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Who is Pairodocs?
Pairodocs Turkish Vans was established in 1988 by two friends Karen Hooker and Deborah Hayes.  We met at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. as graduate students, earned our respective Ph.D.s and graduated together in 1986.  We decided it would be fun and rewarding to work together to promote and preserve the Turkish Van breed.  Since we both had Ph.D.s it seemed only natural that we name our cattery "Pairodocs".  It also followed that we name our first show male "Baby Doc".

Our Breeding Philosophy
Our breeding philosophy is to maintain or improve the health, personality, and genetic viability of the Turkish Van as a breed.  To accomplish this, our first priority is to produce happy, healthy, and well socialized cats.  We raise our cats underfoot and do not confine them to cages.  Because we do spend a lot of time with our cats and kittens, we limit the number of litters born in any given year.  Our breeding focus is on Quality not Quantity.  As a result, we do not always have kittens available for sale.  Since we have been working with the Turkish Vans for over a decade, we have an extensive knowledge of the Van pedigrees and work to maintain the genetic diversity of the cats we breed.  Maintaining a diverse gene pool is critical to the long term health of any breed.  We maintain an extensive pedigree database and make it available to other Van breeders who are serious about the breed in order to help them make informed decisions about future breeding.  If you look closely at the pedigrees, many of the Turkish Vans cats in the U. S. today go back to the same basic lines.  Therefore, bringing in new cats from Turkey on a regular basis is necessary to maintain the breed's natural hybrid vigor.

Showing
Since our beginning in 1988 we have actively shown cats in both the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA).  Pairodocs was THE driving force in achieving championship recognition for the breed in CFA and the very first CFA Turkish Van Grand Champion was GC Pairodocs Harlequin Dancer.  We have won seven International Best of Breed awards in TICA and two National top 20 wins (the only such wins for any Turkish Van in TICA).  We have had numerous Grands in both organizations and several Supreme Grand Champions and Regional Winners in TICA.  See Pairodocs Show Results and Successes.

The Armenian Connection
The Lake Van region of Turkey, where the Van cat originated, was part of Armenia until the early part of this century.  The Van is an integral component of the Armenian culture dating back to the middle ages. When forced to leave the Lake Van area, the Armenians left behind the cats they so loved.  Pairodocs has helped to re-establish the breed in Armenia, by sending a male kitten, at no cost, to serve as their foundation male.  Pairodocs Sipan and a female from SummitSprings Cattery in California were greeted as royalty upon their arrival in Armenia.  In 2000, Pairodocs Ani joined the family, and was a TV celebrity upon her arrival in Armenia.  They are all producing beautiful babies now that are truely Armenian Vans.

A Resource
Pairodocs has actively contributed to, or organized educational briefings, workshops, and presentations about Turkish Vans.  We have authored a workbook on the breed to assist judges in CFA and written numerous articles for newsletters and cat magazines.  We were also the primary authors of the current CFA Breed Standards.  We love to talk to interested individuals and groups about the breed and share our knowledge with others.  We have supplied cats to, and mentored numerous new Van breeders over the years.  If you are interested in the Turkish Vans, our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) section covers many commonly asked questions about the breed.  If you have any questions about the Turkish Vans, please do not hesitate to contact either one of us.


Karen Hooker Ph.D.
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Deb Hayes Ph.D.
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Copyright
© 2008 D. Hayes, Ph.D & K. Hooker, Ph.D Pairodocs Turkish Vans, All Rights Reserved.