Alexandra

Hello! My name is Alexandra, I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. I have many interests and hobbies which include guitar, piano, hip hop, jazz, horseback riding, Jr showmanship and most of all working with and showing dogs. I assist obedience classes at our local dog club, CCDTC.org, and attend regularconfirmation classes at the club. I travel to AKC and UKC shows with my “dog show mom” Pam Peterson of Royal Kennels and her daughter Danielle. We travel with many dogs in Pam’s motor home all over the US. I assist Pam and other handlers in showing and finishing their dogs. I have met many friends and look forward to each new show.

I enjoy helping in grooming and caring for our shih tzu in our home. They are my cuddle bugs at night and keep me busy during the day. Frannie is my obedience dog and will soon start agility. She is very smart and can already perform many commands including, sit, down, stay, finish, speak, on, off, heal, walk on two feet, dance, roll, touch and even shut a door on command. She is “my girl”.

Although Frannie is a wonderful friend and companion to me, I wanted a dog that could travel with me to all of the shows. I’m sure one day I will have have the experience to have my own “show shih tzu”. As a young handler, I wanted a breed of dog that I could easily take into the show ring on my own. A breed that did not require the coat care and extensive maintenance and grooming that it takes to enter a shih tzu in the show ring. I also wanted a dog that I could run with in the show ring and that could eventually compete in agility. I have been looking for the perfect breed that would fit my personality and also fill my desires as a show dog and agility companion. After researching and interacting with many AKC breeds, I choose the Basenji.

The Basenji is a very catlike, intelligent, poised, elegant dog. He is also known for being full of play and activity which is “right up my alley”. The Basenji is a very muscular dog that moves with ease and agility. The Basenji is commonly known as the “barkless dog”, but when excited, he makes a noise that sounds like a yodel. The Basenji is a nice size dog to fit in with our other dogs and our family life style. The basenji’s minimal grooming requirements due to his short coat make him the perfect dog for me to travel with and take on the road.

Thanks to Pam and her friend Sue Kite of Klassic Basenji, my little girl has arrived. I am so excited and can’t wait to get her into my heart, my home, my bed and in the show ring! She will definitely be the “lone wolf” with all of the fluffy little top knot shih tzu in the house, but I’m sure she will also “call the shots” . My goal with my new little girl is to finish her as a champion and go on to have my own “special” in the AKC. When she finishes her championship, I will train her in obedience and hope to go on to compete in agility with her.

My very own show dog here at Cocktail is “Klassic Royal’s Hot Shot”, we call her “Sambucca”.