As a member of the Deep South Obedience Club, President of the Creole Poodle Club of Louisiana, Corresponding Secretary for the Apricot Red Poodle Club, a Volunteer for Creole Poodle Rescue and the editor of the ARPC RAP Sheet and the CPC Lagniappe, I have committed myself and the Standard Poodle Krewe at NOLA Standards to promoting and protecting the purebred standard poodle.
I am an owner handler and poodle fancier dedicated to responsible pet ownership education with hopes that everyone will meet and interact with a beautifully bred, well behaved standard poodle. It's my strongly held opinion that anyone considering breeding should be involved in their breed. They should be active in every available aspect, from health research to rescue, from the conformation ring to the bedside of the Nursing Home with their TDI, as there is NO other way to continually learn about their breed. Heritage Breeders dedicated to the purebred animal of their passion are needed. Without Heritage Breeders, breeds will die. With NOLA's, I am passionate about improving the structure, health and temperament of "the color", red and apricot standard poodles, carefully breeding to maintain the purebred standard poodle, with focus on diversity, incorporating rare pedigrees that studies indicate are essential to the health and longevity of my much loved Standard Poodles.
Deuce and Tab - We are a TEAM!
This banner was created for me by my artistic poodle lover and breeder friend, Becky Goodbey. Seeing the spectacular line-up of NOLA AKC Champions and AKC Grand Champions brought a huge smile to my face. It's incredibly rewarding to see my dream for the NOLA bloodline becoming a reality. There is still so much I believe is possible with the color. MORE MILESTONES AWAIT! But what a FINE start!
Breeding the Color...It's an endeavor! Puppies that are the deepest red can turn apricot by the time they are a year old and pups born almost cream will surprisingly darken! And, even after all these years, there are still only 14 Red Standard Poodle AKC Champions. My belief, and it's shown itself to be true with the outstanding improvement in structure and carriage of the red and apricot poodles of the NOLA line, that outcrossing to the most outstanding quality of black and even blue or cream standard poodles is the ONLY way to improve the color. For years red breeders have refused to outcross, but now, more and more breeders are realizing the need to outcross. Even the red breeders who won't outcross have purchased bloodlines from breeders who did outcross. The end result is breeding a better poodle, which is the only reason to breed!
As a result of outcrossing to other colors, NOLA's will often have black and apricot and sometimes cream puppies in a NOLA litter. When I pick my pick, I have to close my eyes to the color of the puppy, knowing the color is in the pedigree, and chose the best puppy for the future of the bloodline, which sometimes, most often it seems like, is not the darkest or the most red puppy. Structure stays, color ALWAYS fades (even the blacks and blues and browns!).
At NOLA Standards, we have quite the Krewe! Exceptional examples of red and apricot standard poodles, with the occasional black and even (gasp!) cream, who have quite the Fan Clubs! Antoinette entered her first AKC dog Show at 11 months old, taking Reserve the first time in the show ring with me showing her! She earned an amazing placement at the Poodle Club of America National Specialty in the AOH Class and she finished her AKC Championship just after her 2nd birthday to become the 7th Red Standard Poodle AKC Champion in the United States. Baroness is in the ARPC (Apricot Red Poodle Club) Hall of Fame as the youngest red standard poodle puppy bitch to point in an AKC Dog Show (she was only 7 months old!). Lombardi was the first AKC Grand Champion Apricot Standard Dog and he is only the 3rd Bred By Exhibitor Apricot AKC Champion. Brees is my 2nd AKC Bred By Exhibitor Champion and the 6th Bred By Exhibitor Apricot AKC Champion! And, BOTH Lombardi and Brees brag great class placements at the Poodle Club of America National Specialties the years they competed. Rika became only the 2nd red standard poodle to WIN her class at the Poodle Club of America National Specialty (she is in the photo below). And her brother, Rex created a few records of his own, as he was the First Red Standard Poodle Puppy to achieve an AKC Championship. Rex, who was co-bred and is co-owned with Sharon Svoboda of Harten Kennels, is also the first Bred By Exhibitor Red Standard Poodle AKC Champion and he was the 2nd red standard poodle AKC Grand Champion. This year saw the addition of AKC CH Cadeau's Goddess of the Dream de NOLA's - Tataiana who is co-owned and co-bred with Cadeau Poodles and AKC CH Heart and Soul of a Saint a' NOLA's - Deuce, who was my second puppy to achieve his AKC Championship as a puppy.
Outside the showring, NOLA Standards are models and therapy dogs and BFFs and Santa's Helpers and hunters and princesses (and princes!).
