Hale Pohaku Kennels

In 1993, Byron and Janell began their journey together and they've been accompanied by canine companions throughout. Their first MinPin, Diamond Dee Queen of Three, was a new breed to both of them. Byron had first been introduced to minpins while attending the University of Kansas. DeeDee quickly made a lasting impression on both of them and over the years, several minpins joined the family. It wa

s during this time in the mid '90s that Byron first learned of German Pinschers. Unfortunately, at that time, there were few GPs in the US and no breeders anywhere close to the Midwest. Soon, a German Pinscher was just a dream, filed away. Fastforward to 2001 when Janell completed part of her nursing schooling by attending a college in Finland. While there, Janell remembered the German Pinschers that Byron had found on the internet. While puppies were available, the logistics of bringing a puppy back to Kansas didn't materialize. In the fall of 2009, Janell found a breeder closer to home in Missouri. After several contacts and conversations with the breeder, Janell told Byron about the soon to come addition to the family and they made the short trip to Cameron to finally meet a German Pinscher in person. Both were immediately taken by the dogs that they met. After tax season, they went back to pick out their newest family member. Initially, the puppy was to be Byron's choice; it was to be his birthday/Christmas/anniversary present from Janell. Those plans were quickly dashed when Janell was immersed in the litter of puppies. A few hours later, Kami (Okalani Kamali'i Wahine Ka Nalu) and Lani (Olina Lokelani) had chosen Byron and Janell. When not crashed on the couch with his dogs, Byron is a CPA and owner of a small CPA firm in north east Kansas. He is easily distracted by University of Kansas basketball, surfing, barbeque/smoking and photography. Janell occupies her time by developing her culinary skills (she makes a mean desert) and following her grandchildren. In her spare time, she is a nurse at a local medical facility. As you explore the site, you will find more than a few Hawaiian references. While we are both native Kansans, our visits to the Islands have made a significant impact on our lives. In Hawaiian culture, ohana (family) is paramount. Our ohana is our dogs. They are our children first, pets second and show dogs last. If you consider how important conformation competitions are and how we categorize our dogs, you will begin to have an understanding of how important the dogs are to us. Pohaku is Hawaiian for stone or rock. We chose this to be the name of our kennel because we felt it was emblematic of our breeding philosophies.