1. What was the attraction to your choosen breed ?
In all honesty it was the sense of self-possession they emit while in the ring: The King of Toys!
A truly great MinPin will take your breath away - both standing and moving.

2. What level of participation/success have you reached, and in what area?
Our love will always be for the conformation ring.
We have been very fortunate to have produced Best In Show, multiple Best In Specialty Show, Top5-ranked dogs as well as Honor Roll and Hall of Fame dams. Our sires are multiple BISS producers with very limited use. In eight the years we have been breeding, we have had the honor of producing 40 champions to date from a very limited breeding program. We are very proud of the fact that five of our dogs made the Top 20 this year.

3. If you could change anything along the path of your success, what would it be ?
I don't think I would change a thing. We were very successful in horses before we committed to the dogs and I think it helped tremendously. Movement, soundness and a knowledge of pedigrees is no different in equine or canine.

4. How would you describe the features/details of your breed's most important characteristics?
I'll probably get in trouble for saying this, but here it goes: in my humble opinion, attitude is everything. If your dog doesn't think he/she is a winner in their heart, then they never truly will be successful in the ring or in the whelping box.

5. On a scale of 1 to 10, where do you think your breed stands in overall quality?
With a sad heart, I must say that I feel our breed quality is diminishing. On the whole, breeders have to learn to be more selective and critical: Quality, Not Quantity! We need to plan for the future of our breed by working with, and helping, the newcomers. The newcomers, in turn, have to be willing to listen with an open mind and heart. I would rather not place a number on the quality - I'd rather let my fellow breeders search their souls and answer this themselves.

6. Name a few dogs of your breed that would epitomize the standard, in your opinion?
I keep going back to the Sunbrook pedigree. I have never waived in that regard. I realize it was combination of several pedigrees, but the total package produced the the closest thing to perfection in my mind. I haven't been in this breed long enough to have seen most of the great old dogs in person, so it's hard for me to discuss the history of the breed. I have always been partial to the bitches since I feel they are the foundation to any breeding program. BIS, BISS Ch. Sunbrook Dances With Wolves as well as "the gal", BIS, BISS Ch. Sunbrook Buckskin Gal come to my mind first and foremost.
When it comes to movement, the most famous legends have to be Ch. Sunbrook Mask Warrior and Ch. Redwings On The Cutting Edge. From a personal point of view, all of the above truly epitomize the essence of the breed.   

7. Please share with us one/some of your most memorable moments of your involvement with the breed.
I have had more than my share of memorable moments and they are the heart and soul of who I am and what I do. As a very amateurish owner/handler, I had the pleasure of showing BIS, BISS Ch. Wannabee Mickey In A Mudslide to his championship. I showed him to a breed win as a very immature nine month-old puppy. The group ring was going to be a time of relaxation and fun, with just a little showing off if the opportunity arose.
I was letting him self-stack and gain self-assurance. Something outside the ring grabbed his attention and he hit the stack like only a MinPin can do. I heard a voice outside the ring say, "When I grow up, I want to have a MinPin like that!" I looked over and saw Bobby Barlow sitting there gazing at Mickey! I still get chills when I relive that moment and what it meant to me.
My memories wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention my "heart" dog, "Henry". Henry went to New York, in 2003, handled by Sue Shore, and made history by winning back-to-back Specialties and retiring the Wm. Kleimann's Memorial Trophy. The year before that, he was the Sweepstakes winner and Winners Dog at the very same Specialty! It's hard to imagine this is the same dog that was lost in the woods of Pennsylvania for ten days five month prior to this!
Henry fit the breed standard in every way. In addition to that, he had heart, soul and the will to win. On the day Henry (Multiple BISS Ch. Wannabee Henry Hits A Homer) died, he was ranked #3 in the AKC breed system.
I saved the best for last. In 2004, we had the honor and privilege of winning both the stud dog class and the brood bitch class at our National Specialty under Annie Clark. From a breeders point of view, that's about the highest honor anyone can bestow on me! Her written critique that appeared in our National breed publication in which she commented on my puppies is permanently etched in my memory bank. In addition to this, having five Wannabees in the Top 20 will be very hard to improve on.

8. Are you breeding for the judges or are the judges influencing how you breed.... does one affect the other?
Great question! Perhaps those that know me can answer this better than me! My answer? Neither! I am breeding for the sake of producing a Miniature Pinscher that fits the standard. My interpretation of the standard ma be different than some, but it is my interpretation regardless. I feel the same way about judges. They have the right to interpret the standard in whatever way they see fit and that is what affects the outcome of a dog show. If the same dog won week after week, life would be quite boring and entries would be nonexistent. I will never try to second guess a judge again! I remember when "Mickey" won the Empire Specialty with Joan Scott judging. I spoke to her afterwards and told her I was afraid that Mickey might be too modern for her. I will never forget her reply. She told me that when Mickey walked into the ring, it took her back in time to the great old MinPins that had elegance and movement! A few weeks later , and a different judge, I showed Mickey again and was told that I Had bred the hackney right out of my dogs! The great gait debate: it will go on forever.

9.What breeders, judges or dogs influenced the direction of your line?
This is a hard question to answer since I limited myself to such a small gene pool. The Sunbrook dogs have been the most influential. I have worked very hard to create a "type" by which the Wannabees are recognized. I have been told on numerous occasions that people know my dogs regardless of who is on the end of the lead. That is actually what influenced me the most - the need to be recognized!

10. If you could choose the Ultimate National Specialty Judges Panel, who would do Dogs, Bitches and Intersex?
Futurity Judging would have to go to Patricia Craige-Trotter, a noted authority on puppy evaluations and author of my favorite book on successful breeding pratices. Breed Judging would be a pair of experts that would provide verbal critique: Dr. Buris Boshell and John McNamara. I would give anything to know how they fell about the Minpins of today and the direction they have taken. They were both so instrumental in our breed and my biggest regret is that I never got to meet them in person and truly envy those that had conversations with them!