We have been living with Siberian Huskies for 33 years, and Border Collies for 10 years. I got my first Siberian when I was 16 years old for a birthday present, and have been in the breed ever since, starting in obedience first.
The 'Nikicina' kennel name is a combination of names centered around myself and my dogs. 'Nik-' is for 'Nikki', my first Siberian that convinced me to fall in love with the breed. 'ic-' is for 'Icy', my first Siberian from excellent bloodlines and my first female that I breed. Most of my current Siberians can be traced back to her. She was the foundation of my lines, based on 'Karnovanda Kennels' of Michigan, one of the all-time great kennels in the breed. Finally, '-ina', which is based on my name, Gina.
We live in the country in Western Pennsylvania. Our dogs are first and foremost our companions and housemates. We breed very infrequently. We do conformation showing, obedience, recreational sledding, and most of all, we love doing agility with the dogs. It is something we really enjoy, which is the reason we ventured into Border Collies. I did much research in looking for a Border Collie that was healthy, had lots of drive and work ethic, good looks and was easy to live with. I found all these traits in Comebye Border Collies of Chicago, Illinois and am very happy with my choice.
We both belong to our local kennel club where I am on the Board of Directors and have taught obedience classes and agility classes. I also am a member of the Siberian Husky Club of America and the Pennsylvania Sleddog Club.