Page 296 - ShowSight - October 2019

Samoyed Q & A
Carrie Collier continued
I currently live in Sunny Orlando, Florida, and my daughter Dana now 27 years old still handles our Northeast families in the Northeast in Brookfield, Connecticut.
How does the breed fit into a contemporary household? Actu- ally, the Samoyed is a very diverse and adaptable dog. They love the city, country and are great rural dogs too. We have many Samo- yeds in studio apartments in New York City and other large cities throughout the U.S. They truly are a lazy dog at the end of the day! Yes, they love hiking, swimming, and other activities, but their most favorite time is at the feet or lap of their owner.
Does the breed’s eye-catching color and flashy gait give them an edge in Group competition? It absolutely can if we have a judge that loves hair and the absolute stunning Samoyed head with a true and correct Samoyed smile! At the end of the day, Samoyeds are very showy and demand attention when trained properly, but we all have our favorite breeds and many judges love those smooth muscular breeds like the Boxer and Doberman who tend to be at the top of the group and winning dogs.
Has the breed’s popularity fluctuated during my involvement? The Samoyed has gone up in the rankings due to their beauty, sweet nature, publicity. I do believe I have helped educate through my website and my families and service to this angelic breed called the Samoyed. Over the last 35 plus years, I have produced Samoyeds as companion dogs for autistic children, therapy and service dogs, show and breeding dogs producing more than 300 champions to date. I have many working as a seizure alert dog and the new rise as diabetic alert dogs when children’s sugar has dropped and the pump has stopped working. The Samoyed knows before the equipment does! Just amazing to see, and due to their hypoallergenic nature and sweet disposition the Samoyed makes for an excellent Service Dog in areas of schools, airplanes and public places due to being odorless and hypoallergenic.
How do I place my pups? Families find me through referrals, whitemagicsamoyeds.com website and the AKC Market Place and AKC all breed dog shows. We have a Samoyed Puppy Application that all families must fill out so that we can start the interview pro- cess to see if they are a good fit for a Samoyed. I then set up a day and time to do an interview, then we do a meet and greet if able with the families or they do a meet and greet with a family that has a White Magic Samoyed in their home to do the final interview pro- cess, again to ensure they are a good fit for a Samoyed. Samoyeds are very smart, and they can train their owners! We want families who are confident that they can be a good fit for a Samoyed and if they have difficulty can and will hire an outside source trainer to assist with training the owner. There is no such thing as a Bad Samoyed, only bad owners as I say.
At what age do I choose a show prospect? I evaluate and find my great ones at eight weeks of age. The great ones show signs of being that special puppy even at birth and that individual puppy usually continues to be a standout. I agree with Pat Hastings that there is a one week window of time between 7 1/2 and 8 1/2 weeks that what that puppy is during that one week window is what he or she will be as an adult. I have found this true to date!
What clothing color do you favor to complement the coat?
I prefer professional suits wearing black and white, or bright solid colors are lovely. I do not like busy material as it takes away from the dog you are presenting. Jasper took a Best In Show with his handler Krista Nuovo wearing white! The two almost looked angelic together. But that is supposed to be tabu! But under the right circumstance, I would wear solid white.
My favorite dog show memory? I think the Samoyed Club of America National where one of my lovely boys Ch. White Mag- ic’s Spirit of Light “Nanook” took Winners Dog under Samoyed Breeder Judge Annella Cooper and then BOW under Samoyed Breeder Judge Mardee Ward. That was a very special National Dog Show that I had not only one Samoyed Breeder acknowledge my
breeding and quality of my dog, but two very respected Samoyed Breeder Judges.
The Samoyed is a very special dog who is intelligent and loves the world and has no fear. They need to be kept on a leash at all times if not in a secure fenced in yard as they have no fear of cars and if they see a dog or human to go run to and greet they will do so! They don’t realize that a car is dangerous, so I warn families about safety precautions with a Samoyed not running away from you, but running to go on a new adventure. They do need a job to do, even if it is entertaining themselves with a toy or being on a sit-stay near you. They enjoy working and pleasing their owners with their high intelligence. Never underestimate a Samoyed! They are truly the World’s best kept secret.
ANDREA DUNKLE
Andrea Dunkle, of ArticCross Sam- oyeds has been involved with the breed for over 30 years. With her mother, Julie Ryd- strand, the Artic- Cross Samoyed family has pro- duced many gen- erations of Samoyeds
who have garnered countless titles in conformation, obedience, and agility. In addition multiple ArticCross Samoyeds work as service dogs.
I live in Hollywood, Florida and I am a Trust and Estates Para- legal.
How does the breed fit into a contemporary household? Pretty amazingly! These dogs are experts at adaptation. I lived in an apart- ment with my two girls for years through college and after. They did great. We did always stay active though, walks, agility, trick training, and obedience training really helped! Overall, I think for any family who is planning to be active with their dogs, they can make it work! I recently did purchase my own home and I do have to say they love having their own back yard to hunt lizards and dig!
Does the breed’s eye-catching color and flashy gait give them an edge in Group competition? I don’t really think it gives them much of an edge. Some judges have a firm grasp on our breed and reward them appropriately. If anything seems to give them a real draw it is a large, fluffy coat. I’ve only very rarely seen an out of coat Samoyed rewarded and our standard clearly states, “Quality of coat should be weather resistant and considered more than quantity.”
Has the breed’s popularity fluctuated during my involvement? The demand seems to have increased exponentially with Coconut Rice Bear and Maya Samoyed. The supply by breeders who work to purposefully breed and preserve the Samoyed does not seem to have increased though. The wait lists can be long, and has allowed us to thoroughly screen homes.
How do I place my pups? There is a questionnaire that we have prospective homes fill out. Then an interview process that can take hours and hours of discussing on the phone. We want people to feel like family by the time they get one of our pups.
At what age do I choose a show prospect? Sometime between eight and twelve weeks.
What clothing color do I favor to complement the coat? Bright purple and bright blue for a primarily white Samoyed, I love red or burnt orange with a heavily biscuit or fully biscuit Samoyed.
My favorite dog show memory? My very first group placement when I was eight years old with CH. ArticCross Sweet Dreams, NA under Ed Bivin.
294 • ShowSight Magazine, october 2019