Bob and Mary Ann Jackson have transformed a family farm into a nursery for prize-winning pooches
The Pekingese dog met the Western world in 1860, when the English military seized four dogs from the Imperial Palace in Peking (now Beijing) as booty. Dating from the 8th Century, the breed was considered a sacred possession of the Imperial family, and only those of royal blood were allowed to own the breed. And even today, in rural Stavanger, Teddy, an 8-month-old Pekingese pup, is, indeed, regal in appearance, with a broad, flat face, big round eyes, a plumed tail that curves gracefully over his back and majestic hair so long that he wears it like a cloak of honor.
“He is really something special. Not every Peke has a coat like this,” bragged Teddy’s owner, Bob Jackson. And he should know.
Jackson and his wife, Mary Ann, are the proprietors of The Fourwinds, a top Pekingese kennel in the Midwest and one of the best in the country, according to experts. Located in Stavanger, a bantam town with a population of little more than 25 people on the outskirts of Seneca, The Fourwinds has produced prize-winning Pekingese dogs for nearly 46 years. Even more impressive is that the Jacksons, both 71, have bred 220 champions thus far, a feat few breeders ever attain, according to Joe McGinnis, founder of the Lakeland, Fla.-based Orient Express, a monthly Pekingese breeding magazine.
“The sport of purebred Pekes is extremely competitive. It’s not for those without a sound sense of sportsmanship,” McGinnis said. “Bob and Mary Ann are rock-solid competitors, but when the show is over, they’re right back to being the kind of warm, friendly people that they are. They have a tremendous amount of dedication to their dogs. They take the whole thing very seriously and really do their homework. That’s probably why they’ve survived in this business for as long as they have.”
Although 40 or so dogs currently reside at The Fourwinds, as many as 75 dogs at a time have been kept in the kennel adjoining the 115-year-old farmhouse in which the Jacksons live.
“The kennel had air conditioning long before the house did,” Mary Ann said with a laugh.
The Jacksons sell about 30 dogs each year, with prices ranging from $500 to $800 for an average Pekingese, $1,000 to $3,000 for a prize-winning champion. Their dogs regularly participate in exhibitions, mostly in the Chicago area, in which American Kennel Club-registered dogs compete for points leading to championship status. The toy dogs are judged on disposition and appearance or what is called conformation (how well the dog is built). Some of the qualities that make a Peke a champ are a good, flat face (meaning that the nose is in line with the eyes), a good tail carriage, a flat back, the ability to stand soundly on its legs and a fearless attitude.
Marilyn Jewell, a breeder of Pekingese from Valparaiso, Ind., has known the Jacksons since 1968 and purchased from them as well. One in particular, Gossip, is a daughter of a champion Pekingese female imported from England by the Jacksons.
“Out of all the dogs I’ve had, Gossip is my favorite,” Jewell said. “Bob and Mary Ann have consistently produced some very nice dogs. They’ve been in the business so long, I count on them for advice and all sorts of information. I’ve learned a whole lot from them over the years.”
Because of their thick undercoats, Pekes need at least an hourly brushing session per week.
“Bob does most of the grooming, but I’ll do some brushing and fluffing up of the ears when it’s time for a show,” Mary Ann said.
Competing in dog shows serves several purposes: It advertises the quality of the top dogs and provides an information network on breeding activity, Bob Jackson said.
“You’re able to get the best dogs possible,” he adds.
Not only are they breeders and exhibitors, but Bob has also been a judge at various shows, including some in England.
“I guess you could say Bob and Mary Ann are internationally renowned and command a great deal of respect. They have a lot of years of experience,” explained McGinnis. “They don’t just ask anyone to be a judge, and in England, it’s considered an honor to be asked to judge.”
Only a few of The Fourwinds’ Pekingese are sold as pets, Bob Jackson said; the majority of their sales are made to other breeders and exhibitors across the country and overseas, including in Australia, Holland, Guatemala, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Germany, Austria, Poland, Russia and England.
Their reach has expanded tremendously since 1959, when the Jackson family was depicted as the epitome of a Midwestern farm family in a Chicago Tribune article that detailed what farm living was like during the cold winter months. The headline at the top read: “There’s little idle time on the farm, but downstate pair wouldn’t trade it.”
The photo that accompanies the story depicts a wholesome family of five gathered around a piano “finding time from chores for songfest.” At that time, Bob and Mary Ann were the young parents of three small children: Gail, 9, Cynthia, 6, and Van, 1 1/2. (Another son, Kim, was born the summer following the publication of the story.)
Their current successful enterprise started out as a hobby when Bob gave Mary Ann a Pekingese as a gift in 1952. Until then, they were a typical farm family, growing corn and soybeans on their 620 acres of farmland and raising 150 head each of registered Dorset and Corriedale sheep, in addition to a small herd of purebred Aberdeen-Angus cattle. With a keen interest in purebred livestock, Bob Jackson frequently ventured to county and state fairs throughout Illinois showing his farm animals.
“I was always involved in purebred livestock. That was my specialty,” he said. “I always wanted top quality animals, whether they were cattle, sheep or dogs. I strive to have the best animals, the best dogs. I have a true love for this, and I enjoy the challenge of a successful showing.”
“He loves the thrill of it,” his wife added.
Now, 40 years have passed, and Bob and Mary Ann still live in the same square, two-story white frame farmhouse. The grandparents of 10, the Jacksons will celebrate 50 years of marriage in July.
After Jackson retired from farming in 1985, the couple’s nephew, Randy Jackson, volunteered to take over the field work. Long gone are the cattle, and only a dozen sheep remain, tended by Van, now 41, and his son Luke. Kim, 39, and Van live within walking distance of their parents’ farm; Gail Steele, 48, lives in Marseilles; and Cynthia Erikson, 46, resides in Seneca.
As young children, one of the Jackson kids’ favorite activities was playing with the cuddly pups, but they had to remember that the kennel was a business.
“When we were growing up, we knew not to get too attached to any of the animals, especially the dogs. With Dad, everything has a price.” said Steele.
Holidays and birthday celebrations are always a family affair for the Jacksons. In November, lots of yelping could be heard from the dining room where there was a makeshift nursery for the several new litters of pups that were born a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving.
“(We were) forced out of the dining room for Thanksgiving this year. We’ve got a whole lot of puppies right now, and we usually only have one, two or sometimes three (puppies) at one time,” Mary Ann said. Each mother and her litter are placed in a whelping box that serves as a crib, equipped with a heating pad that keeps the fragile new pups warm. At around four weeks of age, the mothers and their offspring are able to join the other dogs in the kennel area.
The dogs continue to keep Bob and Mary Ann busy these days.
“We’ll keep doing this a for as long as we’re able. And sometimes, we’re hardly able,” Mary Ann joked.
They recently returned from a trip to England where they purchased several new additions for The Fourwinds kennel. Teddy is one of their new English acquisitions.
“It’s always fun picking them up at the airport. You never know how many (the Jacksons are) going to bring back.” Steele said. “Sometimes they’ll have eight or nine dog crates and a whole lot of porters helping them.”
As she reflects over the past 40-plus years, Mary Ann Jackson explains that life has been good to them.
“We’d like to stay on the farm for as long as we can. Our kids have all grown up, and they’re happy. Sure, they’ve had their ups and downs, but for the most part, they’re happy,” she said. “If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn’t do any of it differently.”
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To contact The Fourwinds, call 815-357-6356.
