Arnuk was the reigning queen at Kipmik Alaskan Malamutes for her entire life, and she played it for all it's worth. But then, she deserved it. Arnuk was competitive at any level from the time she went to her very first dog show, and she continued to be competitive well into old age. From Reserve Winners Bitch at the AMCA National Specialty at just seven months old to All Breed Veteran Grand Sweeps at ten years of age, Arnuk drew the attention of many a judge's eye. I was always working on the ring training though, which seemed to get worse instead of better. However I decided it no longer mattered, and we just relaxed and enjoyed our time together in the ring.

Agility with Arnuk was a definite challenge! I had no hope of keeping up to her and she never seemed to have grasped the English Language, preferring to invent her own responses. However, by desperately calling out the jumps in quick succession, I found that she miraculously took the right course. Amazing! Could her problem understanding my every day commands be a hoax? No way. Dogs just aren't that smart. Or are they?

Her favourite activity outside the ring was motherhood, which she loved. It was as if someone had given her a whole box of playtoys that moved and squealed and hopped. Arnuk produced many champion and specialty winning offspring, grandkids, greatgrandkids, etc., and several of the best can be found in these pages, including Miki, Chako, Kaz, Zak, DeeDee and Tyra.

And it appeared that Arnuk did not believe that her story was at an end. At the young age of ten and a half years old, she went to the 2003 AMCA National Specialty and added a couple of her greatest wins to her repertoire! Amid the cheers and whistles of her ever growing fan club, Arnuk tirelessly gaited her way to the First Award of Merit at the National Specialty under breeder/judge Nancy Russell, and followed up at the Regional Specialty with Best of Opposite Sex under breeder/judge Sharon Weston! Now that's a lot of woman!

Arnuk continued on into old age with grace and beauty, remaining strong and agile until the end. She left life as she lived it, with conviction and dignity. She gave no warning. One day, she was running puppy scoots up and down the hall; the next day, she fell ill with a raging fever which could not be broken. Examination showed a massive tumor covering her entire right shoulder. She had never limped once; never shown to anyone the pain that must have been there. I let her go as she came into the world, in my arms. I miss you, my beauty. I always will.