The following is the list of questions that the Chinook Owners Association (COA) recommends prospective puppy owners ask breeders, along with my answers. The questions were originally published in the September 1997 issue of Dog World, and carries a copyright from Dog World, 1997. I will always be glad to discuss these questions further or any additional questions you may have.

Hurricane Chinooks: Hurricane Chinooks was established in 1986 and produced its first litter on November 20, 1987. That litter included 10 puppies which increased the Chinook population by 10%. Many of those Chinooks went on to be founding members of other Chinook kennels and the puppy I kept, Hurricane Mackenzie, went on to be a two-time National Specialty Winner. I am proud to have just celebrated my 20th anniversary of providing happy and healthy Chinook puppies to families in the US, Canada and Europe. I will be happy to provide references from families who have purchased Chinook puppies from me.

Hurricane Chinooks: I find success in show and performance venues to be critical activities a breeder should participate in. The show ring provides an impartial, independent evaluation of Chinooks in competition with each other. My philosophy is that only the best should be used to develop our next generations of Chinooks. Each breeder should be striving to better the breed and ensure the dogs they select for breeding are of sound conformation,which is critical to lifelong health. It is not unusual to see a Hurricane Chinook being competative in the show ring at age 10 or 11. That is a testament to the soundness that I look for in the dogs I produce, as owners will find a healthy dog more enjoyable than a dog who starts to have structural health issues the middle of their expected life span. Almost all the dogs that I own and use for breeding will be finished Grand Champions. However, wins in the show ring and titles are just the start of selecting a Chinook for breeding. I critically look at each Chinook and determine their value to improving the Chinook breed first, and improving my line, second. I evaluate each dog's conformation and movement, and not just the fact that they won ribbons in the show ring. It is also critical to focus on breedings that will limit any quality of life health issues that could occur. I have spayed and neutered a number of my Grand Champion Chinooks without ever breeding them because as adults, they did not meet the standards that I set for my breeding program.

Hurricane Chinooks has consistently produced Chinooks that have garnered multiple #1 Top Ten finishes, Best of Breed Top Ten wins, National Specialty wins and Best in Show wins. Hurricane Chinooks boasts the only two-time National Specialty winner, GR CH Hurricane Mackenzie, and the only three-time National Specialty winner, NBOB GR CH 'PR' Hurricane Janacek.

Hurricane Chinooks produced the first Chinook to become a UKC Total Dog, when GR CH 'PR' Romano's Tundra finished both her conformation title and her obedience title before any other Chinook. Tundra was also a trained Search and Rescue Dog.

Most recently, Hurricane Kodiac won the Champion class at the June 2009 Chinook National Specialty, and Hurricane Katrina won Reserve Best in Show at the September 2009 UKC show in Hickory, NC.

Hurricane Chinooks: I bring in an independent evaluator that does both conformation and temperament testing for each litter. I have found that those evaluations have been suficient to successfully match puppies with their new families. However, if future owners have any other requests, I will be glad to have special evaluations performed. They can also supply their own evaluator or come and do evalations themselves. Potential owners are always welcome as long as I am contacted far enough ahead to make sure I am available. Remember, a commitment to make a Chinook a part of your family means you are making a 10 to 14 year commitment. I want to make sure each puppy owner gets just the right puppy for their family.

Hurricane Chinooks: The UKC standard is the focal point for all my breedings. Most of the dogs I own and use for breeding are finished UKC Grand Champions. I litter register all of my litters with the UKC, the largest registry of Chinooks.

Hurricane Chinooks: I DNA-parent verify all the Chinooks I use for breeding. Generally there is no need to DNA parent verify all puppies unless there is a possible question of parentage. For identification, in case a puppy is ever separated from its owners, I use international AVID microchips for identification and if I am able to get an appointment with a National Dog Registries tattoo specialist, I also try to have each puppy tattooed with an individual identification number and my registered kennel ID.

Hurricane Chinooks: I do a number of tests to assess the genetic health of the dogs I own before they move on to be bred. At a minimum, each of my dogs will have their eyes and hips tested, and there will be no evidence of any seizure occurance. All testing information will be on this website along with a short biography of the individual Chinook to make it easy for people to review. For confirmation, you can go directly to the OFA site and the CERF site where they post test results. You can also ask me to send you a copy of the certificate.

OFA hip X-rays will normally be taken soon after they are 2 years of age, and CERF eye exams will occur every year. I also will have health results available from PennHIP for hips, OFA for pattelas, elbows and heart, and OFA for thyroid on many of my Chinooks. There is limited information as to how necessary it is for Chinooks to have tests for pattelas, elbows, heart and thyroid, but as time and funding is available, I do try to include those tests to ensure there are no issues in the Chinooks I am breeding. It has also not yet been determined if PennHIP is a more predictive test than OFA for the Chinook and they do not list individual dog reports on their site. I am in the process of getting PennHIP ratings done on all of my breeding potential dogs in hopes that we will be able to determine the effectiveness of that test within the Chinook breed. For more information, go directly to the PennHIP site.

Hurricane Chinooks: Yes, my puppies are sold on a contract. Click here to vew a sample pet contract. Breeding potential puppies are sold on contracts that are customized to the particular puppy and owner.

Hurricane Chinooks: Yes, I have signed the COA's Code of Ethics. In additional to following the COA's Code of Ethics I also follow the UKC's Breeder's Code of Ethics.

Hurricane Chinooks: I will be glad to allow prospective owners to review the papers for my dogs. If given enough lead time, I will be glad to make copies of any documentation you would like to see. In addition, if you wish to talk to my veterinarian, you may make an appointment, and I will sign a release so that you may review the medical records on all the the related dogs to your potential puppy.

Hurricane Chinooks: I try to always have pictures of the parents on my website. In addition, if you come and visit, you may see the mother, and often times the father, in person. However, you must contact me in advance to ensure I will be available. I do try to gather as much information as I can on the litter's ancestors and other close relatives. When you get your puppy, the contract will outline what tests I will ask you to do on your puppies to help all breeders build a better breeding programs for the future. This is so important that I developed and maintain the Chinook Open Health Database online. That way all Chinook owners can record health information publicly so that all Chinook breeders will be able to make the most knowledgeable breeding decisions possible.

Hurricane Chinooks: If, at any time, an owner feels they must relinquish a Chinook they purchased from me, I will gladly welcome it back into my home. I realize that sometimes life's situations change unexpectedly, so owners are free to return their Chinook regardless of its age. I also work with the COA Rescue and other breeders to help in evaluating, housing and transporting any Chinooks that are in need of re-homing even though they may not have come from my kennel.

Hurricane Chinooks: I have every puppy evaluated by an independent evaluator. Once that is done, I discuss the approved homes with the evaluator. Often we determine that there are several puppies that would fit in well with each family. I then offer each home the selection from those puppies which we feel would fit best in their particular home, and the family can then make their selection. Families are welcome to come and visit the puppies personally to make their selection. The selection order is based on a family's date of application for a puppy.

Hurricane Chinooks: I have several methods of maintaining contact with owners. My main source of communication is through an email mailing list. This is a non-obtrusive way of keeping contact where the owners can determine what level of participation they want. For those who do not keep a presence on the mailing list, I will occassionally contact owners with requests for health information. Owners are given both my home number and my mobile number so if there is ever a time when they must reach me, they can, no matter what time of the day or night it is.

Hurricane Chinooks: Puppy owners will have my contact information so that if necessary, they can contact me at any time of the day or night. They are also invited to join my email Yahoo group so they have support from their fellow Hurricane Chinook owners. I do recommend that puppy owners crate train their puppies and feel that reading the free download of Ian Dunbar's book, BEFORE You Get Your Puppy is an excellent place to start preparing for the arrival of the new puppy.

I will supply a shot record showing the exact shots the puppy has received, which will usually include a Parvovirus/Distemper vaccination manufactured by Intervet and given at week 8. I recommend the owners follow the recommendation of their veterinarian for the remaining vaccinations, but encourage that they not over vaccinate their puppies as that is suspected to cause some future health issues. Puppies are also given periodic worming during their first 8 weeks and will be given a thorough veterinary exam by my veterinarian before they leave for their new homes. I also recommend that new owners immediately take their puppy to their veterinarian for a check up and to discuss future vaccinations. I will provide some of the food the puppy is used to eating for the trip home and so the owner can gradually change over to the food they want to feed. I currently recommend using adult dog food only.

Hurricane Chinooks: Chinooks are great family pets, but that does not mean they just automatically end up that way.

• I can't imagine having any other breed of dog. They are great! With that said, I have several other general comments about Chinooks.

• Chinooks are a very versitile breed: That is not to say that every Chinook is destined to have a talent for doing everything, but within any given litter you are likely to find dogs that can have a talent for sledding, obedience, agility, herding, fly ball, search and rescue. and other performance venues.

• Chinooks need consistent training: Perry Greene advised that owners should not let a puppy do anything you don't want an adult Chinook doing. That is sage advice for Chinook owners. If you don't want a Chinook jumping on you as an adult, then don't let them do that as puppies. Chinooks should have consistent training from everyone in the family. They are very smart and they will learn quickly who will let them get away with what.

• Socialization is essential for a Chinook: Chinook owners must ensure that their puppies get out and around to meet new people and go to new places. Some Chinooks can become shy and even fearful if they are not socialized well. I recommend Ian Dunbar's book, BEFORE You Get Your Puppy as an excellent place to start preparing for the arrival of the new puppy and learning about socialization issues for puppies.

• Chinooks shed: From my experience, I believe that Chinooks shed more than Dobermans but less than German Shepherd Dogs. They also blow their coat once or twice a year and during that time will need daily brushing for three or four days. Wearing black wool slacks around Chinooks is not advised.

• Chinooks like to be with their people: Chinooks do not do well if they are constantly left out in the yard. Most Chinooks will do fine being crated while someone is gone for a work day, but they generally don't do well if left in the yard while their family is inside their house. If you get a Chinook, it does need to be a part of the family.