A lot of people think I'm crazy already. I proved that to many in 1996. I not only decided to breed my gray and tan Chinook Holly for a second time but I decided to use a questionable stud. North Wind Riki of Bear Creek was one of that awesome litter that also included North Wind Kiska and North Wind Kodiac (more on these boys is in the North Wind Studs section of this website). He'd been with Richard Strle of Bear Creek Racing since he was six months old and was one of the top weight pulling dogs in the world. He was also still running on the Bear Creek team and winning at the ripe old age of ten. But two small items had people sure I was out of my mind. Riki, though included in the transfer of the foundation stock information to UKC, had not been individually registered. Rick just hadn't gotten around to the paperwork. And Riki had not had his hips checked for dysplasia.

Nonetheless, his bloodline was great and his performance record was probably one of the most outstanding for a Chinook ever. Rick and I had many phone conversations and talked through things. We found we had very many similar ideas about our dogs, even though his are racers and mine are suburban pets. The registration issue was simply one of paperwork. As for hips, what with Riki still running point and winning, I wasn't too worried and Riki ended up getting an OFA Good on his 11th birthday!

Above:  Getting used to being a house dog Left:  At Jenna's first show, a fun match, she was handled with enthusiasm by four year old Andrew, grandson of Pam Chambers (Spring Creek Chinooks)

Holly had a rough pregnancy and December 29th I spent ten hours with her in the laundry room of the Kirkland Emergency Vet Clinic delivering pups as the weather went crazy around us.  The two feet of snow on the ground when she started labor had met a Chinook wind and everywhere around us was flooding, trees falling, and electricity going out.  The clinic had a back-up generator and the vet came in occasionally to check on Holly and her babies.  By that evening I had a litter of nine, dubbed forever the "Snowflake" litter.

Jenna was one of four girls. As a baby we called her Missy. She was a quiet pup but in a litter that included the future Leschi and Rangeley, any pup would be considered quiet. (You can see Rangeley on the Great Mountain   and Leschi's here.)  When the pups were eight weeks old, Richard flew up for the weekend, bringing Riki along. Richard spent a great deal of time watching the pups run in the yard. His plan at first was to take just one pup back home with him but he was having trouble  deciding which one and when I overheard his conversations with his wife and two daughters, I insisted that he take two, one for each of his girls. Baby Missy was the pup that wanted to follow her dad around the most. So Missy became Jenna and she and  her brother Willie (now known as Rain Mountain Steele of Bear Creek)  went home with Rick.

Fast forward five years. Rangeley and Leschi were burning up the show rings and sledding trails, Rangeley in Maine with Great Mountain Chinooks and Leschi here first with me, then with Kurt Dally in Alaska and now in Montana. For various reasons none of the pups from this wonderful litter had been bred. In October of 2001 I heard from Rick that Riki had passed away peacefully in his sleep a few months prior to his 16th birthday. Jenna and Steele were the well-loved pets of his daughters and were running with the Bear Creek team. Between his family and business, Rick didn't have the time to raise a litter of pups, yet we didn't want to loose Riki's genes for future generations of Chinooks. It was arranged for Jenna to come to Seattle. Once here, I would begin the process of finding the right stud and hopefully raising a joint Bear Creek-Rain Mountain litter once again.

Above:  Jenna and her older brother Thunder Right:  Resting in the van at the end of a day sledding

And so began Jenna's year and a half back here on Rain Mountain.  Like the other dogs, she spent her days lazing around the house, going on sales calls with me or trips to the office, sledding, rigging, herding (she earned her Herding Instict Certificate)  and to dog shows.  Jenna has an awesome temperament, proof of the loving care she received from the Strle family.  She's a solid little girl, built like a draft horse.  She has rich red coloring and a lush coat.  Her conformation is very well balanced and she moves like a dream.  It took her a bit of time to adjust to suburbia, as Strle's home is out in the country, but she quickly found that she likes the luxury of stretching out on the couch in the evenings.

It didn't take many shows for Jenna to finish a championship from the Bred By Exhibitor class.  Three weekends of shows was enough for her to earn her title and rave reviews from the judges.  After every show "Jenna" sent her ribbons home to the Strles. Anytime Jenna sees kids or puppies she had to say hello.  She easily passed all her health clearances and was bred twice, both to Ch. WoodsRunner Rorik.  Her pups, six in each litter, were quickly snapped up by breeders across the country and made many new famillies quite happy.

It was bittersweet when Jenna returned home in October of 2003.  I miss her a great deal but she was so happy to be back with the Strle's that I don't think she noticed me leaving.  She's busy raising her son Apache and following Megan Strle everywhere she goes.  Jenna will always be welcome here and I can't wait for my next visit to Bear Creek.

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Rain Mountain Chinooks is located in Washington state. Please contact Ginger Corley for additional information about Rain Mountain Chinooks or any of the information you see here. Copyright  © Ginger Corley, Rain Mountain Chinooks, 1988 to 2004.  No material may be reproduced without permission, though permission is usually granted.