Thanks for visiting my website. My name is Selena Elrod and my kennel is Abarat. I am 22 years old, and have been involved with
Doberman Pinschers since 2001. I am a professional groomer, grooming instructor, certified obedience instuctor and certified
master trainer. I own a pet care facility called Nirvana Pet Resort Inc. Needless
to say, dogs are a big and important part of my life.
Animals have been a passion of mine since I was just a little girl. Dogs have been my more specific interest
since my first obedience class when I was 10 years old. And Doberman Pinschers have been my complete and absolute obsession
since the day that I first heard the name at school and decided to look up a picture of one on the internet.
My first Dobe was a rescue. He was neurotic, aggressive, sharp as a tack, beautiful and brilliant. Most of my friends and family
despised him. He bit me, dragged me around, barred his teeth at me, tried to kill other dogs, destroyed doors, walls, furniture and
everything else. And I was delighted. I had a Doberman Pinscher. In my mind, I had achieved complete and total happiness. I worked with
Dawson every day. We were kicked out of obedience classes. I exercised him like nothing else, and stimulated his mind. I taught him to
tell the difference between "rope," "ball," "sock," treat" and many other words. He also learned the difference between "bathroom," "kitchen,"
"counter," "piano," etc. I could hide objects throughout the house and ask him to retrieve a specific toy out of a group of them, from a
specific room. He learned to respect me and other humans and to respect the home and only chew on things that were his. He also learned to
trust me when we were out and if we encountered another dog all I had to do was ask him to sit and cover his eyes until it passed.
I believe that Dawson came into my life for a reason. Because of him, I learned a great deal about working with dogs and ultimately decided
that I would like to pursue a career in dog training.
My involvement with Dobermans expanded to showing in 2004 with the purchase of Ch. Pineridge Julien Mayfair CGN. He finished his
Championship at 8 months of age, in 12 days of showing with Group placements (a G2, G3 and G4) and 5 Puppy Group Wins. In fact,
during those 12 days, he only lost the Breed twice, and got Best Opposite instead. As a baby, he consistently beat Canadian and American
Champions.
After Julien, I decided to purchase Senna Discovery Ranch. I imported her from Argentina, and I believe I was one of the youngest people
in the country to do this, at only 17 years of age. My research and study of the Doberman Pinscher began when I was 11 years old, and will
never stop. It was during one of my internet searches that I discovered the beauty of the South American Doberman Pinscher and the difference
between them and the dogs in Canada and the US. It was at that moment that I decided the most beautiful dog would be a blend between the two
styles, and this idea was the foundation of my breeding program.
The dog's that I own from my own breeding are Abarat's Starry Eyed Surprise (Kiki) and her younger sister, Ch. Abarat's Trix R 4 Kidz (Dezi).
Both are out of Julien and Senna. Kiki's show career was short lived as she grew to be above standard size for a female. Dezi is a fair bit smaller
than Kiki. Observing the growth and development of these two has helped me immensely in learning what to look
for when selecting a puppy. Dezi is my current project and first home-bred Champion! She is usually owner-handled, and recently finished her
Championship with a 4pt major for BOW at Canada's Largest Show, having beat many Canadian and American Champions along the way. Breeding,
selecting, raising and showing this dog has been my biggest reward to date. But of course, this is only the beginning :) A litter out of Dezi
is planned for the summer of 2010, so be sure to check back for updates! In the meantime, enjoy my site!
