Bruce & Joanne "got into dogs" together, and dog activities are something we enjoy as a couple. Currently, there are 12 dogs in residence at our house. They are, from oldest to youngest: Phoenix, Polaris, Callisto, Juno, Lillie, Lyra, Apollo, Atlas, Opportunity(Rover), Athena, Faith and Sprit. They are all different colors, with all colored eyes. They are each precious to us in his or her own way. Some of them have been or still are show dogs, and others are special pets. All of them are Siberian Huskies. We show our dogs in conformation (how well each specimen compares to the written AKC standard for the Siberian Husky) and have shown our dogs in Obedience. We run a recreational sled team (or cart team – we have no snow) in the winter and take them backpacking. We have also competed with some of our dogs in weight pulling. We are members of the Siberian Husky Club of America (SHCA), the Siberian Husky Club of Metropolitan Dallas (SHCMD), the Capitol of Texas Siberian Husky Club (CTSHC), and Nolan River Kennel Club (NRKC). Joanne is serving as either officer or board member for the SHCMD. Bruce has gotten his AKC liscence for judging Siberian Huskies. We are fanatical about education (Joanne talks more people out of getting a Siberian than into getting one) and our dogs are beloved pets, first and foremost. We do the things we do because we love our dogs, love having someone else tell us how much they like our dogs, and enjoy associating with other people who have the same addictions as us! We have had good days and bad days with the dogs (Good day: the dog does what we tell it to and kisses us for it. Bad day: making the decision to put a dog to sleep for health reasons) but would not trade our experiences for the world.
We do breed occasionally, when we need a new dog to show. Breeding has not been a pleasant or moneymaking experience. If you are considering breeding because you want another dog and love Siberians, please consider adopting a dog from Siberian Husky Rescue or getting one from a reputable breeder. You will love it just as much and it will be a lot easier and less expensive in the long run.
In 1988 we attended several shows to watch the conformation competition, and came to the conclusion that we would like to try that. In order to show in conformation, we needed a good quality dog to show. Thus began our hunt. We had become acquainted with Mickey Zinger, who was a long time breeder and exhibitor in the area and who was very knowledgeable and helpful. She recommended several reputable breeders who we began to contact. We had planned on getting a puppy in the late spring or early summer of 1989, but when Anne Bruder of Sunset Hills Siberians called in November of 1988 to tell us about the red, bi-eyed girl she had available, we decided we needed her then. She became Ch. Sunset Hills Capella O Zvezda, C.D., C.G.C. and is the foundation for all we have done since.
We had decided that if we wanted to do this for the foreseeable future, we needed a kennel name. We built on Bruce’s love of astronomy, and chose "Zvezda" – the Russian word for star. We had already begun, with Aurora and Orion, to name our dogs after astronomical phenomenon, or people or things associated with space. We have carried this theme on through all the dogs we had free reign to name. Some of the names might be a bit obscure, but we’ll try to explain them in the story of each dog.
In 1994 we began looking for a bigger place to live. At the time we had 7 dogs on a city lot, so they really were not getting a lot of exercise. We found our current house in July of 1994, bought it, and with the help of many friends, put up the fence we affectionately call "Alcatraz". We fenced approximately three quarters of an acre for the dogs with a 6 foot high chain link fence, buried 3 inches deep in cement the entire length of the fence, with an electric fence along the inside. In the time we have lived here we have had no escapes (knock on wood). And there has been temptation – the neighbor cat loves to saunter up and down along the fence to tease the dogs, and we have cows and horses next door with which they would love to play! The dogs really enjoy being able to stretch their legs and we enjoy the knowledge that the yard is secure.
We would like to thank Mickey Zinger for being our friend and mentoring us. She died of cancer in 1995, but she had a profound impact on us and the direction we chose to take with our dogs. After she died, several of her dogs came to live with us. We all miss her.