Callicoon GreatMountain Tioga, DNA-VIP

Tioga was our Christmas miracle. She was a surprise gift given to me by my husband in 2006. We picked her up on the day after Christmas and fell instantly in love! She is much more bold and adventurous than our male, but just as lovable. I will never forget the first few weeks of her life with us. She seemed so tiny compared to our older Chinook, but boy could she pack a wallop! She held her own in wrestling matches with Dakota and finding her place in our pack. At first, she did a lot of chasing Dakota as he frequently moved away from her every time she came in for a snuggle. Now the two are like peas in a pod. They spend loads of time in dizzying chases around the smallest objects until you haven't got a clue who is chasing who! They wrestle and cuddle and clean each others ears. (eww!)

She is brave and very smart - not the best combination for keeping out of trouble, but combined with her drive make for a promising sled dog! Tioga has a great willingness to please. Her eagerness has many times been the nudge Dakota needs to get him to try new things. Tioga seems to follow the 'jump first, ask questions later' philosophy of life. She has forced me out of my comfort zone more than once, and every time we went out on a limb together the rewards were great. Her first attempt in the show ring was nothing short of embarrassing, but it really strengthened our bond. Some days I am not sure if she is thinking, "If we fail, at least we did our best together" or "I am going down and I am taking you with me" Either way, we can't help but look back and smile about everything we have accomplished. We are so thrilled to be taking this journey with Tioga.

With one ear up and one ear down, there is no way to resist that sweet face! Our boy Daniel is her special pal. Boys of 9 are bound to be found laying on the floor playing video games or reading the latest skateboard magazines, they make great head rests!