Sershan History

 

Welcome to Sershan Samoyeds, home of MBIS Can. Am. Ch. Kolinka Northern Bright Light, # 1 Samoyed for 2005 and # 6 Working Dog for 2005.

I'm still not sure how I wound up with this breed, having been raised with Dobermans!  After all, I've gone from 'wash & wear' to 6+ hours of grooming for one dog, and from highly responsive and trainable to the 'make me' & 'I'll do it if and when I want to' training challenge!  From trusting a Dobe off-leash, to NEVER letting a white dog off-leash, and from lazing around on the couch during the coldest days of winter in my childhood, to not being able to keep my kids in the house now if the temperature even THINKS about going down to freezing!

 

It all stared in 1989, when I showed my first Samoyed.  He was a client's dog, young and stubborn, and his name was Nanuk.  After I finished his Championship, the owner's faced the unfortunate situation of having to re-home him.  I offered to take him until they found the right home him, and, long story short, wound up keeping him myself.  When he came to live with me, he was over 2 years old, and had been raised with the philosophy of "he's only disagreeing with us" every time he asserted himself.  Well, he was a handful and a half during his long life with me - challenging me at every turn until his last day.  What I will always appreciate about Nanuk was his 'wild side' - placid was NOT a word he'd even heard of!  We developed a relationship of mutual respect, and through it all, I somehow fell in love with the breed.  Maybe it was Nanuk's thrill of life, or the way that fall and winter brought out the best in him - they are my favorite seasons, too!

 


(Nanuk and I)

 

Photo By:  Mikron Photos

 

While Nanuk was in his prime, I showed him to # 10 Samoyed in Canada.  He also won BOS and Best Veteran at 7 years of age at the national Samoyed Specialty in 1996.  He was a good quality dog, though very English in type, and very different for what was being shown at the time.  Our limited success did not deter me, however, and I decided I wanted to start breeding.  I purchased my first girl, Krystal, in 1994, to start a breeding program.  Unfortunately, Krystal did not turn out and I decided not to breed her.  I thought about placing her in a home, but her temperament was exceptional!  She was everything Nanuk was not - obedient, placid, and trustworthy off-leash!  I worked with her, and she easily earned her CD title with all qualifying scores of 194 ½ - she was consistent!  In her later years she became a PALS visitation dog, visiting seniors and enjoying every last minute of it!  She converted my brother's wife from 'cat-person' to 'dog-person', and LOVED the neighborhood children.

 


(Krystal and I)

 

Photo By Mikron Photos

 

Once it was clear Krystal was not going to be bred, I looked for another girl for Nanuk.  In 1997, Nanuk was 8 ½ years old, Krystal was 3 years old, and I still had not found the right girl for a breeding program.  A breeder friend of mine was retiring from dogs, and needed to place his dogs.  We talked about one of his girls in particular, and that was when Cheers came to live with us.  She was 5 years old at the time, never been bred, and was raised a kennel dog - no house manners, and NOT housebroken!  I fell in love with her, though, and she was a nice compliment to Nanuk for breeding. 

 

(Cheers)

Alas, it was not to be!  We tried on Cheers' next three heats, and never a tie to be had!  (Though NOT for lack of trying!)  On the third try, I went to AI, and that was when it was discovered that Nanuk had testicular cancer - he was 10 years old, and had been collected for freezing with great success just 4 months before!  He was neutered shortly thereafter, and lived another 3 three years, and in 2002 he crossed the Rainbow Bridge at the tender age of 13 years.  His spirit never failed him, but unfortunately his body was not so kind.



 

In 1999, a couple of years before Nanuk left us, a friend of mine came to me with a 6-month old male puppy for me to show.  I watched this youngster in my backyard for maybe 15 minutes before I looked at her and said, "This is a Best in Show dog - I want a piece of him!"  I became co-owner of the puppy shortly thereafter.  The puppy's name was Tundra.

 


(Tundra - Best Puppy)

 

Photo By:  Mikron Photos

 

I kept Tundra with me that fall until he finished his Championship as an 11-month old puppy, then sent him back to his other owner.  I could not keep 2 males in the house, especially with Nanuk at 11 years old.  We sent Tundra to the US in 2002 to earn his American Championship, which he earned quite readily over 6 months.  During Tundra's trip to the States, Nanuk left us, so Tundra came to live with me upon his return.  He was just 2 ½ years old at the time, and prior to going to the US, had been bred to his other owner's girl.  At the Alberta Kennel Club show that fall, two out of three days, Tundra won BOB, the girl he had been bred to won BOS, and the pick puppy from their litter won BOW and BP at 6 months of age. 

 


(AKC Family picture)

 

Photo By:  Mikron Photos

 

Tundra stayed at home and grew up, and grew coat, for the next few years.  Once he had returned home from the US, I started planning his campaign year for 2005.  I had personal commitments that would not allow me to do it before then, and it seemed to be the right timing, with the right dog, to do something I had not done before - campaign a dog to the top of his breed AND to place Top-10 in the Working Group.  One of the main goals for the year was not making it through the show schedule, or the required wins, but was to keep Tundra 'sparkling' for whole year.  Samoyeds are fun, mostly on their terms, and once something seems like work, Tundra has a nasty habit of 'tuning out' and shutting down.  We managed to make it through, although quite trying at times while I let him have his way in some group rings, knowing he was embarrassing me, but knowing it would pay off in the end.  And did it ever!  After 105 times of entering a breed ring, we won an exciting Best in Show at Canada's largest indoor show at Lower Mainland in B.C. in October, 2005, bringing his total to 5 Best in Shows for the year.  In the 122 times we entered a breed ring, Tundra only lost the breed 10 times.  Tundra's show record for 2005 includes 5 Best in Shows, 1 Reserve Best in Show, 23 Group 1st, 10 Group 2nd, 14 Group 3rd, and 17 Group 4th.

 

(Tundra Best in Show)

Photo By:  Martin Hershberg

 

After such a fabulous year, I realized I was in the same boat I was with Nanuk - I had a great male, but no girl to breed him to!  The only sadness in 2005 was loosing Cheers, as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge during 2005, at 13 years old.  Krystal followed her across the Bridge in early 2006 at 12 years old, so I was down to one white-dog, and my token Rottweiler (don't ask!) girl was NOT for him to breed!  In April 2006, I was at a show with a client's dog (not a Samoyed), and could not show Tundra in the Samoyed Specialty being held there.  A long-time Samoyed breeder was also in attendance, and had a litter of 10-week old puppies at home.  She was deciding between the two pick girls, and I offered to look at them to help her decide.  Well, once I saw the two girls, I knew I was taking one of them in particular home for me - I had finally found my girl!  The breeder was leaning towards keeping the other one anyways, otherwise we would have had to thumb-wrestle for her!!  Many thanks to Sheri Dalton of Edmonton, Gandale Samoyeds, for letting me steal Vixen away from her!  Vixen is now destined to be Tundra's betrothed when she is old enough, and the foundation girl for Sershan Samoyeds.

 

(Vixen Puppy Picture)

Vixen comes from a long line of working Samoyeds.  Sheri is very involved with agility, hiking, obedience, and sledding, and it is apparent in Vixen's temperament.  Vixen has the true focus and drive of a versatile working dog, and really needs to be doing things.  I am excited about her future training, and about her future breeding with Tundra.  Vixen's working focus combined with Tundra's 'sparkle' should make for very busy puppies!

 

Tundra continues to enjoy life, although he'd much rather be in the show ring again.  We are working on his obedience now, and he has a way to go.  The 'show dog' in him is winning the battle - for now!  Tundra is a sweet dog, very gentle with 'little people', and he LOVES puppies!  His exuberance for life and meeting & making new friends is still talked about by his ringside supporters from last year.  He is smart, and is actually quite 'soft' in training - he doesn't take corrections well - he pouts!  Tundra gives 100%+ when doing something he enjoys - especially when it comes to treeing the neighborhood squirrels!  Cats are also a weakness for him - once he spots one, he loses all attention and focus!

 

Tundra is available at stud to approved girls, and I have frozen semen available to approved girls for both Tundra and Nanuk.  To see more pictures of these boys, and their pedigrees, please go to their individual pages.  Vixen also has her own page, and her pedigree is also available.
 


 

For upcoming litter announcements, for Sershan Samoyeds and for other litters anticipated from Tundra, Nanuk, or Vixen, please go to our Puppies page.

 

To see the 'kids' at rest and at play, please go to our Gallery page.

(The Rottweiler is my girl Ivy - I have a weakness for Rotts.  Ivy is my second Rottie girl, and she thinks the furry white-dogs are some sort of neat squeaky toy just for her!  She adores Tundra, and her and Vixen are inseparable!)