Mary Howley - Where it all began
The History of Candlewood Kennels
It all started in 1958 when 'Tugger' placed in my first field trial. I started doing litters in 1960 from good field dogs that I saw week in and week out.
I think the success of Candlewood as a breeder....is I have seen, watched, and ran against all of the dogs that are in our gene pool since 1958. A little over 80% of my pups go as hunting dogs, family pets, companions, and they do so well because of health clearances. Most importantly, our pups are raised in home environments and not a kennel situation.
We breed all three colors and have excellent field lines in these colors. I have also brought in excellent conformation lines that work well in the field and crossed with field lines. RESULTS - excellent working dogs that are pleasing to the eye. Then there is that old saying "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder"!!
Mary “Candlewood “Howley
Where we are now
Mary "Candlewood" Howley has always focused on breeding healthy, good looking companion and competition dogs. She established a name and reputation that is recognized and respected nationally and has produced some of the finest Labradors in history. In 2003, after my dog Patton won the National Retriever Championship, Mary and I became friends. She knew that I would need to learn the stud dog and breeding business quickly. Mary shared her wisdom and knowledge of Labradors, and of how to live a good life. She became one of my dearest friends, and I called her my “Mother Mary”. We traveled and competed with our dogs together, and eventually started doing our litters together. We jokingly referred to my house as Candlewood East, and her farm in Portage as Candlewood West. While Mary is now semi-retired, we are still doing things "Mary's Way”. With her great input and advice, we will continue to breed the high-quality puppies that Candlewood is known for.
Click on Patton’s link above to read more about Deb and Patton .
Deb Bredeson and Five Star General Patton