Kim La Flamme - President and Founder

What began as a childhood fascination with his grandfather’s primitive herding dogs has led Kim La Flamme on a lifelong quest of determination and untiring devotion to preserve the American Indian Dog we know today. At 14 years old, Kim was entrusted with the responsibility of the survival of the breed. The dogs continue to be a very strong force in his life still, some forty years later. After pursuing several occupational interests, such as Carpentry and a very rewarding career as a certified clinical hypnotherapist, the rural farm life proved to be his true calling. Kim, along with his wife, Arlene, currently owns and operates La Flamme Farms in Selma Oregon, where they also breed and sell registered Peruvian Peso horses and Desert Lynx Cats. They also produce Pinot Noir grapes in their vineyards that are used to create a very exceptional quality wine.

Beginning in the 1960’s, Kim began his search to find other rare examples of the primitive indigenous dogs that had become so important to him. Traveling to Indian reservations from Canada to Mexico, Kim pursued every lead he could. He interviewed countless Native American Elders and others to get first hand accounts of the once numerous Indian dogs. He was successful in locating and trapping feral examples of several types of primitive dogs that all contributed genetically to the very versatile blood lines created over hundreds of years by the plains Indian tribes through trade and contact with neighboring tribes. The genetic characteristics of some of the now extinct Indian dog breeds are preserved in the current American Indian Dog bloodlines thanks to Kim’s foresight and learned knowledge of genetics. Being a self taught researcher and authority on these and other animals seems to have come quite naturally to Kim, and his pride in his own Blackfoot Indian heritage is very much apparent in his admiration for these uniquely intelligent and beautiful breed of dogs.

As a very responsible Breeder, Kim is a strong believer in educating others about the vast history and cultural significance that these dogs demonstrate in relation to both ancient and modern Native American people, as well as others who truly appreciate the value of the American Indian Dog as one of the first domestic animals on the North American continent. He authorized the formation of the International Indian Dog Owners and Breeders Association in late 2001. IIDOBA is a unified owners and breeders organization charged with the responsibility of reinforcing a strong code of ethics, maintaining the breed standards, and promoting positive educational exposure for the breed.

We all are very fortunate that Kim has devoted so much of his life to saving such an important part of our Native American culture. And that he is so willing to share these incredible dogs with others who also have come to know the strong spiritual bond created between these very special dogs and their owners.

bio by Pat Cummins,
IIDOBA Vice-President

---

Pat Cummins, IIDOBA Vice-President
Nashville Tennessee

My name is Pat Cummins, I’m married, and my wife’s name is Debbie, and we have two Children, Joseph-9 and Kara -3. We live in Hermitage Tennessee, near Nashville. I am of Cherokee descent, and have served four consecutive terms as the President of The Alliance For Native American Indian Rights of Tennessee, a nonprofit organization dedicated to Native American burial site preservation. I am also the Executive Director of the Native American Land Trust of Tennessee, another nonprofit organization established to return ancestral land to the Native American people of Tennessee. I have devoted much of my life over the past 8 years to helping to educate others about our Native American heritage, and advocating for the rights of American Indian people.

My family owns two American Indian Dogs. Our first, Quanah (after Quanah Parker, the Comanche Chief), is a year old, and the other is a young female, Ta-li Gi-li (Cherokee for #2 Dog). After thoroughly researching the dogs, I was very fortunate to have contacted Kim Laflamme and I soon learned that everything I read about the dogs was not only true, but I also felt the strong spiritual connection that comes from being with the dogs. I have also found that the dogs have a magical ability to bring total strangers together as extended family. I have come to consider many of our owners, some of the best friends anyone could ever have.

I have searched my entire life for what I consider to be the “perfect” dog. And I now know that I have two of the most intelligent, and naturally instinctive dogs I could ever hoped to own. I believe strongly in educating the public about their ancient history, and I am very much devoted to the continued preservation of the American Indian Dog. It is truly an honor to serve the IIDOBA as its Vice-President. I look forward to working with our current leadership, owners, and future Indian Dog owners for many years to come!

---

Cyndi Sixkiller, Secretary
Kelso, WA

I've never been that much of a 'dog' person altho I've had a dog or dogs at all times in my life. My focus and love was always for my children first, my horses and cats second and my dogs took third and last place in my life. This is no longer true, thanks to this breed. I've spent years owning, breeding and enjoying the Peruvian Paso horse and being an active member of the Northwest Peruvian Horse Club, and have served as board member and officer, show manager, newsletter editor and webmaster over the years. I've even spent a few years owning and showing Abyssinians and Turkish Angora cats, plus I've always had cats of mixed heritage and loved every minute of it. But although I've always had dogs, I've never found a breed that made me want to become this involved with them. Both cats and horses remain a huge part of my life but thanks to the help and friendship of Kim La Flamme, this unique breed of dogs quickly took their own special place in my life. This is a breed that has a spiritual side that is truly unique and a wonderful 'bonus' for their owner - it makes them a true companion and partner for their owners.

Kiya came to me thru a tragedy. My daughter, Kara and I had purchased a beautiful Peruvian Paso filly of rare pinto color, Mireme, who was sired by Kim LaFlamme's stallion, Silverado, Unfortunately, we lost her at 4 1/2 months to severe colic altho Mireme, my daughter, and I fought long and hard to save her life. This beautiful filly was so brave and sweet thru the entire ordeal . . . the day we had to let her go was so hard - my daughter and I were truly devastated. Kim learned of Mireme's sad fate and wanted to help us with our sorrow and loss. He told me about his dogs, telling me that they were a very spiritual breed with great healing powers. My daughter and I drove the 6 hours to Kim's place in January 1998 to see two pups that Kim had available, and fell totally in love with one of them, Kiya and brought her home and the rest, as they say, is history. From one dog, we now have three <g> (Be careful!! Betcha can't get just one!!) Kiya, Bear and Tsula have brought me to the greatest group of people there is and an involvement with the breed that I treasure. I am honored to be the secretary, webmaster, and owner/moderator of the email group of this organization and to be a part of the Indian Dog 'family'.

When I found these dogs, they seemed to go right to my heart - I felt as if a piece of my soul had been returned to me. I did not have the advantage of learning about my Tsalagi (Cherokee) heritage until later in my life altho I grew up knowing I was Tsalagi. This breed, and specifically my own dogs - are important to me not only as members of my family but also because they have the added bonus of being a connection to my Tsalagi heritage. It is my intention to do all that I can to preserve this breed for our children's children so that they will know the wonder and joy of this breed and hopefully feel their connection with the history of this country and all Native Americans.

---

Allison Bond, Treasurer
Seattle, WA

Bio coming soon!!