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"Sasha" was our first Siberian. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She was named after her color (Red & White), and because we liked the name Sasha. She has the typical liver pigment and amber eyes for a red & white. She is
and has always been a pet and has been spayed since 6 months of age. Her best friend was Koko.
DOB: 8-22-1988 Sex: Bitch/Spayed Points: N/A Eyes: Clear Hips: N/A Photo
Catawba's Sunset Sasha 8/22/1988 - 9/30/1999
She wasn't the prettiest Siberian in the litter. 
I picked her because something passed between us. I looked at 20 different
puppies that day, but I couldn't stop thinking about her. So I
went back to get her. When I picked her up, she just wanted to
lie in my arms. She was quite a precocious puppy too. I will
never forget the race each day as I arrived home from work.
Although she ordinarily never tried to get out of the yard, she
did fit under the gates. When she heard the car pull in, she
would squeeze under each of the three gates to greet me. I had
to get out of the car and in the outside gate before she got there.
Finally one day she got stuck and screamed and howled so that the
neighbors thought she was being attacked.
From then on, she would spend her whole day on the top step of the pool, while snacking on the cedar bushes. Her favorite playtime activities while living in Arizona were battling scorpions and carrying the cat around the yard. Her best friend was a pit bull. When Koko arrived, she quickly adopted him and mothered him as best she could.
She learned several "party" tricks right away. She could sit, lay, shake hands, and hug.
She was a pillow, and a playtoy to dress up for the kids. She was a great foot warmer, but her favorite position was stretched out, with her head on the pillow next to me. (My husband hated that.) While in the house, she spent most of her time under the coffee table. She just liked to be around people.
She protected us from the nasty hot air balloons that threatened our home. She barked and barked until they went away, and then strutted around - proud to have scared off the bad thing.
She wasn't an angel though. She killed a chicken or two and a neighbor's rabbit. She flooded the basement one time while recuperating in the laundry room (and somehow turning on the faucet). I'd say that pretty much classifies her as a typical Siberian.
She never entered a show. She never won a ribbon. Her face was almost always dirty, and her coat coarse because she rarely shed it. She had an awful rear, and ran like a rocking horse. But she was always happy to see me. She was always willing to listen. She was my best friend through some hard times, and was happy to lick away tears. She was the first dog that I ever owned by myself.
I will miss her a great deal, and I hope I never forget her. She was the "sha" in "Nikosha". I wish I had had time to say goodbye, but I'm grateful that it was very quick and she did not suffer. I have never wanted so much to believe that I might see her again someday as I do right now. I can only hope.
"Cera" was our replacement puppy for Niki (even though we kept both of them). She, too, was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She was named after the Triceratops in the movie The Land Before Time, which my sons were enamored with at the time. She was gray & white. Cera was a very solid Siberian, structurally. She always did well at the shows, but did not enjoy showing off. She would prefer to curl up on your lap. Somehow, through a fence and unbeknownst to us, the lovestruck Koko managed to breed her on her first season. This happened to coincide with our move back to Minnesota. We drove all the way up here with this poor bitch nearly full term. She didn't show until 5 days before she had the puppies. A very POOR vet told us she had a month to go, and surprise! she had puppies 3 days later. She had 5 puppies, (although one died at 3 weeks): 3 gray (all girls), 1 black (girl), 1 red (boy). She was the very BEST mother. She is now spayed after a scary bout with pyometra. Cera used to be the alpha female, but has since lost that title to Meghan.
DOB: 2-4-1991 Sex: Bitch/Spayed Points: 0 Eyes: Clear Hips: Good Photo
Catawba's Triceratops 2/4/1991 - 10/5/2001
Cera was a pretty plain bitch, by most standards. 
However, she was just about the soundest bitch that I have ever seen! She didn't enjoy showing, and never did get a single point. She preferred to just stay at home. She was a fantastic mother, and she mothered all of the other puppies that came along over the years. She was the first dog that we would introduce the new guys to.
She never really did anything wrong and was very good for a Siberian. She didn't try to escape from the kennels, but did get out with the whole crew once when we first moved in. She came strutting home with a woodchuck!
She loved to stand or lay in the pool during the summer. Cera was the lead dog on our team in the winter. She loved to run and was a great listener!
Cera had a tough life at times. Kyra did not like her and chewed her up a couple of times (entailing many stitches). She was spayed at 7 years old after collapsing from a closed pyometra. She nearly died then, but we got her to the vet quickly enough that she survived (and in fact, flourished). About 9 months ago, she developed a lump on her neck which quickly started bleeding. She was diagnosed with a carcinosarcoma (a nasty cancer). She had surgery to remove the ulcerated lump, but did not have a good prognosis.
She was running and jumping yesterday morning. At the evening meal, she wouldn't come out of the dog house. We brought her in to make her more comfortable, as she was already in shock. She never made a single peep or complaint. She passed away quietly and peacefully overnight.
We will miss Cera's steadfastness. We will miss her leadership. We will miss her loving personality. Good bye my friend. Koko misses you.
"Niki" found a home with us about a year after Koko, when she was 7 months old. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She was named after her behavior the first few days living with us, and another Russian nickname. She is gray & white with a TON of coat. She started out as a show dog, with intentions of becoming our founding brood bitch. Sadly, she came up with cataracts at her one year exam. She loved to show and, at her second show, she won Best In Sweepstakes on a very muddy, rainy day at the Siberian Husky Club of Greater Phoenix specialty show. She is now spayed and gets around just fine, despite not seeing very well. She has never barked in her life. She's kind of a loner dog, and gets along with everyone.
DOB: 12-10-1989 Sex: Bitch/Spayed Points: 2 Eyes: Affected Hips: N/A Photo
Catawba's Naughty Nikita 12/10/1989 - 2/11/2004
Niki was to be our founding bitch. Sadly, cataracts intervened, and it was not to be. 
However, she gave me my most exciting show experience to date. In only her second show, she took Best In
Sweepstakes! She did extremely well in the show ring.
Niki had the most benign personality. She never caused trouble once she grew up. She was a devil as a puppy (hence her name). She was quiet and pleasant and wanted to play with everyone. She really never ailed from anything. Her cataracts matured, and she spent most of her adult life seeing very little around her. She had a keen sense of smell and hearing, though, that got her around with little problem.
She had been stumbling more lately and was less inclined to eat. She stopped eating and drinking yesterday morning, and was gone by this morning. Niki was the "Ni" in Nikosha.
"Koko" arrived at our home about 9 months after Sasha, our first Siberian. He was also born in Phoenix, Arizona. He was named after a pun on Coca-Cola, using a Russian nickname. He is jet black & white (although getting grayer all the time). The name Koko just seemed to fit him. With his stunning good looks, he started life as a show dog and kitty playtoy. He even fathered a litter for us. However, he just didn't enjoy showing,
so he is now neutered and happily retired. His best friend was Sasha, and he misses her greatly. He used to be the alpha male, but his son ousted him a few years back. Koko had a recent bout of old age, but is out of the hospital. He is happy to be alive.
DOB: 5-10-1989 Sex: Dog/Neutered Points: 1 Eyes: Clear Hips: Excellent Photos 1 2 3
Catawba's Koko-Kolya 5/10/1989 - 5/14/2004
Koko was our first show dog. Yes, it's his fault I got hooked on this sport. He was such a wonderful dog, as both a puppy and an adult. He got along with everyone, including the cats (that's him on the background of the website, playing with a cat). Koko fathered our first litter.
He suffered from some Spring allergy that left him completely deaf the last few years. But you could hardly tell
the difference between him ignoring you because he was deaf, and him ignoring you because he was a Siberian. He
had a serious seizure episode four years ago and wasn't expected to live more than a year. 
He proved them wrong! He went downhill pretty quickly the last two months, and passed away quietly on a nice Spring afternoon. Koko was the "ko" in Nikosha.
"Rex" was the big boy we kept out of Cera's litter. He was born in Elk River, Minnesota. My husband always wanted a dog named Rex. Since his mother had a dinosaur name, this name was a natural extension. Rex is red & white, with stunning ice blue eyes. He's a big boy, and very sound, structurally. He did well in the show ring, but was a little too much dog for many judges. He retired from showing last summer, when he started having occasional seizures (from an unknown source). He is now neutered, and the alpha male of the pack. He loves to play with Meghan and Riika.
DOB: 2-5-1992 Sex: Dog/Neutered Points: 0 Eyes: Clear Hips: Good Photos 1 2
Nikosha's Tyrannosaurus Rex 2/5/1992 - 10/23/2004
What can I say about Rex. He was from my first litter EVER. He enjoyed showing and did well, but he was a big boy and not to every judge's liking. Rex's FAVORITE activity was working at the state fair. Many of you will remember him as the dog that never stood on his own two feet at the fair. He was always laying down in the crowd getting scratched and petted. I will never forget my panic one time when a very young child crawled into the ring and plunked down right on top of him and started tugging. He looked up to see a kid, licked and laid his head back down. He certainly didn't act as scary as he looked to some people with those icy blue eyes.
His name was Rex, because my husband wanted a dog with a
"real" name like Rex. Since his mom had a dinosaur name, this seemed like an opportune time. Rex started having seizures occasionally
when he was three years old. They never got really bad and were easily controlled with medication. However, a year ago he developed
breathing problems due, I believe, to a tumor. Except for a bad bout in February, he did well this past year until yesterday morning.
He was obviously lacking oxygen and wouldn't eat. He passed away overnight.
"Meghan" is a puppy I picked out in another attempt to find a foundation brood bitch. She was born in Maple Grove, Minnesota. She is red & white. She is named after the dogs in her pedigree - most of them have Irish names. The name Meghan just seemed to fit her. Meghan is an EXTREMELY sound bitch. She has a wonderful outgoing personality and loves to show. Her breeder, Eileen Gacke, was very successful showing her. She always placed in the ribbons, but she's a big girl and is too much for some judges. Tragically, she too came up with cataracts. She is now spayed, and the alpha female (and leader) of the pack. She loves to play with Kyra, while chewing on Rex.
DOB: 12-31-1994 Sex: Bitch/Spayed Points: 4 Eyes: Affected Hips: N/A Photos 1 2 3 4
Trepak's Irish Legacy 12/31/1994 - 1/7/2011
My memories of Meghan begin with an SHCTC meeting at Sue Guy’s house. Meghan and her brother Dirk were the youngest of a big batch of puppies in the club. Everyone had their puppies at the meeting. Meghan and Dirk were in an ex-pen by themselves. They were big puppies, mind you, but the youngest of the group. One of the older scoundrels was trying to pick on these two. They were crammed in the corner of the ex-pen and Dirk was “protecting” his sister. They were a beautiful dark red, and they had green eyes at the time. Well, eventually Eileen talked me into buying Meghan. I was looking for a new bitch to show, as mine did NOT like the show ring.
My next memory of Meghan was trying to figure out a name. Nothing fit but Meghan. The registered name then just reflects her pedigree. I went over to Sandy’s house one time while trying to find a name. When we walked in the door, Meghan looked at Raz’s Froggy with excitement. Raz gave a low growl, and she peed right in the doorway. Funny if you knew Raz and Froggy.
Meghan and Dirk spent much of that spring playing together, as they went to puppy and conformation classes together. Before and after class, they played together in Eileen’s yard. Meghan was wild and crazy in the house! She would spend hours running in circles and bouncing off and over the couch. At one point, I was tired of yelling at her, and I tied her to the stove. Bad idea. My stove handle is permanently bent, and the oven door doesn’t quite close right to this day….
Eileen was showing her for me in the ring. She turned into a big, beautiful girl. She was very near the top of the standard. But she always placed, since you couldn’t fault that movement. She had two points. Then came the eye clinic. The vet found cataracts. I got a second opinion. It was the same. I was devastated (probably not as much as Eileen).
So Meghan was spayed and became “just a pet”. But she was always happy and good natured. She got along with all of the new dogs that came along. She loved snow, and hunting critters under the snow. She had a pretty long, and uneventful life. Her cataracts matured so she didn’t see that well, and barked at most things that she saw moving. In her later years, she became hard of hearing as well. She played many a trick on us and the dog sitter (Kathy…) when she would lay in the sun sound asleep and not move. You had to get right up to her before she’d hop up and show that she was still alive!
About six months ago, she really started showing her age (15 at the time). She quit barking. She was still able to get up and run around until the Monday after New Years. That morning, she was no longer able to stand. I brought her up to the house to see if warming her would help. It did not and she was pottying on herself. It was time. On Friday, January 7, we helped her to the Rainbow Bridge. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I still miss her greatly. She seemed to relax, though, as if to welcome the relief. Have fun with Dirk, Meghan!
"Kyra" is a puppy I picked out as a replacement for Meghan. She was born in Illinois. She is gray & white. She is named after the Norse maidens of legend, because her breeders asked that her name start with a "V" (thanks to Sandy Reitsma for the great name!). Kyra seemed to fit her for a call name. She is a nice, pretty bitch. Thanks to Dominique Quinn for showing her so well!
DOB: 5-17-1997 Sex: Bitch/Spayed Points: 16 (2 majors) FINISHED Eyes: SHOR 10168/04-80 Hips: Good Photos 1
Litter information Born: 2/21/2001 - 8 puppies
Litter information Born: 5/23/2003 - 6 puppies
Litter information Born: 5/21/2004 - 6 puppies
Ch. Permafrost's Valkyrie 5/17/1997 - 7/18/2011
Kyra essentially became my kennel foundation bitch. After attempts at starting with three other bitches, only to have something befall them (like cataracts), I got Kyra. She was my replacement for Meghan. I was intrigued with her pedigree, because she came down from Breezy’s sister (Breezy was my favorite Trepak bitch).
She did pretty well showing, but didn’t show well for me. Norma Bittman got her in the ring and pretty soon she was winning. She got most of her points and a major. We were looking for that last major. As she was now three years old, I decided to breed her anyway. This was quite a feat. I shipped her to Arizona and she didn’t get bred. So I was going to try AI. I took her in at what would be a normal time during her season, and she was way past prime. Dr. Rice suggested I bring her in early on her next season so we could get a baseline on her progesterone. I made the appointment, but he was late getting there. While we were waiting in the office, she started bleeding for her season. He kept her for testing and within a few days, we ordered the semen. It turns out, she was an early breeder.
I entered her in a big out-of-state show even though she’d been bred, figuring that she would still look good at 5 weeks pregnant (if she was pregnant). I found out quickly that she was VERY pregnant as her belly started to droop right away. There was no way she was going in the show ring! In February 2001, she delivered 8 big, beautiful puppies. Her belly was nearly dragging on the ground by the end. The smallest puppy was 16 ounces and the largest 21 ounces. Dr. Rice loved the feeding trough photo (below) that I sent him. She was a supremely fantastic mother.
Once she got her coat back, I entered her in shows again with Dominique (Quinn) Wilson on her lead. In a grand finale, Kyra took Winner’s Bitch in Des Moines for her final major. The most exciting thing was that Dominique also took Winner’s Dog that day to finish her Apollo!
One of my favorite stories about Kyra is when she and two of her puppies were in their dog yard shortly after she finished. All of a sudden I heard a big ruckus. I went outside, and there was a raccoon attached to Panda. She was screaming like nothing I’ve ever heard nor want to hear again. I tried to get them isolated into a kennel, but it wasn’t working. I went into the house to get a gun, but by the time I got back outside, Kyra had already taken care of the raccoon. It turned out not to be rabid, but it was a scary time. She protected her babies.
A couple years later, I did two breedings a year apart with Tiger. She had 7 puppies in the first litter and 6 in the second. What I learned in these breedings, however, is that she did NOT like breeding. She screamed and did a somersault while Tiger stood there rolling his eyes. I think Sandy still has scars…. She retired after raising those puppies.
When she was 10, she had surgery to remove breast cancer, but did well after that. Last summer she started losing hair and spent the winter with a coat on. She was getting slower and slower but really started to go downhill the last couple months. The heat this past weekend finally did her in, and she couldn’t get up. It was definitely time.
See ya Kyra. Go play with Meghan now.
"Panda" is the only female out of one of my litters. She is black & white and extremely cute. She is named after a quilt block. She is, unfortunately, not show quality. I think she'd be a great obedience/agility/lead dog! Lots of personality.
DOB: 2-21-2001 Sex: Bitch/Spayed Points: 0 Eyes: SHOR 10166/02-14 Hips: N/A Photos 1 2
Nikosha's Pandora's Box 2/21/2001 - 1/7/2014
Panda was such a wonderfully headstrong and confident puppy when she was born, that I had to keep her, even though she wasn’t the pick puppy. I actually kept her and her brother. Her structure was best described as different, but she moved well. She wasn’t particularly fun to travel with, either, because she got car sick. If I didn’t give her Dramamine, I had to be to my destination within a half hour or she would be covered in vomit.
Alas, I took her out of the show ring at a year, because she just didn’t turn out, but I kept her out of love. She was a bossy little bitch, but she could be so lovey dovey with people. She absolutely did not like to be confined, though. We have quite the contraption on her kennel yard door to keep her in. And she had the broken teeth to show for it. She only ever wanted to go in the house, so when she did successfully escape, she was standing 30 feet away at the back door. She spent her entire life with her brother Rye and I know he misses her too.
When she was a puppy, a raccoon got in their yard and attacked her. I heard horrific screaming and came out to find a raccoon attached to her throat. Before I could get back outside with a gun, her mother Kyra had dispatched the raccoon. Luckily it all turned out well.
She also had quite the affinity for pink squirrels. These stuffed toys were available at the local grocery store. It was her favorite toy, and she never gutted it. Unfortunately, when Riika came along, she felt the need to gut the pink squirrels and keep the hedgehogs intact. So Panda would tear up the hedgehogs and Riika would tear up the squirrels. It was a constant battle keeping the toys repaired.
She actually started to get really cranky this past year. I should have suspected something might be up. Suddenly, a week after Thanksgiving, she was having trouble eating her food. She wouldn’t bend her neck down. By the next day, she was crying constantly. We found out she had spondolosis and a number of compressed vertebrae. We started meds to get the pain under control. Another week later, she had a seizure and lost her ability to walk. Other than one bright day, she was losing a little more function each day. We now think she may have had a CNS tumor of some sort and that an unwitnessed seizure may have started it all.
Goodbye sweet Panda Bear. Peebs, you are loved and you will be missed.
"Rye" is the pick puppy from one of my litters. He is black & white, with a very classic look. He is named after a quilt block. He is sound and very striking. He's doing very well in the show ring. He is being shown exclusively in the Bred-By-Exhibitor class! This is the sweetest boy you will ever meet. Alas, I didn't think I wanted to use him for breeding so he is neutered now.
DOB: 2-21-2001 Sex: Dog/Neutered Points: 6 Eyes: SHOR 10167/04-35 Hips: Excellent Photos 1 2 3
Nikosha's Catch Me If U Can 2/21/2001 - 2/21/2016
Rye was Panda’s brother. And where she was headstrong and confident, he was sweet, gentle, and soft. I showed him for about a year or so. He had 6 points. But he really was too soft of a dog to use as anything but a lap dog. I knew at that point that I wasn’t going to use him in breeding, so I took him out of the show ring and neutered him. He spent the rest of his life lounging and playing with his sister and mom while they were around.
In 2013, we had several tests done because his tail had taken on the look of a rat tail. His liver numbers were very high. While there wasn’t a lot we could about it, changing his food to one with less fat was a viable option. It took about 9 months, but on his checkup, his numbers were back in the normal range! He suffered no real ills after that, other than normal aging things. He mourned for a long time for his sister Panda when she passed away in 2014. Xylo and Chione kept him company at times, but he preferred to just lie in the sun and nap. He had gotten very slow, sometimes getting stuck in his dog house the past six months. Finally one day, as snow melted, he couldn’t stand and got stuck in a hole filled with snow runoff and couldn’t get out. He almost drowned. We got him inside, dried and warmed up. However, by morning, he was peeing pure blood and couldn’t stand. He finally let me know it was time.
Run free Rye! Have fun with little Panda Bear!
For kennel questions contact Brenda
