Wins Around the Ring
Here there will be a little more about our dogs, what they're like, and their wins not only in the show ring but herding, rally, obedience, and fast cat.
CH Wild Wind's Barramist Blue Defenderous CGC RI FDC ~ "Alexie"
This picture is from the 2023 Collie Nationals in Wayne, Indiana. Alexie received a participant award after competing in the 11+ year old Veteran class.
Multi Regular Group Placing, Multi OH Group Winning/Placing OHBIS GCHB CH Wild Wind's Barramist Dixie Land delight BCAT CGC HT ~ "Dixie"
Pictured here is Dixie and I at the 2024 Collie National in Peoria, Illinois winning Reserve Best Junior under Judge Marcy Fine. This was our last National to compete together in juniors.
GCH CH Creekwood's Everlasting Fire at Dixson ~ "Raena"
The picture above is of Reana and I after she had won 2nd place from the 12-18 month puppy bitch class at the 2024 Collie National in Peoria, Illinois, in a strong line up of puppies under judge Marcy Fine.
Multi Regular Group Placing, Multi OH Group Winning/Placing GCHB CH Wild Wind's Barramist Dixie Land Delight ~ Dixie
Dixie was born on July 4th, 2019. Dixie is by CH Wild Wind's Something To Believe In (Reason) out of GCHG CH Wild Wind's Don't Stop Believing CD RN PT NAJ (Journey). Dixie is bred by Michelle Bergstraser, Laura Kling, and Annessa Towell.
Dixie is owned by Bryonna & Yvette Thompson, and Michelle Bergstraser.
The story of Dixie and how I got her is pretty neat. I had been wanting a juniors dog that I could train myself to be the absolute best show dog. Shelley Bergstraser of Wild Wind Collies had just had a litter. I always loved Dixie's dam, Journey. She was a beast in the show ring, winning multiple group one's many group placements, and multiple best in specialty shows. Journey was in the top 10 breed for smooth Collies in 2015 and 2016, along with being in the top 20 in 2017 and 2018. Journey was also the number 1 Smooth Collie bitch for all breed shows in 2016 and 2017. Anyways, Journey had this litter of 7 puppies, sired by Reason - CH Wild Wind's Something To Believe In. Shelley was planning to keep a puppy from this litter, in fact she was going to keep Wonder Woman (Dixie's litter name). However, Dixie had a small health issue that could put Shelley's breeding program in jeopardy if she bred her, so Shelley and my mom started talking and agreed that Dixie could live with us to be a juniors dog. My mom had surprised me when I got home from school, and there was a little black tri puppy bitch sitting in the crate I had set up for her. Then the rest is history. From then on, I started training Dixie at 9 weeks old to be my dream juniors dog. It was not easy and patience was always needed. By the time she was 12 weeks old she was free stacking beautifully. I continued to train her and the next thing I knew, we were getting best juniors, reserve best juniors, and compliments from judges expressing how well she was trained. As I was doing juniors with Dixie, I was also showing her in the classes to try and get her championship. She had 1 major and some singles and then covid hit. For months we waited to get back into the ring to get her finished. Finally in October we had our Collie Club of Colorado show and she was able to get her second major. She then needed 3 fricken points! Then at the end of October, Laura Kling was kind enough to let Dixie and I come along with her down to Texas, to see if we could get her finished. And I did! She finished at 15 months old. Also at that show is where she got her first and only Owner Handled Best In Show. After that, I decided to slowly ease her into the specials ring. She did very well in the specials ring, she won many Best of Breeds, Best of Opposite Sex, and Selects. 7 months later, Dixie had completed her Grand Championship, the day before she turned 2 years old. While I continued to show Dixie in the breed ring, she also got her BCAT and her CGC. Dixie started to get tired out with showing in juniors and in the breed ring, so I decided to get her Bronze Grand Championship and retire her from the breed ring to focus on juniors. During trying top get her Bronze, Dixie got 4 group four placements. With some limit showing here and there I got Dixie's Bronze 8 months later and retire her in March of 2022.
The juniors ring is where dixie really shined. She was my partner in crime. She knew my every move and I knew hers. She was literally the BEST juniors dog. If I asked, she did no matter if she was tired. From 2019 to 2024, we got over 40 best juniors, many reserve best juniors, and 2 best of the best juniors together. I aged out of juniors in November of 2024 and my last best junior was with Dixie in Minnesota. That was the most emotional and bittersweet time in the ring of my life. Dixie and I have competed at AKC National Championship twice and will be competing this December for one of our last times in juniors together. We have also competed at the Westminster Kennel Club three times and will be going in 2026 for our very last time in juniors. Dixie truly is my heart dog. She's a once in a life time dog, she really is. Dixie is the queen in our house, she's one of the silliest, most serious, limit testing, judgmental, privileged, spoiled, sweetest, and most loyal dogs in our pack. We absolutely adore her and her antics.
Dixie's Win Log:
~ Owner Handler Best In Show - November 6, 2020
~ Finished her Championship - November 8, 2020
~ AKC National Puppy Sweepstakes Herding Group Winner - December 11, 2020
~ First Regular Herding Group 4 Placement - May 23, 2021
~ Second Regular Herding Group 4 Placement - June 17, 2021
~ Fourth Owner Handler Group 1 Placement - June 25, 2021
~ Finished her Grand Championship - July 2, 2021
~ Third Regular Herding Group 4 Placement - September 30, 2021
~ Fourth Regular Herding Group 4 Placement - October 1, 2021
~ Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Variety in Specialty - February 7, 2022
~ Finished her Bronze Grand Championship - March 12, 2022???
~ Got her Herding Tested Title - March 27, 2022
Juniors
~ First Best Junior Together - August 14, 2020
~ Reserve Best Junior at the Collie Club of America National Specialty - March 24, 2021
~ Best Junior Handler under Mrs. Pat Trotter - June 25, 2021
~ Best Junior x4 at the Collie Club of Colorado - October 23 & 24, 2021
~ First Best of the Best Junior - February 6, 2022
~ Best Junior at the Collie Club of America National Specialty - April 2, 2022
~ Best Junior in Glen Rose, TX for $500 Scholarship - January 8, 2023
~ Reserve Best of the Best Junior in Phoenix, AZ - March 14, 2023
~ Best Junior in Duluth, Minnesota - July 15, 2023
~ Best Junior TBCC in Orlando, Florida - December 15, 2023
~ Reserve Best Junior in Orlando Florida - Sunshine State Herding Group Assc. - December 15, 2023
~ Reserve Best of The Best Junior in Phoenix, Arizona - February 4, 2024
~ Reserve Best Junior CCA Nationals in Peoria, Illinois - April 6, 2024
~ Best Junior Handler x3 in Chickasha, Oklahoma - November 14, 15, & 16 2024
~ Our last Best Junior together in Shakopee, Minnesota
Standings
~ 5 Time Westminster Kennel Club Junior Qualifier with Dixie
~ 5 Time Royal Canin AKC National Championship Qualifier with Dixie
~ Number 1 Collie Junior Handler for 4 years in a row with the help of Dixie
~ Top Herding Junior for 5 years in a row with the help of Dixie
~ Top 20 Overall Junior for 3 years in a row with the help of Dixie and many other dogs
Below are some picture of Dixie and I with our most memorable wins.
More Wins with Dixie
GCH CH Creekwood's Everlasting Fire at Dixson ~ Raena
Raena was born December 18, 2022. Raena is by CH Creekwood On The Rocks (Jamie) out of GCH CH Creeckwood Fantasy Candy Land (Candy). Raena is bred by Robin Reed, Debbie Holland, and Virginia Mehr.
Raena is owned by Bryonna & Yvette Thompson, Robin Reed, Ron Luster, & Virginia Mehr.
This is the story of Raena. While I was showing Dixie in juniors and we knew we couldn't breed her, I began to search for a foundation bitch. Shelley Bergstraser had bred to a dog from Robin Reed of Creekwood Collies and I liked what was produced. After seeing some of her dogs at the National, I knew I wanted my foundation bitch from her. At the 2022 Collie Nationals in Sandy, Utah, my mom and I talked to Robin and explained our story. She said she had two bitches that were older, but couldn't guarantee them which was okay, I was willing to wait. We looked at them, and while we liked them, we decided to wait for THE one. I stayed in touch with Robin over the next couple months and staying updated about the litters she had coming up. In November of 2022, she sent me pedigrees of the dogs she had bred, and I was in love with all of them. Fast forward to the 2022 Collie National in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Robin had all the puppies that she had bred, and all of them coming from the pedigrees that she sent me. On Tuesday, my mom and I were looking at the puppies but couldn't decide on them. We just needed a better look at them, but I figured when my show schedule wasn't as crazy, I would look at them later that week. Well the next day on Wednesday, someone had complained to the show chair stating that robin had too many puppies in her set up. The show chair informed her that all the puppies needed to leave the show building by 7:30 a.m. the next morning. Well Robing lived in New Jersey, which is a far drive and was close to impossible. Her mom lived in Ohio, and her husband, Ron, was willing to drive the 4 hours there and 4 hours back to hopefully be back in the morning to show dogs. Well, my parents and I had taken our 42 foot long 5th wheel and happened to have space in the garage of the camper to hold all the puppies. We told Robin and Ron that we could keep them for the rest of the week until they could take them back to Ohio. They agreed and were grateful! After the top 20 was over, we loaded all the puppies up in Ron's truck and drove them to our camper at 11:00 at night. We got them all settled and when to bed around 12:30 a.m. The next morning, we began to look at all the babies while they were outside doing their business and have fun. We picked out the ones that caught our eyes and that was 2 puppy bitches and 1 puppy dog. It took my mom and I until Friday to decide. I was torn between this beautiful trip puppy boy and this stunning, chunky sable and white bitch. I wanted both, but knew that if I wanted to start my kennel, it would have to be the beautiful sable and white bitch. I told Robin that we had made our decision and she was very thrilled with who we had chosen! This puppy bitch had a beautiful head, extremely nice rear, and a solid body to go with it all.
We made our trek home from the Nationals and were trying to come up with a name. We kept trying different names but they just didn't fit her. Then we found it. "Raena". This meant "The queen of fire" so we chose Creekwood's Everlasting Fire at Dixson" for her registered name. We got her registered immediately since we wanted to show her in 4-6 puppy in Garden City, Kansas. I wasn't able to show her there, since I worked for a handler, so my mom showed her. She looked amazing, but didn't get anything. I didn't train Raena like I did Dixie because Dixie got so serious in the ring, we had to take breaks with her. So I would work on stacking, free tacking, and gaiting Raena but that was about it. At Raena's first big dog show, she was reserve winners bitch to a major at only 6 months and 1 day old! I knew this girl was going to go places. In September of 2023, Raena got her first 2 singles! One of those judges being Butch Schulman, and he had some very nice things to say about her. We then went to a Collie Specialty in Lincoln, Nebraska where Raena recieved a 5 point major under Connie Dubois, by going Winners Bitch, Best of Winners, and Best of Opposite Sex to Variety over bitch specials. The next Day Raena did the exact same thing, putting her at 12 points, with both her Majors at just at 9 months old. I decided I wanted to save her for the National, just to see what she could accomplish there. She would also be able to grow up a little bit while we waited. In March of 2024, I decided to enter Raena in Juniors for the next couple of shows, to prepare her for the National. Raena and I went down to Fort Worth, Texas with my handler and she did not disappoint me. The very first time we were in juniors together, we were awarded Best Junior! Raena was absolutely AMAZING! Especially since I hadn't done much training with her. We then went to Scotts Bluff, Nebraska where we got Reserve Best Junior! I knew she was ready for the National then. My parents and I drove to Peoria, Illinois and were very excited. The day came when Raena was supposed to show in the 12-18 puppy bitch class. I was going to be just happy if Raena and I made a cut. Well, from the moment she walked into the ring, Raena showed her little heart out, and she was awarded 2nd place in a large 12-18 month puppy bitch class, under judge Marcy Fine! I was estatic! We finished out the National and drove back home, where I then needed to prepare for the next show to hopefully finish Raena. A little over a week later, Raena was Winners Bitch, Best of Winners under Cindy Meyer, for a 3 point Major to finish her Championship! Now that Raena had finished her Championship, it was time to start working on her Grand Championship. But to also start using her for Juniors, to give Dixie a well needed break.
In June of 2024, Raena and I traveled up to Billings, Montana with my handler to show in Juniors. Raena was able to lead me to 2 best juniors, and a Best of the Best Junior for a $1,000 scholarship! She was becoming an amazing juniors dog. The thing I liked most about showing her, was she was a challenge. She knew how to push my buttons. But she made me WORK for it, and that how I like my show dogs. Just enough of a challenge to be the best show dog. That next weekend, my parents, my boyfriend, Raena, Justice (my handlers Australian Shepherd), and myself went down to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for one of my favorite dog shows of the year. I would use Justice in juniors to give Raena a break between juniors and breed. Raena got Best of Opposite Sex all five days, getting some points towards her Grand Championship. Raena and I competed at the JAC Onofrio Junior Scholarship competition and Raena did not disappoint me at all! While she was still being a challenge, we were able to get 2nd runner up for a $1,000 scholarship! I was so proud of how she was showing for me since she was still only 18 months old. I would show Raena here and there, but started showing Dixie again in juniors.
As time passed, I showed Raena a couple of time in breed and she was able to get her Grand Championship in November of 2024 under William Daughtery at 23 months old. Then, Raena and I went down to Orlando, Florida to show at the Collie specialties where she was awarded Best of Opposite Sex to Variety under Carrie Lenhart. Raena was then shown at the 2025 Collie Nationals in Syracuse, New York, she didn't do anything but she looked beautiful. This was the last time I've shown Raena as we've been preparing to breed her. I hope to get her back out in 2026 to try and finish her Bronze Grand Championship, she only has 59 more points to go!
Raena is a goofy, fun, and loving girl. She is one of the sweetest dogs that we own, and she loves kids. Raena will cuddle with you for hours. She has a very goofy side to her. One of her quirks is barking at the toaster. She is very sensitive to smells, and will let you know that your toast is done, before the toaster even goes off. When it's really cold outside, the hair on her back and her rear will stand up like it's trying to evacuate her skin, she doesn't even notice its up. Raena LOVES ice cubes, it is definitely her favorite "snack". Raena loves going on car rides, especially when I take her to get a pup cup from Dutch Bros. She's also a food hog, and would eat a whole bag of dog food if she could. Between her amazing personality, she also has a beautiful structure. She has a long head, but could use more fill in her muzzle and cheek bones, as well as some more under jaw. Raena has a gorgeous eye, her shape and size is a great example of the breed standard. Her front layback is not bad at all, it just sits a little too forward for my liking. She has very balanced movement, however she could use some more reach in her rear. Her body is very proportionate and equal, just wish she had a better top line. Otherwise, Raena is a very beautiful, simple, and typey bitch.
Raena's Win Log
~ First Point at the Arapaho Kennel Club in Aurora, Colorado - September 23, 2023
~Second Point at the Arapaho Kennel Club in Aurora, Colorado - September 24, 2023
~ First 5 point major at the NCC in Lincoln, Nebraska - October 6, 2023
~ Second 5 point major at the NCC in Lincoln, Nebraska - October 7, 2023
~ 2nd Place in 12-18 month puppy bitch class at the Collie Club of America National Specialty in Peoria, Illinois - April 3, 2024
~ Finished Championship at the Brighton Kennel Club in Brighton, Colorado - April 12, 2024
~ First Best of Breed at the Lincoln Nebraska Kennel Club in Lincoln, Nebraska - October 6, 2024
~Finished Grand Championship at the Shakopee Kennel Club in Shakopee, Minnesota - November 24, 2024
~ Best of Opposite Sex to Variety at the MCC in Shakopee, Minnesota - November 24, 2024
~ Best of Opposite Sex to Variety at the TBCC in Orlando, Florida - December ?, 2024
Juniors
~ First Best Junior at the DTFW Kennel Club in Fort Worth, Texas - March 23, 2024
~ First Reserve Best Junior at the Scotts Bluff Kennel Club in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska - March 29, 2024
~ Best Junior x2 at the Yellowstone Kennel Club in Billings, Montana - June 20 & June 22, 2024
~ First Best of The Best Junior at the Yellowstone Kennel Club in Billings, Montana - June 23, 2024
~JAC Onofrio Scholarship Competition, 2nd Runner Up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - June 29, 2024
~ Best Junior Under Pat Trotter at the Amarillo Kennel Club in Amarillo, Texas - September 13, 2024
More Wins With Raena
CH Barramist Super Bowl MVP RA CGC FDC HT ~ Peyton
Peyton was born on April 21, 2017. Peyton is by GCH CH WildWind's Special Forces (Tracer) out of CH WildWind's Barramist Blue Defenderous CGC RN FDC (Alexie).
Peyton is bred by my mom, Yvette Thompson.
Peyton is owned by Yvette & Bryonna Thompson.
This is the story of how we got Peyton. In February of 2017, we bred our bitch, Alexie to Brenna Godlevsky's Tri Rough boy, Tracer. My family and I so desperately wanted a puppy out of Alexie, as she was a very outgoing and sweet dog. After patiently waiting for 2 months, Alexie gave birth to eight little puppies. The smallest being 4 ounces and the largest being 8 ounces. As the puppies started to walk and create chaos, we notices that the Blue Rough puppy boy, named "Spot", would "waddle" like Winnie The Poo. So, what did we do? We changed his nick name to "Poo Bear". He became on of the biggest puppies in the litter. As the puppies got older, we did evaluations on them at 8 weeks old. With the help of some friends, we decided that "Poo Bear" was the best fit for us, so we kept him! We were struggling to come up with an actual name for him, and that's when my dad mentioned that we should name him "Peyton", after Peyton Manning. If you couldn't tell, we are Denver Bronco fans. Peyton has the 2 little black line under both his eyes, just like the football players, so it was perfect! This was a long time ago, so I have forgotten a lot of the things that I've done with Peyton. I believe I showed Peyton in 4-6 puppy a couple of times, and he got some puppy group placements. But, what I do remember, is showing Peyton myself to his Championship in July of 2018. I've also done some Rally and Obedience with Peyton in 4-H, and AKC. Peyton is also Farm Dog Certified and I believe he got that title in September of 2019. Peyton is a very good herding dog. He received his Herding Tested title in March of 2022.
I showed Peyton in Juniors from time to time. I know he lead me to a couple of Reserve Best Juniors when he was between a year, and 2 years old. He wasn't the best Juniors dog, as he was more worried about bitches in season, but he was a good boy sometimes.
Peyton is definitely my dad's dog. He will follow him around the yard when my dad is doing yard work, being his best buddy. Peyton is a big loud mouth, and never fails to let us know when someone is just getting home, at the door, or in the surrounding area. He is a very big weenie, and you can't yell at him too loud or you'll hurt his feelings! However, Peyton is a very sweet, fluffy, loud, dufus. He absolutely LOVES his butt being scratched, and will even throw his rear end where ever you're sitting to make sure his dreams are fulfilled. Peyton is neutered, so he was never bred. We all love Peyton, even if he annoys us right when we walk through the front door.
More Pictures of Peyton
CH Jereco's WildWind's Shoot To Thrill CD PT NA CGC ~ Tony
Tony was born on September 7, 2012. Tony is by GCHS CH Lisara's Smooth Operator, out of CH Jereco's Thunderstruck.
Tony is bred by Jerry Sulewski & Cheryl Sulewski.
Tony is owned by Michelle Bergstraser, Bryonna & Yvette Thompson.
This is the interesting story on how we got Tony. In 2017, our plan was to breed Alexie, and since Alexie was my current Juniors dog, we were in search for a new juniors dog. My mom and Shelley Bergstraser were secretly talking about sending one of her dogs to possibly live with us, while Alexie was having puppies and raising them. Well, in January of 2017, my mom had picked me up from school, and was acting very weird to me. When we got home, she immediately ran to our back door to show me something. There I saw a big Tri Smooth Collie who was absolutely thrilled to see a kid. That was Tony. He was so excited to see me, he was jumping on me, nipping at my pant legs, and barking. II was shocked and excited! My mom said that Tony was going to stay with us for a day while Shelley "went out of town". I was very happy to be taking care of Tony for a "night". Well, the next day my mom was throwing her annual Fondue Party, and invited many people, along with Shelley. About 30 minutes before the party started, Shelley came early. I was confused. As I was sitting on the fire place, Shelley asked me if I would like to have Tony to show in juniors. I was shocked at first. However, this was a very easy decision for a 10 year old little girl to make. I of course said "yes"! From that moment on, Tony has lived with us for almost 11 years.
Tony was the ultimate juniors dog, very push button, easy to show, and never complicated. One of the first shows that Tony and I showed at together, we were awarded our first Best Junior! This was also my first Best Junior. I was absolutely thrilled! Tony and I ended up getting a couple more memorable best juniors together. The one that I remember most was in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 2017. I was in the Open Junior class and had won 1st place, meaning I would have to go back in for Best Junior. Mind you, this was an entry of almost 70 kids competing against each other, and most were in the Top 20 Juniors overall in the country. As I was competing in Best Junior, I was thinking to myself, "I have done a really good job". As all of us 1st place winners were in the final line up, the judge grabbed the ribbon and pointed at me! "You're my Best Junior" she says. Everyone was excited. But not as excited as me. I was only 10 years old in a ring with some of the top ranked kids. Tony did everything perfectly and I was so proud of him. After showing Tony for a couple of months, he suddenly started becoming lame in his right front leg. So to help, we would give him Rymidal every morning before he showed, and it helped there for a while. Until it didn't, and judges were starting to notice him limp. I still didn't have a strong juniors dog, as Alexie was out of shape from not showing for so long, and Peyton was still so young. In September of 2018, I had enough and decided to retire Tony from the Juniors ring. It broke my heart, but I knew what was best for him.
After retiring Tony from the Juniors ring, he became a couch potato and is still living his best life. While he is 13 years old, he still gets around decent enough, considering he has bone spurs on his elbow that put an end to his show career. Tony currently enjoys bossing the younger dogs around when they are rough housing, laying in his dog bed, sleeping 20 hours of the day, and getting attention. I am forever grateful that Shelley allowed my family and I to care for Tony for the rest of his life. I don't think I would be where I am today if it wasn't for Tony.
CH WildWind's Barramist Blue Defenderous CGC RN FDC ~ Alexie
Alexie was born on November 27, 2011. Alexie is out of CH Wild Wind's Turn Me Loose CD PT RAE (Race), by Group Winning CH Wild Wind's Kiss This (Star).
Alexie was bred by Michelle Bergstraser, Laura Kling, & Janet Kaufmann
Alexie was owned by Michelle Bergstraser and Yvette Thompson.
This is the story of Alexie. My mom had recently lost her dog, Helsa in September of 2010, and was looking for a puppy. Shelley had recently had a litter of puppies, so my mom and I went to go look at them. My mom was trying to decide between these two Smooth Blue Merle puppy bitches and was having a hard time. Well, she saw how the one puppy was playing with me and she decided on that one. We were trying to come up with a name for her, when I started saying different, random names to my mom. "Penny?" I'd ask. "Hmmm, No" my mom would say back. I kept going until the word "Alexie" stumbled out of my mouth. My mom said "I like that one!" So did I! And that name stuck. Alexie was ornery, and would not stop bitting my hair or nipping at my legs when we brought her home. She was a goofy looking puppy. She had ears like dumbo, and some long gangly legs that just didn't match her body. As she grew up, she started to piece herself together. She was a bit of a hard one to finish, so my mom hired Laura Kling (Shelley's daughter), to finish Alexie for us. Laura traveled around with Alexie, and all her other dogs that she was campaigning or trying to finish. Alexie eventually finished her Championship in 2015.
After Alexie had finished her Championship, my mom was now on the hunt to find a stud dog. In December of 2015, Alexie was bred to a dog named Decker, but unfortunately, she had lost the litter very late in her pregnancy. My mom was determined to get a litter out of her. So, we waited another year, and she was then bred to GCH CH Wild Wind's Special Forces, Tracer. A dog that Brenna Godlevsky own and was bred by Shelley. My mom so carefully monitored her pregnancy like a hawk. She used Whelp Wise and lots of Reproductive Specialist. Finally, on April 21, 2017, Alexie welcomed 8 little puppies into the world via c-section. 5 girls and 3 boys. 3 Tri Smooth girls (we believe), 1 Tri Rough girl, 1 Blue Merle Rough girl, 2 Blue Merle Smooth boys, and 1 Blue Merle Rough Boy (Peyton). All 7 of the puppies were doing amazing, except on little girl. The vet had a hard time getting her out of the uterus. She was not breathing for 45 minutes of her life, and then suddenly she started to breathe. So we had hope for her. After taking everyone home, we noticed the little Tri girl was still not doing well. Unfortunately, we lost her about 19 hours after she was born. Alexie was not the greater mom off the start. She didn't really know how to clean them or what to do. Well, the day after we were watching on of Laura's dogs, Scribble, and Scribble had two litters previously. Scribble was so determined to see Alexie's puppies, but we didn't allow her because we didn't know how Alexie would react. Well, Scribble jumped over the baby gate and slowly stepped into the whelping box and started cleaning the puppies. Alexie looked concerned, but let her do her thing. Suddenly, Alexie started doing what Scribble was doing. She was literally watching Scribble and did everything she did. Scribble went back home to Laura, and Alexie was driving as a mother. The next 2 weeks were great. The puppies were going amazing. One night I had went upstairs to look at the puppies, when I had noticed one of the Tri smooth girls not moving. I thought she was sleeping so I just sat on the bed. I was only 10 years old and didn't know anything about raising a litter. About 5 minutes later my mom had came upstairs to check on them, and saw the little Tri girl not moving like I had. My mom observed her and picked her up, and that's when she noticed she had died. She didn't know how. Until the next day, Alexie was nursing the puppies, and my mom heard what sounded like a cry under her. Alexie was LAYING on a puppy! My mom immediately got her up and off the puppy. He was okay but a scary moment for my mom. That's when we figured out how the little Tri girl died. From that moment on, my mom watched Alexie extra close, and she got better about just "ploping" down in the whelping box. About a week and a half later, we slowly started the puppy on some puppy food that was made by Royal Canin. It had upset the puppies stomachs greatly and had caused one of the Tri girls to colic. We unfortunately were unable to save her. So we were then left with 5 puppies. Which was sad, but we were just happy to have the rest of them healthy. The puppies grew and were getting big. By their 8 week appointment, most were ready to go to their new homes. Except, my mom had a concert about the last standing Tri rough girl, and how small she was. The vets did some blood work, and it came back that she was in renal failure. Her kidneys were now working properly. But that never stopped her from being feisty. After everyone went to their new homes, we had the puppy we were keeping, Peyton, and the little Tri Rough girl. My grandma had been wanting a puppy, so my mom offered her the little Tri Rough girl, and my grandma said yes. My grandma had named this puppy "Lassie". Months went by and Lassie was going to her appointments to keep up with her diagnosis. Things just were not getting better. In December of 2017, Lassie had a Grand Mal seizure at the vet when my mom and grandma had taken her. They ultimately decided what was best for Lassie and put her down. This was so hard for all of us. But all 4 of the Blue Merle puppies were thriving. This has been over 8 years since Alexie's litter and as far as we know, all 3 of the puppies we sold are doing well.
When Alexie tuned 8 years old, I decided to show her in the veterans class at the national. I hadn't shown her in a while, but Alexie had an absolute blast! From that moment, I showed her in every veteran special attraction and every national I could because of how much she LOVED being in the ring. She never got anything at nationals, but the real reason why I showed her, was to see that big smile on her face when we ran around the ring, and everyone would clap for her. The last time I showed her in veterans at the national was in 2023. In July of 2023, I had showed her in a veteran special attraction, and noticed that while she was still happy to be in the ring, her spirit was down. My mom had noticed it too. So she took her to the vet, and Alexie was then diagnosed with hermangiosarcoma. Alexie had cancer on her spleen. My mom decided to have them take out her spleen, in hopes to give Alexie at least another 6 months to a year of life. Alexie started to eat again and show her spirit. But then in early November of 2023, she started acting down again. My mom and I knew. My mom took her to the vet, and sure enough, Alexie was absolutely FULL of aggressive cancer. Except this time, there was nothing we could do. The only thing we could do was keep her as comfortable as possible, and that's what we did. As her health got worse, and her spirit slowly deteriorated, we knew the time would soon come. My mom had made an appointment for someone to come to our house, and put Alexie down. However, 2 days before, Alexie let us know that she was ready. So we called the emergency vet, and let them know we were coming around 11:00 p.m. Alexie passed away on November 16, 2023. Just 11 days short of her 12th birthday, she died. And just 9 days after being diagnosed with cancer, once again. I had never knew how much I loved this dog until she was gone. Alexie was my child hood dog that let me do anything to her. I would play doctor on her, have her pull a sled around the yard like she was a sled dog, play dress up with her, ride my bike with her around the campground when we went camping, have her chase me around the house, and the absolute best first juniors dog that I ever had. She was the greatest. Even if she barked your ears off, she was truly amazing and the happiest dog I'd ever seen. That day I lost a piece of my child hood that I'll never be able to get back, but what I can get back are those memories that play in my head all the time. Alexie LOVED to chase bunnies, and she was good at it. She would also annoy my dad whenever he started up the lawnmower or ATV. Alexie would try to attack them in hopes on winning against the big sound. She would love to steal your chair. If you weren't sitting in it, she would then claim it. She was a once in a lifetime dog, and she will forever live in our hearts.
