About Us

Hello, my name is Mona “Mo” Stilson. I am a retired military officer (21 years in the Air Force) and currently working from home as a website designer. It gives me the flexibility of time that I need to properly care for my poodles and puppies. I am extremely passionate about standard poodles – mine and everyone else’s! When I close my eyes at night I still see poodles! The goal of my small breeding program is to breed healthy future champions in sport and conformation, wonderful loving pets, and excellent candidates for therapy, medical alert and service homes. My breeding dogs are fully health tested beyond CHIC standards. See their individual pages for health testing results. I pay a lot of attention to enriched puppy development, use Puppy Culture and Avidog protocols, and select mates wisely so that my puppies have wonderful sweet temperaments, are happy and confident, resilient to stress, and already have a head start on training before they go to their forever homes. My youngest son, Alex, and my husband Greg always help with the puppies. Poodles are our family passion! See “Puppy Development” page for more information on how I raise my puppies. This page is more of a history of MoJazz Poodles.

My husband (from Wisconsin) also retired from the Air Force, and 2 of my 4 sons are currently in the military as well. We have a lot of grandkids! We have lived in many states over the years (Louisiana, Alaska, California, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia, Louisiana again, Texas, and back to Colorado). After my military retirement in 2014, I moved home to Louisiana for a short time to be near family and in 2015, settled near San Antonio, Texas, where my oldest son lives, when my husband got a job transfer with the federal service. I lived out in the country on 5 acres for 5 wonderful years! I loved it, except for the burrs… My husband eventually, in 2020, got a promotion in government service out in Colorado, so off we went again! While I love Colorado, I do still miss Texas and all the wonderful friends I made there.

From my experiences in the military, I gained a love for continuous learning and improvement, research, and a passion for excellence in whatever I choose to do. It is my goal to continue to improve my breeding program, the way I raise my puppies, my conformation and performance showing skills, canine nutrition, etc, and I always welcome feedback. Life is a wonderful journey and poodles are fantastic companions for that journey! I am always happy to chat with a fellow or future poodle lover!

Mu Husband Greg and son Alex with some of the poodles.

I got my first multi-colored standard poodle in 2011 from Solo Standards and have been in love with this breed from the moment I held her. Having 4 sons, Jazz was my “baby girl” and she has the sweetest most loving temperament. At the time, I was stationed and teaching at the Air Force Academy in Colorado and had a little 12 pound mixed breed, Harley, who made me carry him on hikes. I was looking for a better hiking partner and decided to look into standard poodles. Jazz became the perfect hiking partner and so much more. I was teaching Human Factors, Human Computer Interaction, and a Systems Engineering Design Capstone. I needed those hikes with Jazz to stay sane and healthy!

My eventual breeding program name – MoJazz Poodles – is a combination of her name, Jazz, and mine. I named Jazz, MoJazz’s Jazz Has Captured My Heart. Jazz has been retired from having puppies, but continues to be my baby girl. Jazz and I earned her CGC and our certification as a working therapy dog team with Paws 4 Hearts Working Therapy Dogs when we lived in Texas. It made my heart so happy to be working with her as a team to bring others smiles, and physical and emotional support. We brought joy to so many in our local nursing home until the Covid lockdowns and our eventual move to Colorado from Texas sent Jazz into retirement from therapy. She still thinks its her job to greet people that come to visit us. 🙂 You might notice some of Jazz’s litters have state names for where her litters were born. We moved from Colorado to Virginia for her first litter, then Lousiana, and her final litter in Texas. She is happy to be back in Colorado again where all of this began.

Baby Jazz and Harley on one of our beginning hikes.

Jazz and I hiking in the snow.

Jazz and Harley

Our family minus one grandaughter and grandson. Only Alex lives in Colorado. Pic from Summer 2021.

I am originally from Louisiana and chose Mardi Gras colors when I began MoJazz Poodles. I started with parti-colored poodles, my first love, and had a lot to learn. My branding has changed over the years (although I still like Mardi Gras colors), as well as my focus. I breed for health, temperament, and conformation. I pay a lot of attention to genetic diversity. I now appreciate an elegant solid black as much as the multicolors. I am breeding each generation to improve on the last. I still get beautiful partis occasionally and am working towards quality phantoms eventually. My litters are usually still pretty colorful, but I will also have all solid litters occasionally.

I am an occasional artist but it has been a long time since I have had time to just paint. I get most of my creative outlet out through website design now. I had an idea of a painting in my mind that I had wanted to do for while, based on my poodles, jazz music, and New Orleans. Maureeen Broussalian took all the crazy things I mentioned and somehow knew things that I never told her, and did this commissioned painting for me. It included all my poodles at the time and all my family.

UGRCH MoJazz’s Jaxon Brews Trouble

My first show pup, Jaxon, joined the family in 2013 from a Wekay Poodles/Rose City Standard Poodles breeding. Jaxon’s sire (Apache) was #4 in the Top Ten multicolored standard poodles standings for UKC in 2013 and #5 in 2014. Jaxon’s dam (Jenna) was #2 in 2012. Jaxon’s full sister (Harlow) was #1 in 2015. I started exhibiting in conformation in UKC in March 2014 and I was hooked, but still can always use improvement in my handling and grooming skills. Its a wonder I ever learned how to walk straight and gait Jaxon properly. Jaxon was my first Grand Champion.

We did quite a bit of training in Rally Obedience and a little in agility. Jaxon always wants to please. Jaxon earned his URO1 title and two qualifying trials towards his first AKC Rally Title. We had hoped to do more competing in Rally and earn more titles, but conformation shows and other poodles to title have gotten in the way of being more productive at performance competition in general. But Jaxon’s son Samson, from our “Virginia litter” is heavily titled in Rally Obedience so at least he passed on those awesome biddable genes. Jaxon has been my handsome goofy loving boy who always has a toy in his mouth for us to throw or play tug. He loves to give ear nibbling kisses. He is the great puppy socializer! He loves puppies and is so gentle with them, even when they are not his own! Jaxon also passed his therapy dog training certification, earned his CGC (canine good citizen) and we did therapy visits as a working therapy dog team with Paws 4 Hearts Working Therapy Dogs in San Antonio. He retired from therapy to give Jazz a chance at it.

MoJazz Sugar and Spice Roux

Roux is the perfect combination of Jazz and Jaxon from our “Louisiana Litter.” She is beautiful, so loving and playful, but is also quite mischievous and naughty. She gives the best hugs and never leaves my side when I have a migraine. While I had hoped to add her to our program, and started showing her as a novice puppy, she grew an extra premolar right before we were to begin her official show career and I ended up spaying her. I found out after that extra and even missing teeth, while not great, are fairly common in standard poodles. She still takes my breath away sometimes, even shaved down. And when I need a good cry, she is the one that will ignore my objections and “go aways” and just hug me while I cry. We call her the serial hugger as she eventually has to hug anyone visiting. Its her super power.

UCH Mozaic Mischief Makin Maya

Maya joined our home as our new show puppy from Mozaic Poodles in November 2015 and we had a lot of fun showing her in 2016. She earned her UKC Championship and 4 of the 5 legs needed for her Grand Championship. She had so much coat and I loved brushing and grooming her for shows. She was such a clown and even though she was my largest poodle at the time, she acted like a joyful puppy! She earned her UKC SPOT (like AKC CGC) and we worked at home with her in Rally. Sadly, Maya and I didn’t get to finish that grand championship or compete in rally obedience. While I was out of state, she had to have emergency surgery after becoming obstructed from swallowing a sock and didn’t make it. I was devastated and still miss her.

I loved our property in Texas. We had 5 acres with a beautiful meadow, gorgeous oak trees, and a large relaxing deck the puppies, adults and humans got to enjoy. I loved watching my neighbors sheep and horses in the pasture next door. I had a wonderful grooming room with stone floors and a cedar ceiling with sliding glass doors out to one side of the deck. It usually became the puppy room once we were crate and potty training. I miss it so much. I’ve had to make do with a less than ideal setup once we moved.

UKC CH Wekay’s Jade Rocking At MoJazz

A few months after I flew to Michigan to get Maya, I brought Jade home from Wekay Poodles in 2016. She is my beautiful smaller standard sassy and sweet girl. She was my first genetically diverse poodle. Jade and Maya grew up together and were the best of buddies. Jade and I earned her UKC Championship, and one of her five wins/legs to earn her grand championship. She had so many reserve champion of champions, in large champion classes, that I lost count. Judges loved her movement and her how square she was, but we just couldn’t seem to get those grand legs.

Jade took a Super Puppy Sports Foundation class and we eventually began training in agility and trained for a year in advanced levels in rally obedience. We had fun and my ultimate goal was to eventually compete in agility and Rally with her but it didn’t work out that way unfortunately. We took a break from agility after Jade fell off the A-frame before her pre-breeding hip X rays were done. After she had her final Hip Xrays done and the rest of her health testing, she went into heat and had her first litter in February 2018. She has been a phenomenal mom. So very sweet with her puppies and even helped co-raise Cayenne’s puppies. Jade went to a guardian home a couple hours from our house in Texas with Julie and Dave and is very loved and spoiled and became a ministry therapy dog for awhile. I missed her terribly and it almost killed me, but I am blessed with a fabulous forever home for her. She was the first adult I placed and it was extremely hard. My keepers out of Jade’s litters were Hero (stud was Karbit Poodles’ Hunter), Quest/Arlo (stud was Tova Poodles’ Oliver), and Breezy (stud was import boy Sorely coowned by Shyre Poodles and others). They were all in guardian homes. Arlo did not work out and was neutered. Jade is now retired and moved with her family to Arkansas. She is her owner’s medical alert service dog.

Jade’s first litter with klienpudle Hunter

Jade’s 2nd litter with Oliver

Jade nursing her own Oliver babies and Cayenne’s pups. Coparenting at its best! Lol

Jade showing off her Sorely puppies to her guardians, Julie and Dave.

Jade playing with her Sorely puppies outside while trying to wean them.

Jade keeper Hero from Hunter

Jade keeper Quest/Arlo from Oliver

Jade keeper Breezy from Sorely

I bred Jaxon to the lovely GRCH KayCee, a silver brindle belonging to my friend Kathryn at Rose City Standard Poodles, for the March 2017 Texas Wildflower Litter. KayCee’s owner asked me to lease her and whelp/raise the litter after they were bred as she was going through foot surgery. We loved KayCee like our own while she was with us. She was so funny and could open doors, zippers, crates. One day we thought we lost her and were panicked. Then I hear the pantry creaking open and out she walks with a pack of crackers in her mouth. She had closed the door behind her so she could shop in private. LOL Her pups were phenomenal and I put a few in guardian homes to maybe use in my program eventually.

Annabelle lived close in Texas and with the help of her guardian mama, Jimmie, we earned her UKC Grand Championship. Jimmie showed her locally and I showed her for most of the away shows. She was a joy to show, made it to the best in show ring a few times, earning one Reserve Best in Show Ribbon.

Her sister Glory lives in Louisiana 9 hours away in my home town, with Peter and family. I did earn Glory’s UKC Championship, but I’m sure had she been closer, we would have easily earned her grand championship. She was so awesome in the ring the very few times I did get to show her.

Brother Sage is in Massachusetts with guardian Laura and is doing great working on all his Rally titles.

KayCee from Rose City Standard Poodles

KayCee and the Texas Wildflower Litter

KayCee and Sage

UR02 MoJazz Texas Sage Summer Night (Sage)

UCH MoJazz Morning Glory Sunrise (Glory)

UR01 RBIS GRCH MoJazz Mountain Pink Sunset (Annabelle)

Enjoying showing with Team Texas Buddies and other exhibitors, with Annabelle and Glory!

UGRCH Mozaic Lil Dust On My Boots

Desi Bear, my large blue phantom girl, is a parti-carrier and joined us as a pup from Gina of Mozaic Poodles in Fall 2017. She earned her UKC Grand Championship title. I knew she wasn’t going to be small, but she is 26.5 inches and still a big puppy bear at heart! Her large size made showing a bit more difficult and we had 14 reserve champion wins, a couple 3rds and an award of merit, in mostly large champion classes during her lanky stage, before she matured and started winning first place in the champion class. Desi lives in a guardian home in San Antonio with Cynthia. We had two misses with two different AKC CH and GRCH studs, but 3rd time was a charm and she had 11 puppies with her first litter with DJ at age 5! I kept a solid blue male, Sorejk (guardianed locally with Terje) and a solid blue female, Firefly.

Desi first show as a puppy.

Desi with Greg showing her as a lanky teenager.

Desi and Greg hanging out at a local show.

Desi and Greg getting a win pic for their Group win.

Desi earned her Championship at Gateway.

Desi and I at a show earning qualifying wins towards her Grand Championship.

Desi when she earned her UKC Grand Champion.

Desi’s first litter with DJ

MoJazz Lil Dash Of Cayenne

Cayenne, a small 20 inch red girl was a gift from my friend Jennifer of MNJ Poodles. I got my first red head and Jenn got a website. She came here as a young adult, passed all her health testing and we had our first litters with red in them. Cayenne is a very sweet super cuddly girl. We wanted to work on a red and white program – very slowly – as Cayenne is solid red and so we were many years away from red partis. My keeper from her first litter with Chance at Karbit Poodles, Chipotle, was guardianed and is a parti carrier but did not work out. I kept Freedom, a parti and phantom carrier from Cayenne’s 2nd litter and she is guardianed in Texas. Freedom’s sire was UCH Gus at Artista Poodles. Cayenne also had a litter of 3 with Hero, but I didn’t keep any. Cayenne retired to a home in Texas with Darlene and family and is greatly loved there.

Cayenne’s first litter with Chance

Cayenne and Gus pups

Cayenne and Hero pups

Cayenne helping at the puppy party!

Chipotle (Cayenne and Chance daughter)

Freedom (Cayenne and Gus daughter)

MoJazz Hero Of My Heart With Regency

Hero was my keeper from Jade’s first litter with Hunter, a Russian and Swedish lined kleinpudle. He is co-owned with my friend Ann of Regency Poodles. He is my most genetically diverse poodle and is only 19 inches. I showed him in IABCA in Texas and he earned his International Champion title, but I forgot to send in the paperwork by the deadline. He is a happy, social, cuddly lover boy who passes that temperament onto his offpsring. I absolutely loved this boy and really enjoyed training in Rally Obedience with him. Unfortunately, I had to place him in a guardian home, once we were moving to Colorado, due to dog limits here. Thankfully I found the perfect home for him. I have two Hero keepers, Joy and Vino, from his litter with Aubrey. Hero lives in a guardian home with his littermate sister in Colorado with April and family and is quite happy there. I get to see him fairly often which I’m so happy about.

Baby Hero

Hero with one of his pups with Aubrey.

Hero working for some treats while he was visiting.

Vino, my Aubrey and Hero keeper

Joy, my Aubrey and Hero keeper

BIS UCH MnJ Berries and Pop At MoJazz

I brought UKC Ch Aubrey home as an adult from my friends at MnJ poodles and coowned her with them, when Jennifer was having back issues. I was excited to use her as she has great genetic diversity, I loved her nice front and rear and she carried so many colors and patterns. After her first litter of small standards with Hero, she went back to MnJ to maybe have a litter there. However, the standards were just too much to groom and care for with back issues and MnJ had to get out of standards altogether. I then brought Aubrey to Colorado and found a guardian home for her for awhile. She loved the family, but wasn’t happy as an only dog. She came back to my house before her final litter with DJ. Aubrey is super chilled. She is also very cuddly, affectionate, funny, and her puppies temperaments are amazing. She has produced some really beautiful puppies in a rainbow of colors. My keeper from Aubrey and Hero is Aubrey’s mini me Joy, who is guardianed in Colorado. My keepers from Aubrey and DJ are Skye (guardianed in Colorado), Poudre (coowned with Karen Scopel of Prairiedog Poodles), and Stunner (will go to a guardian home). I also ended up coowning Barney with Raechel Drill. Aubrey is spayed and retired to a home in Texas with a Jade puppy home. It was really hard letting her go but we had to due to dog limits in Colorado.

UCH Aubrey won a Best in Show with her breeders Mike and Jennifer of MnJ.

Aubrey loves being in a lap and getting all the love

Aubrey and Hero pups (her 1st litter)

Aubrey and DJ pups (her 2nd litter)

Aubrey and DJ pups (her 3rd litter) and my first browns!

Aubrey keeper Joy (sired by Hero)

Vino, my Aubrey and Hero keeper

Aubrey keeper Skye (sired by DJ)

Aubrey keeper co-owned boy Poudre (sired by DJ, coowned with Karen)

Aubrey keeper Stunner later went to a pet home (sired by DJ)

Aubrey boy Barney, co-owned with Raechel Drill (sired by DJ)

UGRCH Shyre’s Gift Of Hope To MnJ

DJ, bred by Shyre Poodles, came to us from our friends at MnJ Poodles when they had to get out of standards. I had gotten to hang out with him at shows and he was quite the handsome lover boy. I was thrilled to be able to purchase an already GRCH titled stud, quite diverse genetically, who just needed his health testing. I co-own DJ with his breeder, Rebekah. He has sired two gorgeous litters with Aubrey and one with Desi. I adore his offspring. He and Aubrey gave me my first ever brown pups! DJ lives in a guardian home in Colorado and is greatly loved by Judy. We enjoy when he visits for grooming or breeding. My keepers from DJ and Aubrey are Skye, Poudre (coowned), Stunner, Barney (coowned). Keepers from DJ and Desi are Firefly and Sorejk. See their pics in each girls’s section.

DJ at a show where I got to show him in the Grands Class and he won two Best of Breeds and Group placements. I had not intended to show him, but we needed competition for the champion class, so he went with the natural curly look.