Alayne Rae Mullen

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, my love of animals began when I was very young. My mother used to joke that she wouldn’t bother buying me baby dolls as I would only play with the stuffed animals. I would walk them, put them down for naps, name them all and pretend to be a veterinarian.

As I got older I studied every book I could get my hands on concerning training, health, care and breeding on dogs, cats, horses, sheep, fish and any animal I could. By the time I was 12, I had memorized every breed in the AKC breed book and was struggling between dogs and horses as my focus. My mother, who was severely disabled with a prosthetic leg, was not able to provide me with a barn and pasture so dogs were the sensible choice.

I would bring home various strays and my mother was always very understanding. She would tease me though and say "I better not come home to find a horse in your bedroom Lane Rae! ". I can laugh about that now but you don't know how close I came to actually having an equine roommate!

At the age of 15, I knocked on the door of our dog groomer at Hobby Hill kennels and bluntly stated, "my name is Alayne Mullen and I would like to learn how to show dogs". Well... Mary Beecher and Craig Padgett taught me! I remember many nights in their basement hand stripping Terriers, early mornings loading the van, late nights of unloading the van and the many dogs I helped get ready for shows. It was hard work and I learned that grooming dogs, keeping track of who needed to groomed on time and what ring they needed to be in was an art!

I didn't have a chance to participate in the Junior Handlers program... I was already in the breed ring! My first time showing a dog they handed me a young Airedale Terrier female and accidentally won Winners Bitch for 2 points. I remember them looking at each other and saying “Well… that won’t happen again”. From then on I showed dogs for them here and there when they needed me and LOVED IT!

I soaked up all the dog information I could like a sponge and spent about 3.5 years learning all I could from them. I also had several visits and conversations with George Ward (their mentor) and his advice was always the same. Shut up and listen; you will learn more with your ears open and your mouth shut.

Labradors were my first love. I remember the day I helped get the Terriers out of the van and spotted another handler with several beautiful Labradors. I wandered over to take a look at them and remember getting goosebumps. About then Craig and Mary came over to talk to the handler there. Mary looked at Craig and said. “Well…. I think we lost her”.

By the age of 21, I had been a professional handler’s assistant for a length of time. I had graduated from professional grooming school and was married and started a family. Labradors were already a part of my life and though I was working full time, I would attend shows as often as possible. The prefix of “Coldwater” was chosen because we read that "Any good Labrador will be one that is willing to enter cold water" and that seemed like a perfect fit for our program. Of course, we dabbled in Beagles as well. My brother owned a show bred Beagle that I took to a few events and we competed a bit in the Beagle Large Pack field events. We had a few Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and also German Shorthaired Pointers at the time.

By the age of 33, I was divorced and had obtained certifications in small animal nutrition, canine massage therapy specializing in sports medicine and canine behavioral science. I also attended handling, breeding and grooming seminars as often as possible. I also graduated from taxidermy school, earned a black belt in Taekwondo and raised two wonderful children who I am very proud of. Sadly, Beagles were in the past for me....but soon to be in the future!

In 2009 I decided that Beagles were just my destiny. Everyone in my family loved them and as I went to the shows I always found myself staying near the Beagles when they were in the ring far longer than I should. I just loved them! Plus, at that time, the breed really needed some help. I purchased MY first Beagle and aimed my program towards UKC field at first, becoming a UKC Beagle conformation judge. I helped start two UKC Beagle clubs in Virginia and then slowly converted over to AKC showing and hope to be involved again in more events as I get older. Maybe I should purchase an RV?

Over the years, life throws curveballs at you and I have had my fair share. I have moved from Michigan to West Virginia, Washington State, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. I currently live in FL and am looking forward to retirement, showing more, making new friends and loving life with my dogs.