Explore Cathy Catelain’s journey in breeding Miniature Poodles, her successes, mentoring, and commitment to breed standards.
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Cathy Catelain
1. I acquired my first black Miniature Poodle from Diane Artigues (Vanart’s) in 1972. All my breeding stock goes back to CH Shady Hill’s Julie Of Vanart. Diane was an excellent mentor and professional handler. I became her assistant at dog shows. My second Miniature Poodle, co-owned with Diane, was purchased from Del Dahl (Fontella’s). CH Fontella’s Alpine Poppy, a brown bitch, was shown by both Diane and Peggy Hogg. For many years, I bred and showed Miniature Poodles in the Chicagoland area. My first litter was whelped in 1974, and was out of Julie bred to CH Surrey Sequoia. This breeding produced my first puppy champion, CH Vanart’s Embattled Patriot, and CH Vanart’s Star Spangled Girl. Star Spangled Girl was sold to Dorothy Hall (Loki) and shown by Bob Wahlberg. Nancy and Katy Kinowski (Parade) were part of the extended Poodle family. Both Katy, Diane, and I had great success in breeding to Dassin Kennel’s CH Marsden Black Knight.
During a trip to Crufts, I purchased a black puppy, CH Bedingfield’s Jenny Wren, from Penny Evans and David Jenkins. Later, on a trip to PCA, Penny and David made arrangements to have CH Vanart’s Outback imported to the UK and made him an English champion.
In 1990, I started breeding under the Telain prefix and have always kept a family of Miniatures with a small group of like-minded people who follow the Breed Standard and do genetic testing to protect our breed.
In 2018, I moved to North Carolina and currently breed Miniatures with Marion Epperson (Timari). It was Sue Burge (Gadabout) who encouraged me to breed to CH Warming Brown Surprise, owned by Marion. That year, we had the No. 3 Miniature Poodle, GCHS Timari Telain In No Uncertain Terms, presented by Kaz Hosaka. In 2024, we had the No. 6 Miniature Poodle, GCHB Timari Telain Perfectly Wicked, handled by Sharon Svoboda. Also in 2024, Dr. Robert and Susan Burge had the No. 1 Miniature Poodle bitch, shown by Jody Pacquette. This lovely bitch was sired by CH Timari Telain Kindred Spirit. Although our success in the Conformation ring totals close to 70 champions, Poodles from our lines have also been successful in Companion and Performance events. We are excited to share in their accomplishments with their loving owners.
Recently, we have had the good fortune to mentor Colleen Wilson Baker (Abreisen). We shared one of our bitches with her to start her breeding program. She is an excellent Owner Handler and was ranked No. 2 OH and No. 17 Miniature Poodle for 2024. In a very short time, she has finished three champions.
Breeding is a journey and you will always learn something new. Although there is no perfect Poodle, we must strive to breed to the Standard. Lastly, we need to work together at training classes and at shows to exhibit Poodles to their best so that everyone has a chance to win. We should be the “cheerleaders” for our breed.
2. The Poodle Breed Standard is the hallmark, which gives judges a value of points:
To maintain breed type, breeders should breed solid colors and pay attention to size. Correct front structure is equally important, as well as ensuring that the hindquarters are
not overdone.
3. Yes. We only breed when we want something to show.
4. As a breeder, I review evolving research from a number of sources involving nutrition, vaccination protocol, and genetic testing. We are also implementing color testing. Currently, communication about dogs is limitless; however, I believe you have to find credible sources.
5. We have had less “adopt don’t shop.” However, with Poodles, the designer dog craze and parti-colored breeding, including merle, is a huge problem. Poodles are the “go to” breed
for mixes.
6. We are seeing an aging population in Conformation, and particularly so in Poodles because of the grooming. We have developed some younger people through our Juniors’ program. Grooming competitions have also increased interest in Poodles.
7. The most positive change I have seen for the development of Conformation and new breeders is the National Owner-Handled Series. I truly appreciate all the judges who support the program.
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