Alexander's Page

R.I.P.

Alexander died in his dad's lap at 4:31pm on 10 June 2000, having lived 83 wonderful dog years. Like his first (human) mom, he succumbed to cancer, though only after several months of fighting to recover from back problems which had left him partially paralyzed

These pages are dedicated to the loving memory of one of the most wonderful creatures ever to grace this Earth. He left his mark upon many a tree, but also on the hearts of nearly everyone who met him. He was a gentle and loving animal who was at least as happy snuggling with his people on a cold night as he was digging in the sand at the beach.

More Alex

Gallery of photographs from Alex's life.
Alexander's quilt.
Alexander's Last Cheese-Fest.

Who am I?

Jeremiah Alexander Shaw, or just Alex for short. On the Internet, nobody knows if you're a dog, but I'll blow my cover - I'm a Golden Retriever. I keep a human, Karl Swartz, to tend to my needs and in particular to fetch me cheese. A good, handmade English Stilton is one of my favorites.

Other special people in my life include Dr. Jennifer Koga, my favorite veterinarian at Adobe Animal Hospital (I like trips to see her because I get a ride and lots of attention!), and especially Gabrielle, my cat. I miss Krissie Griffiths, a.k.a. Mom.

What's in a name?

I'm actually named after six dogs! Jeremiah is from my father, Tohonohills Merry Jeremiah. (My mother's name is Tohonohills Lil' Angel Gal.)

Alexander is from Alex, the dog in the Stroh's beer commercials. Uncle Marty had a dog named Shep, who turned out to like beer. He got the nickname Shep McKenzie, after Spuds McKenzie, from the Bud Light beer commercials. That bothered Dad and Uncle Marty, though, because Spuds was kinda pathetic, not cool like Alex from the Stroh's commercials. Dad liked the name anyway, so he named me Alex.

Finally, Shaw is actually an acronym for "The Boys." Dad and Uncle Marty had four dogs, Shep, Hralph, Ashtabula, and Wrecks. Actually it was Rex, not Wrecks, but he was rather clumsy so the alternate spelling became a sort of nickname. Anyway, I got the name Shaw in memory of the four boys. There's another Shaw, now, too -- cousin Mitakola (though she's not one of the boys).

So, there you go, I'm a dog who is named after six other dogs!

Going for a Ride!

Dad has a number of cars, and I love going for rides in all of them. At right is a picture of me in the back of Dad's 1979 VW Beetle Cabriolet, eager to go for a cruise. I wish he'd hurry up! Once we get on the road, I'll probably curl up in the front seat and rest my nose in Dad's lap for a while so he can't forget about me. Later, I'll move to the back where I can lay down or sample the smells from either side of the car.

The next picture is of me giving Dad a paw with his 1953 Morgan +4. (I'm the good-looking one in the co-pilot's seat.) It's a fun car because I get to enjoy lots of smells, but I prefer the other cars which have more room for me to stretch out once I'm sure Dad is doing his job. It's also nice to have a back seat because then I can rest my muzzle on Dad's shoulder while he feeds me french fries, a requirement on longer rides.

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Karl Swartz <karl@kls2.com>