Alex was born March 26th, 2002, and arrived in San Diego in June. That he had a distinct personality and a mind of his own was apparent as soon as we got out of the car in the parking lot of the airport - we could hear him demanding to get out of his crate, and be shown around! He was gregarious, kind, smart beyond belief. His was the mind of a young child, with ability to reason, problem solve and communicate quite clearly. And be a brat! He was thoroughly delightful, and captivated people wherever he went. He had a passion for learning, and so was thrilled to do obedience work, tricks, field and agility types of activities - anything to learn more "words". He loved words, and could understand an enormous number of them. He loved to listen to stories, especially the one I made up for him about his own life. It began with "finding" his tattoo, so he'd roll on his back so I could touch the tattoo on his thigh, and begin his autobiography. He never got tired of it.
He never seemed sick, but he did seem to "slow down" some, and not be as energetic, or have as much stamina. Since Dobes can be middle-aged by the time they are 5 or 6, we didn't think too much of it- but in retrospect, the poor guy was probably developing cardiac and circulatory problems before they ever became symptomatic. He was the darling of our hearts, our "third son", and his untimely death has left a gaping hole in our lives and our home.
