Paul’s introduction to showing purebred dogs began with Paul and Sarah’s Irish Wolfhound, Sunshine. Sunshine was a “Daddy’s Girl,” and she loved to be with Paul. Although Sunshine passed away before the age of 3 due to a chronic illness, Paul and Sunshine had a number of successes in the show ring. Sunshine earned a few points toward her Championship, and competitive placements at large regional specialties, all with limited showing. It was through his bond with Sunshine that Paul discovered his natural talent for showing dogs. As it turned out, this talent extended to Samoyeds as well. Today, Paul is the primary handler at Sundance Samoyeds.

Having been raised on a farm, Paul had extensive experience with animal husbandry prior to his involvement with showing dogs. His family raised cattle, pigs, and chickens. They also owned both purebred and mixed-breed dogs, including Rough Collies, Cocker Spaniels, and a German Shepherd mix. Paul’s own interest in purebred dogs began with his Rottweiler named Buddy.

When their first Samoyed Izzy was introduced to the household in 2006, Paul fell in love with her upbeat personality, her versatility, and her health. Through Izzy, Sarah and Paul were also introduced to working dog sports, such as skijoring and bikejoring. Initially, Paul’s partner for these activities was our late Beagle-Shepherd mix, Mr. Ziggy. He was an energetic dog who just wanted to run, and as a result, Paul was hooked! Today Paul and Sarah breed to maintain the health, versatility, and athleticism of the Samoyed, and actively participate in the range of activities Samoyeds can do in addition to conformation showing.