It is wonderful to live with animals and I learned this from an early age. When we moved from the city to the countryside we got a dog (mongrel Samoyed) from the shelter. A wonderfully sweet dog, but due to his bad experiences with people we had to regain her trust. Some time later we got Kim, a purebred Samoyed, with her my parents bred a number of litters. Some puppies have won wonderful titles, including the Winner in Amsterdam. This is how I became familiar with FCI group 5 at a young age; n°5 - Spitz and primitive types.

Thanks to a fellow villager, I came into contact with the Shikoku and met Natsumi. She chose me and it was precisely because of her playful, cheerful, affectionate and wolf-like character that I fell head over heels for her. During my visits to the elderly in the rehabilitation home, I noticed that she had a keen sense of who needed to receive her attention at that moment. She asked me for permission by looking at me and looking at that person, I gave her the FREE command. I also worked intensively with her for about 2.5 years in the field of ring training, tracking and coursing. Ultimately I went to see if she could be used for breeding, but to be sure, she has had all the required tests as HD, ECVO, Patella Luxation and it turned out that she fully met the approval requirements. So we registered our kennel at the Dutch Kennel Club since September 2016 and is now known to FCI under the name NATSUMISOU.

As a graphic designer, Robbin designed my logo. She beautifully incorporated the Shikoku, as well as my connection with nature with the symbolism of cherry blossoms, which I am still very happy and proud of. The color orange is internationally known for the Netherlands.

We chose Kinchairo from our first ATAE litter to stay with us. Because of his sweet, docile character and beautiful appearance, he is an asset to the Shikoku breed. After his adolescent adventures he has developed very well. We ran various competitions and won various titles, but we also undertook great research activities. He has undergone more than the required breeding-related medical examinations such as HD / ED / Patella Luxation / ECVO / Better Bred and even a general blood test.

All these tests showed that he was completely healthy and met the requirements of the breeding regulations with wonderful medical results. Therefore, as a stud dog he is an asset to the breed and available for approved bitches. He has now produced beautiful offspring abroad, some of which have already been medically examined with wonderfully healthy results! Some have even won national and international awards!

For a number of years I have noticed that training dogs and watching their behavior fascinates me enormously, and I have developed myself thanks to a number of courses.

In 2021 I completed the two-year Cynological Instructor course through the Tinley Academy. From 2022 I will be accredited with SPPD and also a member of the Dutch association for instructors in dog education and training.

I also conduct behavioral testing on puppies through observation to find the best possible match between the puppy and its future owners. Together with other colleagues, I help the Sophia Association in Amsterdam with conducting behavioral tests on dogs that are registered as possible assistance dogs.

In addition to my regular job, I continue to develop myself. Thanks to various courses and workshops, I can help many with training their unique dog on location, but also at the Dogharmony dog school in Emmen.

Having respect for each other and receiving positive rewards strengthens the bond between humans and animals, which is reflected in cooperation and having fun!

As a Shikoku enthusiast since 2013, I am committed to training, breeding healthy dogs, contributing and preserving the genetic diversity of the beloved Shikoku. These numbers and therefore diversity have been declining for several years (as shown in a blog by Shigero Kato in Nihonken).