Mike & Lynn Harrison Brushbow 56 Springfield Avenue Holbury Southampton SO45 2LP England Tel: 023 8089 0236 e-mail: Brushbow@aol.com Mike and Lynn on vacation in Moab, Utah   Mike and Lynn have lived in Southern England for most of their lives. They met at seventeen whilst Mike was a boatbuilder for a well-known company on the Hamble River and Lynn was a secretary in the offices. Both grew up in families where dogs, cats and other pets were the norm. Lynn's childhood passion was horses but although she learned to ride at a young age, the closest she got to actually owning a pony of her own was the purchase of Benny The Bunny. The 'poor' rabbit had to endure a homemade harness and lead, mini showjumps around the lawn, and getting shouted at when he scored 4 faults. Benny could care less, often putting in a clear round of his own when the harness came off, giving the mad-rabbit high kick to prove his point. Whilst living with her sister in Western Canada in 1969, Lynn had an encounter with a 'weird looking' stray dog that was to have so much influence in later years. A black, medium-sized, prick-eared, furry creature with white underparts, with a distinct black cross on the white face. The dog slept on Lynn's bed for two nights then went on its way. A police dog trainer friend later identified the description as a Siberian Husky. A few years later, back in England, married to Mike, and at home all day following the birth of their daughter, Zoe, Lynn decided the time was right to own a dog of their own. Bobby The Budgie was feisty and amusing but the household was definitely 'bare' without four-footed friends. Several large breeds were considered, then, by chance, there was a photo of Greenland Dogs in the pets' section of a daily newspaper. Lynn wrote off and was linked up with the secretary of the then Husky Club of Great Britain, Stella Colling-Mudge. Stella sent Mike and Lynn the breed characteristics of the Greenland Dog, Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky, informing them that the Siberian Husky had actually started to get established in England, there being some 60 in number at the time. Puppy waiting lists could often be up to two years though, but she did know of two litters just born, one amazingly not ten miles from their door. As luck would have it, Jenny Manley (Skicrest/Skimarque) had just bred her first litter and there were two bitches - one she would be keeping and the other would need a home. Mike and Lynn wanted a bitch because they might consider breeding her later. Problem was, that their savings were a little short of the asking price but Jenny calmed their disappointment and said a good home was more important. In March 1976 Mike, Lynn and Zoe became the proud owners of Skicrest's Red Uka (or was that the other way round). Uka quickly settled into family life and became 11 month old Zoe's partner in crime. As Uka got old enough to show, other Siberian folk asked for her support at shows where they had just secured breed classes. Mike and Lynn were surprised at the compliments Uka received and soon became regular show-goers, Uka later becoming the first bitch in the country to take a Reserve Best In Show at an all-breeds show, which she did twice. She was linebred on Ch. Monadnock's Akela and carried Canadian lines via her imported granddam Tovar's Sarita. BUT, Uka was a pain on the lead alongside the pushchair at home, wanting to be in front of it all the time. A couple of people in England were actually starting to work their few huskies in harness - pulling 3-wheeled contraptions weighing about 200lbs. One such was Sandra Bayliss who made harnesses and suggested one for Uka. Like a duck to water, Uka threw herself into her harness, tied onto the front of Zoe's pushchair. Zoe picked up the directional commands as quickly as Uka, so the planned pavement routes around the houses weren't always the ones Lynn intended! Mike decided to build Uka a go-cart so that they could go out on forest tracks with her. Jenny soon let them borrow a couple of her dogs to train and make up as a team, including littersister Skicrest's Setting Sun. Little go-cart soon bent under the strain so Mike then built a 200lb rig, and entered a 4-dog team with Uka as leaddog in the first race ever organised in the UK, consisting of 12 competitors. Mike and Lynn grew with the development of the Breed in the UK over the years, the working competitions and the showing. Uka had two litters but tragically died following her second at 5 years old. From this total devastation came Brushbow Roxanne, an incredibly beautiful and talented bitch who was to form the base of the Brushbow Kennel. Lynn was a founding member of The Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain and took up the new role of Breed Historian - helping to set up hip and eye screening and the publishing of the results, along with details of litters born and imports into the UK. She held this position for six years. Taking an interest in judging all breeds, Lynn studied for one year and passed her Judging Diploma with Credit in 1988. She awards CCs in Siberian Huskies and had the honour of judging them at Crufts Centenary Show in 1991. Mike's interests have been more 'practical' - he being the first to introduce the lighter weight 'handlebar' rigs to the UK. He has built several that have stood the test of time and also enjoys making ash basket and toboggan sleds. In 1983 Mike and Lynn held their first sleddog race competition and have now organised over 50 events, their New Forest Event still considered to be one of the very best in the country and attracting over 100 entries each year. 1989 saw all their events held independently of a breed club, the first time in the country that this had happened, under the "Sled Dog Events" title. Sled Dog Events would be totally self-sufficient with any profits going straight back into not only specifically the sport but the event from which they came. Quality event equipment, professional marshalling bodies, prizes, etc. could now be afforded in a conscious effort to move the fast growing sport forward. In 1992 Mike and Lynn helped found ABSA (Affiliated British Sleddog Activities) and continue to support this independent sleddog working group as much as possible, Sled Dog Events being affiliated. Mike programmed his own computer timing system which enables him to provide this service to all the ABSA events as well as those of SDE, results' printouts available for the mushers to take home. Lynn organises two eye clinics per year for the benefit of their own dogs as well as others'. All Brushbow breedings incorporate hip and eye testing as a matter of course as Mike and Lynn believe they owe it to the Breed to do their bit to avoid hereditary disease. Working attitude of the Brushbows is maintained through regular exercise in harness and competition, with all the dogs working until approximately 12 years of age. Tractability and pack order comes easily as the dogs (presently nine in number) live indoors as part of the family during the day and are kennelled outside at night. Litters are only occasionally bred -when a new pup is required to replace an oldie's retirement - with both humans and canines thoroughly enjoying the experience of raising the young. The Brushbow Siberians have been fed a Species Appropriate diet (75% raw meaty bones) since 1997.