 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
All about "Sylvaen Tamaskans"My name is Debby and I was born in the Netherlands, though I'm British by nationality. When I was young, my family and I lived in many different places all over the world: Calgary, Canada; New Orleans, Louisiana; Jersey, Channel Isles; Katy, Texas; and Den Haag, Netherlands. My interest in animal husbandry developed when I was very young; I started riding horses (well, ponies, at that time) around the age of 4 years old and by 12 years old I was selectively breeding gerbils and soon became fascinated with the genetic inheritance of the various coat colors and their interaction (dominant vs recessive, etc). This hobby eventually 'spawned' (pun intended) into a whole new direction, breeding show-quality tropical fish: Betta splendens. I was particularly interested in form and finnage (halfmoons, crowntails, HMPK, etc) and at one point I had hundreds of fish and dozens of aquariums, including a betta drip system that I designed myself. I participated in several betta/tropical fish shows throughout Europe (in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Croatia) and even won a few top prizes. It was a very challenging hobby, not to mention time-consuming and expensive, but it was enjoyable while it lasted. After a while, I became a bit 'burned out' so I decided to take a break from tropical fish. It was around this time that I first discovered Tamaskan Dogs and I soon fell in love with the breed. I decided to wait until I finished my university studies and then reward myself with my first Tamaskan puppy, Jasper, who subsequently changed my life forever. In spring 2009, I graduated from Webster University in Leiden, Netherlands: BA in Media Communications with minors in English and Philosophy. I also have certifications in International Human Rights (Webster University, Netherlands) and Humanities (The Open University, UK). Once I got my first Tamaskan puppy, I was totally hooked on the breed and the natural/eventual progression was for me to become a Tamaskan breeder. After university, I moved to Croatia with my then-boyfriend (now ex) and, soon after, a second Tamaskan Dog, named Vixen, came into my life. In autumn 2009, I decided to register my kennel affix "Sylvaen" with the Tamaskan Dog Register (TDR) and I had my first Tamaskan litter in Zagreb in spring 2010. 
Over a year later, I then met my then-husband (now ex) in summer 2011 and, a few years later, we were joined by our son, Dylan, who was born in February 2014, and our daughter, Darcy, who was born in October 2015. In autumn 2020, after almost a decade together, my husband and I decided to separate/divorce. Soon after, I was fortunate enough to find new love with someone who is much more compatible and has similar long-term goals: a new life partner. In spring 2021, Erwin and I decided to move in together and we recently purchased a 7-acre countryside estate, which has plenty of space for our 3 children, from our first marriages, and our growing Tamaskan pack.
Aside from being a registered Tamaskan breeder, I am also a founding member of the International Tamaskan Register (ITR) and an active member of the ITR Committee of Breeders (CoB) as well as the Croatian Tamaskan Club. I also regularly participate in many online courses pertaining to canine theriogenology and I am the creator of the International Tamaskan Forum. I am passionate about bloodlines and genetic diversity (including population genetics and quantitative genetics) as well as health testing: we not only DNA test all of our breeding dogs, but every puppy we produce is also DNA tested too!  With over a decade of breeding experience, we still strive to continuously learn and improve with each and every litter. Above all else, we believe in quality, not quantity, so our Tamaskan litters are relatively few and far between. We aim to build up a solid waiting list, in advance, to ensure that every puppy will have a fantastic home and a great life, already lined up before they are born. | ||||||||||||||||||||