Sykoya Siberians started just like many other siberian kennels.  The first dog was a black and white, blue eyed dog named Sammy.  Sammy was the reason we got into rescue, him being our first rescue as well.  He was acquired from a family who could no longer care for him.  After much research into Sammy's past, we discovered that he was actually in more than 7 homes before the age of 1.  And so began our "tribe" of siberians.
    After enjoying Sammy for over a year, we decided that he needed a playmate.  I was becoming more and more interested in showing, and started looking for a show puppy.  A friend, who also owned a pet shop, helped me find a bitch, which was said to be show quality, from "championship lineage."  We picked her up after waiting a week or two and named her Sykoya.  She was a very sweet pup, and got along well with Sam.
    It wasnt very long that the two dogs became inseperable, playing together all the time.  Sykoya adjusted well to her new home.  I began to look for show classes, and was going to enlist in the local kennel club's classes the following spring.  But it just wasn't to be.  On February 9th, 1994, Sykoya and Sammy slipped out the door and ran off to play in the neighboring fields.  This would be the last time we would see Sykoya alive.  After searching for hours by foot and by car, we couldn't find either of them.  Then, around 1 AM, Sammy showed up at the house, alone.  He was walking strangely, and was actually coming to me...something he never did offlead.  When I got him, I immediately hugged him, and to my surprise, he was covered in blood.  I ran into the house and called the vet, who said he would meet me at the office.  I loaded Sammy into the car and rushed to the vets office.  Upon arriving, the vet discovered the bullet hole.  My heart sank.  The vet assured me that Sammy would be ok, and would need no surgery...just some rest and a few bandages.  The bullet just grazed the top of his back, and he would be fine.
    After leaving the vet, we arrived home and again began searching for Sykoya.  She was nowhere to be found.  I returned home for a drink, and to see if anyone had called about Sykoya...not that they would, it was around 3:30 AM, when a truck pulled into the driveway.  It was a farmer just up the road.  He was noticably distraught.  He asked me if I was missing a dog.  At first, I was overjoyed that he had found her, but then came the knife to the chest.  He told me that he had her in his barn, and that he had shot her.  I was outraged.  He went on to explain that he and his wife had been out of town.  They had just returned home when they heard a commotion in their sheep barn.  When he went to investigate the noise, he was met by a coyote.  He ran to the house to retrieve a gun, and when he returned outside, he saw the silhouette near the barn, and fired.  He didn't know it was Sykoya, thought it was the coyote, and killed her, and fired another shot and wounded Sammy.  He was in tears, as was I.
    I hopped in the truck and headed for his barn.  When I arrived, Sykoya was laying in some hay, just outside the barn area, maybe 30 feet from the pen.  I took her home and sat looking at her in disbelief.  She was just 6 months old, a puppy, and now she was gone...I miss her terribly.
    After a few weeks from the incident, Sammy was beginning to return to his old self.  He was obviously in mourning, moping around the house, looking for Sykoya.  I had to get another puppy!  I called the breeders who were listed on Sykoya's AKC papers.  They told me that the sire was no longer alive, and that they were no longer breeding Siberians.  They also told me that they sold the pups to a sort of puppy broker, or clearing house.   This was news to me.  I thought she was a show pup.  Turned out she was from a puppy mill.  I was puzzled.  I had to find a show puppy from a reputable breeder.  I searched everywhere to find as much information as possible.  Every piece of info I obtained kept leading me to one place....Innisfree.
    After many phone calls to Kathleen Kanzler, owner of Innisfree Kennels in Northern New York, I decided this would be the breeder I would get my show puppy from.  I took some vacation time from work, and headed to New York.  The 8 1/2 hour trip was nice, traveling much of New York along the Canadian border, through the Adirondack Mountains.  I arrived the night before I would visit the kennel, so that I could spend as much time as possible talking with Kathleen and looking at puppies and dogs.
    In the morning, I went to the kennel.  Kathleen brought out several puppies for me to choose from.  Needless to say, I had a very difficult time choosing, and often asked as many questions as possible of Kathleen.  When several hours had passed, and the time to leave for home was drawing near, I finally chose a red and white bitch.  She was bi-eyed, and just beautiful.  I named her Keesha.  On the trip home, I should have known something was wrong.  Keesha was constantly wet, and seemed to have no control over her bladder.  I wrote it off as just a scared puppy traveling for her first time in a car.  After a week of this at home though, I grew concerned and took the pup to the vet.  The vet diagnosed the pup with a pretty rare congenital disease.  She was a leaker, and had no control of her bladder.  I contacted Kathleen and informed her of the problem.  She wanted the puppy taken back and she would replace her.  I wanted to keep the pup, and she was not too happy with that.  She said I should have a dye test done to see the extent of the problem.  I had the test done, and it wasn't good news.  The pup would never be normal, and would have constant infections from the disease.  I made the decision to take her back to Kathleen, where she would have the pup examined, and most likely put down.
    The ride back to Innisfree was sad.  Here I was just weeks from losing Sykoya, and now about to lose another pup.  When I arrived, they immediately took the pup, to ease the sadness of letting her go.  Then Kathleen brought out a puppy she thought I would like.  At first look, I thought...this is a big puppy!  After talking for a while, I decided I would take the pup.  I named her Syra.  No one could seem to pronounce this name correctly, and so I changed it to Kyra, just before sending out the registration papers.  And so, Kyra came home to stay.
    I started conformation classes as soon as they were available.  Kyra was a hit with the instructor, who took a liking to her, and she got to be the example of the class on many occasions.  It wasn't but a few weeks until we would test Kyra's training at a fun match put on by the Lackawanna Kennel Club.  The big day arrived, and having groomed Kyra probably to the point that she ached from brushing, we were ready.  As these things go, the judge didn't like Kyra, for whatever reason, and we took a second.  We didn't give up.  We attended even more classes, and were finally ready for the real thing.  We entered show after show, until finally, in Bainbridge, NY, at Chenango Valley KC show, Kyra took Winners Bitch, and Best of Opposite Sex for her first 2 points.  These would be her last two points as well.  Kyra took a break from showing to have a litter of 5 healthy puppies out of Ch. Innifree's Chips Ahoy.  Two of her puppies are currently being shown, Cynara, who I own, and Tolken, who is living in upstate New York and is a Canadian Champion, and currently needs only majors to finish her Am. Championship.  Kyra has been shown on a limited basis, always perfoming well.  Her last major accomplishment was a 5th in the Am.bred class at the St. Louis National in 2000.  Kyra doesnt really like the show ring, and so she mostly gets to be a couch potato, and occasional mom producing puppies better than herself.
    Through dog shows, I met some really nice people.  At my first match with Kyra, I met some folks who fell in love with her, and we became good friends.  They introduced me to countless other siberian fanciers and breeders.  Through them I became friends with the Garbers, of Sno Sky Siberians.  Knowing that Kyra wasn't in show condition, and that I wanted to show more often, they offered me a show puppy that they had available.  One look was all it took, and I was on my way home with Naya.  She had personality plus, even as a very young puppy.  A few backyard conformation lessons, and Naya was off to the Canine Learning Experience hosted by the Lehigh Valley Kennel Club.  She did great, and placed third in her class.  From there Naya went on to many BOB and group placings in fun matches.   It wouldn't be long before she earned her first points at the Penn Ridge show.  Not long after, Naya was awarded her first Best of Breed at Harmony, Delaware Water Gap show, defeating specials.  At this point, Naya would take a break from showing to start a family.  I bred her to Ch. Gerick's Shining Profile (Dylan), owned by Dick and Gerry Dalakian, to whom I owe many thanks for their words of wisdom through the years, and especially during Naya's pregnancy.  Naya returns shortly to the show ring to continue her career.
    It wasn't long after I got Naya that Kyra's first litter would come along.  The much anticipated litter finally arrived with 5 healthy puppies.  4 bitches, 1 dog.  The one dog, I had hoped would be my first home-bred champion, but he turned out to be a pet, and he still resides here, his name is Sykoya's Chenango...named after his dam's first win at the Chenango show.  I also kept a red/white bitch, Sykoya's Cynamon Chip, Cynara.  She has several canadian wins, and is being shown in the bred-by classes at select shows.  We have high hopes for her show career, and for her to be our first home-bred champion.
    Naya's first litter produced 5 puppies as well.  3 males, 2 bitches.  At the present they are 5 months old.  Three of the five are in show homes and we anticipate they will follow in their parents footsteps.  Keep an eye out for them at a show near you.
    The internet has provided many opportunities for me to meet many other siberian fanciers and breeders.  One day, I happened to be surfing the web and came across a site with some very nice dogs on it.  I had seen some of these dogs in the Siberian Quarterly, amongst other places, and decided to email the owner, Sharon Osharow, of Kristari Siberians in Tennessee.  After many conversations and meeting and talking with Sharon, I decided I wanted a male out of Ch. Kristari's Firechief O'Tahluu.  He impressed me so much at the Nationals in Portland, that I just had to have a pup from him.  It would be a long wait.  Two years later, I finally had a puppy that Sharon felt was good enough for me, or maybe I was good enough for!  The pup arrived at the end of the summer of 2000.  Love at first sight is an understatement!  He is a dynamite dog, one that was definately worth the wait.  I named him Tryton, formally, Kristari's Tryton of Sykoya.  At eight months he earned his first point over competition.  He has surpassed my expectations of him, earning 4 points rather easily, not to mention a few firsts at specialties, and BOB and group placements in every match show he has been entered in.  Tryton has returned to Tennessee to be shown there for a while by Sharon Osharow and Betty and Chuck Charleton, his co-breeders.  I would like to thank Sharon for the opportunity to own such a great dog!  I can't wait for his return.  I am planning a breeding between him and Kyra as soon as Kyra permits it.
    I don't think I could end this page without mentioning my "other half" in all of this.  After a divorce, I had the pleasure of meeting someone with whom I could share the world of dogs and my life with.  That would be my girlfriend, Jessica.  She supports me in everything I do, and has a love for the dogs which I admire.  I would not be where I am without her, and she is just as much a part of Sykoya Siberians as I am.  She is eagerly awaiting a puppy from Tryton and Kyra  to start the next generation of Sykoya puppies with.
    That is pretty much it.  We will continue to do rescue to help place unwanted dogs with new owners.  We will continue to strive for better and better quality in our puppies, and find the best possible homes, be it show or pet, for them.  We invite any questions or comments about us or the dogs.  We test all dogs for OFA and CERF before they are bred and after careful consideration of pedigrees and temperments.  We hope you enjoy the rest of your stay on our site....