Our Mi-Ki journey began in 2000. My love for toy breeds came from my childhood. In the 80’s my mother raised Maltese for 15 years. She showed on a small scale and was friends with a couple of well known breeders of that time. She had offspring from both Marcris (Risqué Business & Marshmallow) as well as lines from Marjorie Martin. They were her mentors in the breeding world. 

I married my Husband in 1997 and in 2000 I began my search for a toy breed for myself. I was scrolling through pictures online and came across this beautiful Mi-Ki with a toy stuffed caterpillar laying in the grass. The Mi-Ki was white and had black ears. I fell in love and so began my research of this rare breed. 

Our start began with MCOA. My very first breeding pair was Flyer’s Ringside Gossip and Flyer’s Fame. Their call names were Doby and Goofy. I thought those were not very fitting  so we renamed them both Abby and Yoshi. I sold Abby to Thylia Henderson of Dixie Darlin along with Abby & Yoshi grandson Shekinah’s Pumpkin Pie. Abby has made her way to different breeders. She found her forever home with Tamara Beebe. 

Our time with the MCOA was short. After some troubling circumstances that I will spare you the details of, we were so wounded and disillusioned over the ugliness we encountered that we almost left the Mi-Ki Breed altogether. During this time I met Lawrie Willis of Tri-State and her Aunt Susan Cornett of Rae’s. Lawrie and I had an instant connection and she shared with me of her plan to start a new club that would be member run, educate breeders and a club that encouraged unity among the breeders. I became a founding member and officer of this club now the former Continental Mi-Ki Association, CMA. Our Shekinah’s Tried And True, Trinity (on our home page) was the Mi-Ki standing in the drawing of CMA logo. 

So round two our foundation began with Tri-State, Rae’s, Tiny Tot’s, Weavwood, & Wee Winsome. Later I met Bonnie Campbell (Waidin Mi-Kis) when she judged at one of the CMA fun matches. A former newfoundland show breeder, she fell in love with the Mi-Ki breed. She bought her first Mi-Ki, Tri-State Angel Kisses a half sister to our Truffles. We began talking and working together in our breeding programs. 

Shekinah’s Mi-Kis continued on. We bred with a high standard, working toward producing Mi-Kis that were in line with their intended type. We completed CERF, Patellar, and Cardiac testing on all of our foundation and litters. We completed DNA, learned of genetics and how they worked in order to better our program. We were among the first group of breeders Mi-Kis accepted into the UKC. 

In 2007 my husband and I became foster parents and began taking in special needs children/babies. This consumed our time and lives as many of these children were very sick and I spent much of my time at children’s hospital. We decided to retire from breeding in 2010 in order to pursue fostering and adoption. In 2017 we completed our family and decided it was time to retire from foster care and focus on our new family. With all of our children in school and grandkids to love on, we returned to our beloved Mi-Ki Breed.