Helen Schultz of Tol Istari Alaskan Malamutes is the breeder of Arwen, and we were thrilled to welcome  another puppy from Helen to WinterStar Farm.  Our foundation dog Procyon is an  Istari bred dog, and all of the dogs we have bred are descended from him.   We hoped to sled with and show Arwen, and if that went well  possibly breed her to our males Howler or Major.  Sadly, Arwen became  unsteady in her back legs when she was 5 months old.  She was  diagnosed with a rare disorder of unknown cause affecting her spinal cord - a hydromyelia cyst within the spinal cord, that puts pressure on the spinal cord, which is not surgically repairable.  We tried different treatments but saw no improvement, so we changed our plans for her.  On the plus side, the spinal cord condition is not at all painful and she has compensated for her problem remarkably.  Arwen shows us every day that you should keep going forward, regardless of the obstacles life may bring.  She is a very happy dog; although her gait looks a bit odd, she can run very fast and loves to play with the other dogs.  She hates being left behind when we take the team out to sled or cart, so sometimes we let her run along in harness on short runs.  She is unable to pull, but loves being included.  Arwen is very attentive and eager to please and so has done well in Beginner and Advanced Obedience classes.  She and Tim are now training for and competing in Rally, and she earned her RN (Rally Novice) title in September 2009!  She is a favorite at training class due to her very sweet temperament and plucky can-do attitude.  The Alaskan Malamute Club of America recognized Arwen as the #6 Malamute in Rally Novice in 2009.