# Sunset Maple Poodles in Northern Illinois (Red Standard Poodles)



## Coldbrew

I'd actually not heard of this breeder (I'm from Illinois and recently got a spoo). They look good by website - health tested parents, only a few dogs. I can't tell from a quick look if they show or compete their parent dogs and it would be nice if they did.

Celeto Standards and Safari Standards come to mind for good, "dark" poodles (mostly blacks and blues if I recall) in Illinois.


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## MiniPoo

Their website says they do not show but they do do some agility.

Celeto is a very good breeder. They do require their puppy owners to fed raw.


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## kayla_baxter

I automatically put a breeder on my no list if they give the option of paying more for full registration. Full reg should be offered by the breeder if the dog is a show/working prospect, not because someone will hand over more cash for "breeding rights". While the health testing is nice, I see no titles, either confirmation or performance. For $1800-$2000 a puppy I would pass and a breeder who is the whole package. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lily cd re

My Lily's sire is a Safari dog, Ch Safari's MyDear Watson at Rio. They do have a good reputation for blacks and they show.

I think Viking Queen's breeder is somewhere in your neck of the woods.

Also if New Jersey really works for you too then think about Linda Howard and Scheherazade. I now a person with one of her dogs fairly well and she is a very nice girl. Linda breeds for sound health and easy temperaments. NEW JERSEY POODLES


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## peppersb

I have also heard very good things about Linda Howard and Scheherazade.


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## CharismaticMillie

Coldbrew said:


> I'd actually not heard of this breeder (I'm from Illinois and recently got a spoo). They look good by website - health tested parents, only a few dogs. I can't tell from a quick look if they show or compete their parent dogs and it would be nice if they did.
> 
> Celeto Standards and Safari Standards come to mind for good, "dark" poodles (mostly blacks and blues if I recall) in Illinois.


Safari is good! All of my dogs, except one, are out of the Safari line. 

Celeto is no longer breeding.

In Indiana, try contacting Azel Poodles. http://www.azelstandardpoodles.com/ In Illinois, Natalie's Poodles. http://www.nataliespoodles.com/ Both breeders currently have or are expecting puppies. In Kansas City area, Court Hill Poodles is expecting a litter. www.courthillpoodles.com


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## Viking Queen

Hello,

My girl Iris came from Ann Rairigh in Louisville KY, her dogs are outstanding. Iris is a good inky black, even at age 13 1/2....her little face is aging grey over the last couple of years though.

Krista Fields ...Azel Standard poodles has puppies and her dogs are from Ann Rairigh's bloodlines. Krista is in Indianapolis IN. The sire of one of Krista's dogs is the very well known "London"...... He was campaigned and shown to his many championships by Ann Rairigh.

Best of luck with your search.

You could not go wrong on either of these.

Viking Queen

Here is a nice closeup of Iris' face, my sweet girl. Click to enlarge the thumbnail.


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## MiniPoo

CharismaticMillie said:


> Safari is good! All of my dogs, except one, are out of the Safari line.
> 
> Celeto is no longer breeding.
> 
> In Indiana, try contacting Azel Poodles. Welcome to Azel Standard Poodles In Illinois, Natalie's Poodles. http://www.nataliespoodles.com/ Both breeders currently have or are expecting puppies. In Kansas City area, Court Hill Poodles is expecting a litter. Court Hill Poodles


Wow, sorry to hear Celeto's is no longer breeding. I came close to getting a puppy from them and had them in mind if I get another poodle sometime.


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## peppersb

DJC said:


> I live in Indiana; I'm starting to look for a Standard; preferably a darker color (red, black, brown, blue, silver, etc.). Ideally, I would find a breeder close to home (or a short drive).
> 
> Any other suggestions for Standard Breeders in this part of the Mid West?
> 
> *Also, I travel frequently (by car) to New Jersey to visit family. So I'd be open to looking at any breeders around there (or between here and there).


Another suggestion is Rosebud Poodles in central PA. They have a 10 week old black girl now who they were thinking of showing, but have now decided to keep her sister instead. The puppy's mother is a full sister of my Cammie. Very nice pedigree and fully health tested. The puppy will be a small standard.


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## DJC

I know it's been a few months since I posted this; I do sincerely appreciate all of the feedback, and the recommendations are appreciated and will be used.

In addition to the breeders suggested here, I have looked into Louter Creek and Arreau (who I know is very active on this forum); both are about the same distance from me (I would absolutely pick up a puppy rather than have it shipped...even if it means making it a full weekend endeavor). My only concern with Arreau is the logistics of the different countries. I'm sure it's something that can be worked out...I just don't know what's involved. And I like what I've read about Azel Poodles; I had not previously heard of them.

I would also appreciate any feedback on breeders that breed browns; I haven't seen many.

As for why it's been so long since I replied to this post...
I'm an analytical person, and I posted this in an effort to gather information for my next dog, which is going to be a Standard Poodle. But in hind sight, I was also trying to detach myself from the situation that I was in at the time. That situation was...

I had a 14-year old Golden Retriever (Riley) that had a very aggressive form of cancer. We removed a tumor in December; it was growing back by the end of February. And his lymph nodes were enlarged. And he had a softball-sized tumor in his stomach. So you can probably guess where this ends. 

I have 4 kids (ages 18, 14, 10 and 5)...so the youngest 3 have no memory of life before Riley. I knew it was coming and I thought I was prepared, but I was in denial...and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

So after that, I wasn't ready to even think about another dog. And I'm still not ready to go get one. But that day is coming. So I will be more active on this forum at some point in the not too distant future. 

Thank you!


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## Streetcar

DJC, I'm so sorry for your entire family's loss. Riley was surely almost like another parent to your youngest children.

Maybe try to keep looking now, because it can take a while to get a great puppy from a fantastic breeder. Keep up with breeders' websites, maybe get in touch with one or two. I'm sure Arreau knows about the logistics of importing a puppy and you might do well to reach out to her now, because current rules might make it necessary for a Canadian breeder to keep the puppy for extra time since one doesn't want to vaccinate for rabies too soon. I think she just sent a puppy girl off to Montana or Wyoming, so she would have current info.


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## DJC

Streetcar - Thank you. I know it takes a while to get a good puppy from a good breeder; that's why I started looking so early...in hind sight maybe a little too early. But I will start looking again very soon. I don't have a specific time frame, but I feel like I want to be house breaking a puppy before it gets really cold. So I probably want to think about getting a puppy in the July/August/September/October time frame. If that's not possible, I would most likely wait until next spring.


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## Mfmst

I am so sorry about Riley. The right Poodle at the right time will happen. Hugs from Houston.


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## Mfmst

I would take a pass on Sunset. For that money, I want conformation titles of sire and dam. My advice is to PM Cherie with Arreau.


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## DJC

Mfmst - Thank you!!


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## DJC

I'm in a weird (and unfamiliar) place right now. 

Again...I'm a very analytical person. This is what analytical people do when they have spare time...
I calculated how many days (approximately) that I've been alive. Then I subtracted out the first two years (because you don't remember a lot before you're two years old). I came up with 17,227 days.

Of those 17,227 days, I've had at least one dog with me for AT LEAST 17,100 days.

Right now I have no dog. And it hurts.


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## Streetcar

Mfmst said:


> I would take a pass on Sunset. For that money, I want conformation titles of sire and dam. My advice is to PM Cherie with Arreau.


What Mfmst said. Completely.


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## Streetcar

DJC said:


> I'm in a weird (and unfamiliar) place right now.
> 
> Again...I'm a very analytical person. This is what analytical people do when they have spare time...
> I calculated how many days (approximately) that I've been alive. Then I subtracted out the first two years (because you don't remember a lot before you're two years old). I came up with 17,227 days.
> 
> Of those 17,227 days, I've had at least one dog with me for AT LEAST 17,100 days.
> 
> Right now I have no dog. And it hurts.


Um, when you get the right Poodle, you'll have a fellow analyst working right along side you .


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## Viking Queen

Cherie's puppies, Arreau, wow! What I wouldn't give to have one of hers......

You mentioned Azel's in Indianapolis. Her females are all from Ann Rairigh's Litilann's Poodles. They are really georgeous dogs and Ann has been showing and breeding for Decades. While I don't have an Azel dog I do have one from Ann Rairigh. She is Iris and is now nearly 14 years old. I would get another one from Ann or from Krista Fields of Azlel's. Iris has been a dream dog and everything I would ever want in another. Ann is in Louisville Ky so would not be far away for you.

On the other hand, sigh, those red heads of Cherie's are very very tempting. 

Give Krista or Ann a call just to cover your bases. I know Krista is planning to breed Jewel, her little white Standard, as soon as she comes in season. Jewel would have white or black puppies. She has a lot of blacks in her pedigree and black is a dominant color.

Best of luck with your search, it is worth waiting for the right dog. I waited 9 months for Iris and it was so worth it.

Here is a close up fo her little face. Happy puppy hunting. Viking Queen


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## FireStorm

Hi DJC, 
I'm so sorry to hear about your golden. 

I have a black spoo, but initially started out looking for red or brown. We opted for black because we wanted a pup sooner rather than later and found a wonderful breeder close to us who breeds blacks. I realized that finding a quality red or brown was going to require more time and travel than I initially thought. I still want one someday, when the time is right, so I'm keeping a list of breeders I like.

For Reds, Arreau and Louter Creek which you know about, and also NOLA in Louisiana. I'm specifically looking for high drive, which I think the Louter Creek dogs probably are. 

For Browns, I've only found one breeder so far (unless Hans' breeder starts producing more browns): Autumn Hills in WI. They co own a dog with a woman who has a puppy from the breeder we got Hans from, so I see their dogs on Facebook occasionally - they are doing well as retrievers, compete in conformation, and do the necessary health testing.


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## FireStorm

I'm adding to my earlier post, because I found the info for the person who co owns with Autumn Hills and has the puppy from Hans's breeder. Sun Valley Standards, she has primarily Browns and Blacks I think.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle

Thanks everyone for the vote of confidence!

Becky Godbey at Magic Hour has some stellar browns. I am not a fan of browns but hers blow me away.


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## spindledreams

Yes Becky does have some nice browns coming from her blacks. Kirk her black male is FANTASTIC. Her bitch Kitty is a half sister to my Phoenix who is going to become a service dog  Becky likes the whole package and is a really nice person. 

The father of both Kitty and Phoenix is actually owned by Heather Bryan who lives in Utah.


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## katbrat

I stalk Arreau's puppies,(not in a creepy way....in a "what I wouldn't do to have one of her puppies" way!  My dh has talked to Louter Creek and they are very nice and helpful as well. I keep telling dh that Lexi needs a puppy for her birthday or Christmas.


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## Beaches

Katbrat,
I too stalk Arreau's kids - the 4 legged kind. One day she is going to realize how much Journey girl would love my beach. She knows I stalk her but don't think she is too concerned, right Cherie? Journey and Pearlie girl are breathtaking.


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## abrahamx

I know this is an old thread but it never gave much info on Sunset Maple. I am seriously considering buying a puppy from them shortly and was wondering if anyone has any additiional info/experience with them. I'm just buying for a pet so not to worried about papers etc... the big negative thing I read about them was their lack of showing and no confermation(I dont even know what that is) on the parents. Should I be worried or go ahead and purchase. they look like beautiful dogs but are 2k. should I go ahead and buy with confidence cuz one is available or for some reason wait for a better buy from another breeder?


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## MaizieFrosty

I don't know anything about Sunset Maple, but I do like that they do full health testing and are interested in genetic diversity. The conformation is not nearly as correct and pretty on those dogs as Arreau's dogs or Farley's D, however.


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## patk

be sure to verify health testing claims.


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## abrahamx

how do I do that?


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## abrahamx

MaizieFrosty said:


> I don't know anything about Sunset Maple, but I do like that they do full health testing and are interested in genetic diversity. The conformation is not nearly as correct and pretty on those dogs as Arreau's dogs or Farley's D, however.


Can you elaborate? I am new to this and am unfamiliar with poodles and conformation. what is the conformation and what is corret and where are the differences? and should I even be worried about it for a family pet. Sure I want the best looking dog also though. Now I have to consider waiting. Please help


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## Raindrops

abrahamx said:


> Can you elaborate? I am new to this and am unfamiliar with poodles and conformation. what is the conformation and what is corret and where are the differences? and should I even be worried about it for a family pet. Sure I want the best looking dog also though. Now I have to consider waiting. Please help


I know it is super confusing when you're comparing lots of breeders. In general I think my impression of Sunset Maple is that they look relatively good. There are a lot of points that seem really good in how they raise their pups and health testing and stuff. A few things that bothered me were that they seem inconsistent in the health tests they list for each dog, and it is unclear if all their dogs have their hips tested. They clearly extensively test their stud dogs, but maybe not their females. I would definitely not consider a pup from a litter that has not had hip testing of both parents. It's also unclear if their females are AKC registered.

They should have documentation to show evidence of their health testing. For OFA, they should be able to send you a link to the test results online. Sometimes breeders will send a copy of the paperwork results.

Conformation refers to whether the dog physically matches the breed standard for poodles. Their poodles aren't necessarily up to breed standard. I didn't really analyze them when I looked, but I do not think that breeding to the standard is a high priority for them. I know at least one of their dogs looked rather long-backed upon first glance.

For a breeder that does full health testing, has registered dogs, feeds raw, and uses puppy culture, I do not think the 2k price is unreasonable. Personally I would prefer to see some titles on the parents, be it show, obedience, or performance. This is because titles prove a dog's soundness in temperament, physical health, and trainability. It looks like they allow puppy picks in order, and this wouldn't be my preferred method but that's personal preference. I prefer to have a breeder pair pups with families based on their knowledge of best fit. But it is not uncommon to do it their way.


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## MaizieFrosty

Deep breaths. This is not something to rush. Learn all you can about poodles. Attend a dog show, read the breed standard. Read threads here on PF. Temperament and health are definitely the most important things, but conformation (body build) contributes to a more sound dog.

Expect to pay $1,500-$3,000 for a puppy from titled and health tested parents.


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## kmg

Beware - Do not purchase from this breeder.
We adopted our puppy from Sunset Maple Poodles in May of 2022. We were told that he was checked out and healthy. This wasn't the case. He smelled like urine when we picked him up and I thought it was from his litter mates. This was not the case. He has continued to leak urine requiring a diaper since. We have had him evaluated by 4 different vets and finally Ohio State Veterinary Hospital. The diagnosis is congenital uti issues from a kidney not formed correctly to urinary sphincter and bladder issues. 

We have kept the breeder up to date on all issues and she has continued to say he is healthy and will eventually outgrow the constant leakage. Ohio State has prescribed Proin and if the medication helps he will be on this for life.

This is our 4th standard poodle and we have never had this type of problem until we purchased from this breeder. We are extremely frustrated!!


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