OSA 2023

SAC Outstanding Service Award:  2023

Teresa Michaud

Teresa Michaud has been an active member of the Samoyed Association of Canada since 2004, celebrating her 20 year anniversary in 2023.  She has held positions on the SAC Board of Directors including President for 2019/20 and British Columbia Director for 2006/07 and 2020/23. Teresa was a member of the organizing committee for the SAC National Specialties held in BC in 2016 and 2022 and frequently donated her talents for prizes. She was an active and contributing member on the two SAC committees developing the SAC Certificates of Recognition Program and Versatility Awards Program. Her dog Buca was awarded SAC Versatility Award Gold in 2021, and Quila was awarded SAC Versatility Award Silver in 2020 and SAC Versatility Award Gold in 2021.

Teresa has been very generous with her time and energy relating to the Samoyed Association of Canada and to the Samoyed community at large. She is an advocate in promoting activities that demonstrate our breed’s natural instincts in performance events and encouraging participation by fellow Samoyed owners. Teresa has organized a variety of events in a welcoming, safe, and fun environment. She has organized carting clinics, introduction to barn hunt and several all-breed herding trials.   She willingly shares her enthusiasm and knowledge freely.

Teresa has had breed two litters under her kennel name, Samoden Samoyeds, and maintains contact with her puppy’s new owners. She does OFA hips and eye health tests as well as Penn hip on her Samoyeds.

Teresa and her dogs participate in a variety of dog events and have earned titles including herding, carting, rally obedience, obedience, barn hunt, trick dog and conformation. Teresa and her dog, Buca, participated in two of the Parade (with carts) of Working Dogs at the Victoria City Dog Kennel Club shows.  Buca was the only Samoyed in the parade – her white coat stands out among all those dark Bernese Mountain Dogs!

Teresa is passionate about herding. She has been instrumental in organizing the annual highly successful Samoyed Association of Canada CKC all-breed arena duck, geese and sheep herding trials since its inception in 2014 to today (not held during Covid).  In addition to trialing her dogs during these events, Teresa scribes for the judges, stock handles, drafts course design, sets up courses and support the judges during awards presentation. She has ordered the ribbons and rosettes for the trials and matches. Her artistic talent is evident in the prizes she creates for participants and gifts for the judges including embroidered pendants and bags, ornaments, and burnt wood boxes. Her contributions have made these events a huge success. Herding trials are social events and been involved in food preparation.

Teresa has been trailing her Samoyeds successfully in herding for several years on ducks, geese, and sheep with huge success. She regularly attends CKC and AHBA herding trials in BC, the Prairies, Washington State and the 2016 and 2022 Samoyed Club of America National Specialty.

Her dog Buca is the first Samoyed in Canada to have attained Intermediate and Advanced herding titles. Buca was awarded Samoyed Club of America top herding dog in 2015 (awarded in 2016) and was second in 2016 (awarded in 2017) and a special certificate from SAC in 2017 for her Herding Intermediate (HI) title.  Her dog, Quila is following in Buca’s footsteps as a talented and skilled herding dog.

Congratulations Teresa on being the SAC Outstanding Service Award recipient for 2023!