About Us

It was a dark and stormy night. Actually, it was a typical Northern California day, cool breeze and bright sun in the spring of 1993. Four of us made the trek to the mountains to view a litter of puppies and hopefully to find "the puppy". Little did I know that the trek along those country roads would lead to a significant change in my life.

He was only four weeks old when I first saw him, all fuzzy with a bottlebrush beard and bright brown eyes. He had his sister by her throat and she was screaming. I fell in love but kept my Vet's advice in mind to select a puppy that wasn't too rambunctious and preferably female because I was purchasing the new puppy to join my older male. One of my friends had the same reaction to him though and he and I rationalized how this little hellion could somehow fit into the family.

About eight weeks later he came home. My old guy, Gus, being the gentleman and loving dog he was immediately adopted this wild child. Friends came over to celebrate the new family member and after much deliberation, and a few glasses of wine, came up with the brilliant idea to name him Gus the second ------ and call him "Twoey".

"Twoey"

Ch. Carlena's Gustav Goldhome, "Twoey" was bought as a pet and having purchased him from a reputable breeder I had signed a contract agreeing to neuter him. I was still ignorant at that time about the social and health reasons and responsibilities of spaying and neutering. I approached the breeder about how I might avoid neutering my baby. I was told that the only way neutering could be avoided was if the dog was show quality and completed the requirements to reach his championship. I found myself at a crossroads, to choose the path of the show dog or the path of the pet.

Twoey won his first show and then another and kept winning until a month later he "finished" and became my first champion. He ranked 28th in the Nation in 1994 and only showed four months of that year. Everyone Twoey meets is his new best friend and he mixes this attitude with lovely conformation and movement. I now know this is what enabled him to finish VERY fast but at the time I was just excited that strangers thought my manly little man was as perfect as I thought he was. Thank you Brenda Couey for handling him to his championship. Along the way I began asking questions and expressing the desire to help do some of the coat preparation and conditioning. Little did I know that the show dog path I had chosen was going to quickly become a freeway.

"Sootie"

Sootie joined the family in 1994, about a year after Twoey. Her registered name is Carlena's One Bad Ash. She is a robust little ball of fire and brimstone that energetically lives up to her name. Although Sootie isn't a champion, she and Twoey produced a champion daughter, "Gussie", Ch. Goldhome's Augusta V Carlena. Gussie produced a champion granddaughter, Ch. Carlena's Bad As I Want To Be, "Willow" and Willow produced Ch. Carlena Goldhome Like a Rock, “Rocky”. Sootie's primary role is to mentor the new ones, manage the house, and generally ensure everyone respects her above all else. Sootie is like the little girl who can be a mile away from the mud puddle but still gets dirty, on purpose.

"Fancy"

"Fancy", Ch. Carlena's Fancy That, joined the family shortly after that and she is my first show dog that I showed. Fancy is like the little girl who can play right next to the mud puddle and never gets dirty. Feminine and classy, Fancy was slower to finish primarily because I was learning on her. In spite of that I was able to put eight of her fifteen champion points on her with me at the end of the lead, including one major. Once Fancy finished her championship she produced a lovely litter of puppies sired by Ch. Wy-O's Doc Holiday. We kept a puppy I named Goldhome Fantasy of Carlena, "Tess".

"Tess"

Tess is the first of my dogs that I am can proudly say I am the breeder-owner-handler of all the way to her championship. She finished very fast in spite of the fact I am still a student of the art. Her very first show, she won two points from the puppy class. She started showing in the spring of 1999 and finished by winning a third major at the specialty later that year. I can't express in words how wonderful it feels to finally feel like I somehow pulled it all together long enough, often enough, to present her in a way that let others appreciate her elegance and grace. Thankfully, she's lovely enough that it compensates for the many mistakes I continue to make in grooming and handling.

Fancy was next bred to Twoey and they produced Ch. Goldhome Carlena Kiss N Tell, “KT”. She blends the best of the two and was a joy to show and continues to be a joy to live with. KT is just happy to be here and loves everyone.

Ready

Tess and Twoey produced Ch. Goldhome Carlena Ready To Go, “Ready”. You can look at Ready and just not be able to find anything you don’t like. She is a blend of the best of her parents and the breed. Added to that is the sweetest temperament in the world.

There are no exits on this freeway, just more lanes.

I haven't talked about the heartbreaks like "Smitty", an incredibly beautiful male from Twoey and Sootie's first litter. He became an incredibly beautiful companion to a wonderful family after he edged over the 14-inch size requirement.

"Ember" is another lovely puppy that didn't quite like the show ring and now resides with a wonderful woman. How can I forget "Lovey" who brought new levels of laughter to my home with her wonderful spirit and now brings it to her new owner. “Nicki” was going to be a show dog and then somehow just didn’t bring it all together. She now lives near Sacramento with a wonderful family. And “Cinder” is my most recent loss – incredible but barely 12 inches tall. She now lives in San Francisco in a wonderful Victorian with a woman who will give her the attention and love I don’t always have time to give anymore. These are the potholes of this freeway; you just can't keep them all so you try and only keep the best and share the rest with others.

Miniature Schnauzers have a way of getting into your heart. Whether it's the obvious intelligence you see in their eyes that first sparks recognition or the cellular connection that occurs anytime we meet a creature that somehow knows our darkest secrets and loves us anyway. It takes special humans to ensure their unique excellence is protected and improved. I was fortunate to get started with a human just like that and through her have met others with similar passion and dedication to protect and improve the breed.

Thank you Brenda Couey of Carlena's Miniature Schnauzers for getting me started on the "path" with dogs that in the show ring or home are beautiful in body, health and temperament. And thank you for sharing your "Merlin" talents so that I can, in my small way, join you to help safeguard the breed. Gus-Gus, wherever you are up there, you started something grand but you'll always be number one.