In the Chinook tribes of the Northwest coast, the Stillaguamish tribe was famous for the dog fur they wove into garments. A Stillaguamish girl's worth at the time of marriage was determined by the number of dogs she owned that produced this fine wool.

Misha is the prime example of how being a Chinook breeder leads to many wonderful new friends. I met Tom and Stephanie Broughton in 1995 when they were looking for a Chinook pup. It just so happened that they lived only a mile from me and that Holly was pregnant with her first litter at this time. Misha was born the summer of 1995, one of five pups in the Heatwave litter. From the start she was a big, girl and has become the tallest Chinook from this litter. When she was eight weeks old, she moved to her permanent home with the Broughton family, though to this day she is a frequent visitor here. And the Broughtons have become some of my closest friends.

The Broughtons allowed me to show Misha when she was a year old on a local level and she did very well, trading wins with her litter sister, Mountain Rain Dancer Quinault. Judges were very complementary of Misha's bone density, wonderful Chinook head, and her strong gait. Though Misha was not shown through to a full championship, after additional evaluations by other experts, we decided that she would be bred in the late winter of 1998

Misha is considered a "buff" Chinook due to her light coat with gold markings

Misha, however, had ideas of her own. Though the Broughton's yard was securely fenced and Misha never jumped out, there was a certain German Shepherd who did jump IN on occasion and one of those occasions resulted in an unexpected Chinook Cross litter. Yes, in September of 1997 Misha gave birth to nine gorgeous pups that all looked like purebred Chinooks. Though none of these dogs entered the Chinook Cross Program of the Chinook Owners Association, they have gone on to become wonderful family pets and excellent sled dogs.  They all share the kennel name of "Enatai" which means "to cross" in chinook jargon.

Misha at six weeks

Misha was put under house arrest after her fling and was bred in 1998, producing the Rain Mountain Night Shift litter, one of our best to date. Chinooks from this litter have gone on to join other Chinook kennels across the country. Her daughter, Grand Ch. PR Rain Mountain Malipulik, won the title of Best in Top Ten for the year 2000. Ch. PR Rain Mountain  Sebecca has produced two wonderful litters (Hickory Hill Spring Rain, her daughter, has joined the Rain Mountain family here in Seattle). Rain Mountain Bannack has become the foundation stud for High Plains Chinooks in Montana and may be the most titled Chinook today, and PR Rain Mountain Skagit Saber is just beginning his career as a stud muffin.