BIOGRAPHY Of BRIGITTE LYTLE

Brigitte was born in Big Lake, Alaska in 1980. She had a strong love and bond with dogs as a very small child, being raised by the family Doberman Sadie, who she turned into a sled dog at the age of 4. At the age of 8 Brigitte had her own competitive 3 dog-Jr. sprint team. Brigitte continued with racing sprint sled dogs through her Jr. Racing years through the age of 17. Winning the majority of championship races, and being high in points for the racing season each year in her class. Brigitte was an accomplished dog & sled handler at a very young age, running double sled behind open class championship teams and handling world class winning teams for sled dog racers from Alaska, Canada, & Minnesota. Brigitte received special permission to move ahead to race in higher classes than what her age permitted by race marshals and requests from adult sled dog drivers in her area, due to exceptional ability to handle a dog team. During this time Brigitte met her husband and competitor in the sport Shaun Lytle. Shaun and his family had a long history in Alaska of racing sled dogs – Shaun’s mother Kathy also competes in other dog events such as AKC confirmation shows and obedience trails. Shaun began racing sled dogs at the age of 2. While growing up in Alaska he also raced sprint sled dogs on into adulthood. He was a Jr. Board member for Alaska Jr. Sled Dog Racing Association, and handled for adult drivers, trained and operated kennels for professional teams.

When they became engaged in 1998 they had nearly 30 years of combined competitive dog handling between them. Other than each other, their love of life was their 2 German Shepherd Dogs. Brigitte received her 1^st German shepherd as a gift from her father at the age of 13. She trained this dog to herd and raise her husky puppies, to watch over and protect the kennel, and to hold down loose dogs so that they could be caught.

Shaun’s dog Thor became the first dog Brigitte titled for a BH in the sport of Schutzhund when she was 19 yrs old. Thor is a German shepherd that Shaun had rescued. He was very sharp and dog aggressive. Brigitte was told by experienced schutzhund handlers in their club that the dog would never title and that she should just get a new dog. Thor is retired now, but is still trained, handled and loved by their 5-year-old daughter Destiny. Thor is also used for the neutral dog, and helps in training for the schutzhund BH dogs.

Brigitte & Shaun became members of Hundesport Alaska in 1999, a sanctioned club of the United Schutzhund Clubs of America. Brigitte is one of the founding members of the Great Northern Rottweiler Club of Alaska, a sanctioned club of the United States Rottweiler Club. She has served as a Board member for both of these clubs and is the current Training Director for Hundesport Alaska.

Shaun is an accomplished helper and tracklayer. Between them both they have owned, raised, trained and titled many breeds in the sport of schutzhund (Dobermans, Rottweilers, Malinois, American Bull Dogs, etc.). Brigitte & Shaun’s current focus is breeding, training, titling of strong, sound German Shepherds for working homes. Building an indoor – outdoor kennel & training facility for working breeds, and private obedience training.