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Joanne Reed of Windrift Keeshonds shares her journey in breeding, showing Keeshonds, and her passion for the breed’s standards.
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Joanne Reed
1. I am Windrift Keeshonds and I have been breeding Keeshonds since 1970. I currently live in Franklin (Nashville), Tennessee. I lived in Santa Rosa, California, for years until the fire totally took out my house and kennel in 2021. I became involved with dogs through my parents. We always had a dog and there were many breeds that I grew up with. I fell in love with the Keeshond breed while I had German Shepherd Dogs in Obedience training. I acquired my first Keeshond bitch and started showing her in Conformation. When I bred, I used the famous Ch. Flakkee Jackpot from Dickey and Porter Washington. She produced Ch. Flakkee Instant Replay – Top Keeshond of All Time (Phillips system). Now I have bred over 250 champions and 17 Best in Show Keeshond, and hold all the records in the breed.
2. The hallmark of the breed are the spectacles. The Breed Standard states that the spectacles are a combination of shadings that surround the eye. There should be a dark line around the light color of the spectacle. This dark line continues straight out from the corner of the eye, then the shadings fan upwards towards the bottom of the outside of the ear. The spectacle isn’t the light shading inside the lines. Incorrect spectacles are not evident or slant downwards. Remember, this a serious fault and it should be judged that way. A very serious fault is the absence of dark lines which form the “spectacles.” I realize this is a cosmetic issue, but when judging and breeding we all should put it in perspective and judge and breed accordingly.
Another problem that bothers me are tail sets. The Standard states that the tail should be set on high and tightly curled over the back. It should lie flat and close to the body. The tail must form a part of the “silhouette,” rather than give the appearance of an appendage. I see incorrect tails that, instead of going over the back, go to the side and then circle around to the other side and then the tip of the tail sticks up. I call this a donut tail. These are my words that are not in the Standard, but this type of tail ruins the silhouette.
3. There seems to be no problems these days in selling Keeshond puppies for me. My litters are sold before they are born. I usually have three litters a year. I can’t breed enough puppies to sell to the general public.
4. I believe the Internet has been a wonderful tool for me. I can reach out and communicate to breeders all over the world. We can share information and get answers to anything. It is so much easier communicating now using the technologies and science that we
now have.
5. To answer this question, I can say I haven’t noticed any major changes in the public’s perception of purebred dogs.
6. Maybe because of where I live, I find that handlers and breeders have to travel great distances to compete. Here in the South, there aren’t very many Keeshonds being shown, so I have to travel to pick up breed points to be competitive. Since I have settled in this area, I find that, in general, the people are very competitive but very fair and friendly. They seem to appreciate a good dog no matter the breed.
7. It appears that dog show participation has increased in quality and numbers.
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