Quapaw Golden Retrievers is the home of both old, established, and highly respected, English/European and American bloodlines. Though sometimes mistakenly thought of as strictly a “show” kennel, because this is my main area of interest, this is simply not true. As you will see Quapaw has, continually, through the years bred dogs who have obtained titles on both ends as well as produced dogs that enjoyed what Lord Tweedmouth intended, that of being simply a gentleman’s hunting companion, for which we are very proud.
The name Quapaw is Cherokee and means ” water lover”, which I felt was apropos since I am of partial Native American descent via the Cherokee tribe through my paternal grgrgrandmother. Via my maternal grandfather, I am a direct descendant of Pocahontas ( aka Rebecca Smith).
Quapaw was formally established in September of 1984 with the birth of my first litter. But, the dream was established back in 1976 with the acquisition of my first Golden, Shane (Copper Shane of Parkewood), from Parkewood Kennels in the Indianapolis, IN area. Shane’s son, Kinzie (Sha-Mol Lain’s Kinzie Gold,CD: owner handled to 12 points including one major and BOB/BOS ) came next in 1981, followed in the spring of 1982 by Kissa (Am.Ch.Parkewood’s Win-Taf Kiss O’Gold, CD,OD) completely owner handled. Kissa was to become the foundation upon which Quapaw has been built and because of her prepotency gave us what every top kennel, large or small, must have……….a strong, dominate bitch line, which continues even today. Thank you, Kissie Face.
I have always maintained a small, personal “kennel”, breeding for myself, for the future of this wonderful breed, and for the preservation of what I consider to be important bloodlines, both American and English/European. Titles and ribbons have always been “icing on the cake” , and have become even more so as time has gone on. I have learned over the past 30+ years of being involved with this wonderful breed that the breed is what is truly important. I have always tried to breed to the standard, without influence as to what was winning in the rings. The bloodlines I have used over the years, and continue to seek, in my opinion, exemplify what the standard tells us a Golden should be in relation to structure, type, and soundness in both mind and body. I have also strived to maintain the purpose for which this breed was developed. Trends come and go, but quality lasts, and in the end that is what is most important.
I consider myself a successful breeder, not because of the external accomplishments my dogs have received, such as titles, scores, placements, or rankings over the years, but through attainment, or “becoming” , as noted by author, Lanny Bassham, which is by far a better way of measuring one’s success. “Becoming” is the measurement of our knowledge, character, and growth as a breeder. Attainment, which is a combination of our accomplishments and our “becoming”, is the greatest measure of our success, because it helps us to grow and to see how far we have come, and helps us to see the direction which we want our path to carry us into the future. It helps us to appreciate what we have done even when the scores do not come and the wins seem beyond our grasp. Attainment helps us to focus on what is truly important……in my case, staying true to my philosophy concerning this breed. I have bred, on average, one litter per year . My most active breeding years were from 1984 through 2002, ending shortly after the loss of my husband and then a major move back to Indiana. My first litter produced my BIS Am. Ch. Quapaw’s Toby Goldmark (Canadian ptd), owned by my sister. Toby’s success was the first glimpse of what awaited us in the years to come. Quapaw has produced numerous all-breed and specialty winners and several who have gone on to working and obedience titles, as well. We have produced the foundation dam for a service organization, with another currently in the wings, whose son was voted Top Dog in a Southwestern state and we are extremely proud of this, as well as our other therapy/ service dogs. ***By browsing the site you will meet these beautiful, intelligent, dogs of our past.*** My Specials bitch was a Kissa grandaughter: Am.Ch. Quapaw Otahki’s Back to Earth (BOB/Group/Specialty winner). If you were lucky enough to have seen her I am sure you would have agreed that she was a sight to behold. (Please check her out within the pages of this site)
We are currently located in the Indianapolis, IN area, once again, after having been in the St. Louis, MO area for close to 20+ years. I am now actively breeding once more, after having enjoyed so much the pleasure of raising Elaine Brent’s One Ash litter Spring (2008) which was the repeat of my beloved Rosalea. Thank you to Elaine and Suzi Houtz of Countrylane for this wonderful honor and treat. Thank you for not allowing me to give up on myself and Quapaw!
I believe that I have found the right bitch/breeding that can equal, if not exceed Kissa’s paw prints. Her name is ‘Sace, officially known as One Ash Just N Style (she chose me from the time she was 3 weeks of age), and if lightening can strike three times, I am hopeful that she will hold partnership with two girls as co-foundation dams: ‘Retha, Quapaw’s Hey Soul Sister, is a Gabe/Tay (Int’l CH Countrylane’s Tender Soul) daughter and Simone, Quapaw Simon Sez Kiss Me First, from my Aust. UKC Can. Ch Simon/Tay daughter. With these three girls at the helm I believe Quapaw will once again be producing multi-talented dogs for any game you may wish to play that also fit the standard to a “T”. Watch for pictures and pedigrees on these three girls on the Bitch page.
Until then, I do own, co-own, or have access to 5 stud, or potential stud dogs. They are Devon (passed away Nov.2006 with frozen semen available to a very few select bitches), International Ch Gabe (imported in 2001 at 10 weeks of age, and of English/European bloodlines: AI, fresh chilled, or frozen available ), International/National UKC-Ch Nick (Nick is now owned by breeders in Kentucky (Kenati),blended pedigree and Australian UKC Canadian Ch Simon (co-owned with breeder, Pat Herschman (Camelot), NJ and Anthea Adamopoulos (WYSIWYG) of Australia. Simon returned to the States Fall 2008. He is now residing in NJ with his co-owner and breeder, Pat Herschman. He is being selectively shown on the East coast. He is linebred on my Kissa and Stolford Flint, as well as Camelot and Okeechobee lines. Soon to join the stud force of Quapaw is ‘Retha’s brother, Tag, Quapaw’s Heart ‘N’ Soul. Tag will appear in the rings in the mid-west as soon as he has gained a bit more maturity. He is one awesome boy in both structure and temperament. *****Gabe, you have made us proud as the sire we always thought you could be!!***
******Flash!!! Quapaw is now the home of 4 OFA Excellents (Gabe, ‘Sace, ‘Retha, and Simone, a Simon/Tay daughter) and 2 pre-lim Excellents (both Gabe kids) Babies from the Gabe/ Polly (One Ash Perils of Pauline) litter are already proving themselves in the ring (Jackson has his Canadian CH. and is working on those back end titles as well with co-owner Vivienne Mueller of Falcon Lake in Canada. Ember, from the Gabe/Tay litter is proving herself worthy of becoming an excellent service dog as well as sniffer dog. When she gains her clearances she will step into the additional role of foundation dam for a service organization in KY. *******
I would be happy to assist those of you interested in English/European and old American bloodlines in the location of ethical, active breeders and litters. I have always had an open door policy in helping others whether or not a buyer or potential buyer chooses a puppy or young adult from Quapaw, or from another breeder.
I hope you enjoy browsing the Quapaw site, learning a little bit more about our past, our present, and our future plans with our picture and pedigree library.
