Boomer came to live with us back in 1991 from fellow Samoyed breeder Heidi Nieman. We were so excited to start anew with a foundation bitch from CH. Wolf River's Drumlin, BISS, and CH. Elmfield's Saratoga Sage. We had a deposit on pick girl out of this litter, but Boomer stole our hearts early on with his outgoing, people pleasing personality and flawless movement. Although Heidi warned us that she reserved the right to name him, we agreed: We'd call him whatever she wanted, as long as he became part of the McAllister family.

Boomer lived a full and wonderful life, full of adventures, and yes, his share of mishaps. Several months before the National Specialty in 1991, he endured surgery to remove a blockage from a bite-size corncob, carried into the dog pen from our compost pile by a nasty squirrel (we no longer compost, by the way). With his belly still shaved, he earned a second place ribbon in sweepstakes class in Denver that year.

The "Zooms" as he was aptly nicknamed, once won Best of Breed without the benefit of a handler at the end of the lead (no names, please), as he floated around the ring effortlessly after someone dropped the leash. The judges comment? "He did as well without you as with you". I think he was complimenting the dog, and not slamming my (whoops, now you know) handling.

Those who watched us mature in the show ring over the years know that I never had much control over the speed with which I gaited Boomer. He was frustratingly ring-wise, and would perform at whatever gait I wanted in practice, but took charge the moment we stepped into the ring. Fortunately, I never had to be careful how I moved him, never had to disguise any movement faults--he simply had none. In later years, even as Boomer qualified for Veteran class status, I took to wearing my running shoes in the ring--it was the only way I could possibly hope to keep up with him when the judge said "Take 'em around!". That ground covering sidegait usually meant I needed to give the younger dogs a good half ring headstart before I could softly say "Let's go--EASY!" to the Zooms.

Once Boomer finished his AKC Championship at 2 years of age, we didn't do much showing. When he was shown, he generally did very well, earning several Working Group placements, and making a good showing once each year at the Samoyed Club of America national specialty shows.

He won the coveted Award of Merit 4 times, and was named Best Veteran 3 times at our national specialty. Of all his cherished Awards of Merit, perhaps his first one is most memorable. Picture a young dog, full of energy, in a huge, grassy ring in amongst the breed's finest dogs, and his handler's first time in the Best of Breed ring at a national specialty. My goal was to stay in the ring long enough for exhibitors to get a glance at my seldom-seen special dog. HIS goal was to show the crowd that he could cover that ground numerous times without a single panting breath. I felt that I HAD to keep him under control and let the judge see that this was not a poorly trained new champion. Judge Mary Morstad gaited the candidates for Awards around the ring several times, and was considering her last Award of Merit. I was nearly worn out, Boomer was just getting warmed up. We were paired with another very nice male, and I knew that that last Award was between Boomer and him. Ms. Morstad gave us one last chance to compare the two dogs--and since I figured we had little to lose, I let the Zooms put it into gear. He flew effortlessly, showing such reach, drive and balance that the judge pointed to US for that last Award. Later, she commented "FINALLY, you let him show what he's got!".

At home, Boomer showed other talents sometimes not seen in male dogs. First, he actually CAME when he was called (thank you Kay Hallberg!) and second, he got along famously with other un-neutered males in our household (some of whom lived there, others who intruded on his home turf to run on our sled team!). When the occasions arose when the dogs escaped from our dog yard, Boomer was usually among the first to return, and on his own. Perhaps we can attribute it to the early training he got while living with a Golden Retriever, but nonetheless, a valuable trait. Even in his last weeks, when he obviously wasn't feeling well, his patience with puppies was remarkable. They all love Grampa Boomer, and crawled over and around him, with nary a snarl from the old guy.

On the trail, Boomer was slow to come into his own, but as he gained confidence, his strength and intelligence and willingness to please made him a wonderful sled dog, and not just on groomed racing trails. During one particularly long, arduous expedition trip, our three dog team, comprising two little girls at lead with Boomer at wheel, slogged through nearly 2 feet of heavy, unbroken snow on an unfamiliar trail (okay, so the driver wasn't too bright). The trail signs were confusing and poorly marked, and seeing as how it was nearly a blizzard, we didn't see another soul on the trail. After passing a landmark that was shown on a different trail than we were supposed to be on, I decided to turn the team around. We had already travelled roughly 8 miles through tough conditions, and with the girls up to their shoulders in snow, I wasn't sure how in the world we'd get turned. I urged them around, but the girls were having a rough time of it. So, in desperation, I called Boomer to me--"Boomer, Come GEE!". He looked at me as if I was crazy, hesitated, and then plowed a trail in a 180 degree turn, with the girls following him--stringing out the team in the correct direction without a tangle--all from wheel position (closest to the sled). We slogged through our return path until we intersected a snowmobile trail, asking directions (by then, there were a few people out and about--and were they ever surprised to see a dog team!). We corrected our course, and finished up the day at about 18 miles. Boomer got extra "soup" and cookies that night!

As we mentioned when we started off, Boomer was supposed to be a girl, and a foundation bitch. So, we decided we'd have a foundation stud dog instead. The big guy wasn't used at stud extensively, but he produced some wonderful kids we're very proud of. In the next several days, we'll be adding photos of his kids and grandkids for all the world to see. If you have a Boomer kid or grandkid, please pass along a digital photo to us at Chinookwind Samoyeds.

Boomer's Kids and Grandkids (coming soon)
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