The Good Breeder Spotlight Column: Rebecca

Good Dog: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background with dogs.

Rebecca Michal: I am a Native American Indian woman and a Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma member. I was born and raised in the town of Sitka, Alaska, which is a long way from my people! Since the age of nine, I grew up actively working with ‘northern breeds.’ My family raised Samoyeds and a variety of Alaskan breeds for both competitive showing and sled racing. Dogs are in my blood and my DNA!

GD: What made you want to become a dog breeder?

RM: I served as a veteran in the US Army and completed a tour of duty in Iraq between 2008-09. During that time, I was injured in an IED accident which caused a severe traumatic brain injury. My brain injury caused me to have a stroke. There were several days during that time that I could not speak or move, and I went into a different world where I received a powerful medicine dream. I saw a beautiful Medicine Woman who had a dog with her. They visited and stayed with me, talking with me every day until I could speak again. After I recovered, I accepted this experience as a message that I needed to return to the dogs of my ancestors, the Native American Indian Dogs.

GD: Describe your breed to us. What attributes make them unique?

RM: Where do I begin? These dogs have incredible sensitivity and intuition, and are highly spiritual creatures. Out of all the different types of dogs I have worked with, the intelligence of the NAID far surpasses anything I have ever seen.

GD: Tell us more about the unique history of your breed and why it's important to you to preserve them.

RM: The modern day Native American Indian Dog is a recreation of the original Dogs of the People. While it is a recreation, most of our bloodlines originate from Native American Indian breeders in Oklahoma, Alaska, and the Sawtooth Mountains. These dogs are the oldest breed known to this continent! They have been the working companion dogs of the People of Turtle Island (North America) for many thousands of years. They were not only superb companions, but were considered sacred by The People. The NAIDs also had many important jobs within their tribes, just as the other tribe members did! The dogs would do everything from packing and hauling, to assisting with hunting and gathering, to babysitting both children and elders while tribal members went about their work. This is only a tiny piece of the remarkable history of these dogs, and theirs is a story I could tell for many moons! It is so important to me to preserve this rare and unique breed because it is a part of my own Native American Indian history, much of which has been all but erased; it is also part of the story of this land, this amazing Turtle Island, and a story we are all a part of now!

GD: Tell us more about your work to establish your breed club?

RM: I am the owner of Corn Moon Kennels and a founding member of the Native American Indian Dog Preservation Project. In partnership with Shirley Allen and her kennel Night Eyes NAIDs, the Preservation Project was founded to gain the recognition this breed deserves, and to preserve its authentic and original lines with the utmost integrity. Our ultimate goal is UKC recognition, which will require us to have a strong breed club presence. We are proud to have dogs that are authentically Original and Indigenous!

GD: How did you begin learning about breeding, and what were some of your resources?

RM: Shirley Allen of Night Eyes NAIDs in CA (also a Good Breeder!) is not only my partner, but also my mentor! She has been an invaluable resource, leading and guiding me along my journey. She has sent me reading material, reliable internet resources, references, product recommendations, and much more. For any person who desires to get into breeding, I cannot say enough about the value of having an experienced elder in your life to lead and guide you! In a culture where we place too little value on our elders, we ought to understand the benefit their wisdom and life experiences can bring us in many ways!

GD: Were there any challenges you had to overcome when you began breeding?

RM: Oh yes! There were the usual challenges, such as making space for kennels and whelping boxes and finding the funds to cover the massive expenses. Still, I have also experienced issues that need to be tackled head-on, and I am in a unique place to do that. Although we are all working together toward goals that are commonly shared, breeders sometimes work in opposition to each other, and I want to turn that around! When we work together, we win, and when one of us wins, all of us succeed. We do what we do for the love of the dogs, and when we make a better world for our dogs, that is also a win for all of us! I am on a mission to show that breeders can support each other, encourage one another, and work together.

GD: What brought you to Good Dog, and how has being a Good Breeder impacted your breeding program?

RM: My partner and mentor, Shirley Allen of Night Eyes NAIDs, introduced me to Good Dog. When she did, I was astounded that I hadn’t known sooner about its existence. What an incredible platform! I love all that Good Dog does for breeders and dog owners alike. I have even moved to only taking payments via the Good Dog platform because I can trust Good Dog and have confidence that all my clients can, too! I am hopeful that I will be able to establish my presence more on Good Dog because it is a name people trust, and when they see it, they know they will be working with not only a Good Breeder, but one who is ethical to the highest standards. That is the thing I love most about Good Dog! It works hard to dispel the myths around breeders and help people understand the excellence that Good Breeders bring to the dog world!

GD: If there was one misconception you could clear up about dog breeders, what would it be?

RM: I have met people who believe that breeders are breeding only for the money, and it contributes to price haggling. I want people to understand that although good breeders profit from selling their dogs, this is no different from any other labor of love! Breeders must bring in some profit to stay in operation. In addition, our cost is based directly upon our input. Health testing, veterinary visits, microchipping, and hundreds of hours per litter are just a few of the inputs. My heart is an input.  We do not do what we do because of money. It is so much more than that!

GD: Looking to the future of your breed, what do you hope it looks like in 20 years?

RM: I see our breed being recognized by the UKC and the Preservation Project being the parent club. I envision the NAID as well known and loved as other family-friendly breeds. Most of all, I see a future where I hope many different tribal people like myself will be able to work to preserve this breed that is so much a part of our heritage in this great land we call Turtle Island!

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