US AND DOGS

SHADOW-WOOD SAMOYEDS

to return to the Soccer ‘N Sams home page click on:

On this page, our experience in: showing; judging; instructing; dog clubs; breeding

The Rasmussens go to the dogs

We’ve been involved with Samoyeds for over 28 years. This has taken us on a journey that has included both the conformation and obedience rings, training of our own dogs in obedience , teaching others to train their dogs, judging in the breed and obedience rings and serving as officers in several dog clubs.

Our children have been part of this journey, although their interest in soccer, and ours too, shifted our time to the soccer field–slowing down but not erasing our canine activities.

So our world became a mix of soccer and Sams.

to go to Soccer ‘N Sams home page click on image

Those with children will understand. As our children have become adults and moved on, the shift back to the dog-oriented world has begun. The details of our twenty nine years of experience are below. 

PATTI

(click on picture for larger version)

Patti showing Ch Shadow-Wood’s Sis Boom Bah to BOS at the 1992 SCA National Specialty

SHOWING

Put Companion Dog degrees on four dogs, Companion Dog Excellent (Open) on one, and Open legs on two others.

Extensive breed handling experience.

Showed Ch. Shadow-Wood’s Sis Boom Bah to BOS at the 1992 SCA National Specialty, Shadow-Wood’s Lots of Dots CD to Best of Winners and Shadow-Wood’s Vanilla Mousse CD to Winners Dog at Potomac Valley Samoyed Club specialties, and Am/Can Ch. Shadow-Wood’s Smoking Gun to multiple Best of Breeds and a pull in the Working Group.

JUDGING

Judged breed in assorted matches in the Working and Herding groups. Continue to do so even though most weekends are spent at daughter’s soccer games.

Judged Samoyed sweepstakes classes at a Potomac Valley Samoyed Club specialty and at a Greater Milwaukee Samoyed Fancier’s specialty.

As soccer responsibilities lessen, judging will increase, with AKC licensing the objective.

INSTRUCTING

Was an instructor with the Dulles Gateway Obedience Training Club for fourteen years, teaching Basic, Novice and Open.

Taught obedience training directed at Samoyeds for the Potomac Valley Samoyed Club. Also taught basic obedience classes for Northern Virginia Community College.

All of this built understanding of many breeds, and all of this came to an end when soccer coaching swallowed up all available time.

CLUB INVOLVEMENT-PATTI

  • Member since 1972
  • Member of SCA Board for two years
  • SCA Corresponding Secretary for two years
  • Member since 1970
  • Treasurer for one year
  • President 1977
  • Specialty Show Chairman for eight years
  • Board Member
  • Match Chairman multiple times
  • Member since 1978
  • Show Chairman 1987
  • Match Chairman several times
  • Board of Governors 2003 to present
  • Show Obedience Chairman
  • Member 1973-1993
  • Instructor 1975-1989
  • President 1984

BREEDING-PATTI KENNEL HELP-STIRLING
Personally bred/whelped twelve litters, co-breeder on several others.

Bred or co-bred thirteen champions.

Included in this baker’s dozen were one National Specialty BOS and one National Specialty 12-18 month class winner. Additionally, four were Samoyed specialty Winner’s Dog or Bitch, two were specialty Best in Sweeps winners and two were specialty Best of Breed winners.

Also probably hold the world record for most major pointed dogs never finished: four with major points and another six pointed.

STIRLING

Stirling handling Ch Shadow-Wood’s Fulla
Trouble CD to High in Trial at the 1983
SCA National Specialty

SHOWING

Put Companion Dog degrees on five Sammies, one of which, Shadow-
Wood’s Artic Echo, was the highest combined scoring dog in the Dulles Obedience Training Club in 1976.

Being semi-klutzy in conformation, has confined efforts to the obedience ring.

Three sons and a daughter playing soccer brought a hiatus to obedience, but as they move on to and through college it will pick up again (although Saturdays will still be reserved for soccer reffing).

JUDGING

From the late ’70s to the early ’90s judged obedience in approximately ten matches a year. Judged all classes, from pre-novice to utility. For many specialty club matches was their all-round judge, doing pre-novice, novice, open and utility.

In the ’90s switched venues, trading in the obedience judge’s clipboard for the whistle and black uniform of the soccer referee.

There seems to be a pattern here, though–making public decisions about performance in front of spectators.

INSTRUCTING

Was an instructor with the Dulles Gateway Obedience Training Club for fourteen years, teaching basic obedience and preparing students to compete in the Novice classes to earn their Companion Dog degrees. For two of these years was Chairman of Instructors.

This experience enabled building insight into a broad range of breeds and a variety of training techniques.

CLUB INVOLVEMENT-STIRLING

  • Member since 1972
  • Member since 1972
  • President 1974-1976
  • Webmaster

  • Member since 1978
  • Vice President 1980
  • President 1981-1986
    • led the club through the AKC licensing procedure
  • Board of Governors 1987-1988
  • Treasurer 1989-1991
  • Obedience Show Chairman 1994 & 1996
  • Webmaster
  • Member 1973-1993
  • Instructor 1975-1989
  • Chairman of Instructors 1987-1989
  • President 1981-1983

KENNEL HELP-STIRLING

That means building whelping boxes, constructing runs, and being general heavy hauling help.

That’s a guys’ job, isn’t it?

One secret discovered in building runs for Sammies. If you, as did we, have graveled runs, put a layer of chain link fencing on the ground as the base, anchoring it with concrete around the edges–and then cover it with the gravel. The digging will be limited by the chain link and you won’t have muddy runs.

MAIL