About...

Over time, the ones you love are all that matter

Aircastle began in early October of 1989 in Boise Idaho. A few days after moving into a new house, it only seemed right to also have a dog. So after a brief newspaper search it was off in the car to go look at a litter of Shetland Sheepdogs. By the end of that day, a six week old puppy named Tyler was added to the family. Shortly after bringing him home, curiosity arose about the quality of this new “purebred”, and that led to the home of a local Sheltie breeder named Joan Clark, of Checkmate Shelties. Joan, a well-known and respected breeder, added intrigue to the visit by inviting us into her home where there were all sorts of ribbons, rosettes and awards her pups had won throughout the decades. Upon asking what it all meant, the question grew into a discussion concerning the sport of purebred dogs. In fact, the conversation was so inviting, there were a few visits afterward to learn even more. As the months passed, joining a good kennel club became a necessity, and that first membership with Lizard Butte Kennel Club included organizing and working in matches and shows to learn the basics of showing dogs. It also became sorely apparent that Tyler was not going to ever be competitive in conformation. By mid1990 the first show prospect arrived, another Sheltie named Brandi. Through her came all of the necessary skills to breed, groom, and show, though she never actually competed beyond becoming a Canine Good Citizen. But she did produced the first Aircastle puppies, the entrance into being a breeder. But Shelties were just the beginning. In 1993, Verily came to Aircastle. She was a beautiful black Standard Poodle, who we sent to the Midwest with Mr. Dennis McCoy to finish her title. Afterward, she traveled to Bay Breeze Standard Poodles in Florida, eventually returning home with two incredible puppies, Aircastle Bay Breeze Cosette (Cosie) and Resounding Hymn of Bay Breeze (Buzz). The two of them formed the foundation of today’s line. In October of 1995 the family moved to Toledo Ohio, and both pups began their show careers. But things did not go well in Ohio and the following year ended in a divorce. With two young children to raise as a single parent, there was no way to keep up the rigors of a serious show schedule. But the dog sport cuts deeper than a drug addiction, and in the spring of 1997 the first litter of Poodles arrived, one of which was South African Champion Born in the USA at Dot Com (Dollar), who would one day become the third most influential sire in South Africa according to Dog World magazine in his time. About a year later, another litter was born, and amongst them was Ch Aircastle’s Midnight Breeze (Lickorice), who produced American Kennel Club (AKC), United Kennel Club (UKC), and International champions from her first and only litter. But money was still tight, and there were still two children to raise, thus the show world had to wait. In 2000, GrCH Aircastle’s Blu Majic Johnson, RN, RL1, CGC, (John John) was born. Things were still unsettled, and JJ was shown sparingly around the local area, but he didn’t mind, since he hated showing and only achieved a single point. His true passion was for therapy work, which he performed with gusto in his later years. Things turned around greatly in December of 2001, and with a new job and one kid launched on her way, there was finally time to start getting back into the sport. By 2003 there were a small string of AKC conformation, obedience and Agility titled pups, when Int/GrCH Aircastle’s Enduring Hope (Hopie) came to Ohio. She was Lickorice’s daughter, though not born at Aircastle. In March of that year, a friend made an invitation to attend a UKC Show. It was that show, Premiere, where Aircastle truly took wings. In 2004 Aircastle was on the map, actively showing, and later judging, in UKC conformation events. It was in the next year that David met Barb. To say it was love at first sight would seem clichéd, but it was no mystery when the announcement came that Aircastle would be a family again. Granted, the second human kid had grown up and moved away, but the dogs were all in favor of the merger with Red Dog Dobermans! As to Barb’s story, while not a breeding kennel, Red Dog actually began with a German Shepherd named Brutus in 1970. He wasn’t a conformation dog, but brought the essentials of competitive obedience. Brutus earned his CDX, and after Brutus, came Big Red, the first Doberman. Over the years that followed, there was plenty of dog and horse training, competing in conformation, obedience and Rally, eventually culminating in 1995 with an AKC Rally Obedience judging approval. And as you know, in late May of that year, Aircastle and Red Dog decided to combine forces. After a couple of years of training and judging together, the pinnacle of the Aircastle story took place on June 15, 2007, with a wedding in the Best In Show ring at Premiere, the UKC’s top dog show in Kalamazoo, MI. Then, a few weeks after the wedding, Aircastle was greeted with their first home-born “children” as a new family. It was Hope’s second litter, giving them nine beautiful Standard Poodle puppies, of which two are still living at home. Oh, and in case you were wondering about their contribution to Aircastle’s legacy, nearly all of them competed at one time or another, racking up wins in Agility, Obedience, and most of all, Conformation. AKC Bronze Grand Champion Aircastle Loves Raymond at Canryme, (Raymond), was one of them. And so, you now know how the Aircastle family got its start, though the story is only partially written. Each year more titles, more venues, and more beloved pups are added. So we’ll just have to see what the future brings, now won’t we?