About Us

Mission Statement

Our kennel motto is "Home of the Versatile Pharaoh."  It is our goal to show off the terrific capabilities of our beloved breed.  We are very proud of both our current and past Pharaohs and all that they have accomplished.  We were lucky enough to start off with some exceptional quality dogs as our foundation, for which we largely attribute our successes.  

Since its beginnings in 1993, Nefer-Temu boasts conformation champions, field champions, dual champions, triple and quadruple titlists, Versatility and Versatility Excellent title holders, Best in Field winners, High in Trial winners, Westminster and National Specialty Best of Breed winners, Group winners and placers, agility and obedience record holders, rally obedience titlists and record holders, 4-H State Champions, and an array of other titles and honors.  Additionally, we are very proud of the fact that Pharaohs owned or bred by Nefer-Temu have been ranked #1 nationally/year end in conformation, lure coursing, agility, and obedience.

Location:

We are located in Washougal, WA.  It is about 15 miles east of Portland, OR, on the Columbia River Gorge.

History to Present Day

Nefer-Temu Kennels came to be, so to speak, in 1993 when, after over a year of eager anticipation and being on a breeder's waiting list, my first Pharaoh, Noble, came into my life.  Noble was not only my first Pharaoh, but also my first show dog.  Together, we ventured into many venues of the dog show game - conformation, lure coursing, obedience, and agility.  Noble was the "versatile Pharaoh" who started it all, earning titles in all four venues (despite my 'bumbling novice' tendencies at the time) and becoming one of the country's first QUADruple-titled Versatily Certificate (VC) earning dogs.

In 1995, Tiya arrived.  Though she was given to us as a "pet," to be a companion to Noble, she did anything BUT sit in the backyard like a simple pet.  She also went on to become a quadruple-titlist and VC, the same as Noble.  Though never used in the breeding program, Tiya was a true ambassador for the breed and its versatility throughout her entire life.  

In 1996, I was blessed with my beloved Regal, who was bred by the acclaimed Shema's Mia kennel.  Regal very quickly proved that he had what it took to do just about anything, and do it well!  He earned his Dual Championship in only a handful of shows and lure courses (earning multiple high honors - many BOB wins, group placements, and a Best in Field - along the way).  He also stared in a ProPlan TV commercial in 1999, and was my first Top 10 ranked special on the show circuit.  Regal continued to out-do himself throughout his veteran years, earning his VC at age 10, and his VCX at age 11, with numerous Veteran wins at specialties and hound shows!  Outside of the competition scene, Regal was my best friend and soul-mate - truly a once-in-a-lifetime dog whom I miss every moment of every day now that he is gone.

Next came Samba, again from the great Shema's Mia kennel.  Samba's reputation speaks for itself: she was the #1 Pharaoh Hound, all-systems, for two years in a row, with too many big conformation wins to list.  Samba has always been our ball of fire, her intensity and drive to achieve apparent in everything she does.  After retiring from the show ring and raising two wonderful litters (both already very accomplished in their own rights), she earn both her VC, VCX, and ROM certificates as well.

Nile, Regal's litter sister, came to live with us at age four, and we couldn't be happier that she did.  Nile became our first brood bitch, having two litters, each with accomplished puppies.  Her legacy continues to do her (and us) proud, in the rings and on the field.

We are very pleased with, and proud of, the prodigy of our wonderful foundation dogs described above.  The prodigy currently living here at Nefer-Temu are the lovely and agile blonde-bombshell, Nadia, the handsome show-stopper Sonic, the resident always-smiling-lure-coursing star, Menza, the up-and-coming young obedience whiz, Zelda, and the newest addition  the classically beautiful  and promising puppy, Feyd. You can learn more about any of our dogs, past and present, on their individual pages on this site.

About our name...

Nefer-Temu (pronounced NE-fir te-MOO) is Ancient Egyptian, translated to mean "beauty of the setting sun." I thought it was a beautiful word with a lovely meaning.  Also, we live on the west coast, where the sun sets, so the name seemed more than fitting.

About the humans...

My name is Emily, and my mother is Sarah.  We are the "people" behind the hounds of Nefer-Temu.  I was born in 1981, and my mom was born...well...a little before that!  I became interested in showing dogs when I was 8 years old and started out showing the family German Shepherd in 4-H.  I loved it so much that, very soon, I wanted to compete in AKC shows, too.  I first discovered the Pharaoh Hound breed quite by accident, while doing a report on Ancient Egypt for my 4th grade class, but it was love at first sight.  I knew that the breed and I were meant to be together from the first second I laid eyes on that first picture - it was quite eerie.  My first Pharaoh, Noble, arrived in 1993, and I started showing him as soon as he turned 6 months old, and the rest is history.

My mom carted me around to shows for a few years before she decided that it would be more fun if she were to become active herself.  Where my favorite competitive venue is the conformation ring, my mom decided to train for agility.  That is her love, and she is quite a skilled agility trainer and handler.  It really is a team effort.  I do the showing and obedience, Sarah does agility, and we both do lure coursing.  Our most recent activity, which we both train for and compete in, is rally obedience.

The love of my "other" life (non-dog life) is the trombone, and music in general.  I have a pretty active musical life, too.  I experienced the same love-at-first-sight scenario with the trombone as I did with Pharaoh Hounds, and obviously don't regret my decision to choose either.  I play the trombone and euphonium in several different performing groups and ensembles at any given time, I arrange music on the side, and have a degree in Music (with emphasis on composition/arranging).  I joined the 104th Div. Army Reserve Band right out of high school and went through Basic Combat Training (a.k.a 'boot camp') twice.  Boot camp was not fun, but the band is a good thing.  

In 2006, I decided to go back to school to pursue my second degree in Psychology.  As far as my non-dog and non-musical hobbies go, I like tropical vacations and traveling in general (side note: Almost all of my national and world traveling has been either for a dog show or a band trip.  I can't even imagine traveling anywhere without a dog or an instrument!), staying active and fit, playing pool/billiards, playing video games, and sleeping.  My mom likes to garden, email, travel, digital photography and photo work, read, and watch Star Trek.

Send mail to nefer-temu@iinet.com with questions or comments about this web site.
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