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 Ch Random Wind Chase The Clouds 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 58 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. Ch Random Wind At that time there In Your Dreams, Puppy Champion 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 Ch Random Wind Day Dreams 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 January-March 2025 • POODLE VARIETY
Poodle Variety Magazine January-March 2025 January – March 2025: Page 58
