Merry Christmas from Jeff, Brenda, and the Munsters of Cedars Point Kennel!
As we come to the end of 2021, we can look back at this year as one of new adventures, challenges, sorrows, and the joy of Christmas once again.
The year started out with good news that the breeding between our two foundation dogs Cedar and Yetta took! We prepared well ahead of time for the Cedars Point Kennel “A” litter by putting in new flooring in a bedroom turned whelping room, adding doggie doors to the room, and studying a puppy development program called Puppy Culture. It was a lot to learn but we were up for the challenge. After an x-ray to see how many pups were in tow the vet said Yetta had at least 10! On February 6, the day before Super Bowl Sunday, Yetta whelped 10 puppies (5 boys and 5 girls). We used an outer space theme for their kennel names. Sadly, a small male struggled from the start and went up into the stars 3 days later. We worked with the puppies daily using Puppy Culture which they excelled in. All 9 pups found fantastic hunting homes and Brenda wrote an article about one of the pups-Cedars Point Angus Hunts Sirius for NAVHDA’s Versatile Hunting Dog Magazine. The article can be found on the Cedars Point Kennel website (in this blog) and our Facebook page. 5 out of the 9 pups tested and passed their NAVHDA Natural Ability exam earning Cedars Point Kennel a Breeders Award! Later that spring we bred Soda to Cedar for our “B” litter. On Father’s Day, Soda had 9 pups, (4 girls and 5 boys) all healthy and happy. Their kennel names were themed after classic rock songs. This litter of pups also went through Puppy Culture and did exceptionally well. They too went to wonderful hunting homes and we can’t wait to see what their future has in store as they begin to test for Natural Ability this Spring.
Aside from the two litters, Jeff kept even busier by testing Cedars Point Angus Hunts Sirius for Natural Ability near Sundance, WY, and later took Yetta and Aster to Lewistown, MT for their Utility Tests. In 2022 we plan to breed Aster to Brushdale’s Open Season (Jager), a dog out of Minnesota, and repeat the Yetta and Cedar pairing.
In early October, Jeff, Brenda and the Munsters headed to Greeley, CO for the IABCA Confirmation Show where Yetta won Best in Show Rare Breed and earned her International Champion title! Both Aster and Soda earned their National Champion titles. They all made us proud! Cedar, who earned his International title a few years ago, came along for support. We later met with Jeff’s older brother Glen and his wife Clara, who live in Evergreen, CO, to celebrate Brenda’s 50th birthday two weeks early. Now, the focus is upland bird hunting. The milder weather has made hunting season more challenging for Jeff but he’s going out with the “Monsters” regardless and does well on pheasants and sharp tails.
We had other events happen in 2021. Jeff had another successful year with Phase Technologies who moved into a huge state of the art building off I-90 in Rapid City. Brenda continued teaching 4th grade for St. Elizabeth Seton and was selected to serve as a member of the South Dakota Math and Science Leadership Program sponsored by the SD Department of Education. As the school year ended, Brenda was offered a new position as the Library and STREAM Coordinator for the elementary school.
In July Brenda went to Wisconsin to see her mom and aunt for a few days, a trip that proved to be a blessing. In late August her mom, Aurora had complications during a surgery to restore circulation to her left leg. Brenda boarded the first flight to Wisconsin and made it home in time to see her mom before she passed away a day later. Dayna, her sister, was able to be there as well to support Aunt Cres who was Aurora’s caregiver for over 20 years. Jeff flew out for the funeral as did other family and friends. While it was a heartbreaking, it was warming to see so many people there to support our family. Afterwards we lifted our spirits and took a tour of the iconic Lambeau Field.
2021 was packed with many events that will never be forgotten. As we remember the meaning of Christmas, Cedars Point Kennel is thankful for all of the wonderful people who have come into our lives this past year. We don’t know what 2022 has in store, but know it will include dogs. May God bless you all during this Christmas season and into the New Year!
Peace to all,
Jeff, Brenda, Cedar, Yetta, Aster, and Soda.
(attached is a collage of our year!)
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