware of dog shows and the purebred dog world? How did you initially get involved “in dogs?”

I never gave showing dogs a thought before. I was very involved in showing horses successfully in the Hunter/Jumper world at most of the top horse shows on the East Coast. I loved dogs and was raised with a Boxer, a Standard Poodle and a Mini Poodle – all pets from well-known breeders. It was when my Standard Poodle passed away when I was in college that a friend of mine in horses, who had a Doberman, took me up to a breeder who had a litter of puppies. The puppy I wanted in the litter was 2nd pick and had to be shown.

After purchasing my Doberman puppy named Sara, the breeder wanted me to take the puppy to the handlers she used, Bob and Jane Forsyth, who lived in Southbury, CT at this time. Little did I know then that they would shape my life and be such a part of it until they both passed away. I will always cherish their support and all they did for me during those years in dogs.

What was your breed of origin?

Dobermans.

How did you pick Poodles, and specifically, the Miniature variety?

We had both a Standard and a Miniature while I was growing up. At first my parents enjoyed going to the dog shows when Sara was being shown. I had my Doberman about a year before my dad asked my mom about getting another Poodle, this time to show. My mom loved the idea and it was something we could continue to do together.

Where did you get your first dogs and how did you progress from them?

I called up Janie and asked her who to go to for a Mini Poodle to show. The Mini we had was white and the breeder she came from did not breed black. Janie suggested calling Annie Clark. We called Annie and she did not have a litter planned at that time but suggested we call Jordan Chamberlain who was the kennel manager at Roundtable Kennels in Middletown, DE. We called Jordan and he had a new litter almost 8 weeks old and there might be one available. As we all do with calls from people we don’t know, you check it out! He called Janie and felt it was ok to sell the puppy to us. We drove down to Delaware to meet Jordan and take our puppy home. That was the beginning of a long friendship that lasted until Jordan passed.

Jordan set us up with Paul and Mary Edwards in Natick, MA. We drove up there a few times for Paul to see her and agree to show her. Soon after they moved to Schwenksville, PA where we made frequent trips for grooming to his kennel to get her ready to show when she was old enough.

Paul and Mary and a young woman, Mary Ellen Fischler, who was working for him at the time, were the ones that taught me basic brushing, banding, washing, drying and clipping for the show coats. After clipping all the horses – I had clipped with the big Sunbeam clippers – it was a piece of cake to do dogs, once I knew where the lines were. They each were very patient with me. Often, if I was able to go to shows close by, Paul would let me help do simple things at the shows to learn more. It was a fun way to meet people and learn to do things I had not a clue about.

How did you pick your kennel name?

My kennel name came from a book I was reading at the time by Belva Plain called “Random Winds.” I liked the name but took off the s.

Who were/are your mentors?

When I began in dogs with the Dobermans and continued in to the Poodles, it was Jane and Bob Forsyth. Annie Clark and Jordan Chamberlain were a huge influence in our lives with Poodles. Paul and Mary Edwards, with our first few Minis we showed, were wonderful in teaching us so much about the variety and the basics. I will always be very grateful for the patience, especially Mary, had for me at that time.

I have been very lucky that as I progressed in this sport, I have had so many wonderful people help me learn to do the grooming and presentation and when we began to breed Minis.

What, if any, other activities, such as agility, obedience, therapy, do you participate in with your Poodles?

Many Poodles that we have bred or our dogs have sired have gone on and been successful in performance and companion events. My boys have sired several MACH’s over the years in a limited number of litters.

When we joined our first all-breed club, both my mother, Suzanne, and I would take our Dobes and Poodles to the school programs that the club did teaching grammar school children about dog ownership. Many of our dogs also have been therapy dogs and visited many nursing homes and hospitals with our all-breed club, too. My mother especially loved going into the hospitals since she was already very active in our local hospital as a volunteer.

What advice would you give to people who want to show and/or owner-handle their own Poodles? What do you feel inspired you to keep going in the breed and dog shows?

Find a mentor. A good mentor is invaluable. I tell people to join a Poodle club near them and if there is not one in a drivable distance join an all-breed club. You can learn so much about showing from anyone in the sport.

Go attend dog shows, especially a Poodle specialty where there are other owner-handlers, professional handlers and breeders there. You can learn so much just watching.

If you want to show your own Poodle, then find a handling class near you to learn. Handling classes are great for you to meet others plus be able to learn with no pressure the best way to present your dog. It’s great training for both of you.

Often the breeder you purchase the Poodle from is a wonderful mentor to start. If they are close enough, they can be hands-on, if not they can suggest someone to you that might be closer to help. Listen to what they say to help you. They have already made the mistakes and had the successes. They are a great support system. You will find as you learn you can give back to the sport in time helping others just the way you have been helped.

If you choose to not show your Poodle yourself and want to hire a professional handler, there are some great people out there. When my mother and I began, we had some of our earlier dogs shown by professional handlers. I was too busy teaching school, showing horses and judging horse shows at that time. For us, this worked out very well. Then after a few years, Janie told me that I should start doing it myself. Slowly I began showing them and began to finish them myself. I was very lucky. I had so much support from many talented dog show people that encouraged me and helped me with the grooming and showing. To me, getting the AKC Gold Bred-By Medallion is still a wonderful memory. I was also very lucky that there were some great dog schools for show handling near me with classes taught by AKC judges, handlers and breeders.

It was the support I got from so many people that kept me in the sport. We all have our ups and downs, but you persevere. I guess it’s like riding a horse when you fall off and you get right back on. As a trainer of mine used to say at those moments of eating dirt “It’s a long way from your heart – get back on.” In the horse world, I was raised that you never stop learning and there are always people that know more than you. Learning never stops. That’s the way I tried to approach showing and breeding dogs. Even today I ask for help at times, and I am still learning 48 years later.

What show win was the most memorable for you and why?

In the many years I have been showing, there have been many times that were memorable to me. Wins won by various handlers that showed for us when we began and times when I showed the dogs we bred over the years, too. One special time that stands out was at the Poodle Club of America National 1986, held then at Ludwig’s Corner in PA. My mother was there to see me win Best Bred-By Miniature with (Sam) Ch. Random Wind Winter Weather. During those years, the classes were much larger than today and many wonderful breeders always showed in the Bred-By class. It was a true breeder’s showcase. It’s a class to be proud of with what you have bred. At that same show, a bitch that we bred we sold to Koko Kaneko was Winners Bitch and Best of Winners. That was (Sunny) Jap./Am. Ch. Random Wind Sunny Weather. She went on to be Koko’s foundation bitch and produced the Winners Dog at the national for Koko in her first litter. Mr. and Mrs. Pote owned the litter sister. They were clients of Wendell Sammet’s. The Pote’s bitch was second in the Open class to Sunny. It’s definitely one of the most memorable times and my mom was there to watch the Poodles we bred and loved so much.

How has breeding and showing Poodles changed since you began in the sport?

When I began, you did not have the options for the health testing that we have today. Just the advancement of the PRA testing for breeders of Toys and Minis, breeders are now able to continue with their families of dogs and go forward knowing who the carriers and affected ones are. This was a big problem for many breeders when we began. Now there are the PRCD and RCD-4 tests. The DNA panels we have available to us now cover various things that were issues to each variety. We can even test for color, too. Combined with the other health testing for the varieties available we are able to make better choices of where to go in our breeding programs. OFA, even years ago, created a CHIC program and assigned a number to a dog in its breed to show that their health testing had been done per the requirements for that breed.

Years ago, dwarfism was an unspoken problem in the breed, especially the Miniature variety, as many referred to it as the best kept secret. I had one born over twenty years ago. Speaking to other breeders at the time, I heard more and more about dwarfism. I reached out to a vet at Upenn that had studied it years ago but was now retired. It was at that time another Mini breeder told me about a doctor at U. C. Davis that was willing to work on this. I contacted Dr. Mark Neff at the time and he agreed with his research team to find the marker for dwarfism. I helped in the study with Mark and eventually a few other Miniature breeders joined in the study. After 6-plus years, the marker was found. Today there is a DNA test for Osteochondrodysplasia available for breeders.

We now have a new world of reproduction vets who can do amazing things. In the past we either bred locally or drove or flew to the stud dogs we picked. Now you can ship frozen or chilled sperm to do your breedings and as time goes on, the success rate has improved greatly. So many tools are here now to help us in our breeding programs.

When I began showing Poodles there were very few cluster shows. Most shows were stand-alones in the areas where the kennel club was located. It was back then that we changed locations every day during the show weekend. The packing up of your set-up and unpacking each day was a daily routine. Most shows during the year until late fall in the east were outside. We showed Poodles in all kinds of weather. At that time there were very few who had generators except those with motor homes. Once the generators and the big dryers were a part of the shows, you saw a huge change in Poodle grooming. The grooming became more and more to perfection. The trims were more stylish and a whole new era of grooming changed rapidly to the grooming that we see today.

Entries in Poodles back then were much larger than today. We also did not have the amount of shows that we could go to in a drivable distance like we do in many areas today. Handlers traveled much farther; the shows were much farther apart on any given weekend. People used to stay all day at the shows. There was no Internet to tell you the winners. People stayed and watched the groups and cheered on their friends for BIS. It was not until Monday morning that the phone network began. At that time, you paid a long distance phone bill. Calls would start early in the morning as to who won where. Most handlers would either have a kennel worker call the owners from the kennel with results of the day or you would have to wait until Monday when the handlers contacted clients whose dogs won that weekend. We all waited for the Poodle magazines to come out – Poodle Review, Poodle Variety and Poodle Showcase. These we all waited for eagerly to see who was winning across the country and what breeders had. Now we can just call from ringside with our cell phones, or live stream it, or go on social media and see the winners.

What do you view as your biggest challenge as a breeder? What do you see as the biggest challenge in the breed/variety?

As a breeder, it is very hard to find fully health-tested dogs. So many still do not do all the testing for Poodles in all sizes. Testing is a tool we need to use for lessening the odds for a health issue. Knowing what health issues are there helps a breeder make an educated decision in where to breed. Often people lose sight of what a Poodle really is all about and it is important keeping the breed standard in mind when we breed. One year in Salisbury, MD, Annie Clark made a video of what a Poodle should be. John and Margaret Thornton recorded it for her. I was given a copy of it. I posted it to my YouTube account and was asked to share it on several social media places. It has continued to be shared still today. Annie wanted it to be a reminder for people after she was gone, in her own words. It has had 7.4K views to date. I still have that CD. You can view it on YouTube: Anne Rogers Clark “The Poodle.”

Which individuals do you most admire in the breed and why (breeders, owners, judges)?

Edd Bivin, Ken McDermott and Lydia Hutchinson are three that come to mind right away. Lots of others I respected and enjoyed showing to. Sadly many are gone. It’s these three that have such a vast knowledge and love for the breed. Each one brings a true passion in their judging to the sport.

As far as any one breeder that’s tough, there are many breeders that each bring their own special piece to the puzzle of Poodles. So many have left their mark in their breeding programs throughout the years. It’s hard to narrow it down to one or two.

Is there one dog from the past, any variety, which in your opinion best represents the vision you have for the breed?

That’s easy for me. It was love at first sight when I saw Kaz Hosaka showing Vicki, a Toy Poodle. She was a true showgirl. She captured the hearts of many during her career. Vicki was Jap./Am./Int. Ch. Smash JP Win A Victory, bred by Toshi Omura of Smash Poodles.

Is there specifically a Miniature that represents this vision?

Hands down for me it’s GCHG Surrey Sage, bred and owned by Kaz Hosaka and Roxanne Wolfe. Sage is a beautiful bitch that captures the best of what a Mini could be. She is a wonderful combination of many top Miniature families over the years in her pedigree. She had my heart from the start. Her great-grandmother, Ch. Surrey Spice Girl, who was Best in Show at Westminster Kennel Club in 2002, was bred to my Joshua, Ch. Random Wind In Your Dreams. My dogs appear several times in Sage’s pedigree. I love knowing that a small part of him lives on in many pedigrees today. I only wish my mother would have been alive to see Kaz win Best in Show at Westminster with her last year.

Which one of your dogs do you feel most exemplifies this vision?

It’s hard to say for me. In the beginning I would have said that it was Ch. Random Wind Chase the Clouds, TP, (Michael) who was sired by Ch. Penchant Paladin. Next came Joshua, Ch. Random Wind In Your Dreams, TP, sired by Ch. Rochambeau Javelin, TP. I finished Joshua as a puppy from the Bred- By class. Joshua sired over 30 champions and multiple MACHs and other titled kids. His daughter (Spot), Ch. Random Wind Day Dreams, TP, is by far the best bitch I ever bred. I finished her from the Bred-By class. Joshua also has a son that is a brown dog that is a top producer (Jake) Ch. Random Wind Dream On, TP. Jake was also finished as a puppy like his dad from the Bred-By class.

Now years later I have a double Joshua grandson (Jarod) Ch. Random Wind Dare To Dream. He is a young dog that finished from the Bred-By class and got caught up in the Covid shut down. When I started, I bred my foundation bitch, Ch. Round Table Storm Warning, two different ways totally unrelated, which yielded Ch. Random Wind Weather Report, TP, and Ch. Random Wind Weather Watch, TP. Jarod is the best part of so many years of breeding. It wasn’t until I produced him that I finally joined those two lines together. He is ultimately an impressive combination of both lines that I began with.

What dog do you wish was still available from 30-ish years ago to breed to?

If there were one dog I wish I could use today it would be one of my own, Ch. Random Wind Chase The Sun, TP (Stanley). He was a sired by Ch. Terima Tatie Of Darien, TP. He was the maternal grandsire of Ch. Random Wind Daydreams.

What do you see is the future of the breed and dog shows?

Sadly, dog sports are getting smaller and smaller. There are too many shows to go to in a smaller radius than there was when I began – so many clusters many at the same indoor locations. The love of the purebred dog has been challenged by the creation of designer dogs, especially doodles. Between that and the “Adopt don’t shop” that is in so many people’s minds, the role of a breeder is sometimes a hard role to have. The large kennels of the past are gone. These days you would be deemed a puppy mill with a large volume of dogs. Plus, the change with veterinary access for some for c-sections without a mandatory spay is hard in many areas. There are many challenges now when we breed. With all the mixes out there, the demand for purebred puppies has dropped a lot. I see it more and more doing breeder referral for Poodle Club of America. It’s not an easy hobby to have and it’s expensive. Many have stopped because of these changes. Many are not going into dogs due to that. I often wonder how the next generation will go forward especially with the entire anti-breeder and animal rights issues out there that we never had when we began.

Have you ever considered becoming a judge?

No!!! I had my top license (R) to judge horse shows, specifically, Hunters/Jumpers/Equitation and Hunter Breeding for many years. I loved it. These were some of my best years. I loved traveling all over while it was a time in my life I was able to. Judging dogs never interested me no matter how many times people tried to get me to apply for my license. I was asked many times to do sweepstakes, but it never was something I wanted to do.

What challenges have you found in working with brand new Poodle exhibitors/breeders?

The challenges have changed over the years and I feel social media has made it change in many ways, too. Many find their grooming or showing instructions online. Many do not seek a mentor. While you can learn a lot online, nothing replaces the hands-on mentoring many of us had in the past.

I have mentored a variety of people over the years. Two jump out when I think about mentoring, one was Nancy Evans. After having several rescue Poodles, she decided she wanted something she could show. She purchased a Mini sired by Ch. Random Wind Dream On (Jake). She bought him from Tim Garrison of Eaglehill, who helped her until he moved to Florida at which time I offered to help her. I helped prepare her with her grooming and handling skills and it wasn’t long before she had her first champion. She got most of his single points by herself and with the help of Julie Wilkins, his two majors. Watching people achieve that goal is so rewarding. Awhile later, she got another Mini this time from Pam Krieger’s Rhue Miniatures. This one was a half-brother to her first one, same sire. She wanted to try to finish this one herself and she finished him fast as a puppy. As anyone that helps mentor people new to the sport there is nothing more rewarding than watching the sheer joy on their faces when they did it themselves.

Another person that I mentored in the breed was Bobbi Thomas. She got her first Mini from Sandra Wilson. Joshua, Ch. Random Wind In Your Dreams, was the sire of her first Mini. Bobbi finished him herself. I saw her show him at PCA in Salisbury where I first met her. Awhile later she was thinking of getting a Mini bitch and contacted me. I had nothing available at the time, but Tim Garrison had one that went back to my Ch. Random Wind Chase The Clouds. I told her about that puppy and she soon purchased her. I helped her with her breeding program and showing. Bobbi is a talented groomer and handler and learned fast. She finished all of her Minis breeder-owner handled. Her most well known Mini that she achieved lots of success with was Dakota, GCH. Jaboas Second To None. He was sired by Ch. Random Wind In Your Dreams and is the sire of Ch. Random Wind Dare To Dream, my young male now. Watching her success grow through listening and working hard was very rewarding.

What important lessons have you learned during your time in dogs that might be beneficial to share?

I learned from the start the importance of having a mentor and how important it was to get involved in a club. At first my mom and I were active in our all-breed club, Longshore Southport Kennel Club, then joined a local Poodle club, Quinnipiac Poodle Club, where we both were on the board at different times. I did two terms as president and was show chair a few years, too. I also did their newsletter and website for many years. I still do their website and continued to do breeder referral for them after my mother passed away. She did it before me.

I always felt that you need to give back to the sport. These clubs need members that participate, today more than ever. After awhile my mom joined Poodle Club of America and helped on various committees for the national. A few years after she joined, I joined. I started off doing “The Poodle Papers,” the PCA newsletter for over 16 years, and the website for a few years and other projects with Annie Clark and Doris Cozart. A few years later, when Helen Lee James became president, I began as co-breeder referral with Mary Olund.

I was very humbled by the club when PCA awarded me the AKC Outstanding Sportsmanship Award in 2013.

If you want to get into showing and breeding Poodles find a mentor and learn all you can from that person and others you meet along the way. Get active and join a club and volunteer. Clubs need working members. Clubs can’t continue with out the support of their membership. Go meet others in the breed. Watch and learn.

What’s your favorite dog show?

My favorite dogs show will always be a day in good weather at the Poodle Club of America National at Ludwig’s Corner. Those show grounds were beautiful and picturesque with the two rings set up on the top of the hill with white gates with beautifully landscaped shrubs and flowers around the rings. There were grooming tents close by and everyone sat around the rings watching the show. Picnic-type lunches were available when they broke for lunch. People all sat around the rings and walked around greeting other breeders and long-time friends. It was a friendly atmosphere there where you could be ringside and talk about breeding programs and what various dogs had to offer at stud. It was a time to learn from breeders in your variety. It was a time you could openly talk without people taking offense that you were bashing someone’s dog. It was a time to learn about pedigrees and breeding stock.

I was fortunate enough that when we were only in Poodles a couple of years, Annie had an interest in a bitch of mine, Ch. Random Wind Weather Report (Molly), out of our second Mini litter and asked me who we should breed her to. At that point I had no idea. So, Annie, in her own fashion, told me to put the catalog away and my education began. She asked me questions and explained when I was right or why I was wrong. She explained the importance of pedigrees when making breeding choices. She explained the virtues of line breeding verses inbreeding or outcrossing. She explained what a family of dogs was, not just a prefix. She told me to look for families of dogs that had the traits that you needed to add to your breeding program. It was a huge learning curve for me. I was surprised that the dogs I liked in the classes and the Variety, each one went back to the same dog, Ch. Penchant Paladin, (Danny). Thus, I went home with plans to breed Molly to Danny.

PCA at Ludwig’s Corner had their famous Lobster cookout. People always looked forward to it. During the picnic, breeders often brought young puppies for other breeders to see and evaluate. It was a fun learning experience. So many memories back at that location. But in the end there was never anything more beautiful than Poodles in the rings at Ludwig’s Corner.

In Closing

Winding down after 48 years showing and breeding dogs. My mother and I started together breeding on a limited scale, only breeding when we wanted something new to show. We planned our litters by studying pedigrees; each litter was bred with the intention to get something to keep, improving on each generation.

We finished almost 50 champions. Each one has a special place in our hearts. Each of our males were top producer. It was Joshua, Ch. Random Wind in Your Dreams, TP, who had the most AKC titled offspring. He had 30 Champions and titled offspring in companion and performance events. Joshua has 3 with MACH titles and a MACH 5 titled offspring. He will always have a special place in my heart. I have frozen sperm from him and hope to breed Courtney, Ch. Random Wind Chasin A Dream to him.

I am very appreciative to the many mentors whose guidance over the years helped my mother, Suzanne, and I build a family of dogs based on our dreams. I am thankful to all who have been part of this journey.