Dan Semeniuk
Myakka City, FL
Email: Health

Dan Semeniuk and his wife Kim, both originally from Montreal, Canada, currently reside in the greater Tampa Bay area, (Myakka City, FL) with their 2 kuvaszok, 12 year old Starhaven’s Kalandor Kurd (aka Ryker) and their latest addition, 2 ½ year old Augostova Sin City Showgirl (aka Vegas), 2 Thoroughbred horses George and Negritta, a Dutch Warmblood -Latte, 3 indoor cats and 1 barn cat.

While living in Montreal, Dan and Kim got their first Kuvasz in 1995, Calisay’s Nikita Tsarina – Nikita. They chose the breed while looking at the Canadian Kennel Club and falling in love with the breed characteristics and photo of Thunderbell’s Gentle Jason.

Nikita was a descendent of Gentle Jason and was the dog that made Dan and Kim fall in love with the Kuvasz breed. Unfortunately, she passed away 4 months before her 11th birthday, in October, 2005. Ryker was a rescue that was brought to Dan and Kim’s attention, shortly after attending their first Kuvasz specialty with Nikita in Harrisburg, PA, in April 1996. Kim picked up Ryker from a NJ animal shelter and he has been an incredible blessing to the household. Vegas came to us just this February, 2006. We learned of her availability a month after Nikita’s passing through the Kuvasz South email list. Bobbie was looking for a good home for Vegas and after a few months of due diligence by all parties, we brought her home February 11, 2006. She is already claiming the house and property as hers! She has also given Ryker a reason to behave as a puppy once again!

Dan’s interest in the Kuvasz Club of America’s Health committee stems from his background in biomedical research and the drive to seek to extend the quality and quantity of life for the breed. Dan received and B.Sc in Biochemistry from Concordia University in Montreal, and a M.Sc and Ph.D in Microbiology and Immunology from McGill University in Montreal. He performed post graduate work in the department of Pathology at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, before pursing his current career in the pharmaceutical industry as a compliance consultant.

Dan and Kim have always put the health of their animals as a top priority and began feeding a natural raw diet to Nikita when she was 6 months old. Every animal that entered their home has been put on the diet. In fact, Dan and Kim used to own a Natural Pet food distributorship (Natural Food For Pets) for 4 years before selling the business to PetOrlando, in Orlando FL. In addition, Dan and Kim pursue both conventional and holistic veterinary care for their animals, in addition to conducting literature research on a constant basis.

Dan’s goal as Chairperson for the Health Committee is to have an open forum where breeders and owners can share their health experiences with one another, so that we can provide the best health care for our Kuvasz. As part of this forum, it is Dan’s desire to have a database of resources so that at any time, Kuvasz owners (or any dog breed), can access the information necessary to assist them with healthcare decisions. Dan looks forward to hearing about all Kuvasz owners’ experiences and looks forward to the day that we can have our BWDs live long, healthy, and happy lives.

Ági Héjja