MEMORIES

One of the first days when Alex was left to "watch" the house, he proceeded to do some interior decorating of his own.  The stuffed cushions on the living room sofa became unstuffed with all of the material strewn across the floor along with the shredded remains of the cushion cases.  One of the dining room chairs also had some unique carvings with some interesting "teeth-mark" deco.  When we returned home that day, all Alex could do was wag his tail uncontrollably and beam with pride over his new artistic accomplishments.

Swimming for Alex was one of his favorite pastimes (next to playing with his tennis ball).  Whenever he would jump into the water to fetch a toy, he would look for the highest spot above the water that he could find.  He then proceeded to jump in with all four paws spread in order to make the biggest splash as possible.

I used to be afraid of dogs.  When Mark first got Alex I helped pick Alex out and held Alex on the way home.  I got my first experience of a dog throwing up and peeing on me that day and the rest is history.  Alex and I bonded and my life was never the same.  I went from being petrified of dogs to being crazy about dogs.  I even named Alex.  Alex was named after Alexander the Great, not the Stroh's Golden Retriever, Alex!

Alex being a retriever, liked to eat.  Neither of us could eat popcorn or grapes with out sharing them with Alex.  He was also good at cleaning up the floor. 

We should also mention the "Alex dance".  Whenever it was time to play ball, or go to the park, Alex wagged his whole but, not to mention his tail, and danced around in a circle.  Then of course, there was that tail!  We had to be very careful Alex would not knock down something left in the wrong spot on the coffee table!  Seeing Alex wag his tail was one of the joys of my life.

Alex had a few nick names he would answer to: Facey Boy, or just Face, and boy.  Alex was trained to wag his tail on command, but his favorite, was shaking his paw.  He would ask to have it shaked even if we did not. Once in awhile he would roll over on command.

Alex used to help me exercise.  He would lay down next to me as close as he could get.  I would then try to do my stretching.  Alex made those times more of a challenge, but also more fun.

On Alex's last day, he was too weak to stand and barely able to move. We brought out one of his long-lost toys (a hula-hoop).  For one last time, Alex managed to raise his head and wag his tail.  Even though his body was ravaged with cancer, his spirit and enthusiasm  remained until the end

Alex, we will always miss you, Love, Mom, Dad and Thunder..