Chimo
On Oct. 18th, 1977 Chimo came into my life and so began my adventure with the Siberian Husky. Like so many who choose the Siberian, I was so blinded by the breed's beauty anything I read or was told about their personality just bypassed my brain. I thought I was bringing home a puppy who would grow up to be my loyal companion and best friend ,who would go everywhere and do everything with me.
BOY, was I in for a Siberian awaking!
Chimo, off course, was everything you read about re a Siberian's personality - AT ITS FINEST! She was extremely stubborn and independent. My mom would say she was as independent as a wild animal. Everything was Chimo's way or the highway - literally off she went down the highway! She was an escape artist extraordinaire with the mind of a genius, at least in comparison to her poor humans. Every year, no matter how hard we would try she would figure a way out of the house or backyard and off she went for a run around the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, that neighbourhood included a fairly busy main street and her recalls were, off course, none existent. So off I went chasing after her. Oh what a Siberian pleasure, a human chasing a Siberian, a breed capable of covering 100 miles in a day. What a laugh that must have been for Chimo. I'm sure she was saying to herself "Oh there is that stupid human chasing after me again. I guess she wants to play "catch me if you can". But off course that was NOT what I was thinking with my heart in my throat as I watch her run across the busy street. How she ever made it pass those first few years I will never know. Fortunately, Chimo also had a friendly, outgoing personality so if I saw a total stranger I'd just ask them to call my dog and more often then not she would go to them I think just to make me look foolish as one time this included asking a police officer!
BOY, was I in for a Siberian awaking!
Chimo, off course, was everything you read about re a Siberian's personality - AT ITS FINEST! She was extremely stubborn and independent. My mom would say she was as independent as a wild animal. Everything was Chimo's way or the highway - literally off she went down the highway! She was an escape artist extraordinaire with the mind of a genius, at least in comparison to her poor humans. Every year, no matter how hard we would try she would figure a way out of the house or backyard and off she went for a run around the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, that neighbourhood included a fairly busy main street and her recalls were, off course, none existent. So off I went chasing after her. Oh what a Siberian pleasure, a human chasing a Siberian, a breed capable of covering 100 miles in a day. What a laugh that must have been for Chimo. I'm sure she was saying to herself "Oh there is that stupid human chasing after me again. I guess she wants to play "catch me if you can". But off course that was NOT what I was thinking with my heart in my throat as I watch her run across the busy street. How she ever made it pass those first few years I will never know. Fortunately, Chimo also had a friendly, outgoing personality so if I saw a total stranger I'd just ask them to call my dog and more often then not she would go to them I think just to make me look foolish as one time this included asking a police officer!
|
I think her taking off might have been why I started celebrating Chimo's birthday every year with a party and cake. I just thought it was a miracle that she made it through that year. Now, the interesting thing is that the birthday cake was always chocolate (back in those days we didn't know chocolate was not good for dogs) and even with that she still lived to be 13. Oh and she always had a chocolate milk shake as well. She really did like chocolate. In fact that last thing I did with her was to take her to the Chicken Burger for a chocolate milkshake.
|
|
So Chimo was never my loyal companion but as time passed I did come to appreciate what a wonderful teacher and mentor to the breed she was for me. After living with Chimo for 13 years I was ready to get my Doctorate degree in Siberian Survival! Chimo taught me that porches are great things to have with a Siberian and that one door should always be shut before the other door opens. She helped me built character as she frequently gave me a lesson in humility but she also taught me the value of persistent and consistency. And she taught me that if you are going to be owned by a Siberian then its a good thing to have a sense of humour and certainly to have lots and lots and LOTS of patience. Chimo also gave me something else, a wonderful friendship with her breeder, Susan Shephard, that has lasted 40 years and an unending, passionate love and respect for this incredible breed.
Thank you Chimo, you really did give me a lot!
Thank you Chimo, you really did give me a lot!
In the Show Ring
While I had bought Chimo just as a pet, her breeders Greg and Susan Shephard really liked her and asked if I would be ok with them possibly showing her. I said yes and a few months later we took Chimo to her first Sanction match where she took a Group 1st and went Best Puppy in Match and it was a pretty large match. That win off course got me hooked on the world of dogs. ;)
While I had bought Chimo just as a pet, her breeders Greg and Susan Shephard really liked her and asked if I would be ok with them possibly showing her. I said yes and a few months later we took Chimo to her first Sanction match where she took a Group 1st and went Best Puppy in Match and it was a pretty large match. That win off course got me hooked on the world of dogs. ;)
Chimo was shown to her championship by Susan. She finished with a Best of Breed, three-point win at the Evangeline Kennel Club on June 23, 1979. Susan and I went out to celebrate Chimo finishing her championship and left Chimo in the bathroom of the hotel room. Well, in typically Chimo fashion we returned back to the hotel room to discover that Chimo had done a very good job of trashing the bathroom including eating the door. Now, one should remember that Chimo was a housedog that by this time was perfectly fine when left at home alone. However, she obviously objected to us going out and having fun without her. Oh well, just another typical Chimo story.
Obedience
There are more obedience stories about Chimo then anyone would want to hear. One lasting memory (or should I say memory I really would like to forget but can't) is the one and only time my mom came to a dog show to watch one of my dogs. I had Chimo in the Novice Obedience at that time. Well, with my mom watching, Chimo proceeded to go through the whole test WITHOUT passing a single exercise. Her "crowning" performance was with the recall. She came flying into me, looking great. Then two feet away from me she dashed off, ran around the obedience ring, then jumped into the conformation ring where she totally disrupted that ring. Then she jumped back into the obedience ring where she let everyone know what she thought of obedience by having a big poop in the middle of the ring! Strangely enough my mom came back to a dog show again.
There are more obedience stories about Chimo then anyone would want to hear. One lasting memory (or should I say memory I really would like to forget but can't) is the one and only time my mom came to a dog show to watch one of my dogs. I had Chimo in the Novice Obedience at that time. Well, with my mom watching, Chimo proceeded to go through the whole test WITHOUT passing a single exercise. Her "crowning" performance was with the recall. She came flying into me, looking great. Then two feet away from me she dashed off, ran around the obedience ring, then jumped into the conformation ring where she totally disrupted that ring. Then she jumped back into the obedience ring where she let everyone know what she thought of obedience by having a big poop in the middle of the ring! Strangely enough my mom came back to a dog show again.
Another Chimo story was when I went out to work with my trainer at the time, Reta Boyd. At that time Reta lived in Lower Sackville and was fairly close to a main street and Reta's training area was outside. We were doing open work and practicing jumps when Chimo decided to once again remind us just who she was and too off down the busy road with Reta and I chasing behind her!
I now forget how it all went but it took around 18 tries to get her CD title. At the CD level it was actually Reta that put that title on her as Chimo had become "ring wise" with me. So Reta and I traveled up to Cape Breton and Reta handled her in the ring. That ended up being enough to throw Chimo off and she got her final leg for her CD title.
I now forget how it all went but it took around 18 tries to get her CD title. At the CD level it was actually Reta that put that title on her as Chimo had become "ring wise" with me. So Reta and I traveled up to Cape Breton and Reta handled her in the ring. That ended up being enough to throw Chimo off and she got her final leg for her CD title.
Chimo did do better when it came to her Canadian CDX title and American CD. For her CDX title it only took about 15 trys ;) and she actually got one High in Class!! And I only had to take her down to the U.S. to twice for her CD title. The first time was a series of five trials. She passed the first two, no problem, but then had to remind me that she was Chimo and failed the next three days, once getting up on the long down as the judge was saying "return to your dogs". However, Chimo actually redeemed herself when I took her down to the 1982 US National Specialty where she finished her American CD with a third highest in Class!
On the Trail
Chimo never really got to work in harness because she was too old by the time I met Karen Armstrong who taught me about sledding with my dogs. However, I did have a harness for Chimo and she did get to pull a small sled around but that was about it.
Chimo never really got to work in harness because she was too old by the time I met Karen Armstrong who taught me about sledding with my dogs. However, I did have a harness for Chimo and she did get to pull a small sled around but that was about it.
Chimo's Registered Name
Off course Chimo's registered name also has to have a story to it. As I mentioned when I got Chimo I had no intention of showing her so when Susan asked me if I had any preferences for a registered name I searched through Inuit books for a name. Chimo would get the hiccups alot as a puppy and I didn't realize that was fairly common in a puppy so I looked up the word for "wolf" which was "Amarok" and for "hiccups" which was "Zimmiktartok" (Zappatas was Susan and Greg's kennel name). Now as I said I had no idea how far this girl would go in the dog world or I never would have given her this name as every single time she got a new title her registered name was incorrectly spelled on the certificate.
Off course Chimo's registered name also has to have a story to it. As I mentioned when I got Chimo I had no intention of showing her so when Susan asked me if I had any preferences for a registered name I searched through Inuit books for a name. Chimo would get the hiccups alot as a puppy and I didn't realize that was fairly common in a puppy so I looked up the word for "wolf" which was "Amarok" and for "hiccups" which was "Zimmiktartok" (Zappatas was Susan and Greg's kennel name). Now as I said I had no idea how far this girl would go in the dog world or I never would have given her this name as every single time she got a new title her registered name was incorrectly spelled on the certificate.