Dear Danielle,

We purchased Sierra from BlustagTamaskan for Christmas 2010. Originally we were looking for an adoptable puppy - specifically the wolf-breed but realized that the wolf-breed would not be a good fit for our family (a lot of breeds were not a good fit for our family). After an exhaustive search, we found a breed that matched our energy-level and our life-style. This of course brought more questions and after speaking with Kevin we decided the Tamaskan not only fit our search for the wolf-look but also the personality that was so hard to find.

At first we weren't sure what to expect from the breed. We have a family of 5, which includes a 10 year old, a 2 year and a 10 month old baby. We knew we wanted a dog that would be a good fit not only for our life-style, but would also be great with our little ones as well. We figured there would be quite a bit of training, especially with the smaller children and getting the puppy house-ready, but she's been so easy! She was nearly house-broken within a week and has exhibited no behavioral problems or aggressive tendencies whatsoever. Nothing but kisses and loves for all she meets.

It's been two weeks and one day. We've been potty and behavioral training her ourselves and to date she's only had a few accidents inside the house and has never shown any sign of aggression or dominance, even towards our crawling 10 month old. She's the poster-child for a happy-go-lucky-pup. She loves playing with the kids, going for walks, but most of all I think she enjoys sleeping... on top of our pillow with her head on ours. She's the best mannered dog of any breed, we've ever seen! We take her for walks, but she's still getting used to the idea of being led on a leash - she much prefers walking off the leash next to us through the neighborhood and has no problems doing such even with other kids and animals around. She's not yet accustomed to other dogs and being that everyone around us seems to have a dog she's still getting used to all the sounds and smells but is getting better every day. People are constantly coming up to her -- the neighbor kids especially (all 8, or younger) and she's always thrilled to meet a new face. You name it, family, strangers, kids, adults, she's just happy to have a face to lick and someone who wants to play with her as much as she wants to play with them.

How do you describe a puppy like Sierra? She's a sweetheart to the core! She wants nothing more than to love and be loved. The kids play with her and she chases them around, gives them kisses, lets them hold her and even plays gently with the baby. She has never to this day bitten, scratched, barked, growled or shown any disagreeable temperament towards anyone. Not even the vet who gave her shots, she simply yelped for a moment and gave kisses the next. We could not imagine her not being a part of our family! Thank you so much Kevin and Danielle, we will definitely be coming back to BlustagTamaskan soon as I think Sierra would love to have a friend!

In most families it's the kids that beg day after day, week after week for a puppy... in our house it was my wife. Sure, the kids would come asking if we could have a pup-pup but I always knew my wife sent them to support her cause. You see, my wife has been begging a puppy since she was a little girl. When she was a kid her parents said no. When she moved out her land-lord said no. When she married me, she knew I was her last chance, but after a run of luck with back-to-back kids I was concerned to bring a large breed into the house with 2 young children. Nevertheless, after years and years of her looking and comparing breeds and learning everything under the sun about all of them (and begging me for every last one of them) I caved. Still, we just weren't sure which breed would be good for our growing family but with my wife working from home, I wanted to find her a friend to keep her company and with Christmas coming it was the perfect time to start looking.

A few months ago she came across BlustagTamaskan.com and read about an unfamiliar breed called a Tamaskan. I will say that the layout of the website was amazing -- my wife and I are very visual people and being able to look through not only galleries but also videos of the dogs in action, read about their kennel, the care that goes into this particular breed, everything was right there in one place and very friendly to browse. Via the built-in live chat feature, we spoke with Kevin and his daughter Danielle at great lengths about the finer details of the breed, our concerns about bringing an animal into our home with small children and the care and attention they would need. After careful consideration (my wife carefully pleaded her case... for the next 3 days straight) we both decided that the breed was not only well-suited for our life style but would also be perfect for our 3 kids.

After Roxy and Tumble gave birth to their litter my wife and I went online and looked through all the pictures of the new pups. We instantly fell in love with the chunkiest of the bunch! The adorable scrunched up face, the short-stubby legs, and the chunky-monkey belly. What was not to love? We spoke with Danielle and let her know we had picked the new member of the clan! Sierra!

For the next few weeks, my wife kept in contact with Danielle over the phone and via the website and she provided us with updates and even sent us some pictures from her personal collection so we could see how our little chub-chub was doing. Turns out, she was no longer chubby but we loved her anyway!

For the next few weeks, my wife kept in contact with Danielle over the phone and via the website and she provided us with updates and even sent us some pictures from her personal collection so we could see how our little chub-chub was doing. Turns out, she was no longer chubby but we loved her anyway! We made a special request for Sierra to be delivered on Christmas Eve, just in time for Christmas (and just late enough to hopefully hide for one night). The kids were away at Grandma's for a Christmas Eve party. I snuck away under the pretense of picking up a package... and what a package she was! When she arrived she was happy, clean and just as loving as could be. My greatest worry was that the plane trip was going to be stressful or that something would happen with her in the crate but the attendants were prompt and very helpful with everything. I drove home, introduced her to her potty-time place and then went inside to relax and enjoy the comforts of home - food, water, and of course play-time! That night my wife came home and we exchanged time with the kids and the puppy without them picking-up on a thing. We're parents, so we've gotten pretty good at being sneaky... Santa, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy visits - we have 3 kids as we're good! She was surprisingly relaxed and quickly adjusted to her new home... and the tops of our pillows where she still sleeps. Even on car rides she prefers to sleep on my wife's neck behind her head. I can only imagine her when she's 60lbs of fun! At 4am (far earlier than expected) or 10 year old came down... must have been as sleepy as us as she missed the new addition and headed upstairs. We followed, pup in hand and readied her by the presents. With all of the kids awake she still maintained her composure... even through the screaming, the running, the picking up and hugs and kisses. She was just wonderful. She was home.

It's been 2 weeks and I will say that I've never met a more mild-tempered, or intelligent puppy. There have been only a small number of accidents during our house-training endeavors. She's been to the vet and was a mark of perfect health. Our kids get along with her famously, even our youngest who is still mastering walking (6 steps is the current record!) gets along with her and plays with her. Our 10 year old is very helpful... making sure she has food, water, goes out on a regular basis (with our help of course) and plays with her every chance she gets. The 2 year old still calls her "Kitty" but she'll get there. She's the perfect pet - size, personality, energy level, etc. - for a small or growing family! Without the efforts of Kevin and Danielle at BlustagTamaskan.com, our family would never be what it is today. They took amazing care of her and we cannot thank them enough for not only allowing her into our lives but for their patience and support and for giving her such a great start! They definitely know this breed inside and out! We still talk to them to this day, if not for advice then to keep them updated on her progress and to share our family stories and memories. We'll be back for another friend soon!

Thanks for everything,
Chris and Nikki