'Tinkerbell' - Slushpuppy's Special Sleigher - completed her CKC Championship this weekend with a Best of Breed. She is now CKC / FCC CH Slushpuppy's Special Sleigher, HIC. In total, she was shown about seven times during the last three years, two single days in her first year (she received her first point at her first show), one show in the second year, two shows last year (one was FCC, one CKC) and two shows this year. While she may have completed her CKC Championship, there is still lots more for her to do!
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Ernie, Tinker and I made the 14+ our trip to NOWDA (Thunder Bay, ON) for the Alaskan Malamute Club of Canada 2012 National Specialty. Only Ernie was entered in the two Specialties, in altered class. He returned with two 'Best Opposite Sex' in Specialty wins for each show. He had a fantastic time, playing with Tinker in the room, hanging out with lots of people and eating way too many 'extras'.
My now ten-and-half year old Ernie, went to his - and my - first UKC show in Ontario. UKC seems to be moving into Canada, in a very big way and has many weekends of conformation shows, weight pull, lure coursing, obedience, and other events planned until July. I know they have events planned for Fall, too. I wanted to see what UKC was about, and they have a licsenced 'altered class' so I entered him. In total, there were nearly 200 dogs at the show (only a few altered, all the rest were intact dogs). Ernie came home with two 'Reserve Best in Show' (altered) wins - and two very pretty ribbons! Tinker accomponied him for the ride, but di
Tinker had another Best of Breed win at a Quebec show and now sits on nine points for her CKC Championship!
All three of my dogs received their AMCA CHD certificates and number from the Alaskan Malamute Club of America - so their numbers and certificates are now online, on each of their pages. They already had the Australian number, from the Australian Malamute Club of Victoria, and which essentially has a program operating in the same manner and with similar methodology.
Because of the harness business and the freeze dry food business, I decided to add a phone number, and also use it with the 'kennel' - the number is 1.613.294.8701.
Yukonjak's Seal of Distinction and Yukonjak's Ernie - Ooky and Ernie - recieved three more passing grades, each, for health certifications! Ernie had what will probably be his last thyroid check (registered this time), the new dentition certification (that the dog has the correct number of teeth), and his patellas cleared. Ooky went too and also recieved her dentition, thyroid and patella certification, as well! Last thing to do with Ms Ooky is spay her, have her hips done again, to compare to OVC from five years ago, and take all three dogs in for new CERFs this Summer. Tinker's CERF (eyes) is valid until August 2012 since I'm breeding her. Each dog has had: Hips, elbows, eyes, heart, patellas, dentition, thyroid and degenerative myelopathy certification - in addition to donating some DNA for future research for the breed, recieved their CHD certification through the Aust Club. Another DNA test - for polyneuropathy in Alaskan Malamutes - should be available May 2012 - and they will all be tested for that, as well. 'PN' as we call it, is an extremely debilitating disease - and completely preventable IF both parents are tested and proven clear. If however a dog 'carries' or is 'affected' then it can actually be bred safely as long as to a 'clear' - which is why it is important to know the status of as many dogs as possible. Unlike OFA certfications, DNA certifications can very, very quickly elliminate the disease.
Just for reference, Ernie's mother is Ooky's grandmother (and Tinker's great-grandmother). The original Yukonjak dogs (mostly Bearpaw and SkyFyre) are in all my dogs, multiple times - especially in Ernie. Cascade's Sabre Bear (mostly Williwaw/Targhee and very old Wakon) is Ooky's grandfather - and Ernie's great-grandfather (although Ernie is older than Ooky) - and ultimately Tinker's great-grandfather. And, the Snowlion in Ooky and Tinker, is obviously heavily related to the original Yukonjak dogs as both began with Sky Fyre, a working kennel (who showed, too). So, if you have three generations, as heavily related as I do, clearly the smart choice is to test all of them, if you are breeding from any of them. Fortunately, all three have many, many working dogs from the few working kennels out there (Sky Fyre, Snowlion, Storm Kloud, Strawberry Mtn, etc) and anyone who works their dogs, doesn't want 'sick things' on a trail or pulling ... Our Bertie lost his final battle, of many, yesterday. While he had not been well for a very long time, with several problems, you are still never really prepared for it. We will miss him, as will his very best friend, Ernie. While he wasn't related to my other dogs, Bert, Ernie and Ooky had many, many special times together. Bert would have turned eight next week :(
Tinker, Slushpuppy's Special Sleigher, passed the remaining certifications for various OFA health standards for Alaskan Malamutes. She was graded as excellent on her hips, and recieved pass or clear for elbow dysplasia, patella, cardiac (heart), thyroid, and eyes. She is the first Alaskan Malamute certified under the new OFA Dentition program (Veterinarian-certified and meaning she actually has all her teeth). She is degenerative myelopathy clear, carries long coat and has AMCV Chondrodysplasia Certificate #160. All four dogs had their DNA registered with OFA, for future testing and research, but it has yet to make an appearance on the OFA record. I phoned them Friday to ask why, and they do have everything, and it's just behind - along with the results for two more DNA tests.
Last Summer, Ernie was 'given' Ms Tinker's appointment for all these tests due to Ms Tinker coming into season so she couldn't be done when I wanted to have her done. But just in between the time of Ernie being OFA-certified last August, and Tinker in February, several new DNA and OFA tests became available. Five years ago, when I was first testing Ms Ook, there wasn't much - hips and eyes - and everything else I had to acquire the information and learn about, as the years went by. At any point I've discovered a Malamute afflicted with a disease, I've tested the dogs for it - if one is available. Every test you see under my dogs names, has a known, traceable Alaskan Malamute afflicted with that disease, regardless of whether anyone else is testing or not. Do not, for an instant, believe someone when they say "X only affects other breeds, not this one ... blah, blah, blah" - as I traced real information, real medical studies and diagnosis, I found at least (generally a lot more) one Malamute with each of the diseases for which I am testing. Sadly, there isn't a test for 'everything'. After Ms Ook had her basic hip, elbow and eye check, five years ago, with our Canadian OVC (no longer available), I became more and more interested in the health checks - and started looking into other tests, and taking the other dogs. Bert failed everything for which he's been tested. Heart, elbow and one DNA test became better-understood and its importance in testing, accepted, and so my dogs were tested for those diseases. I 'work' the dogs and even the 'neuters' deserve to have me make sure they are structurally sound to do that work, particularly coming into old age. So the neuters have been tested. Consequently, it wasn't a bad idea to take old Ernie back - he actually had OVC hip Xrays when he was young. But I wanted to make sure he was ok, years later, so it seemed like a good opportunity (plus I'm looking at some of his relatives as a sire for puppies with Tinker). It definitely doesn't hurt to check them if you are actually doing strenuous activity with them, breeding dog or pet. These health tests are designed, first and foremost, as an indicator of the health of the dog being tested; that someone may breed from that dog is an immediate second ... Patella also became a bigger issue, as more Malamutes are diagnosed with the affliction, though it's typically a young dog disease, as is elbow dysplasia. But in the last year multiple tests are now available for Alaskan Malamutes, with at least one not yet commercially available (polyneuropathy). At the point the tests become available, I've tried to take the dogs back in for whatever they are. When Ook has her hips and elbows re-certified with OFA this Spring (and to be spayed as she is past breeding age) she will have her patella and dentition certified - and one final thyroid test. One of the kindest things you can do for an 'older dog' that still 'working', is to have the hips examined a second time, to ensure they remained free of dysplasia (and other things). The 'bad thing' isn't finding something bad; the 'bad thing' is not knowing - and leaving something untreated! Since I was sick the majority of the week, and grounded inside for much of it, I added a lot more information to the 'diet' section of my Web site. I posted nutritional breakdowns for common food items, along with the real requirements for one of my 85 pound dogs, to compare. If you want any of the files, ask me, although I did put some items in the 'download' section. I also uploaded videos, one of Ernie eating a raw fish, to the HEALTH SECTION, under NUTRITION - and one of Tinker, the Solo Sled Dog, to the WORKING SECTION under SLEDDING (and also under MY ALASKAN MALAMUTES, TINKER). And I added most of the certificates I've recieved for various dog-related courses, seminars I've taken.
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the Cyberc@tBy trade I have been a journalist, photo technician, photographer, and art director. For the past 15 years however I've worked in media and design education. I still love to shoot portrait photographs of Alaskan Malamutes, along with action and other types of pictures. Archives
January 2015
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