HALFMOON KENNEL

Breeding, exhibiting and sharing my life with American Eskimo Dogs and Samoyeds in Florida. Welcome to Halfmoon Kennel.

A Little Bit About Me

Hi, I'm Morgan. I'm the breeder behind Halfmoon Kennel. Allow me to introduce myself. When I was a little kid, I would watch the people with Pugs on the TV at Westminster. I would point to them and tell my mom that that was going to be me one day. The breeds have changed but the love for dogs hasn't.I went to a meet the breed event for my birthday one year and met people of all different walks of life with a million different breeds. I was interested in Shiba Inu at the time, since my aunt had them growing up. I talked to a Breeder/ Owner/Handler of Shiba and asked her how to get started in dog shows, since I wanted to get started but didn't know how. I didn't even have a dog. I was told how to get started. I was told to go to the West Volusia Kennel Club, ask to borrow someone's dog for their handling class and learn that way. I did exactly that. I started borrowing my mentor, Cathy Driggers' Pomeranians to practice showing on. I remain active within the WVKC.in December 2022, a friend lent me her champion American Eskimo Dog to show. It was a great opportunity and I learnt a lot about showing dogs through him.

Showing Caspian really made me realise that this is my heart breed. My heart and soul is the American Eskimo Dog. Caspian and I had a bond that I had never experienced with a dog before. Every judge that awarded us complimented our bond! This roller coaster ride has only gone up from there.I was showing Breaker in the Brooksville circuit in 2024 when I met Julie and Drea Dunkle, of Articcross Samoyeds. I had always admired the breed, but I knew nothing about them. A boy I knew in school told me he paid $6500 for his pet Samoyed. I could not fathom spending money like that on a pet. I didn't even entertain the thought of a Samoyed after that. When I told that to Julie, she laughed. They offered to mentor me in the breed, I took them up on it, and 10 months later, I was in Texas at the Samoyed National Specialty, getting to know my first Samoyed, a beautiful bitch named Bette. Julie and Drea are some of my most valuable mentors and I enjoy learning from them every minute I am able to enjoy.My dad has been very supportive of my hobby, and he 'does the dog thing' with me. He is an extremely important component of Halfmoon Kennel and it would not be anything without him.I appreciate taking the time to read this and appreciate your interest in my dogs. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, I would appreciate you contacting me with your quieries.

My Dogs

GCH CH Silveroak's Break Out The Champagne GCG CGCA CGCU FITB
"Breaker"
DOB 4/27/19
GCHG CH Eskyblue Fuji LTD Dom Perignon x CH Silveroak's Oh Yes She Did
Bred by Ruth Sampson
Owned by Morgan and Daniel Poulin and Ruth Sampson
Breaker is my first dog of my own and is everything I ever could have dreamed of in a dog. Breaker is an extremely versatile dog and shows it in his titles on both ends of his name. He is a brilliant show dog and a fabulous pet. He takes to whatever I teach him so well. He is a very reserved dog, but he is known to everyone who's met him as being very gentle and sweet. He is very gentle and light on his feet. He was professionally handled by Randy Benns, PHA before he met me, and joining me on this wonderful, crazy ride.

CH Astra Galena Goddess Savgreb
"Galena"
DOB 5/15/21
Crystaltyme Son Of Kodiak x Sierra Moves With Style
Bred by Eleanor Main and Jana Rose Savit
Owned by Morgan Poulin and Jana Rose Savit
Galena is a beautiful bitch I am happy to co-own with the Savit family. Galena is a diva, no one can tell her anything. She is smart, attentive, friendly but conservative, just as an Eskie should be. She is handled by Sarah Crepeau. Her pedigree goes back to Primo (GCH CH Silveroak's First and Foremost), a dog I have long admired.

CH Articcross The Joke Is On You BCAT
"Bette"
DOB 1/10/23
Can CH Vanderbilt's Strike It Big x GCH Articcross You're Kraken Me Up at Infusion
Bred by Julie and Andrea Dunkle
Owned by Morgan Poulin and Andrea Dunkle

About American Eskimo Dogs

If you have any specific questions about the breed, I highly suggest reading this, then my FAQ at the bottom. If you still have unanswered questions, check out the contact me page. I am no expert on the breed, quite far from it! I am always learning and this page is based entirely on my own experience with my own dogsThe questions I get more than anything is "What are their temperaments like?". American Eskimos are friendly, albeit reserved with strangers, and require a lot of socialisation. You need to get your Eskie used to being touched and interacting with all people, in all scenarios. This really isn't a breed you can take to obedience classes once a week as a puppy and expect to be well adjusted. To put it bluntly, they require effort, which, if you aren't willing to put in, this isn't the breed for you. You cannot walk and feed the dog and put him in a crate and forget about him and expect him to do OK. The breed is very intelligent and they tend to use their intelligence for good but I wouldn't count on it.They are protective of their home and make excellent watch dogs. They are generally friendly though. If you're looking for a dog to intimidate someone with, you're looking in the wrong place. No one finds these dogs intimidating. Everyone who sees them says "oh my God it's a cloud/marshmallow/snowball/etc".They do great with kids and are first and foremost companions. So they're very easy to train, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them for first time owners. They have very strong personalities and can be intense, especially if you are doing something they don't like. You need to be a strong leader and you need to make your boundaries abundantly clear with them. They excel at service and therapy work. I struck gold with Breaker being as easy as he is but just know, most won't be as easy as him.Now that that's out of the way, in regards to conformation, I'd refer to the illustrated standard here. but in short, they're a very well angulated spitz breed with a stand off, thick, white double coat with black points (nose, eye rims, paws). Eskies are not to be trimmed in any way besides neatening of the paws and hocks. Clippers should absolutely never be used on an Eskie's coat.

They do shed. This is a screengrab from the AKC Gazette in January 2024.

This is a dog behind my lines, CH Silveroak's Juneau Arnold.

Juneau was bred and owned by my mentor, Ruth Sampson and handled by Randy Benns. His son is GCH CH Silveroak's First and Foremost, AKA Primo, the best in show record holder in the breed.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Breed

Q: Is the breed vocal?
A: They can be. It's largely dog dependent. Breaker is very quiet but most Eskies are a little more vocal. They are quite trainable so it is possible to train them to be quieter.Q: What colours does the breed usually come in?
A: White and white and biscuit. They should have black noses, black eye rims, black lips and black paws.Q: What was the breed bred to do?
A: All purpose farm work, but now, companionship.Q: How do they get along with other dogs?
A: They should all do well with other dogs, mine do. Many of them won't back down to a dog bullying them, though.Q: How are they with cats?
A: Generally good, some have very high prey drives but it's dog dependent. My first Eskie would chase the cats any chance he got, and the other couldn't care less. Generally, when raised with cats, they're pretty good.Q: How hard are they to house train?
A: Not particularly bad. They generally don't like being dirty and are extremely intelligent so it's easy for them to grasp.

about samoyeds

Samoyed breed standard

I do not know nearly as much about Samoyeds as I wish I did, I am still very much a student of the breed and I continue to learn about them and study their standard.My experience with Bette has been that she is silly, talkative, happy and a joy to live with. She has somewhat of a strong personality and can be a bit intense. She is inimitable and the best dog.

ways to contact me

Phone: (407) 591-9107
Call or text, I don't mind receiving texts at all hours of the day, but kindly only call me between 8am-5pm Monday-Sunday. My puppy family can reach me at all hours of the day, any day of the year.
email: [email protected]
You can contact me here whenever you want. I try to stay on top of my emails.
Facebook: Morgan Braus, I have eskies on my profile. I don't mind random messages and messenger/text is the easiest way to reach me.

litters

Please contact me for more information about upcoming litters.