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MORE STARZ "Mauya" - CH Poker Flat's Pure Mauya of Qumukti The Plan: Tent
camp in Robin Haggard and Jim Kuehl’s front yard for a weekend of showing and to meet our
male show puppy from the newest Poker Flat litter, that we would be getting in a
few weeks.
Reality: Upon entering a dark back yard, I was instantly swarmed by a mad stampede of malamute puppies
running every which way - away from Jim who was unsuccessfully trying to herd
them inside. As the usual
monochromatic gray and white mass blurred by for the umpteenth time and
scattered, one ghost white aura was trying to blend and hide in the moonlight.
At that instant, all our lives were to change forever; there was history
to be made, and a new wave to begin. Those best made plans and common sense
logic to bring home a grey male pup all fell to the wayside. I had lost my mind, but I
didn’t care, the decision had already been made for me and I was
powerless. Robin and Jim had
experience in showing white mals and knew how impossible and disheartening the
task can be. A pet home was in line for the “white girl-Dale.” Being as stubborn
as my mals, and after the continual
prompting and harassing from myself and with the help of our friends Noel and Bonnie - MUCH to Jim’s
dismay, Mauya came home to us a few short weeks later.
Mauya made her show ring debut
at six months old and did “ok” in limited showing - but I only gained 1 point
towards her AKC championship. Fast forward 3 years, a recession and no showing,
and Mauya was ready to make her debut as an adult. Paul and I knew the beauty
she had grown into, but were well prepared for disappointment by all of Robin and
Jim’s ring horror stories of showing white mals. They were right - as handler Amanda Volkomener arrived ringside with Mauya, other handlers
would question her breed; as they entered the ring, the judge looks at my dog,
pages through the standard and gives them reserve or the last possible
placement. Amanda was up for the challenge and determined to be the best
possible handler she could be Yes, Amanda can be as foolish and
blindsided by love as much as we are, and she made Mauya shine! Our first points win was a tough class major in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin - and the crowd roared and cheered us
on with each cut. Amanda, myself, friends and bystanders cried tears of
happiness at the win. Fast forward six months to the 2010 Regional/National show in October in Denver, Colorado. The intensity of the crowd's support crackled through the room. Silence fell when she made her first move and the show was on. Mauya took Reserve winners bitch at the regional specialty. The crowd cheered her placement and support overflowed. With her majors finished and only needing 2 points to become a Champion, the National was our last chance. Mauya and Amanda made the first cut and the room erupted. The judge’s best of the best were lined up for the points. On their final move, Mauya and Amanda floated on the energy of the room. Dead silence, tension and anticipation put everyone in the room on edge. Judge Shilon Bedford lined up Mauya and Amanda first for the final go around - and the crowd roared. Winners Bitch and Best of Winners - she finished just the way she started. Hugs, tears, well wishes, and the intensity overwhelmed all of us. Our supporters were amazing and a huge part of our celebration. History was made! Mauya is the 3rd white bitch ever to finish her championship in AKC history, and the ONLY one to ever finish at the National. She earned the AMCA #1 class bitch 2010 in the IL/WI region and also the #1 overall class bitch for 2010, for the USA. Mauya’s lineages on
all sides go back far in working and showing venues. Poker Flat kennels have always been very active in sledding,
weight pulling, and obedience. Most recently, they have tried their hand in
agility and rally and frequently earn multiple titles "on both ends" of all of
their dog’s names. With outstanding temperaments and conformation as a base
requirement, Robin and Jim realize that the versatile, whole dog is most
important. Very active in their
kennel club and the AMCA, they truly enjoy working their dogs in all avenues available. Mauya’s temperament
is true to the Poker Flat style. She is a people pleaser, adores her family and
most she meets, is a VERY easy keeper, quiet, and very well mannered. She has drive and power and is amicable
to most four-legged creatures she meets.
She is too smart, and a little stubborn; but will melt in your arms for hugs
and snuggling. She is our once in a lifetime dog and we are honored to have her
in our lives.
"Charger" - BISS CH Black Ice's High Voltage, AOM, WTD, WPD Aurie was bred to Charger in 2008 and 2010. See the Puppies page for more details.   Charger is the dog we picked to breed Aurie to in 2008 and again in May of 2010; we welcomed our second Charger x Aurie litter, of seven puppies, on August 1, 2010. He is the sire of our dogs Penny, Sassy, and Huck and also of Winterstarz show dogs Kenai, Mahuk and Eir and pets Kosmo, Rocket, Nora, Juno, Aurora, Yukon, Lizzie, Carly and Kavik. He has sired four other litters, two in the USA, one in Denmark and one in Norway. Charger was bred by David and Shilon Bedford of Black Ice Kennel and born in 2003, in a litter of 13! On Thanksgiving Day at age 16 weeks, he went to live "temporarily" with his current owner Karen Taylor. Karen has had many opportunities to be thankful since then, saying "he was one of the sweetest puppies I had ever experienced" and "I soon realized he was the show puppy I had tried to breed for 20 years!" Charger's show career began when he was 6 months old, competing at several shows in Colorado including a Malamute Specialty Show. He won his class at each show and received many compliments from other Malamute breeders. Then it was home to Minnesota where he has been shown the most. He completed his conformation Championship with two 3-point major wins and two 4-point major wins. Showing as a Champion in 2007, Charger earned enough Best Of Breed wins to be ranked in the Top 25 Alaskan Malamutes in the country. This qualified him to compete in the Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach, California in December 2007, where he received his Award of Merit (AOM) title and an invitation to compete at the Crufts Dog Show in England, the largest dog show in the world! Due to the complicated requirements to take a dog into England, Charger could not be entered in the Crufts show until 2009 - where he took 2nd place of the 135 Malamutes shown and earned the title Reserve to Best Dog! In January 2011, Charger achieved another milestone in his show ring career, taking Best In Specialty Show (BISS) at an Alaskan Malamute Club of America show in St Paul, Minnesota. Charger's accomplishments were not limited to the show ring, as Karen also used him for recreational dogsledding and carting. We enjoyed hosting Karen and her team of Charger and his niece Freya for dogsledding here at WinterStar Farm, and Karen said Charger "found his inner sled dog" during a long mushing weekend in Northern Wisconsin in 2009. In 2010, Charger earned his Working Team Dog title for dogsledding, completing the first 12+ mile leg at the 2010 CrowDitarod here at WinterStar Farm. He then completed his four required 10 mile pack hikes in the spring to earn his Working Pack Dog title. Karen described Charger's temperament as "he travels very well, is very calm, and always wants to please us. He is never aggressive with other dogs, not even other male Malamutes! He is still the sweet boy who came to live with me for a couple of weeks, but our bond has grown so much stronger. I am so glad this wonderful dog came into my life!" Sadly, Charger died of unknown causes in early 2011. His legacy lives on through his many beautiful offspring.       "Mahuk" - Winterstarz Mahuk of Kataum BISS CH Black Ice's High Voltage, AOM, WTD, WPD X WInterstarz Flaming AE Aurigae, WTD, WPD, WLD   Mahuk (pronounced My-yook, which means "roots" in Inuit) is a black and white male born on Winterstar Farm January 1, 2009. He is the brother to our dogs Penny, Sassy and Huck, and is owned by Cees and Erna Hartveld of Kataum Inua Alaskan Malamutes in The Netherlands. Cees and Erna are Malamute breeders and dogsledders; in addition, Cees is a veterinarian and Erna is an international judge for dog shows. We were pleased to have such a beautiful puppy for them and always look forward to news from Holland! Erna made the long trip to the USA in March 2009 to pick up Mahuk and fly home with him and says it was worth the trip! When Mahuk was 7 months old, Erna emailed us that "he is still the sweet boy, and loves to play with our other dogs in the yard. I take him biking, he thinks it is fun to trot alongside - but sometimes he likes to speed up and I have to be careful! He has the most wonderful coat and is doing very well." Update December 2009: Erna writes, "Mahuk is doing great. Cees started to use him on the team, and boy does he likes that. When they are moving at a good speed, Mahuk's movement is excellent. Long strides with ease. His temperament is so far still wonderful. Very easy. He did grow in a huge boy, with long legs. His attitude, and his conformation + the rich sturdy good coat, makes him a good example of the breed. He just needs to mature before I will take him to shows, which of course is normal when you are not 1 year old yet." Thanks for the update Erna and Cees! Here are some photos:    Update May 2010: Erna writes that Mahuk is growing well and they plan to show him later this year. Here are some photos of Mahuk at age 17 months.   "Kenai" - Winterstarz Cute as a Daisy, CD BISS CH Black Ice's High Voltage, AOM, WTD, WPD X WInterstarz Flaming AE Aurigae, WTD, WPD, WLD    Kenai is a Winterstarz puppy born January 1, 2009; she is the sister of our dogs Penny and Sassy, and also of Mahuk and Eir. She is owned by Tom and Kiki Batina and their family who live in Minnesota. Tom contacted us looking for a puppy with Black Ice bloodlines, and was excited that we had just the litter he was looking for! He was especially looking for a puppy to train for Obedience, as he has competed very successfully with his older Malamute "Kodiak" - Tiaga's My Son's Best Friend, UD, earning a Utility Dog obedience title with him. Tom and his family visited us several times while the puppies were small, and were impressed that we were breeding to promote excellent temperaments and strong working qualities in our dogs. At seven weeks of age, Tom along with Dan Rode from Water's Edge Dog Center where we train our dogs, evaluated our litter to see which pups might be best suited for obedience, conformation, and families with children. We were delighted to find the temperaments of all the pups were very stable and accepting of human direction. Based on the puppy temperament/aptitude test results, we thought Kenai best matched the puppy that would team well with Tom in obedience competition and make a great family pet. As a bonus, Kenai also looked to be a good conformation show prospect! With this news, Tom decided to expand his showing repertoire and is training Kenai (and himself) for the conformation show ring, in addition to obedience! We often see Tom and Kenai at training class and have enjoyed being able to watch Kenai grow. Tom says "We are delighted with Kenai. The temperament test was a great predictor of the pup we now have. Our children love her and she is extremely affectionate with all. She has displayed an exceptional aptitude for obedience work and has a strong desire to please." We look forward to more news about Kenai and her family! Update January 2010: Tom and Kenai entered the obedience ring for the first time and Kenai earned her CD (Companion Dog) title in style! On day 1 she scored 190 out of 200; on day 2 she placed 3rd with 193.5; and on day 3 she WON with a 196! Kenai is also working well as a sled dog, she has run with our team and pulls a dogsled Tom built around the golf course by their home. Congratulations Tom and Kenai! "Eir" - Winterstarz Eir of Greystone Shadow BISS CH Black Ice's High Voltage, AOM, WTD, WPD X WInterstarz Flaming AE Aurigae, WTD, WPD, WLD   Eir was born on WinterStar Farm January 1, 2009 and is owned by Malamute breeders and dogsledders Christine and Xavier Michel of Greystone Shadow Kennel in south-eastern France. She is the sister of Penny, Sassy, Huck, Mahuk and Kenai. Eir is a really beautiful puppy with the potential for showing and breeding, and so we were excited to hear from Christine that she had been looking for a female with Black Ice bloodlines to add to her kennel. Return to Dog Starz main pageSince Eir arrived in France in March 2009, Christine has emailed us to say "Thank you for all the work you have done with my little girl. I am very proud to have a puppy from YOUR litter, Eir has an excellent pedigree, the best breeding I have seen in a long time! Within three minutes of arriving here from her long trip, she was playing with my other dogs. I am very happy with her temperament and impressed by her bravery, she is a lovely girl. Continue to pursue such good bloodlines!" |
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