LINES FROM LINDA: REMEMBERING JULIE DESY
Charlotte McGowan, Joe Molloy, and Julie Desy, competed in junior showmanship together.
Am/Can. Ch. Ilemist Impossible Dream, ROM CDX
IN MEMORY OF JULIE
Alfie opened many doors for me and started my lifelong love of breeding and showing dogs. I even credit Alfie for helping me find my husband of forty-eight years, John Frazier of Someday Shel- ties. Over the next couple of decades, John and I had the privilege of co-breeding and co-owning many beautiful Shelties with Julie. Even as a young girl, Julie’s dream was to become a Sheltie han- dler—and she became a handler extraordinaire. She had a magical rapport and a love for every dog she handled. She always brought out the best in them. Julie always worried about the future of Shelties, but she has left that in the very capable and talented hands of her daughter, Meredith, and son-in-law, Hector. There is one more person who has been instrumental in Julie’s and my life for almost fifty years. That someone is Gini Shaw. Gini has always been there for both of us through all the ups and downs. Thanks Gini—you have been our lifeline. I am glad that Julie got to live out her dream for so long… and she did it so amazingly well.
I first met Julie at a local Detroit dog show when we were both teenagers and showing our very first Sheltie. Unbeknownst to me at the time… my dog was a pet. Julie finished her first Sheltie, Ch. Lindhurst Lovely Lullaby, with four majors, and she became Julie’s early foundation bitch. Right from the beginning, Julie and I became best friends and would talk on the phone for hours about dogs. As a few years went by, Julie kept coming up with beautiful Shelties to show. I, on the other hand, could not find one that matured to show standards. Fortunately, Julie came to my rescue. She bred her lovely Ch. Lind- hurst Christmas Carol to the young Ch. Halstor’s Peter Pumpkin and offered me a puppy from the anticipated litter. Julie and I were both partial to a little male in the litter with a beautiful face. So, I took him home and hoped for the best. This puppy became Ch. Ilemist Impossible Dream, CDX, ROM… “Alfie,” a multiple Specialty and Working Group winner. Thank you, Julie!
Elaine and John Frazier Someday Shelties
OUR BEGINNINGS WITH JULIE
Mary and I have always had dogs, everything from Long- haired Dachshunds and Miniature Schnauzers to Parti Cock- ers and Rough Collies. Back in the mid-’90s, we decided to get a new dog after our last dog had passed away. We pon- dered which kind of dog we wanted and, after reviewing all the previous dogs we’d had, we decided that we wanted another Collie. However, because our new yard was smaller than our previous one, we wanted one of those “Mini Collies.” So, we asked our vet if he could recommend someone to get a Mini Collie from. He gave us a woman’s number. So, we called up and this person said, “You mean a Shetland Sheep- dog.” We replied, “No, a Mini Collie. We have seen them.” She began to tell us there was no such thing as a Mini Collie. We were quite upset because we had seen them around and we told her so. She recommended that we go to the library and research Shetland Sheepdogs. We said that we did not want a big sheepdog; we wanted a Mini Collie! Well, she
(Gr. Ch.) Neahm’s Kiss Me Kate with owners Walt and Mary Christensen
116 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, SPRING EDITION
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