Due South
KeeKawa's
"Kaery-Anne", KeeKawa's"MacKenzie"
King and KeeKawa's
Silver Treasure "Kristi" have
played the role of Diefenbaker (a deaf wolf who reads lips) on the TV series,
Due South. Several other KeeKawa's
dogs have appeared on the series playing different parts for example, skijoring,
Dief's love interest, Dief's son and daughter, Dief as a little puppy, etc.
In
October 1994 KeeKawa's
Kaery-Anne began her acting career with Lincoln as one of two Siberian Huskies
playing the part of Diefenbaker on the TV series "DUE SOUTH". The
trainers had recognized the need for another Siberian Husky resembling Lincoln
to join him in the role. Diefenbaker is a hearing impaired, lip reading,
half wolf, sidekick to Constable Benton Fraser, a member of the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police assigned to the Canadian Consulate in Chicago.
Kaery-Anne
had been bred the day before the agreement was made for her to join the Dief
Team. The trainers felt that this would be the opportune time to train her and
prepare her for the role. Keeping in mind that she was pregnant, she was treated
with tender loving care. Kaery-Anne went on maternity leave during Christmas and
gave birth to KeeKawa's
MacKenzie King, known as MacKenzie and future Champion KeeKawa's
Southern Treasure, known as Fraser. The puppies made their acting debut in the
series, during an episode when a love affair between Diefenbaker and a Siberian
Husky named Maggie takes place. Another KeeKawa's
Siberian, Ch. Innisfree’s Keeley Walker C.D., portrayed the role of the
puppies' mother, Maggie. As the puppies grew, MacKenzie appeared on
the TV series joining Kaery-Anne and Lincoln in the role of Diefenbaker. Several
other KeeKawa's
Siberians have played on the television series "DUE SOUTH".
Kaery-Anne was
whelped on March 21, 1990. Her Sire is Ch. Innisfree's Tempo and her Dam is
Innisfree's KeeKaWa Kaerynne. Kaery-Anne is obedience trained, although
she never did receive her obedience title, instead she went on to become a
television star. She is a very intelligent and inquisitive Siberian Husky with a
happy bubbly personality. She is quite a comedian and she expects everyone she
meets to give her hugs and kisses. She passes this wonderful trait onto
her puppies.
Kaery-Anne was
popular with the dog trainers because they found her easy to work with. In one
scene Kaery-Anne, a chow hound by nature, walked up a set of stairs in the
police station to the landing, past an actor who was eating a hamburger, and
then proceeded up the second set of stairs. This among other directives,
she was able to master in one take.
The first fan mail that came in for the show was for Diefenbaker. Dief had really captured the hearts of the audience. They loved the deaf, half-wolf. One admirer named "Puppy," who signed his letter with a big paw print wrote: "You are my big handsome hero." If Diefenbaker received too little or no screen time at all, the show received phone calls, letters and complaints on “DUE SOUTH’s” internet website.
Diefs
trailer on set.
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