My magnificent foundation bitch and incredibly versatile dog U-CDX WoodsRunner Crossing Alyeska CGC, TT, TDI, born June 27, 1994, crossed the Rainbow Bridge Tuesday, October 30, 2007. She went gently into her goodnight at thirteen years, six months and three days to wait for me and to reunite with her fantastic parents, UKC Best Chinook Cross U-CD Boreayl's Tok O' the Town Sinook CGC, TDI, and ARBA A-1 CH UKC CH WoodsRunner Lucille CGC. This spirited and independent dog taught me more than any of the eleven dogs I've owned.

Some of you will remember her humiliating me at the Olympics: once (when we were demonstrating an obedience exercise) by leaving the moving heel position, taking the agility dog walk, and returning to my side as if that were normal; another year by staring at me as if I were crazy when I asked her to do a trick we had practiced for weeks. She has always believed if she couldn't make a fool of me, she wasn't doing her job. In addition to antics, she could perform perfectly: she accumulated the most points at the Olympics three years in a row making her the "adult winner".

Her superior qualities included her temperament, her health and her extensive list of talents. She earned a Best Chinook Cross Female when she was four and her obedience titles, Companion Dog and Companion Dog Excellent, when she was three and five respectively. In addition in 1998 she played the role of Sandy in the musical ANNIE in two different casts, and in 1999 made a Mercury Mountaineer commercial for a Baltimore car dealership (at which time she had an agent).

For nine years Alyeska worked with Fidos For Freedom in Maryland, a non-profit that trains physical assist and hearing assist dogs, as well as educating the public about what dogs do for people, not to mention endless fundraising. She was licensed in Laurel, MD, as a physical assist dog (to work beside a wheelchair, walker or other assistive device) and was able to demonstrate the hearing assist work. She and I led the Fidos educational program in the local county high schools for years, explaining to large groups of elementary, middle and high school students how the dogs are trained and showing both types of work. Usually we had clients with their Fidos trained dogs to show the dogs' talents and explain how owning an assist dog had changed the owners' lives. However, when clients couldn't come, Alyeska had to demonstrate.

Because of her training to function effectively as an assistance dog, she went to work with me daily: to classes, meetings, everywhere on campus. She was a wonderful example for students because she was perfectly behaved and responded quickly to any command. Having her in class gave me the opportunity to explain service work to all my students and show some of her skills. In addition many of the faculty and staff told me that having a dog around made the college a nicer place to work. Alyeska accompanied me to dentist and doctors offices, to restaurants, church and just about everywhere. For its Christmas pageant annually, the church dressed her up as a cow and put her by the manger.

Fidos For Freedom also has a broad Therapy Dog program. Alyeska offered canine comfort to patients in many nursing homes and senior citizen centers, but spent much time giving her positive psychological treatment in the lock up wards of the local mental institution for teenagers. Only the steadiest dogs were allowed in because the patients were unpredictable. One evening a large (tall and heavy) girl with shackled wrists and ankles came running at her and hovered over her. Alyeska's only reaction was to look at me as if to say, "Am I safe?" Her gentleness was legendary: she never used nor threatened to use her teeth on any living thing.

Agility was her favorite sport. She would perform better in obedience class if I let her run the agility course first! She was fully trained for the top obedience title, Utility, (which many in the sport call "futility") but clearly didn't enjoy it, so I retired her before she earned the title. Alyeska always executed a command with a smile on her face and a glint in her eye that reflected her attitude. Her face "spoke" when she was performing that it was because she wanted to, not because she had to!

Because my husband wants us to be a two dog family, none of my dogs have had much pulling experience. However Alyeska was hooked up with WoodsRunner dogs one day to mush around Portland's Back Bay with Connie Jones and me on the rig. What a thrill for me! Alyeska trained for tracking with some friends who showed competitively; we were along because I had access to large fields at the outdoor pavilion managed by my step-son. We also participated in the sport of Canine Free Style (dancing with your dog) for both Fidos performances and several classes.

Alyeska would never have been created had I not been able to convince the Joneses to allow their top winning bitch to breed to a Chinook Cross who was half red Siberian Husky and half pure Chinook bred by Debbie Premus. I had met Tok at Marra and Neil Wollpert's home and thought he was the handsomest dog I'd ever seen. I was thrilled to get pick of that litter of six and be able to produce healthy, beautiful crosses and then cross-to-pures and now purebreds. My husband has laughed at me for years when I got frustrated with Alyeska; he reminds me I chose the most independent pup…the one that was always off by herself!

Connie Jones says that dogs who visit or return to their home of origin at the WoodsRunner Kennel enter, then roll over a politely allow the resident pack of eight to twelve dogs an initial sniff for acceptance. She says Alyeska is the only one who annually entered as the princess she was, ignored the pack, and pranced around the house and yard as if she owned them.

Debbie, Marra and I wrote the original draft of the Crossbreeding Program; we all believed strongly that we could improve the breed exponentially by broadening the gene pool and we think, along with many others including the United Kennel Club, that the Crossbreeding Program has exceded all expectations.

Without this turn of events, I probably would not have become a breeder. I was energized by the opportunity to breed and puppy raise. Alyeska had five in her first litter in June of '97; Cloudburst Crossing Starblaze (Songo) was the only one bred and eight puppies resulted, ThunderCloud Karelia, was the only one bred from that litter. She became the first dog to "graduate" from the Crossbreeding Program and move to purebred status. She whelped two litters of five (March 2005) and nine (March 2007) and I kept the pick of the second litter, Cloudburst Sabaka.

Alyeska bore ten the second time in October of '99 and only one of those was ever bred: Cloudburst Crossing Snowy River. Joann Blackman purchased her and her sister, Kyawa, from me and asked to partner in Cloudburst Chinooks. River was bred three times for a total of fifteen pups, which [with Karelia] began the fourth generation crosses.

Of River's pups, Cloudburst Kennebec River has been the most prolific. He has sired five litters: eight in the first with two of them already Champions and one a Grand; six in the second litter which boasts one Grand and one Champion among them; three in the third which holds one Grand; two in the fourth has one Champion; and one Champion pup in the fifth litter. That's a total of twenty (ten males, ten females) none over three years old as of this writing yet three are Grand Champions and five are Champions.

Kenne's nearly twin brother, Cloudburst Walden's Quest was stud for two fairly recent litters. A single pup in the first and three with a Boreayl bitch. Quest and Kenne's half brother, GR CH Cloudburst Wonalancet (Legend) was first bred to a Chinook Run bitch for ten precious treasures, then created four lovely pups with Cloudburst Camden, one of whom has already received one hundred UKC points.

Cloudburst Karelia bore nine pups less than a year ago, but five the first time. Three have been bred, beginning the fifth generation (1) Cloudburst Kalahia's four pups with Cloudburst Banyon (a Kenne/Quest brother from a later litter), one of whom has already won Best of Breed at seven months over a Grand Champion. (2) Cloudburst Cassia (Riley) whelped two pups. (3) Cloudburst Chili had ten pups, three of whom are Champions and one of whom was listed as Top Ten by UKC in 2006.

So the Alyeska's tally is significant: fifteen 3rd generation Crosses, who begot twenty-three fourth generation pups who begot forty-seven fifth generation, who have so far begot twelve. The Chinook Owners Association's Crossbreeding Program through the United Kennel Club has granted purebred status to eight dogs, seven of whom are Cloudburst dogs. The United Kennel Club annual list of Top Ten dogs has included five descendents of Alyeska.

So the next and fifth generation were born purebreds: Karelia whelped fourteen; Kenne, Quest, Legend and Banyon sired forty-three, making fifty seven fifth generation. The total progeny for Alyeska is ninety-seven in four generations before her fourteenth year and Cloudburst is in touch with every owner who purchased from us.

What pride I have in the health and temperament Alyeska passed on and what incredible joy in recalling this imposing list of work and play the two of us shared. Not much is harder than watching a best friend deteriorate physically necessitating the permanence of death. Knowing that this euthanasia is kinder than our society permits us to be to people doesn't ease the loss. As I weep into the fur of Karelia and Sabaka, I know that at my journey's end we can be with Alyeska. If not, I wouldn't call it heaven.