Suebel Labradors
OWNED BY SUSIE WILCHER
Specializing in breeding the performance "ENGLISH STYLE" AKC Labradors since 1990!
About Us
Suebel Kennels was started in 1990 under the name Suebel English Springers. Our first Springer was named Roger Rabbit, and I got him at the pet store in Pembroke Mall. Roger was the best dog I have ever owned (Springer or Labrador), and he gave me a passion for the breed. Sadly, Roger died at the age of 15, but those 15 years will forever be special in my heart.
After I bought Roger, I really started to research the breed. Then, after much consideration, I neutered my best friend—and believe it or not, he did forgive me. Roger, you see, was not what the AKC considered the ideal Springer in conformation, but his intelligence and unwavering love inspired the creation of a kennel that I could be proud of. Thank you, best friend.
Because I'm a horse trainer and I also show horses professionally, showing the dogs was not an option—it was a necessity! LOL, yes, I'm a freak! Showing beautiful, intelligent animals has always been my passion. So, into the ring I went with my new show Springers. I showed and bred English Springers for many years. Having a child kind of disrupted my plans. The upkeep of the Springer coats and the grooming was too much for me to handle. When my son turned 9 (and we started on baseball and homework), I gave up showing the Springers. I just didn't have the time. Because I stopped showing, I also stopped breeding.
THEN CAME RACHEL...
My friend Deven, of Grimaldi Labradors, had a beautiful litter of Lab puppies in her house, and I had the misfortune of seeing a lovely whitish “angel.” Oh my gosh... I just had to have her. I went home that night and told my husband that I thought she would be a beautiful duck dog and that I would buy him that new over‑and‑under shotgun he wanted to train her with. Well, of course he said YES! Actually, I think it was a HECK YEA. So the next day, I called Deven and arranged to pick up Rachel. Now I'm going to skip ahead about a year and a half...
It was February, and I was looking out my kitchen window when I saw my show Springer, Dori, and Rachel both poised, looking at a songbird on their picket fence. Dori was totally square—tail up, back flat, chest out, neck up—completely gorgeous as she stared at this bird. I thought, "WOW! What a nice bitch!" Then I noticed Rachel right next to her... There she was. Rachel, totally square, tail straight back, back flat, huge forechest, deep barrel chest, neck up with a beautifully sloping shoulder tie‑in, and, gasp, her beautiful boxy head with an exquisite expression. Oh my goodness—I knew in that moment that Rachel was show quality. Now, I had never shown a Lab in the conformation ring, and if I remembered correctly, I had maybe watched them a handful of times. To me, the slight jog that the Labs did in their ring was not very exciting. If I was done with my breed, then I would go watch the Irish Setters or English Pointers for fun.
So I called Howard Huber (Howard had shown several Springers for me and is a professional handler) and asked him to show her on the Raleigh circuit for three days. I also told him that if he didn’t think she was show quality, we would just not put her in the ring. Because I never thought Rachel would enter the “wild world of dog showing,” Raleigh was Rachel's first time at a dog show. Three thousand dogs in one big building sure did freak her out. Howard said he thought she was lovely, but she was scared of everything.
Day one, she got dumped.
Day two, she got dumped.
Now, I will say that Howard told me Rachel was not a happy camper but just tolerated trotting around and getting examined by the judge. Day three, I came to watch and take my bitch home. At ringside, I watched Rachel and saw what lovely movement she had—and what a miserable time she was having. So I BROKE THE RULE! I let my bitch see me and whispered her name as she went by. “Rachel,” I said softly. Rachel came alive—tail wagging and animated. She was so happy to see her mommy. I knew better and made sure I was in front of her when she stopped at all times. Rachel actually won her class and then went on to RESERVE Winners Bitch TO A MAJOR!! Let’s just say, for the next couple of months, I worked with her at several shows. She received several reserves to two points and also got a two‑point win with a BOW. Not too bad for never being in the Lab ring. For goodness’ sake, what the heck was a free stack? LOL! I caught on quickly, but I just can’t bring myself to jog. I will say Rachel and I float around the ring. And all the others that I now bring in the ring do the same. I don’t rush the dogs. Living on 21 acres and being used to working animals, we just cover ground at their natural gait.
Rachel is now comfortable in the ring. I tried passing her to a handler—still too busy with my son, who is now showing and jumping horses—but she will only be happy with me. So I show my girl for fun. You see, there is no grooming, no prep weeks before the show, no mounds of equipment. To show my Labs, there is one brush, one spray bottle, and paw wax! THAT I CAN HANDLE!! I will forever be grateful to the Springers who brought my passion for dog showing to light. BUT I am now wonderfully happy that my LABRADORS have made my passion a doable part of this stage of my life.
Today, the dogs I own are all Labradors. Sadly, all my Springers have gotten old and have passed to the Rainbow Bridge. I also do not breed the Springers anymore. I bred to keep and show. I'm hoping soon I will be in the BRED‑BY class with my new pup that was born on October 12th, 2009—SUEBEL'S TSUNAMI. I will keep you all updated. Hope you enjoy my site…
God Bless, Isabel “Susie” Wilcher, Owner and Founder of Suebel Kennels.
Pictured is CH Twin Holly Suebel (13y) and Grimaldi'Subl Central Perk (4y)
