The Latest & Greatest Who, What, When, Where, & Why Meet the Pack * UConnActivities and Photo Gallery Links, Contact Info, and the Rest of the Story For more information, contact CARIE TAYLOR MOONSONG CHINOOKS Phone: (206) 920-4583 chinookrun@hotmail.com |
Moonsong Chinooks Sledding - Rigging - Weight Pull - Conformation - Obedience - Herding |
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UWP Mountain Laurel UConn "UConn" 
 As
my very first Chinook, UConn was my introduction to the breed and the
reason I now own so many Chinooks. He came home with me for the
first time when he was five months old. UConn
has always been shy though he made a lot of progress from his days of
hiding from every new sight and sound. Over the seven years of
his life, he lived in four different state, three of them with
me. He started out being born in Connecticut then joined me in
upstate New York where we lived near Syracuse. When I moved to
Florida to take over a dog and horse rescue, UConn came along.
After three years in Florida, we headed north and west, coming to rest
here in Washington State, just outside of Seattle. UConn agreed
with me that the Northwest is a wonderful place for Chinooks and he was glad the
Moonsong pack settled here.
UConn was born with Cyclic Neutropenia1,
which is also called Gray Collie Disease. At the time he was
diagnosed, there were no other Chinooks ever known to have this
problem. Most dogs with this immune disorder don't live beyond
two years old, if they even make it out of puppyhood, but UConn had a
big heart and the will to live. I was lucky to be loved by him
for seven wonderful years. It wasn't easy sometimes to battle the
disease and he had several painful relapses. But UConn's "Can
Do!" spirit always pulled him through. I wanted him to live as
normal a life as he possibly could. For UConn this meant being
head dog of my pack, running lead on the Moonsong sled team, and
competing in weight pull competitions. He may be built like
Icabod Crane but he put his heart into anything I asked of him.
At the time he passed away, he was well on his way to becoming the
first UKC Weight Pull Champion before he became too weak to pull. UConn's idea of heaven was to ride in the car. It didn't matter where we were going. All I had to ask was, "Do you want to go for a ride?" and he'd start bouncing and running back and forth between me and the front door. After moving to the Northwest and beginning to work at the Academy of Canine Behavior, UConn went to work with me every day, usually spending it waiting for me in the car, then romping in the fields with the other dogs during my breaks and after work During our vacations, we traveled all over the Northwest and northern states attending dog shows, weight pulls, and visiting friends; UConn was always up for a road trip. UConn was good with puppies and helped me raise several first at the rescue in Florida then the litters of Chinooks born after I moved to the Northwest and began breeding Chinooks. Dubbed "Uncle UConn-rad," he tolerated them crawling all over him. Occasionally he'd try to act tough but all the pups knew it was just an act. His last weekend with me was a happy one. Though he was weak, he road with me and some of my young dogs to the Portland, Oregon area to see a new litter of pups at the home of Susan Fletcher and Marian Brennan of Frontier Chinooks. We made a comfortable bed for him in the van and let him have as much peace as possible. The afternoon before we were to leave, he decided to join the puppy evaluation. It was wonderful to see him trotting around Susan and Marian's wooded acreage. He even flirted with Susan's female Chinooks, pulling himself up as tall as possible and letting them all know he was an important head of the pack. Uconn will always have a special place in my heart. I don't know that another dog will ever love me as much as he did. I was HIS human more than he was my dog. My Personal Favorite Photos of Mountain Laurel UConn
 UConn and Tay were close friends. Tay has now taken over as leader of the Moonsong Pack.  UConn's shining glory came later in his life when we discovered weight pulling. He didn't have a lot of muscle but he more than made up for it with his huge heart and will to please me. In 2004, he knocked the socks off all who watched the UKC Premier Weight Pull. 1. For information on Cyclic Neutropenia or Gray Collie Disease, feel free to explore some of these links:.
Please also be aware that to this day, UConn is the ONLY Chinook known to have this disorder. Here in Seattle the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Institute has been studying the disorder in hopes of finding treatments that can be used in humans as well as dogs. Unfortunately when UConn was diagnosed, I was working for next-to-nothing wages running a dog and horse rescue. Simply getting the diagnosis and coping with his chronic resulting problems such as frequent abscesses, difficulty breathing, and such took the bulk of all I could come up with in the way of funds for vet bills. Material here may not be reproduced without permission. For more information on any of the dogs you see here, please contact Carie Taylor |
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