Sandi Sue……..Sue Sue………whichever you choose, was one of the most elegant bitches Quapaw has ever produced, and was the second in line to Kissa in my very prepotent bitch line. Sandi gave to Quapaw the beautiful  head piece that says “I am Quapaw bred”, receiving it from her grandisre, Am Can CH Goldrush’s Contender, “Ben”.  She entered the world one night with close friends standing by to assist me……as I was more like an expectant father than a breeder at the time. 🙂   Kissa produced two surviving girls in her first litter of 10 (12 in all). This litter graced the cover of the 1986 GRCA calendar. If you look at the picture on Kissa’s gallery page or under Litters, Sandi Sue will be the puppy in the top row, second from the left, with the little cock of curiosity to her head. 🙂  As I looked down upon them marveling at what this meant I knew instantly which of the two girls I was keeping.  I was intent on keeping a girl with a full stifle, and even at this young age of barely an hour old I saw her.  I did not have a theme for this litter but since Quapaw is Cherokee, I decided that she and her brother’s, Banner, names would have something to do with Native Americans.  I had already decided to call Banner….Quapaw’s Bannerstone…which meant good luck.  But I was totally stumped for Sue Sue’s call name,  let alone registered name ( I like to try to take my call names from the dog’s registered names).  I lay down to take a nap and upon waking my eyes rested upon my book shelf.  On the second shelf they fell upon a book of Indian essays entitled “Touch the Earth”.  Sandi Sue not only had her registered name but her call name as well, in one fell swoop!

Sandi was such a sweet tempered girl, but showing was a challenge for anyone on the end of her lead. She was a trickster and would make things very easy for you at first , but when it came down to the wire she would decide to let you take over the reins to prove just how good you were at handling. I always thought is was me until I gave her to the Mason girls (Jean’s girls of Brae Side) in MA to show.   Even with their experience in handling,  they were never to gain a point on her  The only point  which she gained was put there by Sue Heinl ( Marker’s owner)……maybe because they shared a first name……..  🙂  Sandi would show like a dream right up until it got down to her and another bitch or two, then she would take it upon herself to drop her topline and begin moving her front feet crazy almost like she was swimming on the move. So frustrating……..But so typical of my “dumb” blonde (said with tongue in cheek and no offense made to anyone, as she was far from dumb……..actually she was always outsmarting me).  For example: My parents had placed a double row of hot wire around their flower beds to keep my dogs out when I visited.  I kept finding her in the flowers and for the longest time could not figure out how she was doing it. But one day I happened to be watching just at the right minute.  She took the insulators between her teeth and moved the top one up and the bottom one down, and stepped through……..so much for my “dumb” blonde!! LOL

Though Sandi never gained her championship she did prove her weight in gold in the whelping box……….producing for me my specials bitch, AM CH Tahki, and her sister, BDA CH Chase (owned by Jean Mason and later returned to me after the passing of Jean) and their brother , Broker (Quapaw’s Morning Has Broken), probably the dog closest to my ideal Golden I have bred to date.    Sandi proved in other litters as well, (producing my “Grimmy” Quapaw’s I Be Bad who is behind my Australian CH “Simon”,  twice) that she had the right stuff to be an outstanding dam, if not with an official title, in what she could put on the ground.  Sandi was a loving mother, but was not a disciplinarian in any sense of the word. She thought she was just an overgrown baby herself and enjoyed just playing with her offspring. Sandi was bred to Stolford Flint (import) twice (after seeing her first litter bred by Jean Mason–I loaned her to Jean while the girls were showing her- I knew I had to do a repeat for myself) and  bred to  CH Brae Side Sunset Venture (I had told Jean I wanted to breed a girl to Venture. I saw his picture in a 1981 ad in the GRNews and knew he was what I was looking for.  She asked who she was. I told her she hadn’t been conceived as yet but I knew this was the right thing to do. Jean laughed and said ..we’ll see…………well we saw and Jean told me she would never doubt my instincts again!! LOL).

Sandi Sue was the litter sister of  AM CH Quapaw’s Toby Goldmark, BIS “Toby”-specialty winner- #11 in the country on his one and only weekend out as a Special for the rest of that year (my sister Sharon deBlecourt), CH Quapaw’s Majik Marker “Majik”- specialty winner-BOS to #1 bitch at the time (Barb Klingman), Quapaw’s Singin’ In Harmony “Ella”- pointed (Pam Leonard), and another brother(Alex) who became a hunting companion and cover dog for Winchester Rifles and Ammunition brochures. She was also the full sister to Diane Barnes’ AM CH Quapaw Wingsong  Wind Marker CD JH WC VC “Annie”.  As you can see I reached my goal from the outset of breeding  for versitility.

 I eventually placed Sandi with a wonderful family in WI who had another golden who was blind. Sandi became this dog’s eyes and took care of her until she passed on.  Sandi also proved out the longevity factor I am intent on…crossing The Bridge at 16 yrs of age.  I visited her often after placing her and many times wished that I had kept her with me, (she always got in my van  and even now as I write I hold a soft spot in my heart for her); but in all fairness to her….Quapaw was growing and showing more (at that time 48 weekends out of the year) and my time with her was not as it had been and so I felt that she was more than deserving of a one on one family relationship since she had given me and Quapaw so much.

Thank you Sandi for being you and for giving to Quapaw so generously and some of the best offspring a breeder could ever hope for.  You left large paw prints to fill, just as your dam, Kissa has.   Thank you  to Jean Mason for believing  in me and believing in my instincts.   Thank you to both the Mason girls for giving it your best shot (Sandi certainly did not make it easy) and to Susan Heinl for showing Sandi and pointing her—proving it could be done…maybe ( wink) if Sandi Sue allowed it to happen.

In her gallery pages I have placed some of her endearing moments and her many funny faces. I have also placed a photo of her sire, “Marker”.  “Kissa”, her dam, can be seen on the Foundation page of this site.  Her siblings and offspring can be seen throughout this site at various locations.

 For Sandi sue’s complete pedigree please click onto the link to her page on k9data: