Mary Olund of Cabernet Poodles shares her journey, breeding philosophy, and passion for preserving and promoting the Poodle breed.
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Mary Olund: First, let me say that Scott and I are genuinely complimented and humbled by Allan asking us to do this SHOWSIGHT Breeder Interview. I was born and raised in Alameda, California, a small island across the bay from San Francisco, while my husband, Scott, was born and raised in Seattle, Washington.
Mary Olund: Both of us grew up with purebred dogs from preservation breeders, and when I was brought home from the hospital in 1951, a Wire Fox Terrier named Ginger was my “guardian,” perhaps an omen as eventual co-owners of Sky, GCH Afterall Painting The Sky, who won more than 100 Bests in Show (BIS), BIS at Montgomery, Eukanuba (now the AKC National Championship), and Westminster in 2014, some 63 years later.
Mary Olund: Scott and I fell into showing, and subsequently breeding, after we purchased our fourth Standard Poodle. We had to feel our way through three companion dogs first. They had beautiful pedigrees but were not the show quality we wanted to start with. That fourth dog, named Sport (CH Lake Cove Fanfare), was from Doris Lilienthal of Lake Cove Standard Poodles, who had a very successful breeding program in Florida with multiple BIS dogs. Sport was Reserve Winners Dog (RWD) under Maxine Beam in 1993 at the PCA National in Ludwigs Corner, Pennsylvania, and we were hooked!
From this hobby interest, we wanted to get involved with our parent club, the Poodle Club of America (PCA). After volunteering for five years at Upper Marlboro Kennel Club to set up the National show, and with encouragement from Frank Sabella and Jackie Hungerland, we applied for membership and were accepted as members. Eventually, Scott served on the Board for 10 years, and I, too, served 10 years, only to return to the Board for a second term, currently as Corresponding Secretary.
We have both served on our local, all-breed club boards as well. I’m currently taking time off while Scott continues as the Treasurer for the Sir Francis Drake Kennel Club.
Our two mentors/friends were Madeline Patterson and Dennis McCoy, who graciously shared their knowledge about structure and movement. Our knowledge base of pedigrees, dog families, health, temperaments, litter picks for show, and the combining of genotype and phenotype was learned over time and we are, in fact, still learning today. It was Dennis and Randy Garren who let us have our foundation bitch, CH Randenn Beyond Hope At Cabernet, aka Bianca, and you’ll find her in some top Standard Poodle pedigrees. We also enjoy seeing Cabernet in other pedigrees, both internationally and here, with such limited breedings.
Mary Olund: Scott and I strive to breed Standard Poodles that are not only outstanding ambassadors of the breed for the non-fancy to enjoy, but also adhere to our Breed Standard, accomplishing the same in the show ring. A championship is the proverbial cherry on top, as the common denominator shared with our companion homes was, and still is, health and wonderful temperaments. Over the past 30 years, we have always bred for Cabernet’s next show dog, so our breedings are few, and those not chosen for the ring are placed in wonderful companion homes. Many of those owners have become dear friends; a Cabernet family, if you will.
Mary Olund: Because of our limited breeding, our home of 38 years has worked, and not being a typical kennel, our dogs spend 90 percent of their time in our home. We sleep with six adults in our bedroom (or should I say their bedroom), and the show puppies sleep in crates in the laundry/dog room off our media room. In trying to keep the number of dogs in our home to a single digit, it’s been a challenge lately, due to holding on to three promising puppies to show from the most recent litter.
Fortunately, we have front, rear, and side yards of artificial grass for the dogs to play on, and a large deck off the living room covering a dedicated puppy area below. The flat front or rear grass area becomes their “field of dreams” due to their insistence on daily ball time, even in inclement weather. We have two teams. The A team is very serious and requires our doggie chiropractor friend to visit them on a regular basis. The other team is the B team, which is definitely less serious about retrieving the balls and more interested in sniffing the many smells they encounter on the grass! Beautifying is accomplished with a dedicated grooming room on the third level down. They get their Friday maintenance of nails Dremeled, ears and teeth checked, and a scheduled grooming time each month.
Mary Olund: I’m always delighted when I attend our Poodle Club of America National and watch the judging of the three varieties. I think to myself that our breed is in good shape, seeing dogs in the ring from not only the United States but internationally. However, I do hope breeders never lose sight of the “essence of the breed,” a correctly structured Poodle that has balanced movement all the while exuding what a Poodle is. We can’t talk about breeding and “essence of the breed” without mentioning, as stewards of the breed, how important health testing is, and remaining vigilant in trying to mitigate our inherent health issues. We must remain vigilant.
Mary Olund: As one of two breeder referral contacts for the Poodle Club of America over a period of 28 years, I have seen the attrition rate of our reputable, ethical, preservation breeders impacting the breed not being replaced at the same rate that we are losing them. Municipalities implementing rules and regulations for breeders make it difficult for them to have a breeding program in their homes.
We all recognize the decline in Conformation entries at all-breed shows. The public chooses to do more Performance or Companion events with their dogs, or busying themselves with things outside the fancy. One factor that plays a part in the decline is the economic cost involved. Reaching out to young people with a mentor program being provided by AKC and parent clubs is one avenue to encourage newcomers.
Mary Olund: A little bit about our backgrounds. After graduating from California Polytechnic State University, in San Luis Obispo, California, I spent 40 years educating more than 1,000 young minds, retiring 12 years ago. My time is now spent with our dogs here at home, prepping puppies for the show ring, and all my volunteer work for PCA. I try to fit in time to read, keep a clean house, and spend time with Scott and our friends.
Scott, with a degree in economics from the University of Washington, was involved with luxury products in Manhattan. He retired in 2005 and now enjoys a hobby business, Bay Area Bluestone, in San Rafael, California. For the past seven years, he’s volunteered and been on the Board for Halleck Creek Ranch, an equine therapy ranch for mentally and physically challenged children. We both believe in giving back to our community, and the non-profit that I work with is The Center for Domestic Peace, while Scott’s is a non-profit named Giving Marin.
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