AKC Breeder of Merit
Past President - Barbet Club of America (AKC Parent Club)
Vice President - United Barbet Club
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| Judy Descutner with Claire and her puppies, Solene and Hanna |
I grew up showing Quarter Horses and eventually my parents hauled me all
over the country on the national show circuit. One of my idols was judge and breeder extraordinaire Carol Harris of Bo-Bett Farm in
Ocala, FL. Carol was a true pioneer in the horse world; a woman
competing right along with the men when she often was the only woman in
the ring. She was outspoken, passionate and endearing to all who met
her. She bred Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, and several breeds of dogs over the years. At the time I did not know her well but was always amazed to watch her and her
entourage of Dobermans when we spent winters at the Florida circuit.
Fast forward to 1985 when I decided to get a whippet. Carol Harris had since gotten into the breed and her dogs were regularly seen in the show results that I studied. I knew that there was only one breeder for me to call. Carol had two pups for me to choose from, a male and a female, and I chose the female and picked her up a few weeks later at the Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio. The male that I could have had was BIS Ch. Bo-Bett’s Wild Waylon but my beautiful Bo-Bett’s Pretty Prima Donna (Cleo) was absolutely the perfect companion that anyone could ever want. She was my heart dog; the dog who knew what I was thinking, and when I was sad, how to make me happy. Although Cleo had points and specialty placements, she really hated to show. During this time I had also bought two Quarter Horse broodmares from Carol and as part of the deal I asked for a male pup from her current litter, a brindle boy I named Ivan. Ivan grew into a beautiful pup and we went to one show with him where Bo-Bett’s Ivan the Terrible was RWD at the Ravenna/Chagrin weekend at the Western Reserve Polo Grounds. We were so excited about our future with him, but it was not to be as Ivan was killed a few weeks later on our farm in a tragic accident.
Carol knew that my heart was broken about losing Ivan and she immediately put a 3 month old puppy on a plane to cheer me up. Phillip (Ch. Bo-Bett’s Maximum Overdrive) became my first owner handled champion and Cleo and Phillip traveled to all of the horse shows with us.
At Ravenna a few years later, we pulled our bus in next to Carol’s x-pen full of dogs. As I stepped out I felt as though I were looking at a ghost. Carol had a young dog named Bo-Bett’s Divine Lover, who was an absolute clone of my sweet Ivan; in fact, he was a littermate from a repeat breeding. I was enthralled and Carol promised that as soon as he finished his championship, I could have him. True to her word, Carol's handler finished him and dropped him off to us a few months later. He was glued to me from that moment on. Such a darling dog.
Carol sent her beautiful bitch Ch. Bo-Bett’s Divine Darlin here to breed to Lover. I ended up whelping the litter and Darlin never went home. I specialed her a little bit and one of my proudest moments was getting down to the final cut of specials at Ravenna under Audrey Sutton in an entry of hundreds of beautiful Whippets. I kept a gorgeous fawn dog out of this Darlin/Lover litter and I lost him a few years ago at 14 years of age. Gus was so special to me since both of his parents were some of my favorites and I hated losing that old Bo-Bett bloodline.
In the mid 1990s, I became aware of a great looking curly water dog called the Barbet. At the time, there were less than 5 Barbet in the United States. Although I joined the Barbet Club of America, the lack of available dogs made acquiring one an impossibility at the time. I kept my eye on the breed, and, as the North American popularity of the breed grew and the Canadian Kennel Club granted full registration status, I was able to purchase my foundation bitch in 2009 from Florence Erwin of Mississauga, ON. This fuzzy little black mop has changed my life in ways I never imagined. Claire and I have traveled extensively attending dog shows, Meet the Breeds events, and a television appearance. With a lot of help from the International Barbet community, we arranged a breeding with frozen semen that I imported from Switzerland. I went to Paris and attended the World Dog Show. Every day is filled with phone calls and emails concerning the breed. Claire is the first Barbet in North America to win a Best In Show. Plus, she is completely smart, sweet and fun to be with. I am proud to have helped our American Barbet through their efforts to be recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Our Barbet breeding program is based on breeding sound, beautiful, and healthy dogs who are a joy to live with. Genetic diversity is of great importance, as is developing consistency within our litters. We are serious about having a line of dogs who are competitive at the shows and are easy to live with.
Fast forward to 1985 when I decided to get a whippet. Carol Harris had since gotten into the breed and her dogs were regularly seen in the show results that I studied. I knew that there was only one breeder for me to call. Carol had two pups for me to choose from, a male and a female, and I chose the female and picked her up a few weeks later at the Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio. The male that I could have had was BIS Ch. Bo-Bett’s Wild Waylon but my beautiful Bo-Bett’s Pretty Prima Donna (Cleo) was absolutely the perfect companion that anyone could ever want. She was my heart dog; the dog who knew what I was thinking, and when I was sad, how to make me happy. Although Cleo had points and specialty placements, she really hated to show. During this time I had also bought two Quarter Horse broodmares from Carol and as part of the deal I asked for a male pup from her current litter, a brindle boy I named Ivan. Ivan grew into a beautiful pup and we went to one show with him where Bo-Bett’s Ivan the Terrible was RWD at the Ravenna/Chagrin weekend at the Western Reserve Polo Grounds. We were so excited about our future with him, but it was not to be as Ivan was killed a few weeks later on our farm in a tragic accident.
Carol knew that my heart was broken about losing Ivan and she immediately put a 3 month old puppy on a plane to cheer me up. Phillip (Ch. Bo-Bett’s Maximum Overdrive) became my first owner handled champion and Cleo and Phillip traveled to all of the horse shows with us.
At Ravenna a few years later, we pulled our bus in next to Carol’s x-pen full of dogs. As I stepped out I felt as though I were looking at a ghost. Carol had a young dog named Bo-Bett’s Divine Lover, who was an absolute clone of my sweet Ivan; in fact, he was a littermate from a repeat breeding. I was enthralled and Carol promised that as soon as he finished his championship, I could have him. True to her word, Carol's handler finished him and dropped him off to us a few months later. He was glued to me from that moment on. Such a darling dog.
Carol sent her beautiful bitch Ch. Bo-Bett’s Divine Darlin here to breed to Lover. I ended up whelping the litter and Darlin never went home. I specialed her a little bit and one of my proudest moments was getting down to the final cut of specials at Ravenna under Audrey Sutton in an entry of hundreds of beautiful Whippets. I kept a gorgeous fawn dog out of this Darlin/Lover litter and I lost him a few years ago at 14 years of age. Gus was so special to me since both of his parents were some of my favorites and I hated losing that old Bo-Bett bloodline.
In the mid 1990s, I became aware of a great looking curly water dog called the Barbet. At the time, there were less than 5 Barbet in the United States. Although I joined the Barbet Club of America, the lack of available dogs made acquiring one an impossibility at the time. I kept my eye on the breed, and, as the North American popularity of the breed grew and the Canadian Kennel Club granted full registration status, I was able to purchase my foundation bitch in 2009 from Florence Erwin of Mississauga, ON. This fuzzy little black mop has changed my life in ways I never imagined. Claire and I have traveled extensively attending dog shows, Meet the Breeds events, and a television appearance. With a lot of help from the International Barbet community, we arranged a breeding with frozen semen that I imported from Switzerland. I went to Paris and attended the World Dog Show. Every day is filled with phone calls and emails concerning the breed. Claire is the first Barbet in North America to win a Best In Show. Plus, she is completely smart, sweet and fun to be with. I am proud to have helped our American Barbet through their efforts to be recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Our Barbet breeding program is based on breeding sound, beautiful, and healthy dogs who are a joy to live with. Genetic diversity is of great importance, as is developing consistency within our litters. We are serious about having a line of dogs who are competitive at the shows and are easy to live with.
I've primarily had Whippets since 1985, and I have also shown and finished Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Bearded Collies, English Cocker Spaniels, Italian Greyhounds, Spinoni Italiano, and of course, Barbet. I enjoy learning about all breeds and I love studying pedigrees and discovering what the strengths and weaknesses are within different lines. There is always something new to learn, and every experience offers amazing opportunities.
--Judy Descutner
An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language.
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