Hello my name is Jennifer Munn & my husband Junior and I are Achilles Pomeranians. We live in a suburb of Gloucester, Virginia called Achilles, thus our kennel name. Our home is an older cape cod which has been lovingly restored to it’s original beauty, twice now thanks to Hurricane Isabelle. We chose our home and it’s location with the Poms in mind. We wanted something that was not isolating, but still afforded the dogs privacy and plenty of room to run and play. Our house sits on a couple of acres surrounded by farm land and is just a stones throw from the Chesapeake Bay and within a couple miles of some beautiful beaches, nice shopping, & restaurants. We are also less than an hour from broadway caliber theaters, amusement parks, museums, historical monuments, and concert venues, so we have found the best of all worlds in our little piece of the country conveniently located to all that city life has to offer.

Junior is in construction and works with real estate agents in taking homes that are on the market and repairing them for resale. If you have ever watched shows like flip that house, well that’s exactly what Junior does. He really enjoys the creative aspect of being able to take his vision of what a home could be and bringing it through the planning, demolition, construction, and finish carpentry stages to make that vision a reality. By profession I am a nurse and just celebrated my 17^th year in medicine last month. I have worked in a variety of setting throughout my career including the orthopedics unit and ER for one of the largest and most decorated hospital in Virginia, I’ve been the manager for a primary care physicians office, and have worked as an educator for future nursing assistants. Right now I am the charge nurse for an assisted living facility very close to my home. I love my job and our residents, they are active and vibrant people who are young at heart and full of humor. And it’s such a pleasure to care for them as they transition into the last stages of their life.

I am also extremely blessed to have the ability to integrate my breed program into my responsibilities at work. I have had wonderful support from the entire staff and am fortunate to be able to bring girls who are due to whelp or pups who need special care to work with me. The flexibility my colleagues have shown in allowing me to adjust my schedule for something pom related has been phenomenal. And because of that it has been my pleasure to share my dogs with the residents and staff through a pet therapy program we began over a year ago. Our Poms visit at minimum 2 times per month and the residents start talking about it days in advance and will joke among themselves as to who held the dogs for the longest or who the dogs gave more kisses to. We try to keep it to 1 or 2 poms with each visit so Junior and I can supervise the interactions closely to ensure they are safe for the residents and the poms. I can honestly say we have gotten much more out of these visits than we have given. And seeing the residents including our poms in their lives has been very rewarding for us.

One gentleman who has a very special place in my heart, starts every day out by sticking his head in my office and saying not hi or good morning but…woof. I think it’s his way of acknowledging our bond with the dogs and allows me to begin the day with a smile. Many of the residents don’t have family left or they may be out of state, so they adopt the staff to fill that void. And when they adopted me they of course adopted my Poms too. Several of them follow with great interest planned breedings, new litters, and show entries. It’s really great fun and keeps the whole staff laughing over their antics when it comes to the poms. I know we all lead such busy lives, but I would encourage those of you who can to contact a hospital, nursing home, assisted living, adult day care, or veterans hospital and speak with the activities director about bringing your poms for a visit sometime. It’s a great way to incorporate some fun into your day while bringing smiles to the faces of those who are in need of them the most.

I’ve talked about our careers and how the dogs factor into them and now I‘d like to tell you a bit about our breed program itself. Many remember us not because of our kennel name, but because of some of the rather unique names we have given our dogs. Our love of travel has led to our theme of naming all our Poms after places. The names are often inspired by places we have been or one day hope to see, and even something about a dogs personality can inspire their name. We try to make it fun and use names that make us laugh. And in general our montage has been to not take ourselves or our successes and failures too seriously. We try to keep a healthy outlook and know for every down there will be an up. Or as one friend puts it, sometimes you will be the dog, and sometimes you will be the hydrant.

Our breeding philosophies are based around our primary goal of consistency in quality, through breeding 1-3 litters per year and keeping our numbers under 10 Poms in total including pups we are growing out as show prospects. What we look for in both males and females is a substantive dog in the 4-5 pound range. We like to see sufficient cheek along with plenty of width to a muzzle and find that if width is lacking it affects the softness of the expression greatly for us. We prefer a shorter muzzle but defer more to the shape than the length. And either way would not pet out an otherwise good dog because it did not have our preference in a head. We love bone on a Pom and feel leg bone, a nice spring of rib, and a good depth of chest are all important factors in a dog looking to have some substance to it. I also love clean movement, a high tail set, short back… though not so short as to negatively effect movement, and a well set neck. And I guess you could say I have a bit of a foot fetish as good post like feet that are well up on toe have been known to make me giddy. But without a doubt the single most important thing we are looking for is the outline. We want that square within the circle and that requires correct angulation both in the front and the rear to allow for the legs to line up directly under the body, a proper length of back to length of leg ratio, and a neck and head sitting high above the top line. That square outline when combined with a properly groomed coat to finish the silhouette is to us the essence of the breed. And a dog who can maintain this outline while both standing still and moving is what it‘s all about for us.

Maybe it’s because we don’t breed often, but I still get nervous with every expected litter. And I hope that feeling of each whelping being a very special experience, will remain with us always. Puppies are raised in our bedroom until 4 weeks old and then come out into the puppy play pen which we set up in the main area of the house. I start very early on, even before they can stand, holding pups in a stacked position with their feet dangling so they get used to relaxing into a natural stack. At 8 weeks old we do a hastings evaluation, as well as an evaluation based on a spreadsheet that I made up that breaks down the standard piece by piece. I have found these to be quite useful and often times refer back to them as I am watching a puppy mature, or in looking at what a girl has produced previously when trying to chose the sire for her next litter. I think the ability to accurately access a pups attributes and shortcoming is a very important aspect of breeding. We try very hard to incorporate the standard in it’s entirety into our program and breeding choices as we feel each aspect of the standard contributes to the dog as a whole and every part is as important as the next. Of course we have personal preferences and certain types that appeal to us more than others. But I think it’s important for the longevity of a breed program to never loose site of the big picture in that true breed type is the realization of the standard, so no aspect can be ignored.

Our 8 week evaluations are used merely as a learning tool for us to get to know better the dogs we are working with and how they mature, we grow out all our pups until they are a bit older so we can make better decisions as we are armed with much more information than can be derived from the assessment of an 8 or 12 week old pup. This also has the added advantage of allowing us to spay and neuter all puppies going as pets prior to their placement, and I really love the peace of mind that affords me.

The dog set up in our home, consists of a dog room where we have our computer, grooming tables, along with my tack box, grooming supplies, and blow dryers, etc…The dog room is off the living room with an open floor plan which leads to the kitchen and the french doors that open onto the large deck. The deck is completely enclosed and is most often used for girls who are in season. The deck gate opens into the back yard which is a half acre and completely surrounded by six foot privacy fencing. Though that area’s main use is for the dogs we want our house to keep the feel of a home not a kennel. And so for that reason we have landscaped the back yard like any other home with planting beds, outdoor furniture, and a fountain… so it‘s a place we want to spend time enjoying our dogs in. We also have several areas set up for puppies to play in or as an alternative to the deck for girls in season, those due to whelp, or that have new litters.

Off of the privacy fenced yard is the entry into an oversized 2 car garage that serves double duty as a place for the dogs to potty in if there is inclement weather and as a training area. We have had plastic matting laid to simulate a dog show ring, with a grooming table, seating along one wall, and the opposing wall mirrored so we can see the dogs move and stack as we train with them. We have tried to make it a cheerful and fun area as we seem to spend so much of our time there. On the walls hang our favorite dog related art, along with our dog show ribbons. Junior came up with the idea to turn all those show ribbons that we had been just throwing into a box into colorful displays to break up those big white walls. So every ribbon either of us has ever won is on those walls, and he loves to tell friends that each ribbon cost at least twenty five dollars in the show entry that paid for it, so it’s the most expensively decorated room in our home. The rosettes sit on the back wall and bring fond memories of exciting wins and times we celebrated with friends. And we even have a wall of shame as we call it where the 3^rd and 4^th place class ribbons go, this affords me the opportunity to tease Junior about having contributed more wall of shame ribbons than I have and enables us to laugh at ourselves when things don’t go our way in the ring.

On the opposite wall sits the open shelving unit that holds all our dog equipment which makes for easy packing an unpacking of the car for shows. As everything is in full view and all in one place. The washer and dryer are in a separate closet junior built to the right of the shelving unit. So when returning from a show all the crate pads, towels, and such can be put right into wash and the equipment loaded back onto the shelf. This means a minimum of things being brought into the house, so less wear and tear on us, which is certainly welcome after those long hours in a car coming back from a show. It also keeps the cross contamination of any germs that may have come from the shows to a minimum. And yes that’s the nurse in me talking.

On our off time Junior and I share the Pom duties equally and have a true partnership in every sense of the word. Our dogs live in our home with us and are relegated to the dog room if no one is home to supervise, but otherwise have free reign of the house. They can usually be found hogging the sofa, begging for people food, and leaving their toys strewn all over the floor. Because we are truly pet owners at heart we keep our numbers under 10 so we can manage the day to day care of the dogs in keeping them bathed, brushed out, trimmed, and their quarters neat and tidy while still having the time to provide for plenty of attention to each individual. In focusing on quality versus quantity we have had to develop our breeding philosophies to suit that ideal. So because of that we make sure every breeding matters…. and will spend countless hours researching what is being produced by the dogs that catch our eye and what may be behind them that will or won’t work with the girls we currently have. We also will go to considerable time and expense to make a breeding happen. My personal experience has been the more time and effort I put into each breeding the better the results as to the quality of the pups that are produced. For this reason I view my breed program from a global perspective and consider a dog in Canada, Europe, or Asia just as strong a candidate for a breeding than the dog down the street. I don’t believe the process of breeding dogs should be limited by geography, and therefore don’t allow financial considerations or location to dictate my breeding choices.

I take seriously my responsibility to thoroughly think through the breedings I plan and ask the right questions about the sires and dams I intend to use, and whenever possible will try and see the dogs for myself so I have firsthand knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses. I also work closely with my vet to do the appropriate health testing on the dogs in our program. My hope is that by taking these extra steps I will have the information needed to make sound breeding decisions. These ideals have led me to some pretty strange twists and turns in life and afforded me the opportunities to meet people, see things, and go places I don’t think I could have ever seen for myself all those year ago when I attended my first dog show, and saw that beautiful little pom so proud and regal perched on his grooming table. I am very grateful as each of these experiences has enriched my life in countless ways and helped me to grow as a person and as a breeder.

One such experience has been my friendship with Liz Heckert Of Silhouette Poms. We met rather by accident in that I saw her ad in the reader where she mentioned attending college about a half hour from our home. So I wrote to her just to introduce myself and offer advice on dog related stuff specific to our area. She wrote back and a life long friendship was formed. She is the Thelma to my Louise and her and Becky Johnson of Stealurheart Poms are always there to be supportive through the good times and the bad. We have such great fun together, and learn so much from each other and our lively debates, while still appreciating our commonality in our love of this breed and what motivates us as breeders. We often bounce ideas off each other and enjoy the different perspective each of us can bring to a subject. It was during one such lively conversations that I first brought up the idea of breeding to “Colt” BIS Am & Can Ch Chriscendo Call To Arms ROMX CROM. Both knew I had felt a certain level of dissatisfaction with the direction of my breed program. And though I had seen some success in the show ring. Most notably with my first bred by girl, a black and tan named “China” Achilles Bull In A China Shop, who we retired from the ring and into the whelping box with 7 breeder, owner, handled points including a major. But despite that I didn't feel I had a firm plan in place on how to produce with consistency the kind of dog I was looking for while still keeping my program small. I had seen pictures of “Colt” and his offspring and my impression of him was that he was a wonderful quality dog who was a real producer and could pass along to his offspring many of the attributes my program was lacking at that time.

So the idea formed to drive to Canada and see Colt and his relatives for myself. Being wonderful friends they supported me, but I don’t think took me all that seriously at the time. They have since learned when I say I'm going to do something you should probably believe me, no mater how far fetched an idea seems. After our conversation I wrote Chris & John and asked if I could plan to visit them in Nova Scotia when my girls came in season next. They were receptive to the idea, and very kind. Months went by and one morning when doing my usual are you in season checks I discovered it was time to leave for Canada. Most of my girls are closely related and their pattern has been that they are ready to be bred by day 3 or 4 of their cycles. This is problematic as not only do you have to be on your toes because missing a day can mean missing a litter. But it also makes it extremely hard to plan travel to stud dogs when you are under that kind of time crunch with every breeding. So needless to say with days of travel ahead of me I had to make quick work of packing, arranging for coverage at work, calling John to confirm I was on my way, letting Jr know I’d be gone for a couple of weeks, and finally phoning Liz to say we needed to hit the road. And within a couple of hours we had everything loaded into my expedition and off we went.

It was a 48 hour round trip, but a wonderful adventure that included some beautiful scenery, along with moose and bear encounters. Liz & I had a great time and never ran out of things to talk about. We arrived in Nova Scotia road weary and tired. Chris met us in the driveway and couldn't have been more down to earth in making us feel welcome. She and John were wonderful hostesses and their home, garden, and dogs are just lovely. When they took us to see the dogs for the first time we walked into the pommie play yard and this little dog swaggered over to me like he owned the world. He was so short in back, had the most exquisite head, and wonderful bone and substance. He was just my ideal pom all in one package. I said to Chris I know I am here to breed to Colt but I really must breed to this dog right here and can't leave Canada until I have something out of him. She laughed and said….. that is Colt Jen. I was thrilled, and to say his pictures though beautiful in and of themselves did not do him justice was the understatement of the year. He is simply stunning and will always have a piece of my heart.

Our visit with the Heartz went by too fast but I enjoyed myself immensely. While there I spent time with a young boy named Chad, who would one day play an integral role in my breed program, though of course I couldn't have known that at the time. We left Chris & Johns and continued on to St John, New Brunswick to spend some time with Pam Dodsworth & Larry Fox of Foxworth Pomeranians. We were again treated to some awesome examples of the breed plus wonderful hospitality and were honored to get to meet Colt’s dad. “Crocket“ Can Ch Foxworth Frontier Spirit CROMX. I fell in love again for the second time in as many weeks and Pam & Larry were so gracious to let us go over their dogs, answer our questions, and share some of their insights with us. It was a great visit and I‘m so glad I got to know Chris & John and Pam & Larry and feel honored to count them among my friends.

I returned home with a renewed sense of purpose and direction in my breed program. The paring of “Colt” & “Asia” Idlewyld Achilles Star Of Asia CGC, a beautiful and sound little bitch who we acquired from Margaret McKee, produced BOB over specials, and Group Placer from the classes Am Ch Achilles Fit To Be Thai’d. “Thai” is a boy who is up on leg and toe, short in back, with a high tail set, awesome shoulder angulation, and the length of neck that enables him to carry his head high above the top line, and thereby put off that outline we love to see. He is a little showman with a big personality (sometimes a little too big) and enough coat to be mistaken for a peke, when untrimmed. He is a special little dog for many reason but probably most notably as being responsible for getting Jr into the show ring. Their bond is what finally convinced him to try his hand at presenting a dog. Handling has always been a means to an end for me. I felt strongly about my dogs being breeder/owner/handled as I never wanted to question if what I was producing was deserving of it’s championship due to the politics of being on lead with a well known face. But my passion lays much more in the breeding and grooming aspects of our program. So when Jr asked to handle Thai I was ecstatic.

We decided they would make their debut at the nationals and the closer the time came the more nervous Junior got. But he did quite well and though I won't say they lit the ring on fire that day, I was very proud of them both and they put in a respectable enough performance under Judge Erika Moureau to take a class placement the day of the specialty and then every day of the cluster that followed. The rest is history as Jr was hooked on being in the ring, and finished Thai’s championship in short order with 3 majors, two of them four pointers, and the 3rd major being only one dog shy of four points. Along they way they also earned BOB over ranked specials and a Group 4 from the classes. Jr has always said he'd like to one day special Thai, but due to our good fortune in the whelping box through our 3 litters in 2006, his time in the ring will need to be relegated to our 6 new show prospects. However it was while planning our trip to Manhattan over the Christmas vacation that the idea formed to enter “Thai” at Westminster. We had often talked over the years about our hopes of one day producing a dog we felt was the quality we would want to show at the garden. And we both felt “Thai” represented well many of the qualities we strive for in our program and so we entered him. The whole experience was very exciting to be a part of, and we had a wonderful time spending the day with awesome pom people. Some of which were old friends, and some have since become new friends. We thoroughly enjoyed Westminster and all that New York had to offer, and hope to keep our breed program on track to producing the kind of dogs we can exhibit there year after year.

Westminster was not the end of things for “Thai” but merely a new beginning, as by the time this is published he will be living with some dear friends who have always been his A #1 fans, Mike & Shalon Parrott of Ragdoll Poms. I met Shalon at the nationals and had been an admirer of her Poms long before that. I respect her eye for a dog and her no nonsense way of giving you her opinion. She is never one to tell you what she thinks you want to hear, but at the same time wonderfully supportive and a loyal friend. A real rarity in the dog world, and it‘s our pleasure to share “Thai” with her and Mike. She is open and honest about her dogs and her philosophies and for that reason when it was time to bring in a girl for our breed program last year she is who I went to. And a wiser decision I have never made as she graciously agreed to sell us Am Ch Ragdoll’s Cookies N Cream. “CC” is a gorgeous girl who at 4 pounds can fill up a room with her presence. She carries a big coat, short back, nice bone, a well put together body, and a head as beautiful as I have seen on any bitch. “CC” finished her championship completely breeder, owner, handled in 8 shows and while going breed over specials. For me she is the package and I feel so honored to own her and am thrilled with the puppy she produced for us out of her first litter. We call him “Macon” Achilles Macon The Cut and he has so much of both his parents in him, that I‘m really excited to see how he will mature. And I hope that in sharing Thai with Shalon it will express our gratefulness in allowing “CC” to be a part of our family and our breed program..

Macon’s dad is BPIS Am & Can Ch Chriscendo Communicado. I don’t even know where to begin when talking about “Chad” he is so very special to us…. both as a wonderful contributor to our breed program but also as the best little pet pom a girl could hope to have. We are inseparable during his time with me as he shares his time equally between Liz & I. We were honored to be offered “Chad” and though we can never thank the Heartz enough for him, I think they know what he means to us. The day his plane touched down in Baltimore was yet another turning point. We were as excited as kids on Christmas morning and when Liz opened up that vari kennel and he popped out I literally burst into tears at seeing what a beautiful dog he had matured into. And those who know me know I am not one to cry but I was really touched that the Heartz would think enough of Liz & I to offer us such an outstanding example of their breed program.

“Chad” has a very high opinion of himself, admittedly it’s well deserved. But he has always felt he is just way to good too have a lead around his neck, so therefore our beautiful boy has not always made for the greatest of show dogs. It was a group effort to see him achieve his American title with the 3 of us sharing training duties while Liz showed him for the most part, and then Jr putting that final major on him. “Chad” has also been the catalyst for some wonderful relationship with other breeders in working with them to get their girls bred to “Chad” we have gotten to know and appreciate their programs and are thrilled to have played even a small role in them. They include Becky Johnson, Judy Green, Joan Behrend, Cheryl Kerr, Linda Pelz, and Kristin Dang. “Chad” has more than made up for his lack of ring enthusiasm with his prowess in the whelping box and has provided some really outstanding puppies that we are excited about. He has 2 Canadian Champions to his name including his son BISS Can Ch Chriscendo Connexion “Nex” who won the Canadian National Specialty in 2005 from the classes. His son “Tango” bred by Linda Pelz recently finished his American Championship from the bred by class with a placement at the national specialty, 3 majors, and BOB over specials. While Kristin Dang’s beautiful Chad daughter “Taylor” was recently breeder, owner, handled to her first major at only 6 months old and at her first show. Liz has a cute little pup she named “Nora” out of him. And Junior & I were blessed with 3 “Chad” litters last year that resulted in 6 pups, 5 of which we have kept as prospects for 2007. They include Achilles Kenya Hear Me Now, Achilles Walking N Memphis, Achilles Sweden Sour, Achilles Phoenix Afire, who is co-owned with our dear friend Susie Zemo-Letchworth and together we hope to see him have a successful career in obedience, agility, and conformation, and finally our promising “CC” son Achilles Macon the Cut. They along with our “Stetson” son “Houston” Achilles Houston We Hava Prblm comprise our 2007 prospects and we look forward to showing them. But we know the last year will be pretty hard to top as we not only finished 3 champions… but were awarded a total of 31 points… all breeder, owner, handled… in only 28 days of shows… Considering the size of our breed program and how little breeding we actually do, that was a real thrill for us and we are very proud of that accomplishment.

Because of my work schedule we can only show every other weekend. And then when we have litters we take the 2 moths after whelpings off from the ring as I don’t feel comfortable traveling with young pups. And though I have a wonderful pet sitter Frieda who takes great care of our Poms while we are on the road. I think Pom puppies are just too fragile to be left to the care of anyone other than an experienced breeder. But despite the limited amount of breeding and showing we are able to do each year, we were thrilled to finish up our 2006 show season with 3 champions and through the local Pom club be named Top Breeder, Top Exhibitor, Top Breeder Owner Handler, Top Show Bitch, Top Handler, and have Paris be tied for the Top Dam. This was in large part due to the generosity of other breeders in making their males available for us to breed to or borrow. I can’t thank them enough, but especially Judy Green who allowed her boy BIS Can & Am Ch Razzle Dazzle Hat Dance to spend time with Liz & I to finish his American Championship and be bred to our Paris. The resulting litter of 2 pups produced one of our Champions for 2006 Ch Achilles Pardon My French. “Frenchie” finished with two 4 point majors, multiple BOW awards, and BOS over specials. I love to watch her move and she is very much my kind of girl at 4 ¾ pounds with nice bone, she is well up on toe, has good coat texture, a pretty face, and an awesome outline. Her litter mate Achilles Houston We Have Prblm is already a quarter of the way to his championship in very limited showing and has been awarded WD & BOW over pro handlers with their group placing dogs. We look forward to continuing to show him in 2007 and are grateful to Judy for sharing her beloved “Stetson” with us.

In addition to our ring success in 2006 we enjoyed immensely the places we visited and the people we met while traveling to shows up and down the east coast, from Massachusetts to Florida. We made the decision to chose to do shows out of our area, in order to meet more knowledgeable breeders and make the travel part of our showing experience. In doing so we learned so much, met some fascinating people, and saw so many interesting things. We not only made some wonderful friends but our exposure to different grooming styles as well as different breeding ideals in general was priceless, in continuing to develop our eye for the breed. We discovered there are many regional differences in Poms and seeing that first hand gave us a better understanding of the characteristics certain lines may offer or lack. And having this knowledge we feel will aid us in making good future choices on what to buy or breed to. We also discovered how vast the differences in dogs can be even among breeders working within the same pedigrees based on their personal philosophies and breeding choices. I am happy to say we saw some really wonderful examples of the breed through our travels last year and competed against some dogs I was proud to be in the ring with. There are some really good Poms out there and breeders who are working hard to better this breed and we salute you for your commitment to your programs, and hope to have the opportunity to meet more of you through our future travels.

As I write this we are in the process of welcoming a new, albeit temporary family member. Liz and I have arranged to borrow “Crocket” Can Ch Foxworth Frontier Spirit CROMX for the first part of 2007. He is such a little love and we are so grateful to Pam & Larry for allowing him to vacation in Virginia. “Crocket” is a prolific sire with over 25 American & Canadian Champions to his credit, including such notable Poms as BIS Am & Can Ch Chriscendo Call To Arms ROMX CROM and BIS & BISS Am Can & Intl Ch Diogenoir The Next Generation, who have both gone on to produce amazing get themselves. We have several breedings planned to him in 2007 and look forward to seeing what he will produce for us and others during his visit.

I’ll conclude by adding a couple of things we have learned that may be helpful to the newcomer or even those in the breed a lifetime. The first of which is a lesson I learned from Liz about the importance of developing the skills to take good pictures of your dogs. Earlier I touched on how I believe the Pom community now has to be regarded from a global perspective. As it really is a small world thanks to the internet and breed publications. But I think it’s important to keep in mind those not living in your area will only have pictures of your dogs with which to judge them and their sires and dams by. So in providing a picture that is not as good as the actual dog you are really doing a major disservice to your program. I think the art of presenting your dog in pictures is no different than the art of presenting your dog in the show ring and is something we should all continue to work on to improve as yet another aspect of our breed programs.

Secondly we have learned that it’s a huge mistake to overly value or discount an observation based on someone’s years of experience within the breed. In fact some of the most profound things I have heard said have come from those who have yet to breed a litter. Often times we can get wrapped up in business as usual and think the way things have always been done is the right way or only way, but in doing so we can miss the forest for the trees. I think in recognizing that new people can have interesting ideas and fresh perspectives to bring to the table we allow for continued growth within the breed. Instead of being threatened by a new idea if we would only take the time to listen closely to another’s perspective or even appreciate a diversity of ideas we could benefit ourselves and the breed greatly. In fact I would go as far as to encourage breeders no matter what stage their breed programs may be in, to surround themselves not just with those who agree with you, are easily swayed and controlled, and admire your dogs. But to search out friendship that challenge you and your ideals. I think much can be learned from someone who has a different perspective than your own and a lively debate of issues can bring about a wonderful opportunity to see something as you never have before. Sure we all like to have our dogs complimented, but the value of a friend who will tell you the truth and be honest about where your program and your dogs are lacking is immeasurable. As it’s friends like that who keep us from the slippery slope of kennel blindness which is not only destructive to our individual program but to the entire breed. There is so much we can learn from each other if we would only keep an open mind instead of discounting opinions, because we have been around the block a couple of times and think we know it all.

Thirdly I’d like to take a minute to talk about one of the things I feel is paramount to the success of a breed program, which is the importance of good veterinary care. In a breed like Poms where we get so few puppies, each one counts in a big way and the loss of even one pup can set a breed program back years if not a lifetime. So finding a veterinarian who will work with you in the health and well being of your dogs is essential. We took the time to shop around for a vet who we felt could help us in building a breed program and in finding Dr. Robert Faust of Abingdon Animal Clinic that is exactly what we got. In fact Junior and I often regard him as the 3^rd partner that comprises Achilles Pomeranians. The development of that relationship over the years has been a godsend in knowing I can count on him and his expertise to access my dogs health through every stage of their lives, to be readily available to me by phone or in person if I need a question answered, to keep us informed on the latest developments in veterinary science. And probably most importantly for his willingness to always work with us and be open to our thoughts and ideas. I'm extremely grateful to have the benefit of his top notch surgical skills and also very thankful that he allows me to be in the operating room during sections. The peace of mind in knowing I can call him at home day or night and he will meet me at the clinic within the hour is really such an incredible gift that I can never thank him enough for. And to have a vet that cares about my dogs as much as I do and is rooting for us with each litter, is a very important aspect to our programs past, present, and future success

And in closing I’d like to express my gratitude to of course Dr. Faust and his staff for all the above named reasons. To Sharon & Benson for allowing Junior & I to tell you our story. To Liz Heckert & Becky Johnson for their friendship and humor, and being part of many of my mad dashes to the airport so a girl can reach her intended in time. To Susie Letchworth, Ellen Parkin, Elyse Iverson, Doug Stratton, and Christine Crane thank you for your unwavering support of us and our dogs, we look forward to reveling in your future successes. And last but certainly not least thank you to Chris & John Heartz, Pam Dodsworth & Larry Fox, Judy Green, Margaret McKee, and Mike & Shalon Parrott for sharing their friendship and their beautiful Poms with us. Also our sincere gratitude to all those who have played a part in our learning process and helping us develop into breeders who we hope have contributed and will continue to contribute to the legacy of this breed we all lovingly share.