Hello, we are Amy O'Brian and Jeff Markey!
Jeff and I grew up in the Sarasota/Bradenton area of Florida. When I was young, my parents bred and showed Doberman Pinschers and we traveled as a family to dog shows. I guess looking back, that is where the love for dogs and dog shows began.
When I met Jeff, Blitz, my Rottweiler, was the only dog I had. After some time, Jeff and I decided to get another dog. I always wanted a Pitbull so we set out in search of one, and discovered Harley. He brought new life to Blitz, our aging "puppy" at 10, and she loved him very much. One year after Harley joined our family, Blitz crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Our hearts were saddened, but having Harley helped to fill the void, and he was our only dog for four years.
Eventually Jeff and I decided we wanted another dog, so we did some research and both agreed on a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. After several phone calls and e-mails, I found a breeder in Ohio that had a litter of puppies. She was pleased to sell us a female and in March of 2005, Sheza joined our happy little family. We agreed to show Sheza, and like most, we thought she'd be a Champion in a day! I guess you could say we were a little biased :)
Jeff and I just love to go to dog shows! We started going to the Nationals as mini-vacations and one year at the Nationals in Arizona, we met Maryanne Goethals, who has become one of our good friends. During one of our conversations, she told us about Damon Folmar and his dogs. The day we arrived back from the Arizona Nationals, Jeff started researching Damon's kennel. After much deliberation, Jeff and I decided we would like a puppy out of Ch. Thorax Solo Thyme, which is Damon's stud dog. We contacted Damon, and after numerous e-mails and a meeting in Ocala at the Greater Ocala Dog Club Show, he felt we would make a loving home for one of his puppies, who is now our (Jeff's) girl, Spicy.
After a time, Jeff began researching pedigrees for a stud dog for Spicy. Following extensive conversations with Damon about different stud dogs, they both agreed that Arnham Ready to Rumble (Oscar) would be a good match for Spicy. During one of their conversations, Damon told Jeff that Dr. Dale Porcher, a breeder/vet in West Palm Beach, had bred a great aunt of Spicy's to Oscar and would be having a litter of puppies in late March 2008. We contacted Dale, and inquired about the possiblilty of a male puppy from the litter. Since we already met Dale at a show in West Palm and because he had met Spicy, he also shared the belief that a son of Oscar and Mango (Spicy's great aunt), would make a superb match; and so on May 14th, 2008 we welcomed Diesel into our family.
