Spring Creek Chinooks
Pam Chambers
Seattle, Washington
Happy Home Raised Chinooks Since 1997


About Spring Creek & Pam Chambers
Meet the Spring Creek Pack
   Kolby
   Brandy
   Mocha
   Belle
   Raksha
Spring Creek 2014 Litter: Raksha & Kody Joe



About Spring Creek & Pam Chambers
(as told by Pam Chambers)

In the early 1960s my parents, Ben and Virginia, started Spring Creek Kennels, named after the small creek running through the property where I grew up. They raised and showed beautiful white miniature Poodles and later brown toy Poodles. By the time I was ten I had my own Poodle, was in 4H, and was very good at grooming those high-upkeep coats.  In Junior High and High School I earned my spending money and supported my horses with my job in local grooming parlor, my silver toy Poodle Nanette lying under my table every day that I worked. After High School graduation, I came to Tacoma and lived and worked for Johnny Long and his wife; Johnny was a well respected professional handler specializing in Poodles and later a judge for AKC.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic to discover the wash and wear Chinook in 1997.  Although it's no longer Poodles, I am very proud to be carrying on the Spring Creek name with beautiful dogs.

Some Historic Spring Creek Poodles of the 1950 and '60s

A significant Specialty win for a Spring Creek pup.

Pam's dad, Ben, doing what he and the dogs did best -- napping.

Pam's mom, Virginia, sitting next to Spring Creek on their
property near Yakima, Washington where Pam grew up.


Spring Creek Meets Chinooks and
Quickly Becomes a Pack

Pam Chambers met and fell in love with Chinooks in 1997 when she was "just going to look at a litter" and the biggest of the pups ended up going home with her.  The floodgates were opened. First was a Chinook Cross male, Kolby, followed shortly by WoodsRunner Brandy, a beautiful Chinook bitch from the prominent WoodsRunner kennel in Maine. Brandy and Kolby got Pam hooked on sledding and back into the swing of obedience work. Pam soon was itching for more, more, more! Brandy was bred to Rain Mountain Tonasket Thunder and produced the first Spring Creek litter, from which Pam kept Mocha, and so on. Really you need to let Pam tell the story of each of the dogs.



Enati Gold HCT, aka, Kolby

Kolby was one of nine pups resulting from a German Shepherd jumping the fence into the yard of a blue-blooded Chinook girl. He was the biggest of the pups, known as "Hummer" as a baby because he was as big as one of the legendary vehicles. Pam had her heart set on a purebred Chinook but only wanted to stop by and see the pups. Perhaps it was the fact that she had her teenage son with her at the time that resulted in Kolby going home with them from that visit.

In Pam's words: "Kolby was out first introduction to Chinooks and a whole new way of life. We saw an article in Dog World and the dogs looked and sounded like the ideal breed. We contacted Ginger Corley of Rain Mountain Chinooks and met her and her dogs.  She knew of a nearby accidental litter that was half Chinook. We were really just going to look at the pups but ended up coming home with Kolby, the largest of the pups in the litter. Kolby was a lean guy at 90 pounds and everyone was his his best friend. He was great in obedience and soon mastered carting too.  I fostered a wolf hybrid for friends and with the two of them, I had my first sled team. The three of us would spend many wonderful hours on a trail enjoying the feel of the runners on the pristine snow."  

"Kolby could always bring a smile to our faces and when he left, he left a big hole in our hearts. I've always told my children when they've lost a friend that God has promised we will be forever happy someday and if that's what it takes to be happy, our friend will be waiting for us. So I know Kolby and I will be together again someday."


Kolby left and Brandy right after a work-out with the wheeled rig.



WoodsRunner Golden Brandy

In the summer of 1998 Ginger Corley of Rain Mountain Chinooks met up in Denver with Connie Jones of WoodsRunner Chinooks of Maine.  Connie had brought three Chinook pups to Denver where she handed them over to Ginger, who brought them back to the Seattle area.  These three Chinooks went on to make a significant mark on Chinook breeding in the West and in the whole Chinook world.  One of those was a little bundle of blond fur who came to be known as WoodsRunner Golden Brandy and the absolute Princess of the Chambers household. Brandy was game for anything, be it playing dress-up with Pam's granddaughters or throwing her weight into harness with Kolby. She was also a dainty princess in the show ring (though she was usually beat out by her bigger and flashier litter sister, Lady). She was Pam's constant companion but only until Mike got home from work. Then she was his. No dog was ever so fussed over. Was she eating enough or should she be fed some chicken breasts? Was she getting the right amount of exercise? Brandy soaked it all up as her birthright.  She was made to be worshiped after all.



Sweet Brandy even got along well with the family's many cats

A few months before she passed away, Brandy was
still happy to see company and visit a while.

Patient Brandy was often dressed in costume.


Left to right: WoodsRunner Golden Brandy, WoodsRunner Lady Rain, and WoodsRunner Rorik

In February of 2001 Brandy gave birth to the first Spring Creek Chinook litter, presenting Pam with two tawny baby girls, who were named Mocha and Chaim originally. Mocha stayed and kept her name and Chai became Bailey and moved to Minnesota, where she earned kudos in the show world and as a demo dog for trainer and behaviorist Kathleen Riley-Daniels.

Brandy lived out her life at Spring Creek, dying peacefully in early 2014 at age 15. She was very well loved and will always be missed. It is with thanks to WoodsRunner Chinooks, who, though they are no longer breeding, gave Spring Creek their start in the world of Chinooks and showed them that there are a lot of fun things to do with your dogs instead of spending all that time grooming them.



UWP RBIS Ch. Spring Creek Stormrunner HIC, aka, Mocha

Mocha has the special sort of confidence that comes in a dog that grows up in the same place as it was born. She easily earned her UKC Championship title as a one year old, finishing with a Reserve Best in Show and being ranked in Top Ten in 2002. Mocha loves snow and considered sledding wonderful fun in her younger years. She also enjoyed herding and qualified for her Herding Instinct Certified certificate. Mocha's greatest desire is to be by Pam's side and Pam used that to gain her UKC weight pull title. Mocha would do anything to get next to Pam and it didn't matter how much she had to pull to get there. Pam stopped her at 2,000 pounds, meaning she was quite close to her much larger sire's personal best of 2,200 pounds.

Mocha produced a beautiful litter for Spring Creek September 11, 2004. Out of that of four males and two females, perhaps the most notable pup was Grand Ch. Spring Creek's Lambeau Leap, aka "Brett Farve," who earned a great following both in the Chinook world and the dog fancy in general as the demo dog for dogscooter.com and later for chalosulky.com with Daphne Lewis. Brett was also a notable stud dog, siring several litters for Moonsong Chinooks, Frontier Chinooks, and Laughing Mountain Chinooks before sadly dying of lung cancer in the prime of life.


    


Top Left: Mocha finishes her UKC Championship with a Reserve Best in Show, showing off with Mike and Pam Chambers and the day's judge.
Top Right: Mocha was bred once to Alpine Trefenwyd of Moonsong (aka "Tay") producing a litter of six pups.
Bottom:  Mocha and Tay's son "Brett Farve" (Spring Creek Lambeau Leap) was a demo dog for Daphne Lewis,
first with www.dogscooter.com and later with www.chalosulky.com. Brett was also a successful sire of
multiple litters before he sadly died of lung cancer at only 7 years old.


After Brandy passed away, Mocha became the reigning diva of Spring Creek, ruling the pack, lying in the most choice spots in front of the fireplace, and running beside Pam's electric scooter.  Just ask her and she would tell you how very important she was. It was a huge shock to the Chambers family when a stroke laid waste to her body and neurological functions in the late fall of 2015. Mocha went from being fine one day to being physically devastated the next. The decision was made to free her from her body with heavy hearts in October of 2015.



Ch. Hickory Hill Spring Rain HIC, aka, Belle

Belle is a golden treasure from Maine, riding to Seattle under Pam's seat on a trip that took twice as long as it should, what with being so soon after 9/11. Belle is co-owned by Ginger Corley of Rain Mountain Chinooks. She is truly a princess with exquisite looks and a regal manner about her. As soon as she arrived at the Chambers' home, she jumped into the play yard with Pam's granddaughter Madison and the two became a tightly bonded pair. They are friends forever.

Belle was such a lovable dog that while in Ginger's van, along with her cousins Kodi and Taaku, a car prowler was able to steal Ginger's purse while she was inside registering them for the dog show. Chinooks, especially when just 12 to 18 months old, just are not ferocious. They probably licked the prowler gratefully, especially if s/he offered them treats. But if anyone would have harmed a hair on any of Belle's children, she would have died to save them.  Chinooks just are not materialistic but they truly love their people.

Belle is a Chinook who has mastered many jobs. She received her Championship in the ring, she loves the snow and sledding but found her true niche pulling a cart usually with Madison in it. She was always willing to offer a ride to little legs that were too tired to walk while picnicking, carrying hot drinks during Christmas caroling or local parades, and did promo work for the beautiful tulip fields.  (You could say that Belle was the belle of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.)

When Pam's health declined and she needed a Service Dog for mobility, Belle stepped up to the job and never left her side until she was retired when she was ten years old. Even so, when at home, Belle was still at Pam's side, her dedicated Service Dog forever. Even after she lost the use of her rear legs, she was determined to be near Pam, always with a happy smile and a wagging tail. It was only when she could no longer hide her pain, and Mike and Pam were having to carry her from her bed to the outside potty yard (Mike throwing out his back in the process but never complaining), that the final decision was made to let Belle leave her body behind, mere weeks after they said goodbye to Mocha. She is missed by many and the house is far too quiet.


The elegant Hickory Hill Spring Rain, aka Bella

Belle loves cuddling with Pam's grandchildren

Photos of Bella carting with then-toddler Madison were
used by the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival for promotions.


Moonsong Law of the Jungle, aka, Raksha 

Raksha is a very striking young Chinook girl from the Moonsong Chinooks' Jungle Book Litter. Co-owned with her breeder, Carie Taylor, Raksha is line bred on Moonsong and Rain Mountain bloodlines. She gives Pam the opportunity to breed to several young males in the Northwest as well as breeding back to the genes of Brett Farve from her 2004 litter.

When Belle retired, Raksha stepped in as Pam's Service Dog, providing mobility assistance and even more tasks as Pam's skill as a trainer has increased; she's intelligent and has a lot of energy and drive. Her stunning looks and carriage tend to stop people wherever they go. Raksha is diligent about her jog but when she's not working, she is always up for a good game of tag with Pam's grandchildren, begging them to chase her. She also loves her Chinook friends and Pam provides scheduled playmates with Moonsong Kayla and Frontier Luck of the Draw (Penalize). She still whines when they pass her brother Watson's house, though he has moved to Oregon with his owner.

Raksha has just produced her first litter, sired by Atholl Hurricane Nakoda Rain, otherwise known as Kody Joe. Two males and three females were born on February 28, 2014. Raksha has been a devoted mother though as the pups have gotten older, she is torn between her duty to her babies and her job as Pam's Service Dog. To visit with the Raksha x Kody Joe Litter, please go to their webpage.


From Raksha's litter with Kody Joe, Pam kept their Daughter Katie to begin training as her next Service Dog.  This way she would be prepared for the day that Raksha would be too old and in the meantime she could allow Katie to spell Raksha on the days when she was going to face just ordinary easy tasks.  By the time she was a year old, Katie was functioning as if she were born to it as much as any German Shepherd, Labrador, or Golden Retriever. Katie will have her own section in the days to come.  But for now, those who live at Spring Creek, both the literal and virtual one, are struggling to deal with the deaths that they have had to deal with over the last year and a half. They have suddenly gone from a house of old and sedate to one of youngsters always wanting more , be it exercise, attention, instruction and limits, or treats and petting. A door has closed and a new one is opening.

Spring Creek 2014 Litter: Raksha & Kody Joe
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