Leschi had moved to Seeley Lake, Montana with Kurt Dally after he returned from working with Iditarod musher Martin Buser.  In January of 2005 while Kurt was at work a kitchen fire broke out in his house.  Leschi and Australian Cattle Dog River were able to escape but Leschi was hit by a car and killed in her panicked flight from the fire.

All I know is that the Rainbow Bridge is bound to be a lively place with Leschi there waiting for Kurt and I to arrive.  She's not alone as her sister Rangeley is there too after passing away from cancer in June of 2003.  Leschi was beauty in motion, the spitting image of her dam Holly in tawny colors and the world is a lesser place without her.

The following was written in 2002 when Leschi was still in Montana with Kurt.

Leschi is a pistol. When my friend (and well known breeder, behaviorist, and author) Colleen McDaniel was trying to help me decide which pup from this litter to keep, she kept asking me: "Do you want a dog that is easy to live with or a dog that will win?" I chose to keep the pup that would win. Leschi was born during an outrageous blizzard just after Christmas of 1996, hence the litter was known as the "snowflakes." Leschi is a twin for her dam, Holly, and I often thought of showing them in brace except that Holly is gray and tan and Leschi is tawny.

When Leschi was a year old, I suffered a spinal cord injury and Kurt Dally came to live with me to help out with the dogs. Kurt was doing an apprenticeship as a trainer with Colleen McDaniel at her kennel, The Academy of Canine Behavior. Kurt and Leschi fell in love quickly. Kurt's Australian Cattle Dog, Gentleman River, became Leschi's best friend. Within a few months, Kurt handled Leschi to her ARBA, IABCA, and UKC championships. Anytime Kurt would leave the house, Leschi would sit at the front door and wait for his return, only to pointedly ignore him when he did. She was definitely the teen-aged prom queen. But her attitude served her well; in 1999 she was one of four Rain Mountain dogs to be in the UKC's Top Ten (along with her littermate Rain Mountain Rangeley Runner, her brother Rain Mountain Tonasket Thunder, and niece, Rain Mountain Malipalik).

Like many youngsters, Leschi enjoys watching nature shows on television

Leschi's sire, North Wind Riki of Bear Creek, is a legendary sled dog and weight pulled belonging to Rick Strle of Bear Creek Kennels in California and Leschi quickly proved that she had her sire's desire to run. Kurt worked hard to get the Rain Mountain team in shape while I was recovering from my injuries and Leschi proved to be a star. She ran well either in wheel with Thunder or co-lead with Holly
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Future Champions:  Grand Ch. PR Rain Mountain Rangeley Runner and
Ch. PR Rain Mountain Leschi at 2 1/2 weeks old

Like my other Chinooks, Leschi also is a star at herding sheep. She earned her HCT title when she was less than a year old. Kurt worked her extensively with Joe Kapelos of Ewe-Topia and has her ready for competition. In the summer of 2000, I had recovered sufficiently that Kurt was able to move on and who was I to break up a love affair? Leschi and Kurt spent a year in Alaska at the kennels of famed Iditarod musher Martin Buser then moved to Montana where Kurt is working with various mushers.

Leschi definitely has her moods. She will ignore you one moment and is prone to pout when things don't go her way, then will come and climb in your lap for a cuddle only minutes later. She is exceptionally strong and agile and has a great sense of humor. I enjoy hearing the updates of Kurt, Leschi, and River's adventures.