I did not grow up with dogs and had no intention of getting one. I lived in Long Island, NY in the ‘60s, and one holiday weekend, a large stray dog showed up in my yard. My kids wanted to keep him, and I couldn’t find his owners, so “Fuzz” came into my life for the next 12 years.

We moved to NC in 1994, and I decided to buy a purebred collie. That was “Alphie”. I first became interested in dog training with him and joined DKC in 1994.

I learned about Shelties by attending trials, where I met a breeder who is still my friend today. She found “Ricki” for me. I got him Therapy certified, and we visited many nursing homes. My next Sheltie was “Cindy”, 4 1/2 years old and a dog no one could train. I started agility with her, and she got her NJ title in the first year, scoring 100 in her first trial.

Then came “Sam”, the love of my life. He was a border collie and a clown. He loved Agility and then Rally, enjoying being in the spotlight. He took care of me and made me laugh. A grand guy until his last days.

I now live with “Angel”, a Sheltie, and “Jordan”, a poodle. Throughout the years I have done Conformation, Obedience, Rally, Agility, Herding, and Therapy with my dogs. Angel once took acting classes!

I volunteered to put out the DKC newsletter in 1997 and began to track the membership in 1998. I also stock the Coke machine. DKC has helped me reach my training goals and also has been a source of friendships. Some of my proudest moments and also what I enjoy most about DKC are when I see members work together to achieve so much.