Introducing Zeke

Introducing Zeke

Zeke’s story doesn’t start with him… It starts with Mocha.

After everything Mocha and I went through, I knew I wanted to continue building something from her.

I had plans.

I thought I had it all lined up.

I had reached out to use an outside boy, very similar to Zeke, for 2 of my girls, and for months I had these pairings in my head. I advertised it. I was ready.

Then her heat cycle hit… And just like that, I was shut down.

He was no longer optional.

OR if he was the price suddenly changed drastically.

Either way, I missed it. And I was crushed.

Young. Just starting out. Trying to figure things out as I went. But a few days later… It was like God speaking to me, I came across a random photo on Facebook.

A dog, Scruffy hair.

Couldn’t even see his face.

Standing up on his back legs.

But something about him… I knew.

I reached out. and he was everything I thought I wanted, Color. Size. Look… And I’ll be the first to admit it… Back then, I was solely a color chaser.

I didn’t know what I know now.

I didn’t understand structure and temperament like I do today. I just saw something I loved, and I went for it.

But when I asked the price… It was more than I could afford. I was heartbroken. I knew he wouldn’t last long, and I knew I couldn’t convince my partner to spend that kind of money.

So what did I do? I begged. I begged her to hold him and told her I’d place a deposit the next day. Did I have it? Nope

So I went to work.

I took an entire week’s worth of grooming dogs… and did them in ONE day.

17 dogs.

I busted my ass in that shop. Sent the $1,000. Reserved him. But I wasn’t done. In fact, far from it.

I ran ads.

Made flyers.

Offered referral discounts.

Anything to get dogs in the door at my grooming salon.

1k… 2k… 3k… 4k…

It felt like I was chasing something I might not even reach. At any time this lady could have sold him and sent my deposit back.

Remind you this is All while still making my normal money I had to make on a day to day basis and bring home… because my partner had no idea what I was doing

Finally… I made it happen. Transport arranged. Dog secured. But of course..

I forgot about transport cost

So there I was again, last minute, busting my ass to come up with another $700.

But I got it done. And I brought home this,

Stunning brown merle phantom.

Deep mahogany red legs.

Everything I thought I wanted.

But what I didn’t expect? Who he actually was.

Biddable.

Eager to please.

Smart.

Soft in all the right ways.

He wasn’t just a look. He was IT.

Zeke was everything. And that’s where things shifted again.

I lost people I thought were my friends. People got weird. Energy changed. And that’s when I learned something early..

This isn’t always friendship.

This is business.

Competition.

Egos.

Jealousy.

It felt like high school all over again… Just with dogs. But I didn’t fold. I kept going, Because I was just getting started. And I’ll be honest.. When I realized Zeke could make money…

I ran with it.

I studded him out to anyone who asked. Anyone with money in hand, I said yes. Because in my mind… “It’s just sperm, right?” He makes it every day.

But I was wrong. And I learned the hard way. A few years later… Nobody wanted Zeke puppies.

Why?

Because everyone had them.

Everyone bred to him.

Everyone had access to what I had.

Except one thing… They didn’t have Zeke.

So I shut it down. Pulled him back. Regrouped.

And I did something different.

I built him. We went to work.

CGC title, completed after 8 weeks of training.

Then therapy work. Libraries, Nursing homes, Hospitals, Coffee shops, Walmarts. You name it.

Zeke showed up. Then we pushed even more, Trick dog titles..

Novice. Intermediate. Advanced. Completed.

Zeke became something bigger than what I originally saw. He became my standard. My reset. My lesson in respect. I took him off the market for a while, let things die down, and when I brought him back, everything changed. I no longer offered him the same way. Because I finally understood, Not every dog should be everywhere. Not every line should be overused. And not every dollar is worth it.

Don’t get me wrong, Zeke is still offered on the market.

But now, He’s priced at what he’s worth. Because I don’t just value what he can produce anymore,

I value him.

Zeke is a part of my foundation. But more than that, He’s my heart dog. Hes made an impact on people’s lives, he’s my soul. My pain in the ass. The one that grew with me… while I was still figuring it all out.

He taught me discipline.

He taught me restraint.

He taught me how to actually build something, Not just chase it. And because of him, Kentuckiana Poodles became what it is today.