Vanguard Chinooks

I was strongly considering keeping a puppy from the Big Dipper litter, and Ankaa volunteered for the role from day 1. She was always seeking me out to cuddle with in the whelping box, or playing with her mama Nashira. She is a curious puppy, with both the brains to observe and plan, and the boldness to explore and carry out her plans. Like her mother she has a lot of energy, and without recommendations of where to use it, she comes up with some ideas of her own (like climbing onto the end tables and jumping off!).

I am eager to work with her and Nashira in dog sports- I think Nosework and Agility will be right up the mother/daugher alley! And in a few months, in harness, I KNOW my bikejoring will hit a new level! I can't wait to see what Ankaa teaches me, and what places we will go together!

Ankaa is a second generation cross under the Chinook Breed Conservation Program (CBCP) and she has one grandparent that is not a Chinook, but instead a purebred Tamaskan Dog. If Ankaa matures with the promise she shows as a puppy, she will easily pass an evaluation as meeting the Chinook standard and with clear health tests, she will be able to produce a litter that is eligible to be registered as purebred Chinook. This will hopefully bring some genetic diversity and resultant vitality from the non-Chinook ancestor to the breed!

Ankaa is named after Alpha Phoenicis, the brightest star in the Phoenix constellation. It is Arabic for Pheonix. I love that this respects the litter theme of Big Dipper Star name, and mostly because it respects Ankaa's parents by combining the story behind their names (Papa Phoenix was named for the mythical beast and its symbolism of rebirth/renewal, Mama Nashira is the gamma star in the constellation Capricorn.