I have often said, “I have to be Crazy to continue after OVER forty years of breeding and showing.”  I do think it helps to be a little bit crazy or I would never have continued all of these years!

I started in Poms shortly after Ken and I got married.   I HAD to have a dog as I had ALWAYS had at least one dog as a child.   Two of these dogs were Red Chows and I was very much in love with them.   When I married,  I had seen some Poms and thought they were really cute,  and I liked the idea that  they were a small breed  and  by then,  I was wanting something small and furry!   So not realizing that Poms DIFFER in quality, off we go with a Sunday newspaper ---- I wanted a male puppy but all they had were females – SO – Home we went with a girl.   If she were still living today, I’m sure she’d still be growing!!!   Then I found a male puppy and bought him.   He was no better than the girl so both were placed in Pet homes to be loved and not bred.   And I started all over.   Went to some dog shows and watched the poms, went to numerous large kennels that were showing to see the type that each one was breeding.   We traveled every weekend as far as we could drive, just to see each breeder’s type of Pom.   Then I met Mrs. Leone Ricketts who wrote two books on Poms, she had bred Poms, and now was a Judge.   She told me where to go looking, taught me how to trim and groom a Pom AND how to fill in a show entry so she was my first mentor.   The lady she sent me to where I purchased my first good pom, spent a lot of time talking with me and also explained the importance of Pedigrees.  She had books full of pedigrees.  Then I went to Joyce Brown’s  Gold Toy Pom kennel near  Indianapolis  and  now realize how much I must have bothered her with all of my questions,   looking at each and every dog she owned, and kept going there about once a month  to see her puppies and how they matured.  

My First Champion was bred by Joyce - CH. Gold Toy’s Red Flame, who was sired by her Ch. Gold Toy’s Gay Flame.   His sire was Ch. Adora Sir Gay, so then we went to Belleville, Michigan to meet Margaret Leader and See Ch. Adora Sir Gay and all of his relatives.    I hired a handler to show my Red Flame to his championship as I was not experienced enough to do this, I would enter some puppies and try to get my experience with them.

My next Champion was Ch. Thelcolynn’s Tiny Ring Master – I bought him at six months of age.   He was very small, 3 pounds, and I adored him.   I bought him because I had seen a picture of his sire – Ch. Thelcolynn’s Showstopper who was the type that I really admired.   We drove to Newport News, Virginia to get him and see Showstopper and all the poms that Thelma Gunter had.   We were very pleased!    It ended up that I bought three males from Thelma that was sired by Showstopper, Ch. Thelcolynn’s Tiny Ring Master, Thelcolynn’s Tiny Flame Dance, and Ch. Thelcolynn’s Tiny Sun Dance.

My first homebred Champion was a female – Millamor’s Red Flame, who was sired by my first champion, Red Flame, and the first good female that I had bought. Next,  I bred my Flame to Ch. RingMaster and got my female,  Millamor’s Red Mist ROMX  -- She produced  Nine champions for me,  and  was handled by me.   We always bred her to Ch. Thelcolynn’s Tiny Sun Dance as he and Ch. Ring Master were half brothers, both sired by Ch. Thelcolynn’s Showstopper.   The first litter gave me Ch. Millamor’s Music Man and Ch. Millamor’s Jitterbug – Both were group winners – always with me.

I guess this would be a close line breeding and it worked well for me!   I knew the dogs on their pedigrees as we had traveled everywhere to see them.   

I am also very Much in favor  of  Half brother/sister breeding on the sire – But to do this,  one  MUST  know what is behind the sire   ---  One  needs  to  SEE  as many of the dogs that are behind  that sire that they can possibly see.   Don’t try this blindfolded!!!   After I have done this type of breeding, then I breed to another dog that will be in the background of that pedigree, thus a further out line breeding.   I don’t feel that out crossing can create what I want..   This would definitely be a gamble as to what genes might appear.   There ARE certain bloodlines that click,   some do not, so choose carefully what lines you decide to use.   In breeding OUT, make sure that the backgrounds are dogs that you know and really like the type and quality of these dogs and their background.

To someone beginning in POMS, all I can say is ---- STUDY.  STUDY, and then STUDY some more!!!!    Look at the poms at many dog shows, look at poms in different kennels,   and then decide WHAT TYPE you like.  Do this BEFORE you buy any poms.   And be patient!   It is easy for the heart to rule the head, because pom puppies are adorable.   Never buy any puppy less than three months of age,   preferably don’t buy any until they are six months old.   Study pedigrees.   They are important, and even more so if you know a lot of the dogs in that pedigree.   Remember, there is NO   PERFECT dog.    We have to accept some things we don’t like, but we must decide exactly WHAT qualities the poms we own and breed, HAVE   to have.

I have always been a LOVER of Head and Coat.   I want a pretty head with almond eyes, not too long of a muzzle, good ear set with lots of head coat, as short a back as possible, and a Really HIGH tail set.   I am interested in the PROFILE of a pom - that is how you can really see what the pom looks like.   He has a high head carriage, a high tail set with LOTS of coat over his tail, body, bib, chest, and long pants.   I want the dog to move well, no crossing over in the front or the rear, and   NOT     cow hocked.       Now this is what “I” look for in a pom -- everyone has their own ideas and preferences.    That’s why I say,   study and choose the type and qualities that YOU prefer and that YOU want in your breeding program.     Also, we have color to take into consideration!    I myself have always bred for deep oranges, reds, and occasionally a red sable.   Those colors have been enough of a challenge for me to work on, so you will have to choose what  YOU  want your color to be in breeding and strive to get everything you’d like in whatever colors you are wanting to breed.

I would advise a person,  to keep solid colors  SOLID,   don’t ever let our breed get to the place where  the pedigrees are so  mixed up,  we cannot breed  and  get  solid colors.    I have worked long and hard to get the Deep rich colors in solids or sables. And those wanting parties or patterns,  then work  only  on breeding those,  don’t mix the  two! 

I  HOPE   that ten to twenty years in the future,  our Poms  are not  one big  mixture of  ALL  colors!!!! I want to know  When I breed two particular dogs,  what color  I can expect to get  ----  and then wait and hope that the pups will have all of the qualities that  “I” desire….

I do not sell any  pom  Under  three months of age,    and  really prefer  SIX months.    Especially  if  I’m buying,  I do look for pups at least six months old.  My first evaluation is at  three months,  then again at six months,  then  next would be  nine to ten months.    Poms can fall apart between three and six months,  especially  males!!!   Puppies are darling but wait and see what they look like at an older age. I have NEVER had a kennel for my poms.   They are always kept under the same roof as where we live.  Puppies are whelped in our bedroom and stay there till after they are weaned and have their first shot at eight weeks.

Ch.  Millamor’s Marketta is the top winning Pom bitch of all times, including up to this date.     She finished her championship undefeated from puppy class and was a champion at seven months.    I kept her till she was a year old and then sold her to be campaigned as a Special.   Had she been a male, I would never have sold her!!!   I received Marketta back when she was about ten years of age, and she Still Wanted to walk on a lead and SHOW!!!!

YES, I am partial to the Boys!!!   Have always been and guess I always will be….

 As for a favorite pom that I bred, WELL, there isn’t just one!!!  I have a LONG list of favorites. These will be listed in my website and can easily be viewed.  Thank you for visiting my website and I hope you enjoy the pictures as I have enjoyed owning and breeding each and everyone of them.