Alexander

Previous Page
	Nickols Alexander the Great CD,CDX,UD
	11/1/86 to 9/7/01
	After living in a "no-pets" apartment in the SF Bay area for several years, I moved to a house in Stockton, where I was finally able to have a dog. I loved the Australian Shepherds (my first dog was an Aussie cross), so I started my search for an Aussie.
	My mother told me about a litter of pups she'd heard was looking for homes, so we went to see them.
	I had decided beforehand that I wanted a blue merle or nothing, and there were some lovely ones in the litter. However, one pup decided we were made for each other, and proceeded to do everything in his power to win my heart. I just couldn't say no to him, so my "blue merle or nothing" suddenly became a spunky red merle pup. Because the breeders had been extremely busy, his tail was undocked and I chose to leave it that way.
	My original plans were to have a nice pet, but again, my little pup changed my destiny. We started an Obedience class and Alex impressed the trainer so much, that she encouraged us to continue into Advanced training. After we completed our class, I decided to try our luck at our first Obedience Trial. I was terrified my first time in the ring, and was sure we failed miserably. When the winning dogs were announced, I felt a sense of utter misery. It wasn't until the woman next to me, nudged my arm and said "Honey, that's your number", I realized we were in first place, with an impressive score of 198.5. I cried with happiness all the way home. From then on, I was hooked. We spent almost every weekend at any dog-related show or event I could find. Alex went everywhere with me, and was welcomed by everyone who met him. We competed not only in Obedience, but also Herding, Agility, Frisbee, and even Therapy work. And as we worked together, I found my own confidence level growing. I was able to teach Obedience classes, give demonstrations and speeches, and approach people easily, things I was too self-conscious to attempt before.  Alex is the dog that changed my life in so many ways, and he will always hold a very special place in my heart and memories.