Rain Mountain Chinooks
established 1988

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More of the Extended
Rain Mountain Pack





Frequent Visitors and Members of the Extended Pack
Home is actually Grand Central Station with friends of both the human and canine variety in and out constantly.  Rarely does a day go by without visitors.  Below are some of our regular visitors.


 Carie and her brood are in and out of the house on a near-daily basis and are welcome each and every time.  To my dogs she is better than Santa Paws with a full bag of chicken wings.  During the first year she was here in the Northwest Carie lived here and hopefully considers this her second home.  As a professional dog trainer twenty years younger than me, she has the energy and expertise to do all the hard stuff and dirty work I can't or don't want to do myself.  She fixes problems, comes in  emergencies any time of day or night, and agrees when I commit her to help anyone in any circumstance.  Her dogs are angels for the most part and she rules with an iron voice.  UConn, Tay, Katsuk, Chili, and Jiggles make up one heck of a sled team and one of the few who stop on command and drop into down-stays in the middle of the trail.  Carie is both part of Rain Mountain and developing a line of her own as Moonsong Chinooks.  I have no question she'll be successful.

Kodi -- UWP Ch. PR Rain Mountain Potlatch Kodiak -- lives with my friend and co worker Scott Hussey.  Between my kidnapping him for shows and sledding, Scott's occasional trips out of town, Kodi is here often and settles right in as if it were home.  Taataga is crazy about "Uncle" Kodi and bounces like a kangaroo when he sees Scott and Kodi coming up the front walk. I've got the Hussey family addicted to Chinooks and Scott's brother Jeff and his wife are now owned by PR Noble Thunder Solo of Rain, Kodi's son..

There was a time when JoAnn was just a public health nurse and suburban mom with two older Irish Water Spaniels.  But then she fell in love with Chinooks and sledding.  Next thing you know, Dave -- UWP Ch. PR Rain Mountain Mahako Dave of Bear Creek -- joined her family and JoAnn's life took a new route.  Within a few years, JoAnn packed up her husband and kids and moved the family to Sand Point, Idaho, gradually took in some Alaskan Huskies and Eurohounds, and has begun a mid-life career in sled racing.  Okay, she still works as a nurse and plays mom but winter weekends are spent on a sled or cheering on her junior mushers.  September of 2006 they added another Chinook to the family and Granite Hill Ruby of Rain is now running the household.

Saber -- PR Rain Mountain Skagit Saber -- has the tough job of watching over the the Boisse family, assisted by his uncle Blue (PR Rain Mountain Chewalah Blue).  That job has become even more important since dad James Boisse has been spending more time overseas with the Marine Corps Reserve.  He is a magnificent and traditional Chinook with great presence.

Like his cousin Saber, Ch. PR Hurricane Malibu Rain is busy raising kids and running with his owner Carla Thieme.  He captures the best of both his sire Thunder and his dam, Ch. Hurricane Electra, with long legs and a running build though with substantial bone and a great bear like head.  His first litter, which includes Lolo, turned out gorgeous and I hope to see more pups from him in future years

Though Rorik (Ch. WoodsRunner Rorik) has retired from showing and successful stud career, he contributed a great deal to the Rain Mountain line and life in general.  He's now busy raising his grandson, PR BrownStone Rodion of Frontier, and the Wilmot boys, Edyk and Roman.  Life on the farm keeps both dogs busy.

In January of 2003 Joyce Maley of Hurricane Chinooks sent pups west so that we could have could have easier access to their bloodlines. Ch. PR Hurricane Freyja Rain is now is Colorado, the "fur child" of Mary and Andy Malkiel and foundation of Laughing Mountain Chinooks.  PR Hurricane Elwa Taigi Rain moved to Edmonton, Alberta and lives with Jeff Plantinga.  Likewise, Thunder went east and sired a litter for Hurricane Chinooks that produced Malibu and Katsuk.  Joyce and I have been fast friends ever since I brought home my first Chinook.

For much of 2002 and 2003 the Strle family of Bear Creek Kennels & Racing was kind enough to let Jenna -- Ch. PR Rain Mountain Jenna of Bear Creek -- come back to her birth home so that I could finish her championship and raise two litters.  Jenna's brother Steele (PR Rain Mountain Steele of Bear Creek -- was also "kidnapped" so that he could sire one litter before he too returned to the California high desert and the Strle family.  The friendship and breeding partnership of Bear Creek and Rain Mountain is one I value highly and hope will continue forever.

Now retired, Misha -- PR Rain Mountain Stillaguamish-- was an excellent brood bitch.  Unfortunately she liked choosing her own husband too so her first litter of nine were half Chinook and half Sneaky Neighbor Dog.  Luckily she was kept on a tight leash and went on to produce another litter, this time of ten.  Misha is an example of the fun of owning Chinooks.  Through her, I was able to make great friends in Tom and Stephanie Broughton.
Moose (PR Rain Mountain Yakama Pride) combines the great bone structure and of his dad, Thunder, with the grace and beautiful black markings given him by his mom, Lady. Moose's temperament is also everything that we hoped for. He has the sweetness of his dam and the sense of humor of his sire. Though Moose seems like a silly pup in a very large body, he's also very intuitive and respoonsible and has saved the life of "his" little girls on more than one occasion, Moose loves any type of work, especially pulling the cart to the grade school to bring Britney, Andrea, and their friends home from school.

For now at least, Bannack is the most-titled Chinook in history.  That makes his name look like alphabet soup -- UWP UCDX Ch. PR Rain Mountain Bannack CGC HIC NAP.  What this all means is that he has a weight pull title, a Companion Dog Excellent obedience title, is a show champion, has passed the Canine Good Citizen test, is Herding Instinct Certified, and has a Novice Agility tital.  Home for Bannack is Great Falls, Montana with Marne and Corine lindhorst where he's also the foundation stud of High Plains Chinooks.

Susan Fletcher and Marian Brennan of Frontier Chinooks were my first Chinook "best friends" since we were the only Chinook owners on the West Coast!  For over 15 years now we have shared almost every dog activity along with debveloping a strong friendship and many mutual breeding projects. (Photo is of UWP Grand Ch. PR Frontier Finnegan)

Pam Chambers of Springcreek Chinooks is another good friend.  Pam and her extended family (she has millions of grandchildren!) are a big part of the team here and we'd be lost without her.  (Photo is UWP Ch. PR Springcreek's Stormrunner, aka Mocha, showing off her magnificent tongue.)

Moonsong Kamiak Mystry of Rain was born in August of 2005 and spent the first year of her life here with me.  Kamiak is sweet and loving, al;ways happy, and unfortunately smart as well with just a small touch of eveil in her intentions. Now living in Seattle with the Smiths, Connie describes her as such:  "When I go to the dog park I find myself with a girl who has the savviest social skills I've ever witnessed, runs like the wind and corners on a dime. Most dogs express themselves with tail-wagging and barking but Kami "talks" with her ears and paws as well as tail. She's an obsessive toy "flipper" and would bury every toy and bone she owns four feet deep in my yard and garden if I let her. (Then dig them up and try to smuggle them back inside the next day)."


Friends Across the Country
Friendships among the Chinook community are not only here in the Northwest but are spread across the country.  Below are just a few of the Chinook kennels I know well, have worked with and visited, and/or who have visited me here over the years.  These are in addition to the many I've mentioned above too. 

WoodsRunner Chinooks, Bob and Connie Jones of Portland, Maine Outlaw Chinooks, Kathleen Riley Daniels of Ramsey, Minnesota
Cloudburst Chinooks, Donna Canfield, of Columbia, Maryland BrownStone Chinooks, Kay Lee Brown of Eugene, Oregon
Boreayl Chinooks, Debbie Premus of Lebanon, Ohio Great Mountain Chinooks, Jessica Maurer and Penthea Burns of Lewiston, Maine
Annawan Chinooks, Randy and Connie Erb of Belton, Missouri Hickory Hill Chinooks, David and Elaine Bradbury of Standish, Maine
Balsam Ridge Chinooks, Ann Eakin and Syd Craig
of Stowe, Massachusetts
 Rivertrail Chinooks, Laura Morgan of Ithaca, New York
Granite Hill Chinooks, John and Leslie Donais of Dover, New Hampshite
 Outlaw Chinooks, Kathleen Riley-Daniels


Special Dogs
Each of these is special in their own way.


 PR Rain Mountain Alki Trouble is a very unique character who has had more than a few adventures in his life.  Thanks to the generosity of the Chinook community, Alki is now living at the foot of Mount Rainier with the Rutherford family and enjoying life as the companion of a teenaged girl of his own.

Ch PR Hickory Hill Spring Rain is really our Bella.  Bella is sweet and uncomplicated though beautiful, the spitting image of her dad Grand Ch. PR WoodsRunner Duncan.  Bella is the family member of the Springcreek pack but has spent a great deal of time with me in the show ring, earning her championship.  Bella is Pam's star at carting and loves pulling the many Chambers grandchildren in her cart both in the neighborhood and throughout the Northwest.


Ch. PR Frontier Rain Dancer Klickitat is one of the most enthusiastic Chinooks I know.  She is also the spitting image of her dad, WoodsRunner Duncan.  only where Duncan is an awesome sled dog, I made the mistake of teaching Tat Tat to heel before letting her pull a sled and from then on she thought she should pull from heel position.  After finishing her conformation championship, Tat Tat found her true calling in life though as a Service Dog for Florence Rainey of Maryland.  Tat Tat and Florence are inseperable and Tat helps her out in many ways every day, ranging from picking things up, turning light switches on and off, and helping pull her wheelchair.


Only very special friends give gifts as special as a puppy and Bob and Connie Jones of WoodsRunner Chinooks gave such a gift to me in 1998.  Ladybug -- Grand Ch. PR WoodsRunner Lady Rain HCT -- truly loves the world and every person and dog in it. She is especially crazy about kids and puppies. She also took to dog showing with great joy. She finished her championship with a sweep of Best Female and Best of Winners at the 2000 UKC Premier in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she also had a blast in Junior Handling with a young girl she had just met that day. Lady finished her show career as the #5 Chinook for 2001 and I couldn't be prouder of her. Especially since nearly all her wins were with girls in Junior Handling showing her. After two litters, Ladybug retired to live with Ron and Susan Schoener where she has Ron wrapped around her little paw and has helped raise their other Chinook, Frontier Dandelion Sky.  Ladybug is now helping to raise the newest generation of Sky's 2005 Seven Lakes Chinooks litter.

Perhaps the biggest superstar of Rain Mountain is Molly, Grand Ch. PR Rain Mountain Malipaluk.  Owned by Diana Fowler and Joyce Maley, Molly started with a bang, winning the Best Female award at her very first Chinook National Specialty and has been ranked in Top Ten every year she has shown.  Molly is from the 1998 Nightshift litter.

Over the Rainbow Bridge

Queen of all she surveyed was Holly -- Ch. PR Mystic Sahalee Rain CGC HCT.  Mom, Grandma, or Great Grandma (and now even Great Great Grandma) to nearly all the descendants of Rain Mountain alive today.  Holly was opinionated, vibrant, and batty in an Aunt Mame sort of fashion in her senior years.  She was five dogs in one body, all five of them are active and far too intelligent, up until her final days.  While working on this website, she was always right next to me, barking at me to tell me I am late performing one of the tasks she required of me every day.  I'm not sure what that task is but she barked at me until I figured out what she wanted.  Old dogs have earned this right.  You can check out her many offspring too at Over the Generations.  Her bed under my desk is empty now and it no longer hides a stash of every bone in the house but she will be in my heart forever.
Sadly, Thunder -- UWP Grand Ch. PR Rain Mountain Tonasket Thunder CGC HCT-- passed away on March 21st of this year.  The house seems empty without him.
The North Wind Sires Where the female side of the Rain Mountain bloodline is based on Holly, the male side is based on the three great sires of the North Wind line.
Hurricane Cheechako
 Our first stud arrived as a rescue and stayed as the ultimate gentleman.  He was a wonderful ambassador for the breed.
Northdown Skykomish
 The shy pup who came home with me from Northdown Chinooks in Maine became the first modern Chinook in western Washington .  She was my introduction to the breed and is responsible for all the other Chinooks who have followed over the past nearly twenty years.
Rose's Vixon
 Every Chinook who comes here teaches me more and such was the case with Vixon, a gift from fellow Chinook breeders.

Life at the Rainbow Bridge will never be the same since Ch. PR Rain Mountain Leschi arrived there January of 2005...