We live 1 mile away from the Mississippi River in a little valley near Winona, MN. We love this area with it's diverse terrain, abundant wildlife and of course the Big Muddy right next door. Roger and I have lived on this property for over 20 years. We've raised a large vegetable garden for our own food for most of those years. We have also raised chickens, Muscovy ducks, a few geese and guinea fowl. I used to do a lot of canning of food but I’ve pretty much gravitated away from it except for tomatoes, beans and pickles. Roger picks several types of mushrooms when in season and does a bit of hunting when he finds the time. We both enjoy walking in our woods, hiking, biking and boating.

Roger has been self employed as a massage therapist in Winona since 1999. He graduated from Sister Rosalind Gefre’s School of Professional Massage and got his National Certification in 2000. Before that he was a woodworker and also worked in framing construction.

I am self employed as an artist and a craftsperson. I used to do work on bows for stringed musical instruments for Coda Composites Co., a company based in Winona. Now I take appointments for Roger's massage business and I also do artwork in many modalities. My favorites being folk art with acrylic paint, and music with my guitar and voice. (I also consider other activities such as gardening and cooking as forms of art.)

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In looking for the ‘perfect’ dog for us, we were interested in a dog that would be a varmint dog by instinct. We have many rabbits, mice and voles that are destructive to our vegetable gardens, shrubs and trees. Along with the smaller ones we have raccoon, opossum, fox and coyote that prey on our chickens all year long. We have even had weasels and a mink after our chickens. We really needed a dog that actually ‘hunts’ for the varmints.

We have found the perfect dog for our needs in the Decker Terrier. Not only because they are hunters by nature, but they are also FUN! These dogs are a pleasure to own and live with…they really are a joy to have around. As a companion dog they are great! Whether they are hiking in the woods or lounging on the couch in the evening, it doesn’t matter. We have found our dogs to be easily trained, full of fun, loving and loyal. Just as a side note…we believe that the size of this breed is a plus also, not too big and not too small.

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About our 'kennel name'... We have chosen Celtic type names for our dogs in keeping with the kennel where we got them…Clan Clark Decker’s. They are also based on Norse mythology which has been an interest of mine. Asgard is the place where the Gods and Goddesses lived in Norse mythology. According to the mythology, Odin was the chief or top God in Asgard and Frigga was his wife…the top Goddess. Almost all the Gods lived there in Asgard and they held their councils and meetings and great banquets there.

So, as the story goes…as I like to tell it…(smile)…we started our kennel out with the chief God and Goddess of Asgard, Odin and Frigga. They are the foundation of our 'Rat Pack' of dogs…’worthy of the Gods’…;-) Of course then there is Nessa in the mix. She is Odin's consort, (mistress), being that he's already 'married' and being that Nessa is an ‘older woman’. Ha ha ha. I’ve had a lot of fun with the story…and have had a lot of dreams built into it. We'll see where the road leads...

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Update!! 6-5-2011 We have a new website up and running where you can find some basic information about raising and training puppies and you can get all kinds of dog and puppy information and items. It's called: Train Your New Puppy, and you can find it here:
www.trainyournewpuppy.com

Another Update!! 6-10-2011 We have now added a blog to the 'mix', where you can find interesting posts all about dogs and puppies. It's called: Talk On Dogs, and you can find it here:
www.talkondogs.com/blog/

10-22-2011 -- Attention!!! Sue Lee has just published her new book! The book "Your Puppy's First Year," is a perfect guide book for new puppy owners and long time dog lovers alike. It has just been made available at:
http://smashwords.com/b/98278