Meet the OCOEE team!
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Kathy in Australia in April of 2003 with 12 year old Aust. and Am. Ch. Ocoee Raven's Child and her daughter Aust. Ch. Tholia Love Child.
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Kathy's passion for the sport evolved early in her life. She was very lucky that in her small town, she had a successful breeder of Shetland Sheepdogs just up the road who was more than willing to mentor her in all aspects of the sport. Starting in obedience at a very young age, Kathy added the first Golden Retriever to her tolerant parent's household in 1964. With the support and involvement of her mother, Ellen Reiss, she embarked on a limited breeding program in Goldens, and she finished her first homebred, owner handled Champion in 1971. In 1972 the first Springer was added and as the years went by the focus became more and more on that breed, although together with her mother Kathy bred a number of Golden Champions, including a GRCA Outstanding Sire, and owned and handled a bitch that finished from the puppy class and entered the GRCA Show Dog Hall of Fame at 16 months of age. She also bred and owned Champion Flat-Coated Retrievers and Bouvier des Flandres, and owned a top winning multi BIS Afghan Hound.
Kathy actively bred and exhibited Springers for twenty years, through the 1970's and 1980's, producing 35 Champions which included Best In Show, Group, Specialty and Parent Club award winning dogs. During this time she was active in working in the Parent Club of the breed, serving seven years on the Board, writing the AKC Gazette column on Springers for five years, and chairing the committee that produced the most recent revision to the AKC breed standard. In the mid-90's Kathy went "on sabbatical" from breeding and exhibiting and turned her focus toward judging. Some of the highlights of her short judging career include the Puget Sound ESSA Specialty, the GRCA Western Regional Specialty, the ESSA of NSW Specialty show in Sydney, Australia, and the 2003 ESSFTA National Specialty. In February of 2006 Kathy judged at the Westminster Kennel Club show at Madison Square Garden in NYC and was thrilled when her Best of Breed Golden went on to win the Sporting Group.
Kathy has also worked hard to give back to the sport in the area of education and has created and presented programs on many different breeds, including a number that are in use by Parent Clubs for their National judges education presentations. She is also one of the co-creators and presenters of the extremely popular four day Workshop "Sporting Dog Excellence, An Intimate Look at the Spaniels and Retrievers".
Kathy began actively breeding Springers again at the turn of the century, now in conjunction with her grown daughter, Melanie, who raises and shows most of the dogs while Kathy pursues some other passions (like traveling with her husband of 29 years and attending as many Vince Gill concerts as possible!)
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Melanie was literally "born" into the sport of dogs, as the first Ocoee Springer litter was whelped only a few short months before she was born. (In 1975). As soon as she could walk Melanie had a leash in her hand, and she began showing successfully even before she was old enough to compete in Junior Showmanship.
During her teen years Melanie had a career in showdogs rarely matched by anyone else so young. When she was ten years old Melanie acquired her first Whippet, "Roxanne", and not only did Melanie show Roxanne to her Bench and Field Championships, with Melanie piloting her Roxanne became a multiple group winner and together they won Best of Breed at the American Whippet Club National Specialty show. Roxanne's formal name was Ch. Roving Roulette, F.Ch., and she was Melanie's precious companion for 14 years.
Melanie also completed Championships on a score of Irish Wolfhounds bred by her father and stepmother, John and Anne Schlenkert. One of those, whose name was "Blu", teamed with Melanie for a specials career that culminated in eight all breed Best In Show wins, a top ten Hound ranking, and Best of Breed and third in the Hound Group at Westminster Kennel Club in 1993.
During this same period Melanie finished a number of Springer Champions for others, including two for Robin Novack (Tiffany).
Melanie also competed successfully in Junior Showmanship and won many top awards. She qualified for Westminster several years running, and her juniors career climaxed with the greatest honor any junior can have-winning Best Junior Handler at Westminster in 1994.
Melanie worked for a number of top professional handlers during her teen years, as a way to better learn her craft. She is now handling professionally herself on a limited basis. She has completed Championships on many Springers owned by us and by other kennels. Melanie is available to handle a limited number of quality dogs. Give her a call if you are looking for a private handler who will devote a tremendous amount of time and attention to your showdog.
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Melanie, Fall 2005, with her puppy "Larry", Ocoee Absolutely Legendary.
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