Tikaani is the foundation dam of Bashaba Chinooks.  Her robust health, sweet and loving personality, classic Chinook beauty, and solid work ethic are the best foundation I can think of for a new generation of Chinooks!  Tikaani has had three litters of wonderful puppies-  sweet, loving, outgoing, and confident.  I’m thrilled at the wonderful working dogs and family companions these pups are, and hope to see some of them carry on the tradition of happy, healthy Chinooks for the future.

Tikaani is a happy and often serious dog - eager to understand exactly what I need from her so she can execute perfectly.  Her more serious side is just one facet of her personality- she can be incredibly playful and joyful - almost goofy with sheer exuberance when the mood strikes her.  She starts wagging when she knows I am awake in the morning, and when I call her name, she drops everything to come running back to me, smiling and wagging the whole way.  She is a gift and a blessing!

Tikaani is a phenomenal working dog- exhibiting Chinook sledding instinct from the minutes she first donned her harness.  She runs lead on my recreational sledding team with her daughter, Sakari.  While Sakari contributes the flash and dash, Tikaani is the rock solid foundation of the team - steady and focused in her work.

Tikaani sailed through pet dog training, and earned her first title in Rally Obedience in only 3 runs.  She earned an APDT Award of Excellence for qualifying for a title with exemplary competition results.  She loves working with me, and would try anything I asked her.  She loves agility, and has recently become captivated by K9 nosework.  We hope to spend more time with Rally and Nosework in 2013.

Tikaani is the ninth Chinook to ‘graduate’ to UKC Purebred status, and the first dog from the GreatMountain Cross line..  What does that mean?  Tikaani has 1 great-great-grandparent , Glendon's Sweetie, who was not a Chinook!  Sweetie was a fantastic sled dog with excellent health, a wonderful temperament, and a strong resemblance to a Chinook.  Northdown Kennels bred Sweetie to a purebred Chinook, and her daughter Northdown X Cheena, became the foundation of the GreatMountain cross line.  For over a decade, GreatMountain Chinooks carefully bred Cheena and her descendants to other purebred Chinooks, blending Sweetie's health and working drive into the Chinook population. 

You can find more out about the COA Cross-to-Pure process at
http://www.chinook.org/xbreeding.htm.