BluOaks Standard Poodles, located in the Yuba Foothills about an hour north of Sacramento, California, is the home of unique UKC Champion Parti Colored Standard Poodles.
The dogs at BluOaks Standard Poodles are first and foremost our pets. We are NOT a kennel facility. They live in our home, sleep and snuggle on our beds, (though they have their own!), share space and cuddle on the couch, get dirty in the yard as they zoom and wrestle and get muddy when it rains, to their vast enjoyment and our dismay!
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As far back as I can remember, dogs have been a part of my life. During my pre-teen years my Mom occasionally bred and raised Miniature Poodles as family companion dogs. Our litters were born in my bedroom with me eagerly present. What incredible events these were!
In my mid-teens I spent Fridays and Saturdays at the grooming shop where my Mom worked and I learned to properly bathe and fluff all types of dogs. I worked my way up to "rougher" and did basic clipper work, such as stripping and face, feet and tails of poodles and mixes. It was then that I met my first Standard Poodle and fell in love with their kindness, elegance and self possession. As I matured and struck off on my own I worked for other groomers, honing my pet grooming skills and techniques. The Standard Poodles were always my favorite dogs to work on, but never entertained the thought of owning one, thinking they were surely out of my reach.
I eventually met my husband Randy at a pet store where I was head groomer, got married and started my own family. During this time, as Randy and I were both involved in the pet industry, animals of all kinds, including exotics such as birds and reptiles, and the inevitable dogs and cats, lived with us. Snakes, lizards, parakeets, cockatiels, a Cockatoo, Siamese cats and a myriad of dogs, mostly rescues and mixed breeds, made their home with us and our two children over the years.
In 2001 we realized that we needed more room than a cookie cutter tract home with a two car garage and small yard could provide. So we began to look for the perfect property in the country where we could live and work. We found that on 5 acres, studded with native Valley and Blue Oaks, in Loma Rica, about an hour North of Sacramento in the Yuba Foothills, gateway to the Gold Country and the Sierras.
In early 2010 Randy was diagnosed with cancer and after more than a year long battle we lost him in July of 2011. Shortly after, in September, I lost my best friend, Diane, to a sudden illness. Then, in early October, our children and I had to make the difficult decision to euthanize Randy's 16 year old Border Collie, Molly, after she began to have seizures. Somehow, through this most difficult time, I managed to return to my outside job and continued to maintain the family business, with the help of our two children, who were now young adults, for the next year.
My regular customers were happy to see me back, upon my return to my retail job, after a 6 month leave of absence to care for Randy before he passed. This included Lee and Linda, who showed, bred and raised Brussels Griffons and had occasional litters of parti colored standard poodles. They were genuinely thrilled to see me back and excitedly announced that they had something I should see. They invited me to come to their home and promised to email me pictures of something that could be mine. Of course, I knew it was canine and informed them that I was not interested in adding another responsibility to my already hectic life, but they insisted that I should at least see what they had.
Early that evening I got home, opened my email...and instantly fell in LOVE! There was the cutest little silver and white parti colored pup that I had ever seen! Those sweet sensitive eyes so full of intelligence and promise pulled me in!
Of course, I HAD to at least meet her and get a fix of puppy breath, if nothing else. Needless to say, Libby came home with me that night in November of 2011 and I never looked back! Libby is my "heart" dog and, with her empathetic and intuitive ways, managed to help get me through some very rough days and nights that first year.
Six months later, Linda asked if I would foster a two year old black abstract that they had taken from an unfortunate situation. Taka had spent the first two years of her life living most of the time in a wire crate in the sleeper compartment of a cross country rig. She was nervous, fearful, only partially house-broken and had no clue of how to be a dog or to play with others. Still, she had a sweet temper and an innate eagerness to please. She soon bonded with me and my son and blossomed into a well-mannered wonderful family member. Libby loved her and followed her everywhere. Eventually Linda didn't feel it was fair to take Taka away from us and I became her co-owner.
I began to spend more time with Lee and Linda, learning and helping out with their dogs at AKC conformation shows. In September of 2012 they had another litter of standard partis and, since I was showing an interest in the show world, offered to help me pick a puppy that I could compete with in the UKC conformation ring. (Partis are disqualified from the conformation ring in AKC, but they are welcome in all other events.) Libby's little silver and white sister, Dani, found her home with me and in two weekends of competition became my first UKC Champion in May of 2013, at the age of 8 months!
Soon, Linda and I began to talk about how much we liked the RED Poodles and in particular the red and white partis. We decided that we would look for and share a boy with potential for the conformation ring. We researched and talked with other breeders and began to look out of state. We soon found what we were looking for in Oklahoma at Kit-Sue's Poodles. PJ joined us in April of 2013 and became our second UKC Champion in March 2014. Due to a back injury I sustained in the early summer of 2013 I was unable to get PJ into the show ring until then.
Finally, in October of 2013, 5 month old light red abstract Halle made the long air journey from Maryland to Sacramento, California. My Mom and I were on hand to meet her at the airport. What a sweet gentle nature! Bred by Dr. Margaret Volz, DVM, Halle's first weekend out at a UKC Conformation show in March of 2014 brought her within ONE competition win of her Championship title! GO HALLE!
Due to a long string of unfortunate circumstances with other health and family issues Halle did not reenter the UKC show ring until December of 2016. It was at that time that she got that elusive win that finally earned her an UKC Championship!
It is my hope that the name BluOaks Standard Poodles will become synonymous with health, temperament and beauty in the hearts and minds of parti colored poodle fans across the country and beyond!
We do not support or condone "designer" cross breeding or Doodlers!
We do not support or condone "designer" cross breeding or Doodlers!
