"Ruckus"
CH U-BIS/CH UWPCH Northpaw's Arrakis of Winterstar, RE, CGC, WTD, WPD, WWPDX, AAAM

GCH U-RBIS/CH UWPCH Winterstarz Ursa Major,
WLD, WTD, WPD, WWPDX, RN, CD, CGC, TDI, AAAM
 x
Northpaw's Kosmic Kisses

2015 All Around Alaskan Malamute Award Recipient

Ruckus' Offspring with Titles:
"Orion" - UWPCH Winterstarz Orion Nebula, WTD, WPD, WWPDX

I am here for the party says A Ruckus Ruckus



Born November 28, 2010 in Oxford, Pennsylvania at breeder Barb Lichota's Northpaw Kennel, Arrakis, aka "A Ruckus" is one of the first puppies sired by our Major.   We are very excited to add him to our kennel!

Arrakis' name came about in a funny way.  Barb had called this litter her "Dancing with the Starz" puppies, since we register our dogs Winterstarz.  We thought that was quite clever and wanted to keep the dance reference in the name we chose.  Looking at star names, we discovered Arrakis, a star in Draco.  In Arabic, Arrakis means "The Dancer," so it was a good fit.  He is so energetic, we are calling him "A Ruckus" about as often as Arrakis, and he answers to both names!


Ruckus is a high-energy dog, very happy and eager to please.  A star of his agility and obedience classes, we joke that he is so enthusiastic because we give him beer as his treat for doing all this stuff!  Just kidding, but enjoy Ruckus' Beer Run Agility movie below!  Ruckus tried agility competition for the first time in May 2013, and achieved a qualifying run with a first place finish!  See him in action in agility in 2013 in the "Just About Right" video below.   Ruckus earned his Rally Novice title in 2012, with scores of 98, 99 and 87 - including one first place finish at an all-breed trial.  Watch the "Rallying Ruckus" movie of his performance below.  In 2013, Ruckus polished up his Rally skills and earned his Rally Advanced (RA) title, placing twice in all-breed trials, and earning an exciting 1st place win for his final leg at the Alaskan Malamute Regional Show in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.  See him in action in the "Ruckus Eye of the Tiger Rally Advanced" movie below.  Ruckus also competed in agility at the National Show, earning two qualifying runs and placing 1st and 2nd.

A go-getter on our team, Ruckus earned his Working Team Dog title in Winter 2012.  He then began weight pulling and did his pulling ancestors proud, earning a weight pull leg at his very first competition, and an advanced leg his second time in the chute!  He earned his Working Weight Pull Dog (WWPD) title in Spring 2012, and then his Working Weight Pull Dog-Advanced title and his United Weight Puller Champion title in March 2013.  At the 2013 Alaskan Malamute National, Ruckus wowed the crowd with his weight pulling, placing 4th in both the Regional and National pulls.  He continued his strong and consistent pulling and achieved his Working Weight Pull Dog - Excellent (WWPDX) title in March 2014.  Ruckus also enjoys backpacking and completed four 10-mile pack hikes in May of 2013 to earn his Working Pack Dog (WPD) title.  All of this hard work paid off when the judges selected Ruckus as 3rd place in the 2013 Working Dog Showcase at the Malamute National Show!  Ruckus was defeated by his uncle Raider who placed 2nd, and his cousin Huck, who won the Showcase; he happily shared the limelight with these family members!

Ruckus has been quite an achiever in the conformation ring, and took Best of Breed at his very first AKC show, at age nine months!  He followed that up with a Puppy Group 2 win in October 2011.  The Alaskan Malamute Club of America ranked Ruckus the #1 Puppy Dog in the Midwest in 2011.   Ruckus  earned his first major conformation win for four points under breeder judge Dr Joseph Hug, at the Alaskan Malamute Specialty Show in St Paul, Minnesota in January 2012.   He won a second major at the Fargo-Moorhead Kennel Club show in June 2012, under Judge Jean Fournier!  Ruckus started showing in UKC conformation in June 2012, and took Best of Breed and Group 2 in his first show, followed by Best of Breed, Group 1, and a thrilling Best in Show win the next day!  He competed successfully in weight pulls at these shows and was also recognized with the Total Dog award.  At the 2012 Alaskan Malamute Club of America National show in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ruckus did us proud, placing 3rd in the weight pull and winning the Brace competition with his daddy Major!  The United Kennel Club recognized Ruckus as the 5th Alaskan Malamute in conformation in 2012.  Ruckus finished his AKC Championship in August 2013, by taking Best of Breed at the NorthStar Working Group Specialty Show in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.  At the 2013 Malamute National, Ruckus and his Daddy Major won the Brace competition at both the Regional and National shows.

Ruckus loves belly rubs the most, and will stand on his head to entice you to rub his belly.  At our local Buffalo Days community celebration in 2012 and 2013, Ruckus wowed the crowd with his speed in the agility demo ring, and spent his time between runs cuddling with the kids and making new friends.  The kids were chanting "Ruckus Rocks" and "Vote for Ruckus" during his runs, and he did not let them down! 
We are simply delighted with this beautiful fun boy, who looks to be following in his daddy Major's paw prints!

In January 2014, Ruckus became a daddy, siring a litter out of our girl Penny.  We kept the boy, Orion, from this litter; the girl, Ruby (Winterstarz Precious Gem Ruby Tuesday) went to live with our friends and fellow mushers Don and Barb Stenger in Wisconsin.  Ruby was happy to meet some family members there, including Uncle Rio, brother to Ruckus; and cousin Tango, brother to our Wes. 


Ruckus Eye of the Tiger Rally Advanced



Ruckus Just About Right Agility



Rallying Ruckus



Ruckus 9 months old


Ruckus - Beer Run Agility





 
 
Ruckus' Health Clearances




 
 
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